The Best Watercolor Paint Sets

Buying Guide for Watercolor Paint Sets

Why buy a watercolor paint set?

Watercolors are an easy paint medium because you can rewet the paints once they are dried. These paints are water-based, nontoxic, and have no odor. It is easy to create sketches and still paintings with watercolors, and you can even pair the paints with pencils, graphite, and ink. Buying a watercolor paint set is great for those who travel or artists on the go because they are typically lightweight and portable.

What should you consider in a watercolor paint set?

• Quality: Paints typically come in “student” and “artist” qualities. Those of an artist quality will be more pigmented and come at a higher price. Depending on the results that you expect, you can choose from one of these two types.
• Format: Watercolors come in both tubes and pans, and which one you choose is more a personal preference as the quality is usually the same. Tubes squeeze the paint out and will require a plate or palette, while pans are cake-like blocks that sit in a paintbox.

What are the best starter colors?

Because paint colors can be made from primary colors, you’ll want to opt for watercolor paint sets that have a variety of colors. The best ones for mixing include various blues, reds, yellows, and browns.

Our Picks for the Best Watercolor Paint Sets

Pros: This kit has the essential colors to get you started with watercolor painting. This cartridge- system kit offers pan security and versatility and comes with a brush. These watercolors are made to a high-quality standard that has excellent tinting strength and working properties.

Cons: This kit is a student-grade line, with some of the ingredients in the paints being swapped out for cheaper alternatives to keep the price lower.

Bottom Line: This stylish kit is comprehensive and practical inside, so it’s great to take on the go. It comes with mixing surfaces including a removable clip-on palette.  The inside of the lid can also be used for extra mixing when other palettes are removed.

 

Pros: This watercolor paint set includes 42 vibrant colors and six premium metallic colors, easy enough to blend to get an endless range of colors. The paints are highly pigmented which provides superior performance, fast-drying, and no fading. This set is great to use on coloring books, cards, journals, sketching, etc.

Cons: This set is suited for more experienced painters who know how to blend the colors.

Bottom Line: This kit is well-designed to take with you on the go and includes the tools you need to get started. The metal lid has three partitions to be used as a mixing palette for easy color blending.

 

Pros: This set of watercolors is highly pigmented and will stand out on your canvas or watercolor paper. The tubes allow you to squeeze out exactly how much you need. Each tube is individually labeled with the pigment information as well as its transparency and lightfastness indicators.

Cons: Because this set comes in tubes, the paints are not recommended to be put in pans and left to air-dry, as they will crack.

Bottom Line: This kit includes a wide selection of colors which is great for those who are just starting out working with watercolor paint. You can experiment and enjoy the bold pigment of these paints.

 

Pros: Bring your artwork to life with this all-inclusive kit. This set is great for both beginners and professional artists. It contains bright watercolors as well as neon and metallics, which are completely water-soluble and highly pigmented. This set is portable and exceptionally convenient as it includes paper, an exclusive brush pen, and other implements. The set is nontoxic and has no odor, and the paints are suitable for both kids and adults.

Cons: The paints granulate, and the binder is thick if not enough water is used.

Bottom Line: This kit is great to travel with and comes with what you need to create watercolor art at home or on the go. The lightweight mint tin box is stylish, ergonomic, and makes a wonderful gift for the artists in your life.

 

Pros: This full package of watercolor supplies includes 20 sheets of foldable, thick watercolor paper, 12 rich, vibrant watercolors, as well as a water brush pen for adding small details. It even includes marked guidelines for you to fold a sheet of the watercolor pad into a ready-to-display work of art or frame.

Cons: This set is best for beginners, not experienced or professional artists.

Bottom Line: This kit is a simple set that is great for a novice to create and have fun with art. The guidelines and included watercolor paper are nice basic additions to start your journey with painting.

Final Thoughts

Watercolor paint sets are a great way to explore your inner artist and get a chance to experience painting on different textures and surfaces. There are plenty of options out there that will get you on the right painting path, whether you are beginner or a professional. Consider some of our recommendations to help you jumpstart your creative journey!