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

I love this set so much, the colors are so pigmented and smooth. They are also very blendable. I have included an image of the swatches both dark and light.

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.

Pretty good definitely not the most pigmented but good for beginners

I like this product very much.

Perfecta para iniciarse en el mundo de las acuarelas, muy lindo como pinta

the quality of the colours is good , but the pans keep coming out and sticking to the case lid xD

Is an awesome product for urban sketching, despite the quality of the brush pen isnt the best but it still professional looking, minimalist and very portable.

It’s perfect! If you need a “lil” watercolor in your life this ones a winner. It’s too cute. I placed the worlds tiniest magic 8 ball and my airpod pros on top of my ipad pro for size reference.

Perfect size for painting outdoors. Great price.excellent quality.

I love Winsor & Newton Cotman palettes. I have more than I will admit. Out of all of them, I feel this one is the perfect size. The