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

Given as a gift

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.

Im just starting to experiment with different mediums, so this is by no means an expert opinion. I just wanted something affordable and portable I could play with and so far this is perfect for my needs.

Pretty decent quality. I still prefer professional over Cotman, but the color payout is great for the price. My only qualm is with the Lemon Yellow Hue; it is far less pigmented and rich than the other colors (because it’s a hue), and I have used better Lemon Yellow Hues from other brands that are by no means as high esteemed as Windsor & Newton. Hence the 4 stars. But the quantity of paint is quite good and I believe this will last me awhile, even though I’ve been using it to paint 11x14 paintings, rather than solely as a travel kit.

I bought these for my daughters 13th birthday and I think it is a fantastic starter palette for someone looking to upgrade from the really low end watercolor brands. She has definitely enjoyed them.

In love my new favorite watercolor paint, super compact but plenty big enough case.

These basic colors are more than enough for any artist. Be it a beginner or professional. This box is quite small.. So each color cube is really small. But bonus is the waterpen! I love using it. Overall, though its pricey, quality is awesome so go ahead and buy it!

Good price - good product

A really good purchase.

These are awesome paints. I have always liked Winsor & Newton paints, both student and professional grade, and used them for years, so I felt confident purchasing the Winsor & Newton 0390658 Cotman Water Colour Paint Water Pen Set, Set of 12, Half Pans. I purposely decided to buy the this set because I wanted a self contained set that included a water brush inside the palette. I thought this would be a great idea for sketching on the go, that is, until I used the water brush. The water brush leaks water droplets all over the place from around the brush tip, messing up my work. Plus paint pigment gets wicked up from the brush tip inside of the water reservoir. This contaminates the clear water in the reservoir so that subsequent pigments get contaminated. This makes it completely useless. Ive used several water brushes from inexpensive to expensive, a variety of brands, and have never had one perform this poorly to where Im wondering if maybe I have a dud(??) Another thing, the palette area of the box sits up higher and at an angle to the lid mixing area. Not sure what the purpose of this is. Its a bit awkward to work with. If theres a reason for this unusual design Id like to know. Im feeling a bit disappointed with this set right now, mostly because of the water brush that doesnt work.