Winsor & Newton 95437 Cotman Watercolour Set-12, 12 x Half Pan Field Plus Set

I got this for a friend who I inspired to do watercolouring, and my friend wanted a small set that they could take around on their travels. I stumbled on this item, and what made me select it were the brand, the size, the water brush, and the price. My friend has used this with great results and was so impressed that they wanted a second one for a friend. The pair love this, and for its size, price and materials, it is a bargain for watercolour painters! Grab whilst you can and at that price!!

The quality of this product is outstanding, great paints, brush and the plastic case isn't at all flimsy. I wish it came with a red instead of the pink although permanent rose is very beautiful and I'm sure you can still mix a wide variety of colours substituting red for pink. Depending on your bag or how much your plan to carry the size could be something to consider as it's the size of my entire hand when closed. It's very easy to clean and the small bottle to hold the water is durable. I Haven't made any art with it yet but during my colour swatch the paint were hardy and looked nice ever after being watered down. I would reccomend if you have the money as its definitely worth the price, any artist would love this and many other winsor and newton products. Although the price is steep is a great buy.

Great little set, perfect size, great quality, excellent range of colours.

I have recently joined an art class and I am now attempting watercolours. I bought this set of paints on the recommendation of my art tutor. This is the brand which she herself uses. I had previously bought a much cheaper set of paints but she pointed out that the finish which they gave was very "chalky". This set was expensive but the finish is clearly superior to my cheaper set. You get a good range of colours in a convenient travel case. The case has trays for you to mix your colours in and also comes with one paint brush. My only complaint is that I found the box impossible to open. I took it, unopened, to my art class and found that both my tutor and another classmate had experienced exactly the same problem with their sets. Eventually, after some effort, my tutor managed to open the box for me and I was able to use the paints. Obviously, I had to close the box when the class finished and when I tried to open it again at home I could not do so! Eventually I had to use a knife to lever it open. This is ludicrous. Why has the manufacturer made it so difficult to open the box? Surely this is something which could be easily rectified? I have reduced my rating from 5* to 4* because of this.

These paints are a step up from the very cheap water colour paints. Make sure you use with a good quality 300 gsm cotton paper and you will be very pleased with the results.

I decided to try watercolours at the start of the year and bought this set at a bargain price of around £14. I am a complete beginner so my review should be viewed in that light! First impressions are that this is a very complete set, with a range of colours to get you started in whatever style you want to try. There is a cool and warm shade of each primary, plus 2 good greens, a nice purple, and some good neutrals (burnt sienna and raw Umber). After swatching and playing around I found I wasn't completely happy with the colour choices, as there are 2 shades of cadmium red hue included. This is certainly just an element of taste! So I replaced one of them with a half pan of a different red, to give a little more choice. Equally, I haven't really used the white, and have popped a Paynes Grey in its place. I really like the layout of the palette, it has some good sized mixing spaces and sits nicely if you are out and about, thanks to the thumb hole. I also like the look of the palette when closed. It's a great size for slipping into my handbag or into my supplies drawer when at home. However the plastic dies stain with some pigments. This has not been a problem with the included paints, but with some pro paints that I have since acquired. The cotman brush that came with the set is good, albeit very short of course. I don't mind the handle length but I can imagine that some people might find it difficult to hold. It is a useful size 5 round and I have used it a lot. I would like to upgrade this as some point to a retractable brush, to avoid any damage when in the pallette. I have also used the brush holder to hold a pencil and rubber, and a slim water brush (the Pental ones don't fit) so it has other used too. I have got on very well with the Cotman paints. I particularly like Ultramarine (nice granulation), the greens, sienna and Umber. The colour choice is not too wide, so it does encourage you to explore colour mixing. Equally it gives you more choice than just starting with the primary colours. I would highly recommend this set to anyone who fancies dabbling in the medium, or anyone who finds professional grade paints too expensive for their budget. I am completely hooked and it is thanks to this lovely, affordable W&N set!

Excellent paints but very difficult to open the paint box

This is very convenient it's small and lightweight! The colors are very vibrant and pigmented. Sometimes I add too much water and the paint becomes really soft so I have to leave it open to air try but that my fault, just something to be aware don't drench it in water. Compared to other places this is great value for money especially if you have a prime membership.