Best Watercolour Paints for Beginners

Best Watercolour Paints for Beginners UK


Watercolour painting can be a lot of fun, but it’s hard to know where to start if you’re a beginner

Anyone can use watercolors, but if you want to produce the best results, you’ll need the correct tools. While purchasing watercolor paints, the world of professional watercolor paint, student grade paints or just watercolor paint sets in general can be very daunting.

Various sets have their own advantages and disadvantages – but which are which? Based on our own personal experience as well as the advice of other watercolor painters, we’ve compiled a list of the best watercolor sets for beginners for you to try.

So continue reading and take a look at our list of the finest watercolor paints for beginners, which includes:


01) Bianyo Watercolor Paint Set

30 Assorted Colors Upgrade Paints – With Watercolor Paper, Brushes, Water Brush Pen for Adult & Kids

Bianyo Watercolor Paint Set main image

Features:

• 30 colors

• Watercolor paper

• Water brush and paint brush

• Color chart

• Lightweight metal case

Description:

Improve your watercolor paintings with 36 upgraded paints. Easy to combine to produce an endless spectrum of colors! The paint kit comes in a portable metal box that is lightweight and strong. Paint anywhere: on the beach, train, garden, inside, parks, or in the city with the Bianyo Water Brush Pen.

Pros
  • Included water brush and paint brush make it easy to paint
  • Comes with all essentials
  • Retains its brilliant color when dry
Cons
  • Some pigment separation can be seen
  • Watercolor paper could be of higher quality

Review:

This set of watercolors is a work of art in itself and is a fantastic piece of kit. The watercolor set not only comes with good watercolor paints, but it also comes with everything you need to get you immediately started on your watercolor paintings, too.

One of the best watercolor paints due to their beautiful and wide range of colors this set leaves a great first impression, and if you have a friend or relative who’s looking to take this up as a hobby then this would make a perfect gift.


02) Paul Rubens Watercolour Paint Set

Artist Grade Solid Cakes Travel Pocket Set Portable with Pink Metal Box Case – 48 Colours

Paul Rubens main imageWatercolour paint Set

Features:

• Metal body

• 48 vibrant colors

• ASTMD4236 certified non-toxic

• Extra fine gum arabic based watercolors

• Mixing wells

Description:

There are 48 vibrant colors in the collection, and it’s available at an exceptional price. These watercolors have outstanding transparency, lightfastness, and saturation, making them ideal for blending and merging with other colors and mediums. This is an excellent gift for children, friends, students, or anyone who appreciates painting. Paul Rubens watercolor paints are suitable for a variety of projects, whether you’re painting in the city or on the beach. Individual watercolors can be removed or replaced to create the color combination you like. Paul Rubens takes great pride in the quality of its products and the satisfaction of its customers.

Pros
  • Beautiful and vibrant watercolor paints
  • Retains its vibrant color when watercolor painting dries
  • Individual watercolor pans are easy to use
Cons
  • Some pigment separation can be seen in colors
  • The included white color is not the best quality when compared to the others

Review:

In my brief time using these, the watercolor set has impressed me with the quality, similar to that of professional watercolor paints and to say I’m quite pleased with them is an understatement!

It’s not simply the package that is charming, but the paints themselves are also great; silky and pigmented, as well as being easy to work with.

The adorable metal box is great for transporting on holidays, and the mixing can be done neatly in the mixing wells. This would make an excellent present for anyone who enjoys travelling and working with watercolor paints whilst away from home.

The kit contains washable paints that perform fantastically; I cannot recommend them highly enough!


03) Sennelier Watercolour

Metal tin of 12 10ml tubes CLASSIC SET

Sennelier Watercolour main image

Features:

• 12 x 10ml watercolor tubes

• 1 x paint brush

• Metal body

• Classic French watercolor paint

• 4 large mixing palette wells

Description:

This set includes one Sennelier watercolor brush and 12 Sennelier L’Aquarelle Watercolor 10ml tubes in a handy metal container with two fold-out palettes.

L’Aquarelle Sennelier has been made for over a century utilizing the finest colors and Kordofan gum arabic as a binder. This blend of natural materials creates vibrant colors with a smooth, brilliant texture. The gum arabic and honey combo produces wonderful washes. The core color variety and timeless style make this package a great gift or upgrade.

Pros
  • Mix incorporates additional honey, which enhances watercolor pigments and extends paint life.
  • The mixing wells are built into the set
  • Great value for the price
Cons
  • Some paints are less transparent than others
  • Some paints can dry out inside the tubes if not properly closed

Review:

A Sennelier Watercolor paint kit is a no-brainer if you’re looking to buy watercolors. Professionals and beginners alike will find Sennelier’s watercolor professional grade paints to be among the best on the market but I would only recommend these to a semi-skilled artist and above who has an appreciation for high-quality painting supplies because the paints sold here aren’t necessarily intended for children’s use.

A great choice to improve your watercolor paintings using this Sennelier watercolor kits, which have been manufacturing some of the best available now for over a century.

In short, I can’t say enough good things about this watercolor set.


