The best watercolour paints allow you to create washes of transparent colour that are ideal for bright and colourful work. The can be used to produce a wide range of pleasing effects, such as glazing with layers, graduated washes and unique textures from granulation.
Being water-soluble means they are less toxic than oil paints and easy to set up, and they do not require much space, making watercolours very popular. It is easy to get started with watercolours, though their delicate nature makes them a challenge to master. Watercolours also excel in plein air (outdoor sketching) use, being a popular pick for painters and urban sketchers, thanks to their portability and quick drying times.
In this list, we’ve tested a selection of professional and student quality ranges of the best watercolour paint. We looked at various factors, including how the paint feels to use, how easy it is to apply, the effects it creates, the colour selection in different ranges and value for money. We've also made sure to include paints that will suit beginners, pros and everyone in between.
If you need some extra kit to go alongside your watercolour paints, consider looking over our guides on the best watercolour paper and the best watercolour pencils. We also have a selection of watercolour tutorials to help you build your skills.
If you want to complete your kit, you may also be interested in trying the best watercolour pencils.
The best watercolour paints
+ Intense colour
+ Stays wet
+ Good value
- 15ml tubes
Using blackberry honey as part of its binder, these smooth, viscous paints remain sticky, keeping the paint vivid, but less suitable for reuse. They lift easily, with intense colours that go a long way in washes. The tubes won't dry out easily and offer good value.
+ Reactivates easily
+ Bright colours
+ Good value
- Stays sticky
These honey-based paints have rich, high-pigment colours and great consistency. Pans mix, perform, and reactivate exceptionally well, though they take a while to dry, and may remain tacky in humid climates. They are good value for professional quality paints and an excellent choice for portable sketching.
+ Excellent quality
+ Colour range
+ Granulating textures
- Expensive
These extra fine watercolours are vibrant, artist-quality paints, with an immense range of 261 colours including exclusives, Primatek minerals, and a number of luminescent colours. They tend to be more granulating, depending on the pigment, but will still lift easily from paper.
+ High quality
+ Consistent behaviour
+ Non-toxic options
- Expensive
These reliable, versatile, artist-quality paints behave consistently with minimal variation between colours, making them good for beginners. Colours are intense and rich, with good-quality pigments and non-toxic alternatives. The paint stays wet and readily reactivates, making it convenient for pan and palette users.
+ Dilutes very evenly
+ Richly pigmented
- Expensive
Schmincke Horadam paints excel in producing fine, transparent washes, and are an excellent choice for particularly delicate, precise work such as botanical illustration, or for producing even washes. Whilst these paints are on the pricier side, they are very strongly pigmented and will go a long way. They dilute well and are good at maintaining a smooth texture, as opposed to granulating one.
+ Great value
+ Large pans
+ Consistent and smooth
- Unconventional
These affordable paints include a good range of bright, easily activated colours with a smooth texture. They are more opaque than standard watercolours, developing a slight gloss when layered, and once on paper, they don't move much. They lay evenly on dry paper, making them great for sketching and colouring illustrations.
+ Portable
+ Pocket-sized
+ Includes brush pen
- Weak colours
- Low-quality pigments
This student-quality, pocket-sized watercolour set is great for portable painting and even has a waterbrush. It's well-designed, with a partitioned mixing tray on the lid. Colours behave predictably and mix well, but aren't very intense, containing 'hue' imitations of some pricier pigments.
+ Large colour selection
+ Paint easily activates
+ Smooth application
- Weaker colours
This Van Gogh student set offers a larger range of colours than most student quality sets of paint, and includes a number of convenience colours (colours that come pre-mixed) if you want to save time painting. For student paints, they have fairly strong colour and the pans activate smoothly, but will not be as bright or even as professional quality watercolours.
+ Reliable pigments
+ Subtle textures
- Slightly weaker colours
This student-quality, pocket-sized watercolour set is great for portable painting and even has a waterbrush. It's well-designed, with a partitioned mixing tray on the lid. Colours behave predictably and mix well, but aren't very intense, containing 'hue' imitations of some pricier pigments.
FAQs
How is watercolour paint different from other types of paint?
The key characteristic of watercolour paint is its translucency. That means that unlike other kinds of paints, layers of watercolours build upon each other. Each layer reveals the ones beneath, allowing for delicate washes, soft gradients, and playful interactions between colours.
What are watercolour paints made of?
Watercolour paints are typically consist of natural or synthetic pigment (a powder used to add colour), a binder to hold the pigment in suspension such as gum arabic, additives such as glycerin, ox gall or honey, preservatives to alter the viscosity of the pixment, and water.
What paper do I need to paint with watercolours?
The best kind of paper to use with watercolour paints is, quite simply, watercolour paper. This is specially thick, absorbent and robust paper that allows the colours to shine brightly. Learn more in our guide to the best watercolour paper. Watercolour paints can be used on other surfaces, such as watercolour canvas or specially treated boards.
What is best brand of watercolour paint?
There are several brands of watercolour paint that all perform excellently, though they are all noticeably different with specific effects. Winsor & Newton are the best brand for consistent performance, as the paint tends to go down evenly and with solid colour.
Daniel Smith are the best watercolour brand for creating textural effects with their granulating colours. Schminke watercolours have great transparency and layer well. M Graham tend to have stronger colour intensity.
Which is better, Daniel Smith or Winsor & Newton?
Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton Artist ranges are both professional grade paints with strong pigmentation and good light-fastness, meaning that they won’t fade over time. Both are excellent options, and some artists will include colours from both ranges in their own sets.
The main difference is granulation, which is an effect of watercolours where the pigment forms a grainy texture on the paper. Daniel Smith watercolours have many colours that granulate readily, making them great for textural effects. Winsor & Newton colours granulate less readily and tend apply more smoothly. So the best watercolour paint out of these two would be the one that achieves the effect you want.
How to choose the best watercolour paints
Choosing the best watercolour paints depends on various factors, including your preferences, budget, and the specific characteristics of the paints.
Watercolours tend to come as either tubes of liquid paint that can be diluted with water, or solid pans. Tubes are better for producing intense colour, as you have more control over the dilution and don’t have reactivate the paint, whist pans are great for portability, and you don’t have to worry about them drying out over time. Many watercolour ranges come in both tube and pan form. It is also possible to squirt tube paints into empty pans and let them dry out to create your own.
Look at pigment quality: professional-grade watercolours often use pure pigments, resulting in richer and more vibrant colours. Check the lightfastness rating, which indicates how resistant the pigments are to fading over time. And consider the colour range offered by the brand: a wide range of hues allows for more versatility, although if you're a beginner you might prefer to limit your choice to avoid being overwhelmed.
Finally, think about whether you want your paint in tubes or pans. Tubes are more suitable if you prefer to work with a wet palette or need larger quantities, but pans are convenient for travel and easy to use on the go.
How we test the best watercolour paints
Testing the best watercolour paints involves evaluating several factors. We meticulously assess pigment quality, prioritising those with high colour intensity and lightfastness for enduring artworks, as well as transparency and granulation. We also explore the colour range's breadth, emphasising both essential hues and unique shades for artistic flexibility.
