Best Watercolor Paints for Beginners

Best Watercolor Paints for Beginners


Watercolor 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) Paul Rubens Artist Grade Watercolor Paint Set

48 Colors Glitter Metallic Watercolor Paints, Portable Metal Case, Suitable for Beginners, Hobbyists, Students, Artists

Paul Rubens Watercolour Paint Set main image

Features:

• Metal body

• 48 colors

• Glitter metallic watercolor paint

• Mixing wells

• High-quality arabic gum watercolor

Description:

The package includes 48 vivid glitter colors for extra options and makes bringing your ideas to life much easier and more fun. Create your own beautiful environment with a wide choice of 48 vibrant hues. Anybody can be an artist with this set! The high-quality arabic gum improves the gloss and transparency of watercolors whilst making the paint more soluble and intensifying the hues.

Paul Rubens Watercolor uses ultra-pure pigments that are carefully ground, so they do not easily grey or scrape. Pre-mixed with IRIDESCENT medium, for a distinctive glitter effect.

Pros
  • Vivid color and high transparency
  • Individual pan paints
  • High-quality pigments with a smooth consistency
Cons
  • The glitter infused colors might not be suitable for all paintings
  • Mixing paints might not always work properly

Review:

First thing’s first this watercolor set is extremely fun. The saturated colors are fun to work with and give your paintings that extra pizzazz and the extremely vibrant colors stay true after they dry. The individual pans make it so that colors don’t mix with each other accidentally inside the box.

All in all this is a fun way to start water painting. One of the best beginner watercolor paint sets, to get you started.


02) Van Gogh Watercolor Paint Set

Metal Tin, 36-Half Pan

Van Gogh Watercolor Paint Set main image

Features:

• 36 colors

• Half pans

• Metal body

• Student grade paints

• Includes synthetic brushes

Description:

In terms of skill level, Van Gogh’s watercolors fall in between those of a beginner and an advanced artist. The colors are vivid, translucent, and have a high level of tinting strength. Only a few colors fall just short of the lightfastness rating of +++ (100+ years under museum conditions). Their purity and uniform viscosity make them easy to work with, as well as more convenient to mix. Produced with pride in Holland under strict quality control to ensure a consistent buying experience. A round synthetic hair brush is included in this 36-half pan watercolor kit, which is packaged in a metal tin case (size 3)

Pros
  • Watercolor paints are high quality and vibrant colors
  • Superior quality lightfastness
  • The mixing wells are built into the set
Cons
  • The half pans can be a barrier for professional artists alike
  • The red paint bleeds more than other colors in the set

Review:

Van Gogh watercolors create a few of the best student grade colors. This set in particular is an absolute favourite. The finely ground pigments cover all the key colors and they mix well with each other to create even more paint. As a beginner watercolor paint set or a portable watercolor set, the Van Gogh Watercolor Paint Set is amazing.

In my opinion, the best watercolor paint sets are the ones that you can just buy and start painting, and this is exactly that. High-quality paints, a built in mixing tray and included paint brushes are all the watercolor supplies one needs to start painting.

Cannot recommend this enough.


03) Arteza Watercolor Paint Kit

24 Pieces, 18 Vibrant Watercolors, 3 Watercolor Brushes, Watercolor Paper Pad and Canvas, and Wooden Storage Case, Art Supplies for Painters

Arteza Watercolor Paint Kit main image

Features:

• 12 watercolor half pans, 6 watercolor tubes

• Plastic palette

• Wooden storage case and paint palette

• 3 watercolor brushes

• Watercolor paper pad and watercolor canvas

Description:

The ultimate watercolor art paint and tool set. For beginners, intermediate painters, or anybody who enjoys watercolors, our watercolor paint kit is simply a lovely present. Colorful artwork can be created anywhere, thanks to our first watercolor canvas and painting paper pad. With this package, you’ll have everything you need to create stunning watercolor artworks. Paint tubes and half pans of watercolor are included in a robust box. This set offers everything a watercolor artist could want, whether it’s for the holidays or just to brighten up your day. This year, surprise someone special with a gift of imagination.

Pros
  • Everything an artist might possibly require, beautifully packaged
  • Beautiful assortment of half pans and watercolor tubes
  • The hues are bright, clear, and transparent
Cons
  • The wooden paint palette is easily broken
  • Long-term storage of liquid paint can cause drying

Review:

Among various European and American watercolors, this set is by far one of the best professional watercolor sets for beginners. This set comes with both half pans and color tubes so you can figure out your sweet spot. Both the tube watercolor paints and watercolor pans are some of the finest watercolors one can buy. Along with the high-quality art supplies also included, you can’t go wrong with this assortment of professional grade watercolors.

