Never buy a Watercolor Set

Built your own set of colors, according to your painting style

When you begin your watercolor journey, you will need watercolor paints. And maybe you think a watercolor set is best for beginners, just like I did, when I started. But oh, was I wrong!

Because I was learning, I assumed a set with beginner paints would be the right choice. But it took me only weeks to abandon the “Academic Watercolor Set” by Schmincke. Schmincke is actually a high-quality brand for professional paints, but I got the academic colors, and they have been quite disappointing.

The yellow was used up within weeks, while professional paints of the same size last months. My paintings looked dull and it took me ages to mix colors. It always felt as if I couldn’t get enough pigment into the mix.

And here we have the main difference: “Graduate” or “Academic” paints contain less pigment and more fillers than professional paints.

I would always advise getting a few professional colors rather than a whole bunch of cheap ones.

You can buy an empty watercolor box and the paints separately. You will get to know the paints better if you choose them yourself or follow the tips of artists who paint in a style you want to approach.

But what about sets with professional colors, you might ask? I wouldn’t buy them either, except the set would randomly contain the colors I want. But often enough, you will buy colors you don’t need, because they come with the set.

I never buy violets and only very special shades of green, because both colors are very easy to mix.

Since my first failure with academic paints, I have used the professional watercolor paints of Winsor & Newton, and I love them. But of course, they aren’t the only great watercolor brand out there.

If you only buy a few professional colors, you will also learn how to mix and enhance your painting skills. 

The most important paints

I tested and mixed a variety of colors to determine which combination would best suit my needs. Good paints aren’t cheap, so knowing which colors to buy is a great advantage and can save a lot of money.

If I were to choose only six colors to build a watercolor set, I would choose these:

1) Winsor Yellow
2) Quinacridone Magenta
3) Burnt Sienna
4) Cobalt Turquoise light
5) French Ultramarine
6) Paynes Gray

If you like my style of watercolor painting, these colors are a great start. But then you need to know how to use them, right? To make your start with Watercolors as easy as possible, I created the “Watercolor Beginner Guide”.

There, you get an overview of all supplies and, more importantly, 3 beautiful step-by-step tutorials, so you can start painting fast.

Free PDF Watercolor Guide

When joining the “Watercolor Magazine” Newsletter, you get this PDF Guide as a Welcome Gift.

Enjoy these beautiful step-by-step paintings. From the best material to color mixing, everything you need is covered.

The best? In the Guide, you’ll find a drawing template you can print and transfer to your watercolor paper.

• Tips for the best Watercolor supplies

• Colors Mixing

• Step-by-step with pictures & text

• printable drawing template