How to Choose Watercolor Paints for Beginners: a Complete Guide

Picking your first set of watercolor paints can feel overwhelming. Walk into any art store or browse online, and you'll find hundreds of options at wildly different prices. The paint you choose directly affects how your work looks, how easy it is to learn techniques, and whether you'll actually enjoy the process or get frustrated and quit. That's why knowing how to choose watercolor paints for beginners isn't just a small detail it's the foundation of your entire painting experience.

What's the difference between student-grade and artist-grade watercolor paints?

This is probably the first question you'll run into, and it matters a lot. Student-grade paints use less pigment and more filler. They're cheaper, but the colors tend to look chalky, fade faster, and don't mix as cleanly. Artist-grade paints have higher pigment concentration, which means richer color, better transparency, and smoother blending.

For most beginners, student-grade paints are a reasonable starting point. Brands like Winsor & Newton Cotman, Sakura Koi, and Grumbacher Academy offer solid student-grade options that behave predictably. You don't need to spend $15 on a single tube of professional paint when you're still learning how to control water flow and brush pressure.

That said, if your budget allows, buying a small set of artist-grade paints even just five or six colors can make learning more enjoyable. You'll notice the difference immediately in how the pigment activates with water and how vibrant your washes look on paper.

How many colors do I actually need to start painting?

You need far fewer colors than you think. A palette of 8 to 12 colors is plenty for a beginner. With a good warm and cool version of each primary color (red, blue, yellow), plus a couple of earth tones and a black, you can mix nearly any color you'll ever need.

Here's a practical starter palette:

Warm yellow: Cadmium Yellow or New Gamboge
Cool yellow: Lemon Yellow or Hansa Yellow Light
Warm red: Cadmium Red or Pyrrol Red
Cool red: Alizarin Crimson or Quinacridone Rose
Warm blue: Ultramarine Blue
Cool blue: Phthalo Blue or Cerulean Blue
Earth tone: Burnt Sienna or Raw Umber
Neutral: Payne's Gray or Lamp Black

Starting with a limited palette teaches you color mixing one of the most valuable skills in watercolor painting. Buying a 48-color set right away might look exciting, but it often leads to confusion about which colors to use and poor mixing habits.

Should I buy watercolor tubes or pans?

Both formats work, but they suit different painting styles.

Pans are small, dry cakes of paint in a portable palette. They're convenient for plein air painting, small sketches, and travel. You activate them by running a wet brush over the surface. Pans are great if you paint casually or want something easy to set up and clean up.

Tubes contain moist, paste-like paint that you squeeze onto a palette. They give you more paint to work with, activate faster, and are better for large washes or covering big areas of paper. If you paint at a desk and prefer working with lots of pigment and water, tubes are the better choice.

Many beginners start with a pan set and later transition to tubes as they develop preferences. Some artists use both pans for sketching on the go and tubes for studio work. There's no wrong answer here, just what fits your habits.

How much should a beginner spend on watercolor paints?

A decent starter set costs between $15 and $40. That gets you a reliable student-grade set with enough colors to experiment and learn basic techniques. Brands like Winsor & Newton Cotman, Van Gogh, and Sakura Koi all fall in this range and are widely recommended for people just starting out.

Avoid the cheapest options you find at dollar stores or in children's craft kits. These paints often contain very little pigment and won't respond properly to watercolor techniques like wet-on-wet blending or glazing. You'll end up fighting the paint instead of learning from it.

At the same time, don't feel pressure to buy top-of-the-line professional sets right away. You can always upgrade individual colors later as you discover which hues you use most. When you're ready to explore more advanced supplies, checking out different watercolor supplies for beginners can help you make smarter decisions about what to buy next.

What brands are best for beginner watercolor painters?

A few brands consistently stand out for quality, affordability, and ease of use at the beginner level:

Winsor & Newton Cotman: Reliable student-grade line with good color range. Widely available.
Sakura Koi: Affordable field sets with a built-in palette and water brush. Great for portable painting.
Van Gogh (Royal Talens): Slightly higher pigment than most student grades. Smooth and predictable.
Grumbacher Academy: Budget-friendly with decent mixing quality.
Paul Rubens: Popular online for beginner sets with vibrant colors at a low price point.

