Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set, Sketchers' Pocket Set | Introductory Watercolor made with Fine Art Pigments, Perfect for Beginners, Lightfast & Permanent, Good Tinting Strength

Several years ago, I decided to follow some tutorials from my high school art book and take watercolors more seriously. I bought quality paper (Strathmore, cellulose 300 gsm; at the time, I wasn't aware of the difference between cotton and cellulose) and a decent watercolor set without compromising my finances. Good watercolors can be quite expensive. So, in December 2016, I ordered this sketch set that was on discount, and I have no regrets. I can proudly say that these were my first watercolors from a reputable brand, even though they are student/academy quality. - The box/presentation: The plastic box doesn't feel cheap; it's very sturdy. However, since the lid doesn't come off, it's sometimes difficult to clean the edge where the hinge of the mixing tray is. To address this, I carefully remove all the half pans and wash the entire box from time to time. It has a small and compact size. The closed box measures 13x6 cm. - Colors / Half-Pans: The colors seemed very good to me at that time, with excellent pigmentation. While they can't compare to professional watercolors, they were a great option for a beginner who wanted to enjoy learning the technique. Many purist watercolorists may disagree with the inclusion of white, but I found it useful for adding details and experimenting with pastel colors. The ability to experiment made it worthwhile to have in the set. The set includes two yellows, two reds, two blues, and two greens, each in warm and cool versions, plus three earth tones. This selection helped me learn how to mix colors to get the shades I wanted. Initially, seeing a palette of 48 colors was overwhelming, but this smaller set was more manageable. I would have preferred if they had included the pigment numbers on the side, but it only lists the color names. However, you can find this information on the official Winsor & Newton website. - Brush: I still have the brush that came with the set, but it's not for daily use. It serves the set's main purpose, which is to make sketches, but I usually painted on 9x12 inches paper (the size of the notebook I bought at the time), so I often used larger brushes. The round brush is of decent quality and good for making details. I'm very happy to have learned the basics of watercolor technique with this set. Below, I will share the pigments for this set, if it helps anyone: - Lemon Yellow Hue: PY175 - Cadmium Yellow Hue: PY65, PY97 - Cadmium Red Pale Hue: PR255, PY65 - Alizarin Crimson Hue: PR206 - Ultramarine: PB29 - Intense Blue (Phthalo Blue): PB15 - Viridian Hue: PG7 - Sap Green: PG36, PR101, PY139 - Yellow Ochre: PY42 - Burnt Sienna: PR101 - Burnt Umber: PBr7, PY42 - Chinese White: PW5

You'll never go wrong with Winsor & Newman for consistency & perfect colors!

I just took up water color painting two months ago. I've been painting 3-5 days a week for 2 months. This was my first set of colors and I'm so happy I chose these! The good - the box is sturdy and well thought out, the mixing area is done well - the colors chosen for a beginner are perfect - it is possible to mix a larger range and variety of colors than I imagined (because I am a beginner and didn't know that much about mixing colors) - the paint in the pan are quite concentrated and last a long time - the paints are a really good quality - especially for the price, water colors can be very very expensive! The room for improvement - the box lid can be used for mixing but is difficult/impossible to remove, making it harder to clean - the brush that was included was poor (a number of the bristles fell out on first use) - it's ok I wasn't counting on using that brush as a main brush The stuff I wish I knew/Wish they included some information in the box, that I learned from tutorials/googling stuff as a beginner: - make a color chart (like the one I included as a picture) of each color and where it is located. The pans are very dark and it's hard to know which color is which/remember which pan is which once they are unwrapped and put in place - I had no idea how to use Chinese White. I experimented with it and really wasn't sure/getting any results that were useful. Upon googling I even found it on the WN techniques page, not sure if external links are allowed, but it's meant to be used as a highlight after the other paint has dried (that makes so much sense now, sigh... learning can be hard) - You can mix gray/black on your own. I was confused why there was no gray/black included. And I am fine with it, I really like the color choices included and understand that just 12 colors has to be expertly selected (and it is!) but as someone who knew nothing, I really wish it didn't take me as long to figure out as it did. - There are two yellows, two reds, two blues, and two greens because each has a cool version and a warm version. If you mix a cool with another cool you'll get a more vibrant color. If you mix a cool with a warm it'll be a bit muted/muddy. It took me hours of tutorials to find this piece of information and learn it! So helpful! - I was advised that spraying the pans with a little bit of water from a spray bottle before using would make it easier to activate/work with the paints and I found this to be very true and helpful. I'm not sure if there is any harm or problem doing this, but I find it easier to work with the paints this way

