What is Reddit's opinion of
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Paint Sketchers' Pocket Box, Half Pans, 13 count (12 colors and a brush)?
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28 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
Please don't buy the pad I use, it's not designed for watercolors. Here's one of my watercolor sets, you can buy it on amazon. As for a pad, just buy any watercolor pad and you should be good to go. Good luck!
Winsor and Newton is one of the most reputable brands, used by many professionals. I highly recommend their starting pallet, it's what I first used and is very affordable.
Amazon Link: Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketchers Pocket Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wkokzb8B7G5BC
Oh no! I hope you get some heat soon. That’s terrible.
My favorite hobby right now is watercolor painting. I just want to paint everything! Here is a Paint Set that I don’t currently have. Thanks for a contest and stay warm!
For sure! This Winsor & Newton set is a good beginner set. Just remember to mix your own colors in the palette area (don't use them straight from the pan), keep it to like 3 colors in total to start, and leave plenty of the white of the paper as your highlight... let the paper breathe through. Good luck!
This is a great little set and you probably won't find that quality for that price anywhere else. (The tiny brush is pretty useless, though.)
Then get some good paper and a nice brush or two, and go to town!
This is a great set for a beginner. My wife has one and has used it for years. Just get some good paper to go with it and a brush you like, and you're all set!
You seem pretty content with them due to the reviews but if you every actually want to look into getting some decent ones there's plenty on Amazon: this one is Windsor and Newton which is a pretty renowned paint brand and only $15 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_i_bBgBEbXC5SE3Y
Instead of using tubes, try dried paints. Thats way easier. Like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Colour-Paints/dp/B00004THXI?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duc08-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00004THXI
You dont have to watch how tos per se, just watching a good watercolor artist paint will already teach you a lot
! do it!
I am very much an amateur just sort of... doing whatever. I am a huge supporter of the idea of "AH WHATEVER, do what makes you happy" laughs.
the palette i'm using. I'm a COMPLETE amateur with watercolor, honestly, so these paints are student grade, not artist/professional, but I don't have the experience to know better. they seem fine to my untrained hand, and are cheap enough that i dont worry about "wasting" them. Someone more experienced could probably suggest a better palette but my concern was more "I want to not be stressed out about making mistakes with a+++ price supplies," so thats what I went for. (I did pop out the white and squeeze some payne's grey into the pan to replace it though)
I'm not even using the right sketchbook for them laughs i just like seeing colour as i flip through the pages. Watercolour is such a cheap medium. If you're into it, I definitely say heckin do it.
Considering your extreme budget restriction I'd say this is one of the options. Not as much fun as tubes in many ways, but complete enough and will allow for travel and plein air. Also if your daughter keeps painting I'm sure it will be good to hand onto her if you decide to upgrade to professional quality.
haha yes! this set actually has a really nice dinky little brush but if I am to get beyond A5 pieces I am going to have to get a bigger one!
This was the set I bought, btw.
Supplies: this is an easy, great quality set to start http://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Colour-Sketchers/dp/B00004THXI/ .
Just start! Get some paper and start sketching directly in watercolor to get the hang of the medium; while producing small work, the more you produce the better you'll get at it.
Here's a reply I gave I similar query a while ago. I stand by it.
I would say you could do quite well with the following:
Winsor Newton Cotman Sketcher Box. This has enough paints to get you started and keep you going for a while. It's the cheapest on Amazon.com. Here's a link:
The brush with this set is useless, so get a nice one. Here's one I like:
It's big enough to do the job but still fits into the pans in the above paint box. And it comes to a nice point, so you can do detail work, too.
Now you need paper:
The advantage of a block is that you don't have loose sheets and you don't have to tape it down.
Anyway, that would get you started.
I would say you could do quite well with the following:
Winsor Newton Cotman Sketcher Box. This has enough paints to get you started and keep you going for a while. It's the cheapest on Amazon.com. Here's a link:
The brush with this set is useless, so get a nice one. Here's one I like:
It's big enough to do the job but still fits into the pans in the above paint box. And it comes to a nice point, so you can do detail work, too.
Now you need paper:
The advantage of a block is that you don't have loose sheets and you don't have to tape it down.
Anyway, that would get you started.
Seconded on the winsor and newton pans!! I got mine on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lDZXAbYETD662
When I felt lost, when my son was about 3, I read The Miracle Morning. It got me started on a morning ritual of reading, journaling and watercoloring before my son would wake up. It all went out the window with pregnancy fatigue, but I'm counting the days until baby finds her regular nap pattern and I can go back to waking early.
It's not a tangible, but I just started the ($5/mo) Momma Strong workout subscription. It's so great! When baby wakes up at 6:30, I make coffee, then head to her room with the laptop and yoga mat to do my 15min exercise of the day before my son wakes up. I'm only a week in but feel so much better lately.
May I suggest starting watercoloring? It's way easier than you'd think, and mid-range supplies aren't that expensive. YouTube has so many wonderful tutorials, especially the Let's Make Art channel. She's sweet and fun and explains things really well. It doesn't take long to feel like you're making progress.