If you want to try a few artist-grade colors without buying a full set, Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton Professional, and Holbein all sell individual tubes. Pick two or three colors you'll use often like a good blue, red, and yellow and mix them with your student-grade paints.

What are common mistakes beginners make when buying watercolor paints?

A few pitfalls show up again and again:

Buying too many colors at once. A massive set looks appealing, but it slows down your learning. Stick to a focused palette and build from there.
Ignoring the paper. Even the best paints won't work well on thin copy paper or sketchbook paper. Watercolor paint needs proper watercolor paper to perform correctly. Cold-pressed paper with at least 140lb (300gsm) weight is the standard recommendation.
Choosing paints based on packaging. A pretty tin doesn't tell you anything about pigment quality. Look at reviews, color charts, and pigment information instead.
Skipping the brush. Your brush matters as much as your paint. A poor brush won't hold water properly and makes controlling washes nearly impossible. Investing in beginner-friendly brushes alongside your paints makes a real difference.
Confusing watercolor with gouache or acrylic. Some "watercolor" sets on marketplaces like Amazon are actually gouache (opaque paint) or poster colors. Read product descriptions carefully. True watercolor is transparent.

How do I test watercolor paints before committing to a full set?

If you can, buy individual pans or tubes of two or three colors from a brand before purchasing a whole set. Most art stores sell single colors. Paint swatches on watercolor paper, test how they mix, and check for these things:

Does the color activate easily with water, or does it stay gritty?
Is the paint transparent on paper, or does it look flat and chalky?
When you mix two colors together, do you get a clean blend or a muddy mess?
Does the dried color look significantly different from the wet color?

Some brands also offer sample dot sheets or introductory sets with small amounts of multiple colors. These are a low-risk way to try before you invest. Online communities and YouTube reviews can also give you honest, real-world feedback on specific sets before you buy.

Does the type of watercolor style I want to paint affect which paints I should choose?

It can. If you're drawn to loose, flowing florals and landscapes with lots of wet-on-wet work, you'll want paints that re-activate easily and spread smoothly in water. Brands like Holbein and Winsor & Newton Professional handle this well because of their smooth binder consistency.

If you prefer detailed illustrations, botanical art, or tight line-and-wash sketches, you might care more about granulation and color precision. Daniel Smith paints are known for beautiful granulating pigments that add texture naturally.

For general learning and experimentation, any quality student-grade set will cover you. Don't overthink your style before you've even started you'll discover your preferences by painting, not by researching endlessly.

What else do I need besides paint to start watercoloring?

Paint is just one piece of the setup. To get started, you'll also need:

Watercolor paper: At least 140lb cold-pressed. This is non-negotiable regular paper buckles and pills.
Brushes: One round brush (size 6 or 8) and one flat brush (3/4 inch) will cover most beginner techniques.
Two water containers: One for rinsing, one for clean water.
A palette or mixing surface: Many paint sets include one, but a white ceramic plate works too.
Paper towels or a rag: For blotting and lifting excess water.

You don't need an expensive easel, a dedicated studio, or dozens of specialty tools. A table, good light, and the basics above are enough to start painting today. Some artists also enjoy experimenting with watercolor alongside creative typography and lettering fonts like watercolor font styles can inspire interesting mixed-media projects if you want to explore digital and traditional art together.

Quick checklist before you buy your first watercolor paints

Start with a student-grade set from a trusted brand (8–12 colors)
Choose tubes if you paint at a desk, pans if you want portability
Make sure you have proper watercolor paper not sketchbook or copy paper
Get at least one good round brush in size 6 or 8
Build a limited palette with warm and cool primaries plus an earth tone
Skip the children's craft sets and ultra-cheap unknown brands
Test individual colors before buying a full set if possible
Don't buy more supplies than you'll use in the first month learn first, expand later

Next step: Pick one brand and one set, order it with a pad of cold-pressed watercolor paper, and start painting simple color swatches and washes. The best way to learn what you like is to put brush to paper not to keep comparing options. You'll know what to upgrade once you've used what you have. Get Started