The best watercolor paint marks in the UK 2023

You want to do watercolor, but don't know which paint to choose? You're right to be confident since the quality and characteristics of watercolor paint vary by brand. To save you hours of research, we chose the Ulikey watercolor paint set. This beginner's kit offers 48 colors that are easy to apply and have a beautiful intensity.

Ratel watercolor paint set 1
8/10

Editor's Choice

Ratel watercolor paint set

Best watercolor paint brand of 2021

Create beautiful works of art with this Ratel paint set. Made with premium quality materials, this set is suitable for both amateurs and the more experienced.

24,79 £ on Amazon

This set is suitable for both amateurs and artists in painting. It consists of 48 colors made with finely ground powder for a rich and vibrant result. Plus, the fine pigments make it easy to mix in water when you use them. This set also includes 6 shimmering metallic colors with a high level of pigmentation. So you can have a smooth glitter effect and a perfect shine.

With a little imagination, you can mix different shades to have an infinite number of color possibilities. Especially since this set can be easily carried in a backpack. So you can take it with you when you go out in nature to get inspired and create great designs. To give as a gift or as a gift to yourself!

Winsor & Newton Cotman 2
7/10

Best cheapest

Winsor & Newton Cotman

Best cheap watercolor paint brand

The Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor painting set contains 12 half sketchbooks. Its mini size allows you to slip it into a pocket or a school bag.

See price

This palette comes in a rather simplistic plastic box. Despite the small size of the box, which can be easily slipped into a pocket, you'll get 12 shades and a telescopic brush. The box even contains a built-in blending palette and thumb ring, as well as a handy pocket brush.

Needless to say, the Winsor & Newton Cotman is mostly for kids. They'll be able to take it anywhere, including school and vacation. Please note that the half-cups are not fixed. Think of putting a dot of glue under each of them to keep them in place and avoid children to dirty their clothes.

Watercolor paint Faber-Castell 3
9/10

Best premium

Watercolor paint Faber-Castell

Best premium watercolor paint brand

Let your artistic spirit take over with this Faber-Castell premium quality watercolor paint set. With 48 different colors to express yourself, you'll be able to create beautiful designs. Perfect for paint lovers.

36,69 £ on Amazon

Are you a painter looking for materials to create paintings? Then this set from Faber-Castell is perfect for you. This brand is known worldwide for the quality of its products. This set includes top quality watercolors with bright and shiny colors. Moreover, you will have the right to shades going from the lightest to the darkest, but also fluorescent and metallic colors for a more beautiful effect. It is therefore suitable for all modern painting techniques.

By opting for this set, you will also benefit from a premium quality water brush and a removable palette for easy cleaning. These elements will allow you to bring fantastic painting effects and create beautiful professional designs. This set is ideal for any artist who prefers to draw outdoors as it is easily transportable. If you are inspired by nature, you can take it with you to a stream, the mountains or anywhere else.

Wostoo watercolor paint set 4
8/10

Best value for money

Wostoo watercolor paint set

Best value watercolor paint brand

Create beautiful paintings with this set of highly pigmented color palettes. It will allow you to have a clean and clear rendering while benefiting from an excellent fluidity. It is the ideal material for artists.

20,79 £ on Amazon

Wostoo offers you this set of stunning and highly pigmented color palettes. It will allow you to create exceptional designs with a clear and crisp look. The shades are vibrant, which creates a great effect on paper. As a result, you will be able to create colorful and vivid masterpieces thanks to the multitudes of shades present. It should be noted that no toxic elements were used in the making of this product, which means that you will not be exposed to any risks.

So, if you are short of gift ideas for your children or loved ones, don't hesitate to please them with this paint set. With the 48 colors, 6 of which are metallic, you will also have 20 watercolor papers, 3 colored pencils, 1 drawing pencil and 2 fountain pens. You'll be well equipped to create extraordinary paintings.

