There is no shortage of watercolour paint recommendations on the internet. Most of them are either written by people who have never seriously painted or are quietly nudged by affiliate commissions. I am going to give you the honest version.
I have been painting with watercolour for over twenty years. I know what I reach for every day in the studio, and I know what I wish I'd been told at the beginning.
The Student vs Artist Grade Question
Student-grade paints use less pigment, more filler, and tend to granulate unevenly. They work. You can learn with them. But they have a ceiling — there are colours you cannot mix, transparencies you cannot achieve.
My view: start with artist grade if you can afford to. Buy fewer colours and buy them properly. Six artist-grade colours will teach you more than twenty student tubes.
The Best Entry-Level Artist Grade: Winsor & Newton Cotman
Wait — Cotman is student grade. I know. But it is the best student grade by a significant margin. The washes are clean. The tubes are affordable. The Cotman Starter Set (around £20) is a genuinely good way to understand the medium before committing to professional tubes. Use Cotman to decide you love watercolour. Then upgrade.
The Genuine Artist Grade Choice: Winsor & Newton Professional
When you are ready to invest, Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour is my recommendation for UK beginners moving up. It is widely available in UK art shops, the colour range is consistent, and tubes last a long time. Individual tubes cost £9-15.
For a starter palette I would suggest buying six: French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Permanent Rose, Lemon Yellow, and Sap Green.
The Alternative: Daniel Smith
Daniel Smith is an American brand now widely available in the UK. The granulating colours (Lunar Black, Hematite Genuine) do things that no other manufacturer quite matches. I do not recommend them as a starting point due to price and overwhelming range — but once you know what you are doing, they are worth exploring.
What About Pan Paints?
A lot of beginners start with a pan set because it seems tidier. Pan paints require a lot of water to activate, leading to over-diluted mixes. For learning at home, tubes are better.
The Avoid List
- Craft shop sets (Hobbycraft own brand, Amazon no-name sets)
- Children's watercolours
- Very cheap pan sets under £10 for a full set
My Actual Palette
French Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Permanent Rose, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Sap Green, Payne's Grey, Lunar Black (Daniel Smith), Quinacridone Magenta (Daniel Smith). Nine colours. I rarely use anything else.
Where to Buy in the UK
Cass Art (frequent sales), Jacksons Art (best range for artist grade), Winsor & Newton directly. All stock the essentials reliably.