If you are an aspiring artist or know someone who is interested in pursuing watercolor paintings, this is the product for you.


04) Faber-Castell Watercolor Paint Set

24 Tubes of Liquid Watercolors (9ml) and Mixing Paint Palette – Art Supplies for Adults and Hobby Artists

Faber-Castell Watercolor Paint Set main image

Features:

• 24 colors tubes

• Mixing palette

• One brush

• Clear and vivid colors

• Washable paint

Description:

Learn how to paint with bright liquid watercolors!

Adult novices and hobby artists will love Faber-Castell watercolor paint tubes with their vibrant, selected hues.

24 pigment-packed liquid watercolor paint tubes (9 ml) in both bright and dark colours are included in the Faber-Castell Watercolor Paint Set. Color mix and blend with the provided mixing palette.

Watercolors are a versatile artistic medium and these liquid watercolor paints are good to go, dissolving readily and flowing easily. Stack watercolor washes to create new hues and use the included washable plastic mixing palette to create the right color for your project. Once applied, easily dissolves and dilutes with transparent color.

Pros
  • Brilliant watercolor paint
  • Covers the basic colors
  • The tubes are simple to use and well sealed.
Cons
  • They don’t follow standard color names
  • The drying of liquid paint can occur if it is stored for an extended period of time.

Review:

Among professional watercolor brands, Faber-Castell is one of the first names that comes to mind. As well as this, Faber-Castell is also known for its beginner and student quality art supplies that you buy from your local art store.

This, however, is great for beginners who are not quite ready for professional paints.

The Faber-Castell Watercolor Paint Set is still a great deal for its price and for a specific group of people who want to try out liquid watercolor paint.


05) Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint

Deluxe Sketchers Pocket Box 18 Half Pans, Set of 18

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint main image

Features:

• 16 Cotman Water Color half pans

• Pocket brush

• Kneaded eraser

• Plastic body

• Sketch pencil

Description:

Newton and Winsor Cotman Water colors are a line of water colors that are created to high-quality standards while keeping prices low by replacing some of the more expensive pigments with less expensive substitutes.

Cotman Water colors provide good transparency, tinting strength, and working qualities.

A pocket brush, a kneaded eraser, and 16 Cotman Water Colour half pans are included in this water color set.

Pros
  • Vibrant natural pigments
  • Easy to use for beginners
  • Even when mixed, the colors remain faithful to their original hues
Cons
  • On the pricer side of watercolor paints
  • Although creating professional watercolor paint, Winsor & Newton can be hard to master

Review:

As far as professional-grade paints are concerned Winsor Newton are the cream of the crop. Even an economical watercolor set like this will give you some of the best watercolor paints you can imagine. Used by most professionals, Winsor Newton Cotman watercolor paints provide the most amazing painting experiences.

If you are someone learning the art and is serious about this as a profession you can easily rely on Winsor Newton Cotman. Their line of paint is amazing and you can advance using the same line of paints for a long time.


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 with a nice smooth texture.

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, artist quality paint, student grade paints and beginners paint are 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 are the best watercolor 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 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 red, green, yellow and blue.

Which Watercolour paints are best?

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

A professional watercolor set usually contains a variety of colors, but for a beginner, it is recommended to start with the basics.

Is watercolor paint good for beginners?

– As a medium the water color is great for beginners, it is easy to use but as with all art, there is always room for improvement.

What is the difference between watercolor and acrylic paints?

– Watercolor and acrylic paints are both water-based media that are often used by artists.

However, the two types of paint have very different consistencies, uses, and effects when applied to a surface. Additionally, acrylics tend to be more durable than watercolors.

So while they might take some time to master, watercolors can be a great option for beginners who want to experiment with painting.

Is there a difference between European and American watercolors?

There is indeed a difference between European and American watercolors.

European watercolor paints are typically made with higher-quality pigments, as well as other additives that help to maintain the consistency and texture of the paint.

Meanwhile, American watercolor paint sets tend to have more vibrant colors and use synthetic brushes for application.

Overall, both types of watercolors can produce stunning results, so it ultimately comes down to preference.


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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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