FAQ
FAQ on ordering and availability
Everything is sold out in your shop - how can I purchase your watercolors?
Our paints are released in small batches and they are very popular, often selling out within 24 hours. The best way to be notified as soon as our paints are in stock is to sign up for our newsletter. Subscribers are notified in advance of the next stock date, along with previews of what will be offered.
You can subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of the page here:
wildthorne.com
Please let us know if you have any difficulties during this process and we are happy to help.
You sell out so quickly, why don’t you stock more?
Wildthorne studio is just two people - a wife and husband - and a small studio space. Our process is slow with each step done by hand and with close attention to detail to ensure consistency and quality. The smaller the batch means more care is put into our process and the better the results. These factors coupled with time means that only so many paints can be made at once.
If you’d like something that is sold out, we do offer the option of a pre-order. By placing a pre-order you guarantee yourself a palette as soon as the current batch cures and dries. These pre-orders are subject to availability and our current turnaround time for a pre-order is 7-15 business days (not including holidays or weekends) as each pan of paint will be hand poured to order especially just for you and requires a minimum of 4-10 days to cure, harden and dry.
Can I place a custom order?
We are happy to assist our customers with custom orders, and open up select limited spots every month for these requests. Please send us a message via our contact page or email and we can quote you pricing and availability.
Shipping
When will my order ship?
Standard turnaround time for paints in stock is 5-10 business days, but due to a current high order volume our shipping and production turnaround time can extend to 2-3 business weeks (not including holidays and weekends). Shipping times are always clearly noted within each listing.
For more information on shipping also please refer to our Shipping page.
How much is shipping?
Your shipping cost will be calculated at checkout based on your order size and location.
Where do you ship to and which carriers do you use?
Domestic US Shipping – We ship via USPS Priority Mail with delivery confirmation and tracking.
International Shipping – HOORAY! We can now ship to Australia/New Zealand the EU and the UK again! If you have any questions during checkout please send us a message through our contact page Your choice of USPS First Class, DHL Express or Priority shipping. First class tracking is sent via email and is only guaranteed to the US border. *Not all postal service providers outside the US follow the USPS tracking guidelines.
Canadian, EU and UK customers please know that you may be charged a VAT tax on your order when it reaches customs. We will not be collecting VAT taxes and will not be responsible for them. Any taxes/fees/charges are the customer’s responsibility and are not included in the product cost or shipping fee. If you don’t want to pay the tax, your order will be returned to us.
Where can I find my tracking information?
We will send your package tracking number in a shipping confirmation email. Notice that you receive this once your package is prepared for shipment, it can take a few days to be fully processed and picked up by the postal service. For international tracking please refer to our shipping page for more details.
Why isn’t the tracking on my order being updated?
Once your package has been shipped, please allow 2-3 business days for the tracking number to arrive in the USPS tracking system. After that time you should see movement as the postal system processes your package.
The processing time for orders is 3-5 business days. After that, delivery time within the United States is 3-6 days, and 10-15 business days internationally. Please keep in mind that during the holidays, this time may vary.
Do you offer refunds or can I ask for an exchange?
Due to the nature of the paints we consider all sales final. If your paints arrive substantially damaged, contact us immediately with photographs of the packaging or product and we will help.
FAQs about our paints:
When unwrapping my watercolors, the wax paper adhered to some of the paints; is this a problem?
Due to extreme heat temperatures worldwide, it is common and natural to have our watercolors soften upon arrival. The individual wax paper wrapping on each pan is to catch this when it happens so if you find a little paint stuck to the wax paper, you can place your watercolors in the freezer for an hour. After this time you’ll be able to peel off the paint and put it back in the pan or onto a palette to be used. This will not impede the performance of your watercolors in any way.
Why are some of the metallic shimmer paints soft in the pan?
All our paints are 100% natural, from tiny mica flakes to honey. Being entirely natural, they respond to changes in climate and humidity. For example our shimmery metallic paints are softer in nature and will always be so due to their crystalline composition compared with some of the harder iron-based mineral paints. Our watercolors are natural and reflect their unique characteristics and structural properties based off of the source elements from which they are composed from. We celebrate this diversity and variance and hope that you enjoy them too!
Here in our foggy coastal studio we cure the paints for as long as they need and we pour them fresh for you as soon as your order is placed. Any softness in no way affects the stability or performance of the watercolor, it is simply part of the joyful process in working with a living, organic material.
Why don’t the Gemstone watercolors saturate into paper? Why are their colours not as strong?
Our gemstone watercolor paints are handcrafted from 100% pure crushed crystals; authentic natural minerals taken directly from the earth. Being this natural they act decidedly different than factory shimmer watercolors which often contain synthetic materials and artificial dyes. Our natural materials do have a more subtle beauty to them but does not make them substandard; simply different! These paints are designed to be used differently than regular paints; use water sparingly and slowly build up layers to achieve deeper saturation. We also do not recommend any abrasive rubbing or scratching with gemstone watercolors. Nature creates a wonderful palette of colors from the pale hues to rich and intense vibrant colours, at Wildthorne we offer you the beauty of choice in both.
Are your watercolors lightfast? What is the lightfastness rating?
Yes, all of our watercolors are artist grade and light fast. Their rating cannot be classed as despite much misleading information online, no two rating charts are the same. Results will vary based on geographical location, the mineral content in your water as well as the amount of sunlight you subject your watercolors to. The only true lightfastness tests that have 100% accurate results are conducted in highly controlled and expensive laboratory tests, done often only by museums and fine art establishments.
Are your watercolors Vegan?
Our paints are Vegetarian but not Vegan; the paints are handcrafted in a highly ethical and sustainable way that is cruelty free, however our binder recipe does contain natural honey.
Health and safety
For the health and safety of our customers we do not recommend ingesting any of our watercolors, or using them as cosmetics. Due to potential skin allergies we also advise against rubbing watercolors on your skin, or into your eyes. Our watercolors are intended for ages 12 and up.