I bought the Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Color Sketchers' Pocket Box as a birthday present for myself because I have been practicing watercolor painting for about 2 months now. I bought it with much appreciation. It is a small container with a lot of features, the colors are very strong and smooth and the brush is of fine quality, I am looking forward to carrying the box with me on my trips around the historic villages and countryside. I could say that the watercolor pigments are really great. I have made my second watercolor painting and I have never seen a better set of pigments and they are the cheapest and in the smallest, most compact and elegant case I could find. These watercolor paints are great to pair with Art Tools brushes . These two are very ideal for finishing touches. Both are good if you are taking your art on the road or just storing in a convenient location. Winsor & Newton Cotman is really the perfect portable watercolor set. If you are looking for a studio set of watercolors, or to do large scale paintings, Winsor & Newton Cotman is not the set for you. However, that should be evident in the product description. After much research, I have not found a better travel watercolor set for the price and highly recommend this for new watercolorists, anyone wanting to paint on the go or a great present for an artist.

Great small travel paint set. I like that individual color pods are replaceable and interchangeable.

New to watercolor and heard this was a mid-range priced product & brand. I do enjoy the pigmentation, vibrant color and texture. Not grainy nor chalky. It works fine for my needs. I would purchase again.

I’ve had this watercolor kit for a WHILE now and it’s still not out of color. It’s very pigmented and worth the price.

Nice little watercolor tray. Portable.

Great quality colors. They make a difference in your of painting. Quite transparent and vivid.

no soy un experto en acuarelas, prefiero el óleo, pero necesitaba practicar un poco y esta opción con colores casi básicos me venía muy bien sobre todo porque al venir en un estuche me lo podía llevar a cualquier parte, como así hice. el estuche es estupendo y a parte de las pastillas que trae, la tapa me permite utilizarla de paleta. viene con un pincel con capucha metálica y aunque es pequeño (pelo fino) está genial para trazar sin tener que llevar más pinceles. cabe en un bolsillo del pantalón. Ni siquiera se nota ya que pesa muy poco. en fin abres el estuche mojas las pastillas, combinas colores (muy fácil de limpiar la tapa) sacas el pincel o lo guardas todo en un plis. Resumiendo, muy buena compra.

Just what I was after. A genuine pocket set. Perfect for throwing in the backpack when hiking. Colours are great.

Ich bin im Grunde Anfänger beim Aquarellmalen, aber irgendwie reizen mich diese Farbkästen mit den gefühlt tausend Farben nicht wirklich. Ich habs ausprobiert. Man stochert in jeder Farbe bisschen rum, aber versteht die Zusammenhänge kaum. Deswegen hab ich mir diesen kleinen Farbkasten zugelegt, um auszuprobieren, was ich aus meiner Schulzeit noch weiß in Bezug auf Mischverhältnis, Komplementärfarben usw. Und was soll ich sagen: ich will keinen anderen Farbkasten mehr benutzen. Der ist klein, kompakt und niedlich. Ein schöner Reisepinsel ist auch dabei. Die Farben ganz hoch pigmentiert und lassen sich toll vermischen. Ich liebs einfach und möchte nur noch malen...

Nice and compact watercolor. Easy to use and pigmentation is nice