We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.
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Whether as a means of personal expression, self-care during a stressful period, or simply a way to pass the time, finding a hobby that truly resonates with you is important. Something that requires minimal upfront investment is a great way to develop your pastime without depleting your wallet, and one excellent option is watercolor painting.
You can do this affordable, low-maintenance hobby anywhere, even outside in nature, and you can start at any age and any skill level. Our top choice is the Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set.
Editors’ Favorite
Type: Pan | Number of colors: 12 | Finish: High gloss |Skill level: Beginners to professionals | Accessories: Case, paintbrush
There are many reasons why the Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set is one of the best watercolor paint sets available. Made by a trusted brand, it’s a pan set with a dozen long-lasting colors that are blendable, have nice transparency and create a glossy finish.
Although this set is suitable for novices, the quality and pigments of the watercolor paints make them suitable for pros. too. Artists of all skill levels will appreciate that these paints can be used on different types of paper, including sketch paper and watercolor canvas.
In addition to 12 paints, this set also includes a paintbrush. Additionally, the watercolor paints come in a case that’s easy to transport. This makes it a good choice for students or any artist who wants to create when away from home.
Great Value
Type: Pan | Number of colors: 48 | Finish: Matte | Skill level: Beginners to professionals | Accessories: Case, paintbrush, water brush pen, black marker, sponge, swatch sheet
We chose the ARTISTRO Watercolor Paint Set as the best watercolor paint set in terms of value, as it comes with 48 colors, offers impressive quality and includes ample accessories. The paints are also mixable and blendable, with excellent transparency and a matte finish. These features fit the needs of new and experienced artists.
The numerous colors in this set makes it a good choice for bringing out artists’ creativity. These lasting pan paints come in a case that’s perfect for travel. In addition, you’ll get a paintbrush, water brush pen, black marker, sponge and swatch sheet — everything needed to begin creating and honing your artistic skills.
Despite the quality, colors and extras, this set is affordable. The low price makes it perfect for budget-minded shoppers who want a comprehensive watercolor paint set at a low price.
Best for Kids
Type: Pan | Number of colors: 48 | Finish: Matte | Skill level: Beginners to professionals | Accessories: Case, 3 brushes
If you want the best watercolor paint set for a child, the Artecho 48 Colors Watercolor Cake Set is the one to purchase. Like many quality watercolor paints, the ones in this set are nontoxic. What’s more, they are made without acid and are highly washable, so kids can experiment and create worry-free.
With 48 matte-finish colors with nice transparency, youngsters and experienced artists will be able to paint landscapes, animals, people and much more. The paints are suitable to use on most types of paper, so this set can be used to make cards, calligraphy and other crafts.
These paints come in a durable case that artists on the go can easily stash in a bag. It also includes three paintbrushes. An affordable option, it’s ideal if you need a set for a young aspiring artist who is still discovering their artistic talent.
To help make the process of selecting a quality set of watercolor paints as easy as possible, we're focusing on six key factors: quality, permanence, transparency, staining, type, and colors.
Like acrylic paint sets, there are two general levels of quality in watercolor paints: student and artist. The paints in an artist's set have a higher concentration of pigment to offer more vibrant, consistent, and permanent colors. In contrast, student watercolor sets are more affordable, but the paints contain more fillers. While a student set is suitable for a beginner or someone who is interested in trying watercolor painting, a more advanced or serious artist would probably find it inadequate.
How well watercolor paint holds up over time is called its permanence or lightfastness. The higher the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) rating, the longer your artwork will last. Unless you’re just experimenting and don’t plan to keep what you create, at the very least you will want a paint set with an ASTM rating of very good or excellent.
This is what makes watercolor paints stand out from every other painting medium. The more light that can pass through the paint and reflect back, the more luminescent your artwork will appear. It’s also important to understand transparency so you know how to layer the colors to achieve the best effect. While it’s possible to add water to increase the transparency of the paint, this also waters down the vibrancy of the color and can make your artwork appear a little dull.
