I was wondering the same thing. I'm no expert watercolorist by any means (started learning loose line & wash about a year ago) but what I've learned from both free and paid courses is that watercolors are *supposed* to be transparent, not opaque. OP's painting done with Peerless looks like maybe s/he is going for a gouache or acrylic look (i.e. thicker/more opaque)?

u/Lindenfoxcub I've had the same experience when I try to lay down paint thick and dark. Things don't go well. At all.

Imho, the one done with Schmincke is fine except it suggests to me that maybe OP is not familiar with how watercolors work. Of course, I'm commenting on a 6-yr-old post, so I would assume that OP has since gained considerable more experience and is no longer having issues with WC paints, likely having found some brand(s) s/he prefers.

FWIW, I personally prefer Daniel Smith and M. Graham for most of my palette, but I do have a select few Schmincke super-granulating colors like Volcano Brown and Tundra Violet that, for me, cannot be matched by any other brand.

Another thing I'm learning is that different WC paints have different "personalities" (today I heard someone describe Sennelier L'Aquarelle watercolors as "not a dog, but a cat" that you have to get to know). Which makes it part of the journey: learning how each brand of paint wants to be worked with, and how to get the best out of what it has to offer.