Zenacolor 24 tubes 5
7/10

Best entry-level kit

Zenacolor 24 tubes

Best entry-level watercolor paint brand

This set of 24 tubes of watercolor paint is suitable for both children and adults. Each tube contains 12 mL of non-toxic, easy-to-apply paint.

See the price

The Zenacolor watercolor paint brand offers us this set with a high concentration of pigments. The result, even when shaded, is a bright and intense color. This helps the watercolor paint to resist better to the light. In addition, these paints are water-based, non-toxic and can be easily cleaned with soapy water. This is a perfect set for beginners and children's painting projects.

However, watercolor enthusiasts can also invest in this set of watercolor paints in tubes. Indeed, the set works great on canvas, watercolor paper, paper or cardboard. The 24 tubes of colors offer millions of possibilities of shades. And if you have 15 euros more, treat yourself to the set with 80 tubes of the same brand.

Ulikey set 48 colors 6
8/10

Best beginner kit

Ulikey set 48 colors

Best watercolor paint brand for beginners

This watercolor paint set is based on extra fine gum arabic. For a beginner's kit, it has a rare purity and intensity, while offering 48 colors.

See price

Ulikey watercolor paint dissolves easily in water. We like its 48 vivid and saturated colors, offering an excellent rendering, especially when mixed. Compressed by a special process, the color block offers a large capacity despite its small size. Good point for beginners who are a bit clumsy, the plastic box is shock and pressure resistant. The lid can be used as a palette.

The paints in this watercolor set are stable and lightfast, do not oxidize easily and can be stored for a long time. In addition, the Ulikey set is not only for beginners due to its quality and color composition. Note that a brush, a water brush and five sheets of watercolor paper are sold with the set.

Arteza 60 tubes 7
9/10

Best watercolor tube

Arteza 60 tubes

Best tube watercolor paint brand

Arteza stands out with this set of 60 high quality tube paints. Each of the shades has a beautiful pigmentation and high lightfastness.

See the price

With the 36 tubes of 12 mL colors and the Arteza brush, create masterpieces and let your imagination run wild. Know that these paints are reusable. And even after drying, you can add a light spray of water to continue to beautify your artwork, freshen up the colors or give them a new vibrancy. Plus, the products used are non-toxic and safe for skin contact.

A sturdy metal palette is included with the set for easy spreading and mixing of colors. In addition, the paint does not pearl and the mixing pane stays level without fading. This brand of watercolor paint is excellent for glazing, with its liftable and fairly transparent colors. There is a cheaper 24-tube set, but this one offers a wider variety of shades.

Buying guide • November 2023

Best watercolor paint brand

Any specific needs?

Best watercolor paint brand of 2021

Best cheap watercolor paint brand

Best premium watercolor paint brand

Best value watercolor paint brand

Best entry-level watercolor paint brand

Your guide : Samuel

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Comparison table of the best watercolor paint marks

TOP OF THE TOP CHEAP TOP OF THE LINE EXCELLENT CENTER OF THE LINE BEGINNER'S KIT WATERCOLOR TUBE
Ratel watercolor paint set 8
8/10
Winsor & Newton Cotman 9
7/10
Watercolor paint Faber-Castell 10
9/10
Wostoo watercolor paint set 11
8/10
Zenacolor 24 tubes 12
7/10
Ulikey set 48 colors 13
8/10
Arteza 60 tubes 14
9/10
OUR SELECTION
Ratel watercolor paint set
Winsor & Newton Cotman
Watercolor paint Faber-Castell
Wostoo watercolor paint set
Zenacolor 24 tubes
Ulikey set 48 colors
Arteza 60 tubes
Create beautiful works of art with this Ratel paint set. Made with premium quality materials, this set is suitable for both amateurs and the more experienced.
The Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor painting set contains 12 half sketchbooks. Its mini size allows you to slip it into a pocket or a school bag.
Let your artistic spirit take over with this Faber-Castell premium quality watercolor paint set. With 48 different colors to express yourself, you'll be able to create beautiful designs. Perfect for paint lovers.
Create beautiful paintings with this set of highly pigmented color palettes. It will allow you to have a clean and clear rendering while benefiting from an excellent fluidity. It is the ideal material for artists.
This set of 24 tubes of watercolor paint is suitable for both children and adults. Each tube contains 12 mL of non-toxic, easy-to-apply paint.
This watercolor paint set is based on extra fine gum arabic. For a beginner's kit, it has a rare purity and intensity, while offering 48 colors.
Arteza stands out with this set of 60 high quality tube paints. Each of the shades has a beautiful pigmentation and high lightfastness.
Number of colors
48
12
48
48
24
48
60
Luster
Pigment
Drying time
Rapid
Rapide
Rapid
Rapid
Rapide
Rapide
Rapide
Shades