04) Multi Color Solid Watercolor Paint Box and Brush Paint Set

Suitable for Beginners and Professional Artists

04) Multi Color Solid Watercolor Paint Box and Brush Paint Set main image

Features:

• 48 colors

• Clear and vivid colors

• Finely ground pigments

• Fast drying and easy to use

• Flip cover color palette

Description:

Toner pigments, finely ground raw components, great saturation, natural and vivid transitions. Suitable for Japanese comedic graffiti painting this finely milled watercolor pigment with great saturation, natural and bright transition, has a focused process resulting in great durability. The solid watercolor paint can be impregnated directly on paper and the colors are vivid, easy to blend, long-lasting, and rapid drying.

Easy to use for both beginners and professionals, the pigment comes in a box with a flip cover that can be used as a color palette or a mixing palette for watercolors. The pigment is durable and the color transparency is good.

Pros
  • Even when mixed, the colors remain faithful to their original hues
  • Stunning, bright and vibrant professional paint
  • Paints are easy to use
Cons
  • A few translucent hues don’t blend well with others

Review:

As far as half-pan watercolor paints go, this is one of the better options on the market right now.

It’s possible to use all of the 48 colors to produce professional watercolor paintings from the beginning with them all fitting into a ‘frequently used range of hues’ and I’ve found that after drying, the paint doesn’t lose much of its lustre due to washing…I’ve also found that a variety of synthetic brushes have worked well with it too.

This set of 48 half pans is good value for the money spent and it’s a nice set to take on travels due to it being both small and portable.

Definitely worth the investment.


05) Castle Art Supplies 24 x 12ml Watercolour Paint Tube Set

Value for Adult Artists | Quality, Intense Colours | Just Squeeze The Tube, Mix with Water and Get Creative | in Delightful Presentation Box

Castle Art Supplies 24 x 12ml W main image

Features:

• 24 different colors

• 12ml watercolor paint tubes

• Watercolor paint tutorial

• Smooth texture

• Silky and vibrant colors

Description:

This set has been developed to encourage beginners to get started in the world of watercolour painting and with it’s high quality, vividly colored colors, seasoned painters are reassured of it’s value. Combined with an attractive but useful presentation box this is a perfect present for gift-givers wanting to find that special surprise.

This essential package of 24 artist-quality colors in a double row of resealable tubes is arranged in easy-to-pick color families. Apply directly from the tube or arrange on a palette (a plate works well) and use a damp brush to spread, blend and layer the super-translucent colors using good quality watercolor brushes. Learn about watercolors by recreating the magnificent Castle in the Air box lid illustration in five simple stages.

Pros
  • The 5 step tutorial is extremely helpful
  • Uniform viscosity makes it easy to mix colors
  • Colors dry quickly which makes it easier to create layers
Cons
  • The colors inside the tube paints can sometimes dry out
  • Not ideal for canvases

Review:

As you’re probably aware, Castle arts is one of the more well known watercolor brands that create great watercolor paint, acrylic paints and more. This particular watercolor paint set is amazing to use and both professional watercolor artists and beginners can benefit from this.

The artist quality paints are smooth, velvety and vibrant. They mix well with other colors and dry quickly. Various watercolor techniques can be easily executed with this set, that might not be possible with other student quality paint colors. This watercolor paint set is a solid buy and I highly recommend trying them out.


General Information About Watercolor Paints For Beginners

Pigments, gum arabic, additives including glycerin, ox gall, and honey, and eventually evaporating water, which serves as the paint’s solvent, make up the majority of professional watercolor paints. The pigments and gum arabic used in artist quality watercolors are of the highest quality, making the paint thick and creamy.

Any painting medium that uses water as a solvent and may be applied by brush, pen, or sprayer falls under the umbrella of water media. However, the word is more precise. These include nearly all of the most popular types of ink and water-based paints, as well as many of the tempera, gouache paints, and acrylic paint of the present day.

Conclusion / Roundup

Water-based solutions are used to suspend pigments in paint, allowing painters to create stunning paintings by combining colors from different palettes and blending them together. Professional paint is available in a variety of formats, including whole and half pans, paint tubes, and so on. I hope that this list will assist you in narrowing down your choices among the numerous brands and models available so have fun and get take your first steps in becoming a watercolor artist.

FAQs

Which watercolor is best watercolour paints for beginners?

– Most easy to use half pan water color paint are best for beginners, with a few months of practice they can then shift to artist quality paint tubes.

What colors should I start with for watercolor?

– Any watercolor paint set will come in a large assortment of colors, but perhaps start by working with the basics. So as a beginner, I would begin with student grade paints in red, green, yellow and blue.

Which Watercolour paints are high quality paints?

– Watercolor paints that use high-quality pigments, as well as high-quality gum arabic are the best watercolor paints.

Is watercolor paint good for beginners?

– As a medium, watercolor sets are great for beginners, they’re easy to use but as with all art, there is always room for improvement.

Are Winsor Newton professional watercolours considered good too?

– Yes, Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolors are considered some of the best watercolors for both professional artists and beginner painters alike. They offer a wide range of colors and quality is consistently high.


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Written By Adam Rushton

Adam has made a name for himself in the illustration industry and is a passionate blogger and writer on the subject of art, illustration and graphic design.

His artwork has been featured in countless publications and used for very well-known media projects. As a professional illustrator for over 20 years, Adams media outlets, a wealth of knowledge, and experience enable him to consult and advise artists and illustrators in this country (from York and Manchester to Southampton and London) and all over the world.


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