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Review on ๐ŸŽจ Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set - Pack of 12 Vibrant Colors for Artists by Karla Richter

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Great box, good colors.

I love the box that comes with this set. The colors themselves aren't bad, some colors need a little work to get the pigment out of the pan. I made color swatches on canson xl watercolor paper (as shown in the pictures). I have some problems with colors. As you can see in the mixing chart I made (photo included) you can mix a variety of shades of green with the colors in this set. You can also get a decent range of purples and crimsons. However, the orange varieties that can be mixed are completely missing in this set. This is because while there are two shades of blue (one warm and one cool), this set only includes one yellow and one red. Although the color temperature is relative, both look cool to me when on, fading into slightly dull and muted oranges. , both of which I like but aren't necessary as you can mix both with the yellow and blue from the set. Since they serve the same purpose, including both in a 12-color palette seems like a waste of time. Chinese white is a controversial color among watercolorists, but it gets the job done if you like pastels and don't mind adding opacity to your color mixes. If I had to choose these colors I would remove one or both. Green and black, replacing them with warm reds and yellows that could benefit this choice. The water brush isn't my favorite of the ones I've tried, it's very small and if you squeeze a lot of water a lot of water comes out of the barrel so it's a bit hard to control. If you prefer a "traditional" brush to a water brush, you can place other types of travel brushes in the brush compartment (as shown). You can also omit the brush altogether and install a few more half plates where the brush should be. I was able to fit 6 Meeden brand half mugs into this space, although you had to find a way to hold them in the bowl, maybe with glue or double sided tape. Overall I am satisfied with this purchase. Because of the price, I'm not afraid to use these colors for sketching and samples, and when they run out I'll most likely fill them up with tubes of paint. If you are looking for a watercolor starter kit, I do NOT recommend this kit. The colors included aren't optimal for mixing, so I'd look for a split base set (a warm and a cool version of each base color) if you're just starting out. However, if you're looking for a nice, sturdy travel box that has plenty of room to mix, then this set is definitely worth it, even if you're throwing away paints to refill with paints from your favorite brand.

Pros
  • Synthetic precision tip designed to look like your favorite brush
Cons
  • Crumpled