Watercolor paints are a staple for beginners and experts alike. So, irrespective of whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist, having a good set of watercolor paints can help you draw up a quick color sketch when you feel like it. In order to help you find the finest set of colors available in the market, we’ve put together this list of the ten best watercolor paints. Take a look through it, and see if there’s a particular set of colors that impresses you.
Watercolor Paints FAQ
Let’s first look at the answers to some of the common questions about these paints.
1. What Are Watercolor Paints?
These colors are essentially paints that are suspended in a water-based solution. They come in various formats like tubes, bottles, and solidified cakes embedded in pans. Irrespective of the format they come in, they need to be mixed with water in order to enable them to spread out on the painting surface. Watercolors are most often used on paper and, less frequently, on canvas.
2. What Can Watercolor Paints Be Used For?
Watercolor paints are best used for creating small sketches and colored drawings. They are great for beginners who are in the process of learning the art of blending different colors to create newer shades. And although it isn’t commonly done, watercolor paints can also be used for larger drawings.
3. How Do You Choose The Best Watercolor Paints?
Some of the factors you need to consider when you’re looking for the best watercolor paints include the quality of the colors, the intensity of the pigments, the ease with which they can be blended, and the format in which they come.
4. Where Can You Buy The Best Watercolor Paints?
You can find the best watercolor paints in an art-supply store, a local stationery shop, or in a departmental store. You could also purchase them from online marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
Image via Pexels
How We Reviewed The Best Watercolor Paints
In order to help you pick the best watercolor paints in the market, we searched several online marketplaces and stationery outlets to find the most popular watercolor paints available. We then evaluated several painting kits on the basis of multiple parameters like the vibrancy of the colors used, the quality of the paints, the kind of packaging they come in, the level of permanence, and their lightfastness. Having thus weighed out the many options, we proceeded to pick the ten best watercolor paints to prepare this list.
No products found.
Overall Price Range Of The Best Watercolor Paints
The price range of the best watercolor paints may vary from as low as $40 for a pack of 20 or more colors to as high as $80 for a pack of 10 colors. The price depends primarily on the type of packaging used, the kind of sources used to obtain the pigments in the paints, and the overall quality of the paints. The higher-priced variants tend to blend better and last longer on paper, while the cheaper variants may be less intense and fade away faster.
What We Reviewed
Image via Pexels
Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Compact Set |
SHINHAN Professional Watercolor Paint |
Watercolor Paint Set by Crafts 4 All |
Daveliou Watercolor Paint Set |
Colore Watercolor Painting Kit |
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Paint Sketchers' Pocket Box |
DANIEL SMITH 285610005 Extra Fine Essentials Introductory Watercolor |
Sennelier La Petite Aquarelle Watercolor Paint Set |
Holbein Wc W405 Set Of 24 5Ml Tubes |
M. Graham GRM-33-10SET Intermediate 10-Color Watercolor Paint Set |
Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Compact Set
No products found.
Features
With 14 half pans of professional hues, this set offers some of the best watercolor paints on the market. The pack is tight, pocket-sized, and lightweight, and the selection of paints includes a warm and a cool shade for each of the basic colors. The set also comes with a one-series 16-sable brush, and the case offers several mixing surfaces in addition to a sliding palette. The pigments are brilliant and transparent and are rated AA or A on the permanence scale, meaning that the colors will remain vibrant for years.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Shinhan Professional Watercolor Paint
No products found.
Features
This set contains 30 of the best watercolor paints for beginners and professionals alike. The pigments are pure and high-grade, and the colors are strong and transparent, making it easy to blend them together to create shades with multiple nuances. They’re also highly adhesive and lightfast, meaning that they can resist fading when exposed to light. The paints in this set are also non-toxic and take a couple of days or more to dry out on the palette. You can also easily take the compact pack along when you travel.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Watercolor Paint Set by Crafts 4 All
Value "large" is not supported.
