Schmincke Art Supplies Deals: Compare Sale Prices & Find the Best Discount UK

Some brands talk about heritage. Schmincke has lived it. In 1881, two colour chemists, Josef Horadam and Hermann Schmincke, founded H. Schmincke & Co in Düsseldorf with a single, demanding ambition: to make the finest artists’ colours possible. Their first product was Mussini, a resin-oil colour based on the formulations of the Florentine art professor Cesare Mussini, and remarkably, it’s still in production today. In 1892, Josef Horadam developed a new watercolour and patented it across Europe, and the Horadam name has been synonymous with premium watercolour ever since. More than 140 years on, the company is based in Erkrath, near Düsseldorf, and it’s still comitted to the “Made in Germany” tradition of careful, high-quality colour making.

Schmincke is best known for its watercolours, and Horadam Aquarell is the range most painters mean when they talk about the brand. These are artist-grade watercolours with dense pigment, beautiful transparency and a smooth, reliable flow, sold in half pans, full pans and tubes. They’re expensive, but they’re the kind of paint that makes you a better painter, because the colour behaves exactly as you expect it to. If you want a deeper look at the range, our dedicated Schmincke Horadam page covers it in detail.

What a lot of artists don’t realise is how broad the rest of the Schmincke range is, and how good it is across every medium. The soft pastels deserve a special mention. Schmincke soft pastels are handmade, very soft and intensely pigmented, and they’re considered by many pastel artists to be among the finest in the world. They sit alongside names like Sennelier and Unison at the very top of the market, and if you work in soft pastel, a Schmincke set is a genuine luxery worth saving for. For oil painters, there are two ranges. Mussini is the premium resin-oil colour, with a rich, luminous quality that goes back to the company’s very first product. Norma Professional was created in the early twentieth century as a more affordable, standardised oil range, and it remains a superb professional oil paint at a slightly gentler price.

Schmincke’s gouache programme is extensive too, from Horadam Gouache at the top through AKADEMIE gouache for students and hobby painters, plus the specialist DESIGNERs gouache and Calligraphy gouache. For acrylic painters, there’s PRIMAcryl Professional, a high-quality artist acrylic, and AERO COLOR Professional, a fluid acrylic that also works beautifully through an airbrush. And then there’s AKADEMIE, launched for the company’s centenary in 1981 to bring Schmincke quality to a wider audience at a more affordable price. AKADEMIE covers acrylic, oil, watercolour and gouache, and it’s a brilliant way to try Schmincke without paying Horadam prices. Add a broad range of mediums for every technique and you have one of the most complete fine art ranges you can buy from a single maker.

In sixteen years in the art supplies industry, including nearly a decade running digital marketing at ARTdiscount, I’ve seen Schmincke hold its place as one of the brands serious painters aspire to. Within our community of 36,000 UK artists at Discount Art Supplies, Schmincke comes up constantly, especially Horadam for watercolourists and the soft pastels for pastel artists. It’s also one of the most searched brands on our own site, which tells you how many people are hunting for the best price on it.

Getting the best deal on Schmincke comes down to a few things. First, compare prices before you buy. Schmincke is a premium brand, so the difference between retailers on the same product can be significant, especially on sets and larger tubes. Our comparison above checks Cass Art, Jackson’s, Amazon and others in real time, so you can see who’s cheapest today. Second, think carefully about pans versus tubes, and sets versus individual colours. Sets often work out cheaper per colour, but only if you’ll actually use the colours included. If you already know your palette, buying individual colours can be better value in the long run. Third, consider AKADEMIE or Norma if budget is tight. Both give you genuine Schmincke quality at a lower price, and they’re excellent for studies and practice. Finally, watch for sales. UK retailers regularly include Schmincke in promotions, especially around Black Friday and in seasonal sales, and Horadam sets and soft pastel sets are among the most sought-after deals of the year.

A few questions come up again and again. Is Schmincke Horadam worth the money? For serious watercolourists, most would say yes. The pigment load and handling are exceptional, and a little goes a long way. What’s the difference between Horadam and AKADEMIE? Horadam is the professional artist range, while AKADEMIE is a more affordable fine-quality range designed for students and hobby painters. Are Schmincke soft pastels good for beginners? They’re wonderful to use, but they’re a premium product, so many beginners start with a smaller set to try them. And are Mussini and Norma oils the same? No. Mussini is a resin-oil colour with a distinctive luminous quality, while Norma Professional is a traditional oil colour range at a slightly lower price.

Schmincke isn’t the cheapest brand on the shelf, but after more than 140 years, it’s still one of the very best. Looking for a Schmincke sale, discount or discount code? Check the price comparisons above, updated in real time, and you’ll always know you’re getting the best current UK price.