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Buying guide - watercolor paint brand

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How to choose your watercolor paint brand

There are many criteria to consider when choosing a watercolor paint. These include:

#1 - The quality

There are several types of watercolors. Artists' watercolors have a higher concentration of finely ground pigment with high permanence ratings. On the other hand, those used by students may contain cheaper pigments and more fillers and thinners. Your choice depends on your budget and artistic goals. Artist-grade watercolor paint is obviously more expensive, but you get what you pay for in terms of permanence, intensity, and superior transparency.

#2 - The colors

There are many colors to choose from and their characteristics vary by manufacturer. Technically, you can produce any color by simply mixing the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), but the mixed colors will be dull and lifeless. Single pigment colors are much more vivid and intense. If you're buying your first watercolors, start with an artist's quality set or a student's quality set (depending on your budget) from a reliable brand and you'll have a good starting color palette that you can add to as needed.

#3 - The permanence

Permanency refers to the paint's ability to withstand exposure to light and moisture without fading, darkening, or changing color. Also called lightfastness, this quality is important to the durability of a canvas. Look for the ASTM rating on the package and opt for "Excellent" or "Very Good" lightfastness.

#4 - Transparency

Watercolor paint is prized for its transparency. This is the ability of light to pass through the paint and reflect off the white surface of the paper to create a wonderful luminescent effect. You can also buy opaque watercolors, but if you're just starting out, don't worry too much about this distinction. Some purists don't believe in using opaque watercolors at all. With practice, you'll learn to exploit transparency to enhance your watercolors and know if you need opaque colors.

#5 - Waterproofing

Since watercolor pigments rewet easily and then dry quickly, this should not be a problem for most people. However, if you travel by plane a lot and need a completely airtight palette to seal your still-moist paint between layovers, airtightness should be your first consideration.

How to paint with watercolor paint?

The best brands of watercolour paints 15

Watercolor, in simple terms, is water mixed with pigment that is then applied to paper. But painting with watercolor is something else entirely. It can be complex, confusing and fun all at the same time.

Wet on wet

There are two basic methods of painting with watercolor. The wet-on-wet method is usually used to paint landscapes, simple skies or soft watercolor washes, as the effect gives us a nice flowing look that can be applied in a variety of ways. It involves adding wet paint to a wet surface. Here is a simple activity that can help you get familiar with this technique.

1. Start by wetting your brush with clear water and "painting" two rectangles.

2. The rectangles will be hard to see because there is no pigment, but if you tilt your head a little, you can see where you applied the water.

3. Take some moistened paint from your palette and add color to your wet rectangle.

4. In your second rectangle, simply add dabs of paint. This is a great activity to start measuring how much water and paint you prefer to use.

5. Then your paint starts to dry and you can see the difference. When you use this method, you don't have much control over how your paint reacts. That's a beautiful aspect of this technique; watercolor dries in mysterious ways.

6. Once the paint is completely dry, you will see that it has changed even more. It is normal for the colors to appear less vivid once they have dried. Interesting textures also appear, making wet-on-wet an excellent technique for adding texture to painted shapes.

Wet on dry

Wet on dry is used to achieve more precise and defined shapes. Most illustration style watercolors are done using wet paint on a dry area.

