Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set, Sketchers' Pocket Set, 12 Half Pan w/ Brush

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 18,385 ratings

Price: 19.24

Last update: 07-16-2024


About this item

Watercolours
Imported
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colours are a range of water colours that are made to our high quality standards but costs are kept to an economical level by replacing some of the more costly pigments with less expensive alternatives
Cotman Water Colours possess good transparency, excellent tinting strength and good working properties
This popular pocket-sized plastic box features an integral mixing palette in the lid
This water colour set contains a pocket brush and 12 Cotman Water Colour half pans: Lemon Yellow Hue, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Cadmium Red Pale Hue, Alizarin Crimson Hue, Ultramarine, Intense Blue (Phthalo Blue), Viridian Hue, Sap Green, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Chinese White
12 colors (plus 1 brush and tray)

Product information

Technical Details


Top reviews from the United States

K. Rafalski
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Affordable Beginner's Set!
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2020
I just took up water color painting two months ago. I've been painting 3-5 days a week for 2 months. This was my first set of colors and I'm so happy I chose these!

The good
- the box is sturdy and well thought out, the mixing area is done well
- the colors chosen for a beginner are perfect - it is possible to mix a larger range and variety of colors than I imagined (because I am a beginner and didn't know that much about mixing colors)
- the paint in the pan are quite concentrated and last a long time
- the paints are a really good quality - especially for the price, water colors can be very very expensive!

The room for improvement
- the box lid can be used for mixing but is difficult/impossible to remove, making it harder to clean
- the brush that was included was poor (a number of the bristles fell out on first use) - it's ok I wasn't counting on using that brush as a main brush

The stuff I wish I knew/Wish they included some information in the box, that I learned from tutorials/googling stuff as a beginner:
- make a color chart (like the one I included as a picture) of each color and where it is located. The pans are very dark and it's hard to know which color is which/remember which pan is which once they are unwrapped and put in place
- I had no idea how to use Chinese White. I experimented with it and really wasn't sure/getting any results that were useful. Upon googling I even found it on the WN techniques page, not sure if external links are allowed, but it's meant to be used as a highlight after the other paint has dried (that makes so much sense now, sigh... learning can be hard)
- You can mix gray/black on your own. I was confused why there was no gray/black included. And I am fine with it, I really like the color choices included and understand that just 12 colors has to be expertly selected (and it is!) but as someone who knew nothing, I really wish it didn't take me as long to figure out as it did.
- There are two yellows, two reds, two blues, and two greens because each has a cool version and a warm version. If you mix a cool with another cool you'll get a more vibrant color. If you mix a cool with a warm it'll be a bit muted/muddy. It took me hours of tutorials to find this piece of information and learn it! So helpful!
- I was advised that spraying the pans with a little bit of water from a spray bottle before using would make it easier to activate/work with the paints and I found this to be very true and helpful. I'm not sure if there is any harm or problem doing this, but I find it easier to work with the paints this way
Customer image
K. Rafalski
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Affordable Beginner's Set!
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2020
I just took up water color painting two months ago. I've been painting 3-5 days a week for 2 months. This was my first set of colors and I'm so happy I chose these!

The good
- the box is sturdy and well thought out, the mixing area is done well
- the colors chosen for a beginner are perfect - it is possible to mix a larger range and variety of colors than I imagined (because I am a beginner and didn't know that much about mixing colors)
- the paint in the pan are quite concentrated and last a long time
- the paints are a really good quality - especially for the price, water colors can be very very expensive!

The room for improvement
- the box lid can be used for mixing but is difficult/impossible to remove, making it harder to clean
- the brush that was included was poor (a number of the bristles fell out on first use) - it's ok I wasn't counting on using that brush as a main brush

