Best Watercolour Paint: 7 Paint Sets to Get You Started on Your Next Art Project

Watercolour paintings have a unique beauty that you cannot find in oil or acrylic paints. It is vital to understand what to look for when selecting watercolour paints to save money and make a high-quality work of art. Watercolour paint’s water-soluble binder and colour pigments make it easy to use and enjoyable to work with. The best watercolour paints don’t have to break the bank to show off their quality and vivid colours, but choosing watercolour paints from top watercolour firms does help.

Best Watercolour Paint

Watercolour paint comes in two main forms: liquid tubes and solid pans that reactivate. Tubes make it possible to combine more intense colours in the studio while portable. Pans are a preferable option because they are more mobile and less filthy. There are a few things to consider when choosing watercolour paint, whether professional or beginner paint. You can purchase individual pans and tubes from any manufacturers listed below to fill an empty well palette for watercolours or an empty pan tin for watercolours to construct your own portable set.. A typical paint recipe calls for pigment, a gum arabic binder, water, and any stabilisers or consistency enhancers, such as honey.

1.  Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolours

 

Aside from its great lightfastness ratings of I or II, indicating that they are either very good or excellent, the Cotman watercolour line has received widespread acclaim from the art world. Winsor & Newton’s name has been renowned and appreciated in the art world for many years. This company’s watercolour paints are of the greatest quality, whether an expert or a student. Because of their continually high ratings, Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolours remain the preferred medium for many professional artists. There are six, ten, twelve, fourteen, and twenty-four sets to select from, so you can find one that matches your demands and budget. These watercolours come in a range of container options, including tubes and pans. Even though these watercolours come in a bundle, You can obtain individual tubes at a low cost from any art shop.

Pros

• Long-term stability and lightfastness
• This will appeal to both beginners and intermediate players.
• You can purchase individual tube refills.
• Colours that are bold and lively

Cons

• The use of synthetic fillers

2.  Artist’s Loft Necessities 36 Colour Watercolour Paint Value Pack

 

First, let us talk about how the paint has a silky feel and provides excellent coverage on various mediums such as paper and ceramics.

Necessities for an Artist’s Loft If you’re on a tight budget but don’t want to sacrifice quality, the Watercolour Paint Value Pack is excellent. It offers a good colour distribution and 36 highly pigmented pans across the colour wheel.

Because the pans are small, this set isn’t ideal if you frequently use the same colours or paint a lot.

Pros

• Experts of all levels can use this product.
• These paints are suitable for many creative projects, including cards, photographs, and calligraphy.
• These paint Colours are non-toxic, acid-free, and washable.

Cons

• The size of the pan is small.

3.  M.Graham Artists’ Watercolours

 

1. Graham Artists’ watercolour range generates extraordinarily smooth and viscous paint using a blackberry honey binder. As a result, paint from tubes will not dry completely on a palette. This keeps the vibrancy of the colour, but it is less convenient for squirting out for subsequent use. Therefore it is best employed in the studio.

Even though the tubes are only available in a 15ml quantity, they won’t dry out quickly, and the price per ml is lower than professional prices, making them a great value. Because of the paint’s deep colour and long-lasting washes, a paint tube will last a long time. It readily comes away with the paper.

Pros

• Bright colour with a velvety feel.
• The paint takes time to dry out.
• Affordably priced artist-quality paint.

Cons

• Only available in 15ml bottles.

4.  Reeves 24-Pack Water Colour Paint Set

 

This kit costs around $15 at the time of publication and is a good starting point for ambitious painters who want to try watercolours but don’t want to break the bank. Despite the vastness of the collection, there are a few missing parts. This kit lacks a mixing palette and a brush, characteristic of tube kits. Since 1766, Reeves has been in the heart of the art world as a subsidiary of Colart, which owns Winsor & Newton. This Reeves set is equally as good as its sister company, Winsor & Newton’s, when it comes to colour. You’d expect to pay a premium for such a diverse colour palette, but that’s not here. You’ll need to buy a couple more to finish the deal.

Aside from the accessories, the colours in this product stand out, and the paint itself is simple to use.

Pros

• This is a great collection for those just getting started.
• You may achieve dynamic effects by using a palette of at least 24 colours.
• A paint kit is inexpensive.

Cons

• It does not contain a beginning brush.
• This paint set included no palette to combine paints with other paints.

5.  Sennelier French Artists’ Watercolour Half Pans

 

Sennelier’s watercolours are superb honey-based paint with rich colour and good consistency. The pans included in the kit perform admirably, reactivating with little water and giving vibrant colour. Because the honey content may remain slightly sticky in humid environments, taking a little longer to dry. They are also inexpensive for high-quality professional paints.