1. Start with dry paper. Take wet paint with a large brush and simply start painting.

2. The opacity of your paint will depend on how much water you mix in.

3. You can also try using a drier paint. Use the minimum amount of water to get a completely different texture, a sketch-like finish.

4. Once the paint is completely dry, you may notice how the colors tend to fade and may look very different at this point.

Watercolor or acrylic painting?

Acrylic paint

Acrylic paint is made of pigments suspended in a polymer emulsion. This gives the paint very different properties than oil or watercolour paint. Acrylic paint is ideal for people who want their paint to dry more quickly. Acrylic paint dries in a few hours.

It is also more water resistant than watercolour or oil paint, which means it is less likely to be damaged by moisture in the short term. The main drawback of acrylic paint is that it is much less versatile when it comes to mixing and matching colours than other options.

Watercolor painting

Watercolour paint is the cheapest type of paint. It is created by a pigment suspended in water. Watercolor paint can dry quickly, but has a high sensitivity to water. For this reason, watercolor paints are the least resistant of the various paint options. That being said, it is used to create unique images, unlike anything created with oils or acrylics, images that often have a quality all their own.

Watercolor painting is made by mixing pigments or dyes with gum arabic. Gum Arabic is the tree sap obtained from the African acacia tree. It is soluble in water and is also used to size artists' brushes to protect and shape the bristles.

Verdict

If you are a beginner, it is better to opt for watercolour. Those who already have some practice can try acrylic paint. In both cases, the paint will dry quickly.

Why buy a brand of watercolour paint?

Here are the main reasons to buy a watercolor paint.

Easy cleaning

Watercolor paints do not damage the brushes. If you forget to wash them, that's okay. You can simply rinse them off before you start painting again. There's no need to worry about dried paint hardening and damaging your brush. Plus, if you get paint on your clothes, furniture or skin, it's easy to clean it up with water.

Less paint waste

If you use watercolor in tubes and squeeze out too much paint, you don't have to worry about wasting the excess. You can let the leftover paint dry on your palette and add a little water the next time you use it.

No harsh chemicals

Watercolor has the advantage of being odorless and is free of harsh chemicals. However, some pigments may pose health risks (namely cadmium, cobalt and several others) but they are generally non-toxic. They do not emit fumes and do not require ventilation. If you get them on your skin or in your eyes, you generally don't have to worry about harmful side effects.

Relatively inexpensive

For aspiring artists, one of the biggest advantages of watercolors is that they don't require a lot of expensive equipment or supplies to get started. All you need is a good set of brushes, a set of watercolor paints and watercolor paper.

Transparency

From a purely visual standpoint, watercolor paint has an inner brilliance and clarity of color that is often lacking in other types of paint. This is largely due to the fact that it is transparent. Most paints reflect color directly onto the paint surface, while watercolors get their color from light bouncing off the white paper and reflecting through the paint.

As a result, the paintings appear almost lit from within. This transparency also makes watercolors extremely versatile. A single tube or pan of watercolor paint can give you countless different shades of the same color simply by adding more or less water. You can create colors to add richness or blend colors on the paper by layering one color over another.

The best brands of watercolor paint marks

In our opinion, the best brands of watercolor paint marks in 2022 are :

Zenacolor
Arteza
Winsor & Newton
Aquarellum
LeFranc et Bourgeois

Zenacolor is a premium online retailer serving customers throughout Europe from its headquarters in the UK. It is committed to providing only the highest quality products. This brand is more than reliable.

Arteza is a very fashionable and trendy paint brand. The brand is young and offers young and new products. The products of this brand are of very good quality.

Winsor & Newton is an English manufacturing company based in London that produces a wide variety of art products, including acrylics, oils, watercolor, gouache, brushes, canvases, papers, inks, graphite and colored pencils, markers, and charcoals. This brand of good acrylic paints is of artistic quality.

