Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set, 12 Half Pans w/ Water Brush Pen and Mixing Palette

As a beginner, its a struggle to find the balance between good quality watercolors and good value. And advice comes at you from every side. Buy pigments! No, get student grade! No, this brand is better! No, that brand is better! So I did my own comparison. I went to the local discount store and picked up a Phoenix pigment-based watercolor set. Then I ordered this Cotman travel-friendly, student-grade watercolor set. Im learning color matching with charts, so it was a perfect opportunity to test these materials side by side. You can see the results in the attached photos. Cotman student grade vs. Phoenix pigments. Both charts were laid down on Strathmore watercolor paper. I used the included water pen for the Cotman colors. As you can see, there is a bit of a learning curve with a water pen as the brush picks up quite a bit of color and lays it down wet -- I had to avoid the edges of the chart because the water was pulling the ink lines into the color area. For the Phoenix, I used a generic hobby brush. The pigments are drier, even fresh out of the tube, and I had to work them a little bit to get them onto the paper. As you can see, the chart colors are blotchier and less even. In subsequent color charts, I was able to smooth out the color by switching to a better brush and getting a better feel for the pigment, but Im guessing that pigment-based colors just behave a little differently. This isnt a knock on Phoenix pigments; I think theyre an affordable starting point for pigment-based watercolors. But they behave differently and look duller than the Cotman hues. If thats a look youre going for, theyre fine. The Cotman watercolor set is perfect for my learning level. Instead of struggling with the color, I can focus on painting technique. Im confident that the colors are going to pop, even when Im mixing them into a new hue. The paints are easy to lay down on the paper -- whether Im using watercolor, mixed media or even thin sketch paper. And the pans hold enough color to last quite a while. All in all, Im very happy with the Cotman set.

I had their smaller pallet and thought itd give this a try. Really like it so far. Colors look good and it travels well.

At first I thought the pen brush was incomplete until I looked closer and noticed the tip was inside the water reservoir. Cool way to protect the tip. I’m very happy with the ease and simplicity of this product

This is a great little pallette without being too tiny. The pans are removable and refillable and theres plenty of room to mix colors.

I wish the red in this set was a little darker, but these colors are good for the primaries and for mixing a wide variety of colors to make up for the size. Its good for if you want to get better at mixing your own, something I needed to work on. The container isnt anything too crazy, 6 mixing wells in the lid, white with rounded corners. The trays have a tendency to fall out when its new and it doesnt have dried paint sticking it in place. I dropped it and these little trays of color flew everywhere along with the paint that separated from it, it was a mess. So in that regard I still prefer how the koi travel set has a detachable pallete tray, sponges, and the colts are already dried and stuck to the pans. But this set has the upside of being fully customizable. You can arrange the colors anyway you like or change it out for others. If you want to use your favorite tube paint just squeeze into the pan and let dry.

Good set. Not chalky at all. Brush is okay but also not bad. A good set for on the go.

Ive had one other travel kit of watercolors which I lost and which was better designed than this one (made by Koi). I decided to try the W&N. The lid of the W&N touches the top of the color blocks and if you close it while the blocks are wet, which one might do while traveling, the blocks stick to the inside of the lid and have to be peeled off. Im a beginner watercolorist so I cant comment on the color selection or quality yet. They seem decent enough, and had they raised the lid a millimeter or so, I would be perfectly happy with the box.

very handy and very small to take it everywhere.

Nice set of student watercolors. Brush pen is just ok but needs to be emptied before storing. Colors are smooth and creamy and activate easily. Great for a portable sketch kit.

I bought them to start painting and Im really happy with them. The colours are really pigmented and the brush is easy to use. I also use them to paint outside and this brush its perfect for this purpouse