Top 6 compared
The best watercolour paint sets
Skies, flowers and quick sketches in colour, at the kitchen table or on a park bench, with a brush and a little water.
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The top 6 at a glance
Watercolour paint comes two ways: in pans, as a cake of dried colour that wakes up under a wet brush, or in tubes, as soft paint squeezed out onto a palette. Most watercolour is see-through, so painters usually lay the light colours first and build darker ones over them once they dry.
Paper matters as much as the paint. Ordinary paper buckles and roughens once it gets wet, while watercolour paper, often 300 gsm (140 lb), takes the water and dries flat. Cold-pressed paper has a light texture that suits washes, and hot-pressed is smooth, for fine lines and lettering. Taping a sheet down at the edges keeps it flatter still while it dries.
What matters
- Pans for painting on the go, tubes for mixing colour in quantity.
- A mixing palette, so colours blend before they reach the paper.
- Brushes in the box, unless you already own good ones.
#1Grabie 50-Colour Watercolour Paint Set with Brushes
$20–$30
Fifty semi-transparent colours in a metal tin with mixing wells beside the pans and the brushes packed in, so a watercolour pad is all there is to add. The finest brush, size 3/0, picks out stems, feathers and lettering.
What owners say: Owners love the bright colours, the quality and the brushes, and like how easily the tin travels and tucks away.
A closer look: Swatch each pan on scrap paper before the first painting, as dry cakes look darker than they paint, and keep the sheet with the tin as a key. Clean the mixing wells with a damp tissue before each new mix, so a clean yellow isn’t clouded by the blue that came before it.
- Brush fine enough for lettering
- Semi-transparent colours
Best for: Flowers, leaves and birds
- Colours
- 50
- Paint
- Pans
- Brushes included
- 6 brushes
- Mixing palette
- Yes
- Case
- Metal tin
#2Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Set, 20 x 5 mL Tubes
$30–$50
Twenty tubes of Winsor & Newton’s Cotman paint, transparent and made to resist fading, squeezed out as needed for a wide wash of sky or to fill empty pans. Cotman is the firm’s student range, which swaps some of its costlier pigments for cheaper stand-ins.
What owners say: By owners’ accounts it’s good quality at a fair price, with every colour promised in the box and results they’re happy with.
Heads up: It’s tubes only: add a palette or a white plate to mix on, and a brush.
A closer look: Squeeze a little of each colour into a palette’s wells and let it dry: it rewets with a damp brush like a pan, so nothing goes to waste between sessions. Wipe each tube’s neck before the cap goes back on, so it still twists off next time.
- Transparent, fade-resistant colours
- Dried leftovers can be reused
Best for: Big washes and refilling pans
- Colours
- 20
- Paint
- 5 mL (0.17 oz) tubes
- Brushes included
- None
- Mixing palette
- No
- Case
- Card box
#3Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolour Paint Set, 48 Colours
$75–$100
Traditional gansai watercolour made in Japan, in pans larger than most and roomy enough for a big brush, with rich, fairly opaque colours that dry with a soft sheen and go down in flat, even washes. Kuretake was founded in Nara in 1902.
What owners say: Owners admire its look and the smooth, creamy texture, say it works well and is easy to get the hang of, and like the drying time. How opaque the colours are divides them.
Heads up: There’s no brush in the box, so add a round brush or a water brush to start painting.
A closer look: The protective sheet that stops the pans sliding lifts out to become the mixing palette, and the colour chart in the box matches each pan to its name. Lay a drop of water on each pan a minute before starting and the first strokes come out strong.
- Made in Japan
- Dries with a soft sheen
- Pans fit a big brush
Best for: Illustration and bold colour
- Colours
- 48
- Paint
- Large pans
- Brushes included
- None
- Mixing palette
- Yes, the protective sheet
- Case
- Card box
#4Sakura Koi Pocket Field Sketch Box, 48 Colours with Water Brush
$75–$100
Made for painting out on a walk or at a lookout: the snap lid holds a 13 x 18 cm (5 x 7 in) sheet like an easel, the palette clips to whichever side suits, and the water brush carries its own water, so there’s no jar to balance.