The stuff I wish I knew/Wish they included some information in the box, that I learned from tutorials/googling stuff as a beginner:
- make a color chart (like the one I included as a picture) of each color and where it is located. The pans are very dark and it's hard to know which color is which/remember which pan is which once they are unwrapped and put in place
- I had no idea how to use Chinese White. I experimented with it and really wasn't sure/getting any results that were useful. Upon googling I even found it on the WN techniques page, not sure if external links are allowed, but it's meant to be used as a highlight after the other paint has dried (that makes so much sense now, sigh... learning can be hard)
- You can mix gray/black on your own. I was confused why there was no gray/black included. And I am fine with it, I really like the color choices included and understand that just 12 colors has to be expertly selected (and it is!) but as someone who knew nothing, I really wish it didn't take me as long to figure out as it did.
- There are two yellows, two reds, two blues, and two greens because each has a cool version and a warm version. If you mix a cool with another cool you'll get a more vibrant color. If you mix a cool with a warm it'll be a bit muted/muddy. It took me hours of tutorials to find this piece of information and learn it! So helpful!
- I was advised that spraying the pans with a little bit of water from a spray bottle before using would make it easier to activate/work with the paints and I found this to be very true and helpful. I'm not sure if there is any harm or problem doing this, but I find it easier to work with the paints this way
Images in this review
Customer image
Isabella J.
5.0 out of 5 stars i’m obsessed with the quality AND how its smaller than my phone!
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2023
i didn’t expect it to be so cute and compact and i LOVE it this way. i had another portable palette but even though it was only a bit bigger than my phone, once it was opened and assembled it was much too inconvenient and space taking for me. this one is simple. it opens and has a mixing tray in the lid, no need to attach anything. the tiny brush is wonderful and easy to use/store, and the colors are beautiful, vibrant, and literally all you could ever need besides black. but instead of black i’m usually using grays, mixed up from blues and dabs of orange and yellow. i really really love this cute palette i’m gonna bring it EVERYWHERE with me
Customer image
Isabella J.
5.0 out of 5 stars i’m obsessed with the quality AND how its smaller than my phone!
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2023
i didn’t expect it to be so cute and compact and i LOVE it this way. i had another portable palette but even though it was only a bit bigger than my phone, once it was opened and assembled it was much too inconvenient and space taking for me. this one is simple. it opens and has a mixing tray in the lid, no need to attach anything. the tiny brush is wonderful and easy to use/store, and the colors are beautiful, vibrant, and literally all you could ever need besides black. but instead of black i’m usually using grays, mixed up from blues and dabs of orange and yellow. i really really love this cute palette i’m gonna bring it EVERYWHERE with me
Images in this review
Customer image
Becky A.
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this set
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024
I love this set! The colors are bright and vivid. The size is so convenient to have on the go or if you have a small area to paint. The pans are full and last a long time. I love using these paints. They are also easy to make your own colors, very smooth process. I will order again.
Carrie W
5.0 out of 5 stars Rich colors, smooth lines. Great for travelling
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024
I love these small Windsor and Newton watercolor kits. Each color block comes individually wrapped. The small paintbrush comes with a metal cover and is high quality. It takes 15 minutes for the water be absorbed and 30 for the color to deepen. The result is beautiful.
-A.
4.0 out of 5 stars Comparison to White Nights/Yarka St. Petersburg
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2019
It's an ok field set.

I'm mainly comparing this Cotman pocket sketch box to the white nights full pan field box: White Night Artists Watercolour... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006FHNE3C?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have a Swatch comparison to the white nights set in the photos included. Those are 12 full pans for about 23$. This Cotman box is half pans for about 13$.

The cotman kit came with a tiny folding brush, but it's not much to write home about, it's like a size 2-4 round. Not big enough to do a wash.

The cotman paints don't perform as well. They are clearly student grade. The white nights paints do lay down better.

The box configuration is sort of meh, IMO. I tend to like the folding metal boxes more, but I do wish for more variety and portability and haven't found one that makes my heart sing just yet.

Side by side, cotman swatches are in the left, yarka/ white nights on the right.

I don't find the color white terribly helpful in watercolor. I also don't use black much, but instead prefer paynes or Davy's grey. The White Nights paints have a neutral black which is not as severe as an ivory black, so I guess there's that. The yellow ochre and umber in that set are also more transparent than cotman. I prefer to have sap green over a black, which the cotman set does include. Even better would be to swap Payne's grey for the white in this cotman set.