This watercolour paint flows and blends well on the paper. Throughout the composition, there is a high level of pigmentation. This is an excellent alternative if you want a more portable sketching kit with artist-quality colour.

Pros

• As soon as it becomes wet, paint reactivates very quickly.
• Colours that pop off the page.
• Professional colours at a reasonable price.

Cons

• Sticky under extremely high humidity levels.

6.  Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolours

 

Depending on the pigment, some of these paintings are more granulating than others. Daniel Smith’s highly exquisite watercolours are wonderful for painters. Primatek mineral tints and a few bright hues are among the 261 available colours. They come in a wide range of colours, making them perfect for people who like to experiment. Because it’s high-quality paint, the colours are vibrant, but they still come off the paper easily. A uniform shine is achieved because the brilliant colours are evenly distributed across the paper.

Pros

• It’s a fantastic paint set delivering exceptional output.
• A wide range of colours is available.
• This is useful for granulating textures.

Cons

• A little bit expensive.

7.  MozArt Watercolour Paint Essential Set

 

Watercolour painting is an excellent medium for those who are just starting out. You’ll need your favourite 24 fundamental shades of paints, a mixing pallet, and an all-purpose paintbrush to get you started.

These bright colours are simple to blend for a clean, crisp finish. If you don’t have a designated room in your home for crafting, this kit comes in a metal box that is both light and strong that is easy to carry and store.

Pros

• Colours may be mixed using a three-part lid.
• The palette is small and lightweight.

Cons

• This set contains only 24 colours.

Purchase Guide For Best Watercolour Paint

TUBE And Pan OPTIONS

Watercolours are typically purchased in small tubes or pans of solid paint. Wet brush-activated pans have unrivalled mobility in the cooking sector. Large-scale projects are more difficult to paint since the amount of pigment you can take out is limited, but each pan will last a long time.

Tubes, on the other hand, are filled with paint. It’s a little more difficult to transport, but it’s easier to mix and paint on a larger scale. On the other hand, Tubes make it easier to use a large amount of paint in a short amount of time, resulting in additional paint purchases. Furthermore, artists must avoid drying their paint because some brands do not hold up well to rewetting.

Because tubes and pans are sold individually, you can try different combinations until you find one that works best for you.

QUALITY

Like other painting supplies such as acrylic paints, watercolours come in two grades: student and professional. Professional watercolour paint often has a higher pigment concentration and a wider range of hues. To save money, student watercolours utilise more synthetic binders and fillers, diminishing their permanence.

If you’re a beginner or want to experiment with watercolour painting, student quality should suffice. “You won’t notice the difference at first, saving you money.

COLOUR

The advantage of watercolour paint mixing is that it allows you to increase your colour palette without significantly purchasing many different colours. Before making a significant investment in artist-quality paint, start with five to ten shades.

Some artists swear by using only one or two single pigments and gradually building up their colours, even though blended colours always appear more vivid. Your personal preferences and ambitions largely dictate this.

You may have observed that the price of pigments changes depending on the sort of raw minerals used if you use professional watercolour paints. Some minerals are more expensive because they are more scarce. Because synthetic fillers are employed to replace the rare pigments used in student watercolours, the pricing of these works is consistent.

The persistence of the paint refers to how long it will last after being exposed to light and moisture. The pigment quality and amount of filler (if any) in colour are significant elements. Check the label to see how each colour rates for lightfastness, also known as permanence, on the ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials grading scale. Winsor & Newton, for example, and many other companies, publish this information on their websites.

TRANSPARENCY

Watercolour paint allows light to pass through it to get a washed-out effect. If accessible from the manufacturer, opaque watercolour paint is labelled on the tubes or pans, while transparent watercolour paint is not. To get the layered appearance of typical watercolour paintings, keep in mind that You can change the transparency of opaque watercolours.

STAINING

Watercolour colours penetrate the paper and cause stains, whereas removing undesired lines with a sponge or scraping the paper is easier with paints that float on the surface. It all comes down to the pigment, and even if you’re a beginner, a little trial and error will teach you which colours stain. It’s also worth noting that non-staining watercolours might turn murky when mixed with other colours. Colours that do not stain on white paper may assist you in determining which colours in your palette do not stain.

FAQ’s

Conclusion:

It’s simple to understand why colours have such an impact on those who view them. Colours may either excite or calm you, depending on how you see them. It is essential to select paint colours available while painting to achieve clear and vibrant hues as needed.

Before going on to more complicated patterns, invest in the six primary colours: deeper and brighter tones of red, yellow, and blue. The result is a collection of colours that one may utilise to create a range of hues from a single palette. While some painters prefer a large variety of colours, others prefer only a few; the quantity and content of colours you have will differ from artist to artist. Over time, you’ll figure out what works best for you.