When you get into more advanced techniques, it will be important to know if the watercolor paint you’re getting will penetrate and stain the fibers of the paper or if it will dry on the surface so it can be scraped or sponged off. Staining doesn't make a paint better or worse. You just have to choose the paint that is most appropriate for the technique you intend on using.
This simply refers to watercolors that are in paste form in tubes or small, dry cakes that come in a pan. Pan paints are more portable, easier to use, and have additives in them that allow them to retain their vibrancy even after repeated rewetting. However, since it’s harder to get a great deal of paint on your brush from the little cakes if you plan on doing large washes, it's best to get your paint in tubes.
The final aspect you want to consider before selecting a watercolor paint set is the colors contained in the set. A very basic child's set may have half a dozen colors that roughly match the colors you find in a basic crayon set. For an artist who is interested in a set that can be used to paint everything from a still life to a cityscape, the colors should be slightly different. For the most versatility, look for a watercolor paint set that includes at least cool and warm versions of yellow, red, blue, and green, light and dark earth tones, and crimson.
Easel: MEEDEN Lightweight Watercolor Field Easel
Plein air — painting outdoors — allows you to be immersed in the subject, incorporating natural light and color into your work. This affordable, adaptable, lightweight, and portable watercolor easel with a palette is easy to take with you to paint wherever you desire.
Brushes: ArtBrushes Watercolor Paint Brush Set
Even if your watercolor paint set comes with a few brushes, they may not be the best quality. This set of six professional-quality brushes offers the control and precision needed to create your masterpiece.
Watercolor paper: ARTEZA Watercolor Paper
You can't paint with watercolors unless you have the right paper. This two-pad pack provides 64 sheets of premium cold-pressed 140-pound paper to paint on.
Inexpensive: At the low end, less than $12, most of the watercolor sets are pan paints that are best for children or someone who is experimenting to see if they enjoy the medium.
Mid-range: From approximately $15 to $40, you can find fairly decent watercolor paint sets with accessories that range from brushes to boxes to books. These are suitable for the average hobbyist or maybe a more serious painter, but they’re still reasonably priced.
Expensive: If you’re looking for a watercolor paint set that is designed for artists, something with more vibrant pigments and finer quality brushes, you'll need to look in the $40 to $100 range. While the most expensive sets can cost several hundred dollars, even the most accomplished individuals should be able to find what they need for less than $100.
Now that you have a watercolor paint set, focus on your brushes for a bit. If you don't take care of your brushes, you won’t be able to do your best work. The following are a few simple brush care tips to help you.
A. While you can find a wide variety of answers to this question, the best answer is it's a little bit of both. While watercolor paints are easy to use, learning to control the flow of water, or using it to your advantage, can take a lifetime to master. In short, watercolor painting can be instantly gratifying — you can feel fairly accomplished right from the start — but it has challenges and techniques that keep it endlessly engaging.
A. Traditionally in watercolor painting, white is the color of the paper, not the color of the paint. In other words, you achieve the most vibrant white by not painting. Additionally, adding white to a color doesn't make it brighter; it makes it cloudy. For these two reasons, using white is frowned upon by some purists. However, white isn’t inherently good or bad; it’s simply a tool. If you know what you want to achieve, and you can best achieve that by using white, that’s the color you should use.
A. No. However, that’s the best strategy if you like what you see. The names of watercolor paints only vaguely define a color. Cadmium red varies from manufacturer to manufacturer because they use different pigments and different formulas to make that color. In other words, a cadmium red from one company might be a darker shade than a cadmium red from another. If you know and understand this, you can use it to your advantage. If you’re unaware, you could ruin a painting by applying a color that you think is the same. For consistency, it’s best to stay with the same manufacturer, but for creativity’s sake, you can certainly mix and match.
To help novice and experienced artists find the best watercolor paint sets, we started with 33 products in our search for the best. We looked at customer feedback and assessed key features of watercolor paints, including permanence, transparency and staining, to narrow down our list to only those that offer top quality. Our analysis included information about the number of paints to expect in the available set and whether or not accessories, such as paintbrushes, were included. Finally, we looked into the prices of watercolor sets to help you find the best value and researched tips on using this popular medium.