Features
For anyone who’s looking for a self-sufficient paint kit, this is one of the best watercolor paints sets. It includes 24 premium quality watercolors that are non-toxic and brilliant. The clarity is unmatched, and the colors do not fade away even when exposed to light. The kit includes three brushes to get you started with your project right away. The paints are easy to blend together, making it possible for you to create a wider range of colors to suit your needs. Above all, this set comes with a lifetime satisfaction guarantee.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Daveliou Watercolor Paint Set
Features
Easily among the best watercolor paints, these shades come in squeezable aluminum tubes that allow you to extract the colors on to the brush without mixing them with other shades. The set includes 24 non-toxic paints that can be blended together to create a range of colors right from delicate hues to strong and bold shades. The pigments are pure and hand-picked, and they do not deteriorate when left in the tube or the palette. Re-wetting them is a breeze, and the protective screw caps ensure that they are well preserved in the tube.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Colore Watercolor Painting Kit
Features
Suitable for both beginners and experts, these are some of the best watercolor paints available. They come as a set of 24 non-toxic colors that are bright, attractive, and true to their label. The paints are exceptionally transparent, making them appear authentic when painted on paper. They are also fairly permanent and can survive for a long time even when exposed to light. The pigments in the set have been carefully selected to ensure that you have all the shades necessary to create a stunning piece of art.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Image via Giphy
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Paint Sketchers' Pocket Box
Features
With a mix of basic colors set into tiny pans, this is one of the best watercolor paint sets for beginners. It comes in a plastic box that is pocket-sized and portable. The inner side of the lid features two short ridges that divide it into three compartments. These sections can be used as mixing palettes. The pack also includes a pocket-friendly brush with a thin tip that is great for adding intricate details to your painting. The pigments in the paints are derived from various sources, including organic elements.
PROS
CONS
Price: $
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Daniel Smith 285610005 Extra Fine Essentials Introductory Watercolor
Features
With three cool colors and three warm hues, these are among the best watercolor paints for beginners. They come in compact tubes that are easy to squeeze and use. The paints blend together excellently, allowing you to mix them in various combinations and degrees to create a much wider range of colors than the one you started off with. The paints are all made in the USA and make for a fine gift for an art student in your family or a friend who likes to paint in their spare time.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Sennelier La Petite Aquarelle Watercolor Paint Set
Features
Clearly one of the best watercolor paints sets for people who are looking for a portable pack of colors, this kit includes 24 shades set in half pans. Each set also comes with an elastic hand strap at the bottom which is convenient for artists who want to hold the palette of colors in one hand while painting with the other. You can simply slip your palm through the strap and hold the box in place. The inner side of the lid has multiple compartments separated by short ridges. You can use these sections to mix various colors together.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
Image via Pexels
Holbein Wc W405 Set Of 24 5Ml Tubes
Features
What sets these paints apart is the fact that they are ground more finely than most other watercolor paints. They’re manufactured in Japan without using ox-gall, which is an animal by-product. With 24 tubes that each come with a volume of 5 milliliters, these are worthy of being considered as the best watercolor paints for beginners. The pigments are vibrant, and the colors blend well with one another. So, you can easily mix two or more shades to create a hue that isn't available in the palette.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
M. Graham GRM-33-10SET Intermediate 10-Color Watercolor Paint Set
Features
Made in the USA, these are the best watercolor paints for beginners who want to start off with a small palette of colors. With only ten shades that come in compact and squeezable tubes, these paints allow you to experiment by mixing the shades in various combinations to create other colors. The unique thing about these paints is that they are made using pure gum Arabic and natural blackberry honey. This combination keeps the paints from hardening and ensures that they remain fresh in the tube.
PROS
CONS
Price: $$$
This set of watercolor paints can be purchased on Amazon for around $.
Where to Buy
The Verdict
The colors from Crafts 4 All may just be the best watercolor paints on the market. They come in a pack of 24 vibrant colors and blend together extremely well, allowing you to create more colors to bring your painting to life. The set is also moderately priced and offers great value for money. Alternatively, if you’re interested in a pack that offers more colors, the set of 30 watercolor paints from ShinHan is an excellent choice. On the other hand, if you’re a beginner or if you’re looking for a set that offers a minimal range of colors, the pocket box from Winsor & Newton checks all the right boxes.
Last update on 2023-03-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