What owners say: Owners find the colours rich and simple to mix and blend, and the box easy to take anywhere and to paint from.
A closer look: Hook a finger through the ring under the box and it sits steady in one hand while the other paints. Squeeze the water brush gently to wet a pan, wipe the tip on the sponge between colours, and refill it from a water bottle before setting off.
- Lid works as an easel
- Finger ring for one-hand holding
- No water jar needed
Best for: Painting on walks and trips
- Colours
- 48
- Paint
- Half pans
- Brushes included
- Water brush
- Mixing palette
- Yes, clip-on
- Case
- Plastic field box
#5Artecho 100-Colour Watercolour Paint Set
$20–$30
Its hundred shades include 35 metallics, 4 fluorescents and 10 soft pastels, for journals, lettering and handmade cards. A pencil, a sharpener, a sponge, a colour chart and two sheets of paper share the tin with the brushes, so a design can be sketched out and painted right away.
What owners say: The choice of colours, how good the pigments look and the extras in the tin win owners over, and they find it suits painters just starting out. Opinions split on the compact size and how well it lasts.
A closer look: Only about half its colours are the classic kind, which makes it a set for bright, decorative work rather than a landscape painter’s palette. More water gives soft, transparent washes and less gives strong colour, and the velvet bag keeps the tin from getting scratched in a backpack.
- Metallic and fluorescent shades
- Pencil, sharpener and paper
- Colour chart in the tin
Best for: Handmade cards with some shine
- Colours
- 100
- Paint
- Pans
- Brushes included
- Water brush, nylon brush
- Mixing palette
- –
- Case
- Tin with velvet bag
#6Nicpro 48-Colour Watercolour Paint Set with 3 Brushes and Water Brush
$10–$20
A slim plastic case that Nicpro says carries like a notepad, filled with paint sold as non-toxic, so children can use it as well as adults. Its three synthetic brushes are built to soak up water, with metal collars crimped on so the heads don’t come apart.
What owners say: The colours and the quality please owners, who call it practical for newcomers and welcome the brushes and the little water brush. Durability is the complaint: a few report a damaged palette or a loose or broken cake.
A closer look: Leave the case open for a few minutes after painting so the cakes dry before the lid goes on. Rinse the brushes in clean water straight after and store them in the lid’s slot, so the tips stay straight.
- Brush slot in the lid
- Slim as a notepad
Best for: Kids’ painting and doodles
- Colours
- 48
- Paint
- Round pans
- Brushes included
- 3 brushes, water brush
- Mixing palette
- Yes, the lid
- Case
- Plastic case
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Grabie 50 | #2Winsor & Newton Cotman 20 | #3Kuretake Gansai Tambi 48 | #4Sakura Koi 48 field box | #5Artecho 100 | #6Nicpro 48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best tube set | Best for outdoors | Most colours | Best budget | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.1 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $75–$100 | $75–$100 | $20–$30 | $10–$20 |
| Colours | 50 | 20 | 48 | 48 | 100 | 48 |
| Paint | Pans | 5 mL (0.17 oz) tubes | Large pans | Half pans | Pans | Round pans |
| Brushes included | 6 brushes | None | None | Water brush | Water brush, nylon brush | 3 brushes, water brush |
| Mixing palette | Yes | No | Yes, the protective sheet | Yes, clip-on | – | Yes, the lid |
| Case | Metal tin | Card box | Card box | Plastic field box | Tin with velvet bag | Plastic case |
| Best for | Flowers, leaves and birds | Big washes and refilling pans | Illustration and bold colour | Painting on walks and trips | Handmade cards with some shine | Kids’ painting and doodles |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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