Some paints: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Brushes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IQFDF98/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tWzlFbYW4XB7F
And paper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G2IIZN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iXzlFb1J5MM4A
Do you journal? Interested in starting? I really enjoy having a nice fountain pen (also easier to use than I expected): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015EXS130?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
A "line" and a "brand" are really almost the same thing. If there is a difference, I think maybe a company will tend to emphasize a "brand" more in their marketing. The "brand" is the name they really want you to remember, the name they really want to establish a reputation for.
If you look at this Cotman set, for example, the packaging features the Winsor & Newton name even more prominently than the Cotman name. They even have a big logo there, with a flying dragon, for Winsor and Newton. Whereas "Cotman" just gets an italicized font. In addition, the palette box that holds the actual set also has the Winsor and Newton name and logo, with no mention of Cotman.
Compare that to this Rembrandt set. It also says Royal Talens on the front cover, even with a tiny logo between those two words, but the Rembrandt name and logo on the right side are larger and more prominent. And the palette box has the Rembrandt name and logo, with no mention of Royal Talens. Likewise, their Van Gogh set similarly seems to put more emphasis on the Van Gogh name and image, than that of the parent company.
I would recommend this set:
And this brush:
Size 6 round is shown, but if you want to do bigger work a size 8 or even 10 would be good. You can do a lot with one round brush, so you don't need to get a whole set to start with.
Plus, you'll need some good paper. I cannot stress enough the importance of good watercolor paper!
Anyway, these are my recommendations. You can get started without breaking the bank, and these will keep you going for quite a while.
If I were starting over from scratch, this is what I would get.
Note: I am not affiliated in any way with any of the manufacturers, I'm just a fan of their products.
They make artist garage under that name and Student grade under the Cotman name. They are a good starter set. This is the one I got...
Here you are!
I like to carry these:
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketchers Pocket Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/
Refilled with some extra favorite colors.
da Vinci Travel Series 1503 Maestro Watercolor Brush, Round Kolinsky Red Sable with Pocket Case Handle, Size 4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0041MQ0E8/
CANSON Montval Watercolor Postcards 140lbs 4"x6", Silky Surface https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0776D3WJV/
Generals G314 Draughting Pencil 2/Pk https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027ACGIA/
An old film canister for water in which I store a chunk of real sponge.
They all pack up into a zippered pouch.
The watercolor block postcards are key since I mail them to friends and family and home.
I don't have a lot of experience with watercolors so I'm probably not the best person to ask, but I did notice u/Anila_Tac (hope you don't mind I tagged you) posts weekly watercolour tips so maybe get in touch with her or look out for her posts. Visiting r/watercolor might also be worth a try.
I think it's safe to just search for "watercolour paper" on Amazon and choose from the results (do look at the reviews, of course). Since you're starting out, the "best" paper is whatever gets you to practice a lot, so the cheap stuff will do. You likely won't be able to tell the difference between the basic and "professional"-level materials at this point, or make full use of its potential, so don't stress about getting the "best". Just doing a search here, some of the results show up some brands I can recognise, like Canson XL or Strathmore - those should be fairly safe if you're unsure of what to get. As for paint... I saw that Winsor & Newton sells this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI
That looks like a good starter set, and you could move on to tubes later once you have more experience. (You might prefer a different brush than the one that comes with it though, but just try it out first.)
This article might also help explain some of the terms and properties of watercolour paper: https://www.art-is-fun.com/watercolor-paper/
Watercolor is a pretty cost effective starting point for painting. For paints, at least in the US, Winsor and Newton has a cheaper brand called Cotman that is still pretty solid in quality. You can find all kinds of sets for both their tube and pan paints. Other brands that are good to look into: Prima, Sennelier, Van Gogh, and White Nights. For paper, Canson is a solid starter brand. For brushes, Winsor and Newton, Silver Brush, and Princeton are good brands. There are a bunch of different types of brushes, but in general I'd advise picking up at least one medium-sized round brush (like a size 8 or 10).
Another option would be to buy her an art box, like this. I'm sure the quality of these paints is less than stellar, but it'd give her a little bit of everything to try out. Then, if she warms up to a particular medium, you can look into buying better quality supplies.
Thank you!! ��
I got this one ( Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketchers Pocket Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_KBmWybAG7PBYK ) from Amazon. It's tiny but perfect for my first set I think ��
When I took my watercolor course my instructor actually had us buy tube paints, then plop lots into a palette. They did dry but worked just the same as a regular pan would. I use tubes to refill my travel kit and they work great.
Recently I was too lazy to dig out my paints and found a few colors dried onto an old ceramic palette and decided that was good enough for a small card I was painting. Dried on there for like 2 years and still worked out just great.
If you're running out of individual colors tubes is probably a good route for you. I use Winsor and Newton Professional and the shit tube versions that box craft stores sell (like Michaels or Joanns.) Professional fit better for my pigment-snob necessities but Cotman should work just fine in the short term if they are just fine after a shameful 2-year sit on an old palette lol.
Good luck!
For value and reasonable quality I would recommend the sketchers pocket box as the perfect gateway drug achem palette.
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