I think the biggest difference is in how much more challenging it was to get the same pigment density in the cotman as the White nights. I had to really work the brush in there with the cotman paints, in addition to pre-spraying the pans and go back more times for paint with cotman than white nights- which are semi-moist, yet dry more quickly after you're done than the cotman. The cotman paints are extruded and have a lot more... filler ... something... that isn't pigment, than the St.Pete's /white nights paints. Those take a wet brush and you're off to the races. But these Cotman paints you have to work at and use a lot of water to get them going and even then, extra water it gets down into sides of the pans, around the paint cakes without dissolving them, but then when you are done, the Cotman pans take forever to dry out.

I definitely prefer the White Nights set.

Look at the triangles in the swatches. White nights is the right triangle on top. Cotman is the equalateral tringle on the bottom. Wht.nts blended naturally wet in wet. Like a dream -hardly any work from me except to wet the page and ease them toward each other. For the Cotman I had to put brushload upon brushload to get to equally dense colors, moving them into each other and even then, they didn't really want to blend and flow on the page even with an amount of assistance. And the secondary colors were muddier and harder to obtain.

Pros on the cotman: smaller kit, sap green is a nice green. Half the price for half the paint and a sort of decently passable brush. Cotman series paints have an array of pallette varieties and styles worth trying out.

Yarka pros: bigger pans. A neutral dark instead of a white. Includes a fantastic deep green. Semi moist poured pans Instead of extruded paints.

I'd go with the St. Petersburg again in a heartbeat over cotman.
Customer image
-A.
4.0 out of 5 stars Comparison to White Nights/Yarka St. Petersburg
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2019
It's an ok field set.

I'm mainly comparing this Cotman pocket sketch box to the white nights full pan field box: White Night Artists Watercolour... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006FHNE3C?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have a Swatch comparison to the white nights set in the photos included. Those are 12 full pans for about 23$. This Cotman box is half pans for about 13$.

The cotman kit came with a tiny folding brush, but it's not much to write home about, it's like a size 2-4 round. Not big enough to do a wash.

The cotman paints don't perform as well. They are clearly student grade. The white nights paints do lay down better.

The box configuration is sort of meh, IMO. I tend to like the folding metal boxes more, but I do wish for more variety and portability and haven't found one that makes my heart sing just yet.

Side by side, cotman swatches are in the left, yarka/ white nights on the right.

I don't find the color white terribly helpful in watercolor. I also don't use black much, but instead prefer paynes or Davy's grey. The White Nights paints have a neutral black which is not as severe as an ivory black, so I guess there's that. The yellow ochre and umber in that set are also more transparent than cotman. I prefer to have sap green over a black, which the cotman set does include. Even better would be to swap Payne's grey for the white in this cotman set.

I think the biggest difference is in how much more challenging it was to get the same pigment density in the cotman as the White nights. I had to really work the brush in there with the cotman paints, in addition to pre-spraying the pans and go back more times for paint with cotman than white nights- which are semi-moist, yet dry more quickly after you're done than the cotman. The cotman paints are extruded and have a lot more... filler ... something... that isn't pigment, than the St.Pete's /white nights paints. Those take a wet brush and you're off to the races. But these Cotman paints you have to work at and use a lot of water to get them going and even then, extra water it gets down into sides of the pans, around the paint cakes without dissolving them, but then when you are done, the Cotman pans take forever to dry out.

I definitely prefer the White Nights set.

Look at the triangles in the swatches. White nights is the right triangle on top. Cotman is the equalateral tringle on the bottom. Wht.nts blended naturally wet in wet. Like a dream -hardly any work from me except to wet the page and ease them toward each other. For the Cotman I had to put brushload upon brushload to get to equally dense colors, moving them into each other and even then, they didn't really want to blend and flow on the page even with an amount of assistance. And the secondary colors were muddier and harder to obtain.

Pros on the cotman: smaller kit, sap green is a nice green. Half the price for half the paint and a sort of decently passable brush. Cotman series paints have an array of pallette varieties and styles worth trying out.

Yarka pros: bigger pans. A neutral dark instead of a white. Includes a fantastic deep green. Semi moist poured pans Instead of extruded paints.

I'd go with the St. Petersburg again in a heartbeat over cotman.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image

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