Aquarellum Junior and Aquarellum are a unique range of watercolour painting kits for children from the French brand Sentosphere. The secret lies in the invisible wax resist process, which means that the paint only goes where it should for professional, neat results every time. This brand is of very good quality.

Founded in 1720, LeFranc et Bourgeois draws on a long history of artistic knowledge combined with modern manufacturing techniques to create a range of exceptional art materials. The LeFranc et Bourgeois range includes fine and studio oil paints as well as specialty vinyl acrylics and professional glass paints. This brand is of the highest quality.

What is the price for a watercolor paint brand

The diagram below will help you to get an idea of the typical prices for each price range (entry-level, mid-range and high-end).

However, more expensive does not necessarily mean better.

We therefore advise you to always consult our ranking before deciding, rather than blindly relying on price ranges.

Entry-level
5 £ to 10 £
Mid-range
10 £ to 15 £
High-end
more than 15 £
Price range diagram

Tips

Wash your brand new pallet with baking soda

Using baking soda will help prepare the plastic (or aluminum) for your paint and prevent dried paint from falling off the palette, which sometimes happens with new palettes because of the smooth surface. This makes it easier to mix the water and pigments and prevents the liquid from beading on the palette.

Allow the paint to dry overnight before using

Letting

the tube paint dry in your palette, then rehydrating it when you paint will save paint. If you use the paint in the tube when it is wet, you will end up unintentionally using more paint than you need!

Test paint pigmentation and handling attributes

This

involves doing basic paint tests and creating paint samples, then examining the results for yourself.

Test the permanence of the paint

Once

you've verified the quality of a paint, you can invest the time to do your own lightfastness tests . If you are using unorthodox or complex methods (unusual substrates, vehicles, or paint mediums or additives), you should also test them for permeability and durability.

Select only the best watercolor pigments

With

the watercolor pigment guide, you can identify them from over 100 pigments used in today's paints.

FAQ

What is the best brand of watercolor paint?

The best brand of aquerel paint depends on your needs and budget. Read our buying guide for the best products available.

Are aquerel paints toxic?

Watercolour paints are generally non-toxic.

How do I clean aquerel paint?

Watercolour paint can be cleaned with water and a cloth.

How long does it take for the paint to dry?

It depends on the brand, but a good brand dries quickly.

Can you use watercolour paint to paint a picture?

There are special watercolour paints for making paintings.

Sources

Note: Below are some of the sources we have consulted in writing this article. Links to other sites are not continuously updated. It is therefore possible that a link may not be found. Please use a search engine to find the desired information.
  1. , watercolorpainting.com
  2. , mymodernmet.com
  3. , Creativebloq.com
  4. , artsandculture.google.com
  5. , art-is-fun.com
  6. , kerriewoodhouse.com
  7. , vam.ac.uk
  8. , dummies.com
  9. , handprint.com
  10. , desireherman.com
  11. , masmoulin.blog
  12. , rougier-ple.fr
  13. , cultura.com
  14. , amylee.fr
  15. , action.com
  16. , blog.singulart.com
  17. , rougier-ple.fr
  18. , aquarelleetpinceaux.com
  19. , geant-beaux-arts.fr
  20. , creavea.com
  21. , notretemps.com
  22. , passion-aquarelle.fr
  23. , le-journal.artesane.com
  24. , beatricedemarque.fr
  25. , geant-beaux-arts.fr
  26. , mymodernmet.com
  27. , apprendrelapeintureavecelena.com
  28. , fr.canson.com
  29. , milone-art-academy.com
See more

Updates

March 2022 : Translation of this buying guide from our partner meilleurtest.fr

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Our selection
Ratel watercolor paint set 16
Ratel watercolor paint set
Winsor & Newton Cotman 17
Winsor & Newton Cotman
Watercolor paint Faber-Castell 18
Watercolor paint Faber-Castell
Wostoo watercolor paint set 19
Wostoo watercolor paint set
Zenacolor 24 tubes 20
Zenacolor 24 tubes

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