Painting with watercolors is a funny activity that is suitable even for beginners.
How to choose a watercolor set?
Irreplaceable watercolor is the choice of real aesthetes. The kits are available in tubes (a liquid form of watercolors) and pans ( in dry form). 12, 16, 24, or 36 color kits are enough for over a year! You will also need thick watercolor sheets, several types of brushes. For convenience, all this can be purchased together in one set. This way, you get all the tools you need, and they are also consistent with each other.
A good-quality watercolor paint kit consists of a wide variety of paint types, as well as drawing tools. It can also be distinguished depending on the skills level. The watercolor set classifies according to some basic properties. All of them determine the belonging of the watercolor kit to one of the types – student or professional. There are also portable watercolor sets (for those who like to paint on the way or outdoors).
Quality
A watercolor art set is made up of varying amounts of pigments. Professional kits consist of paints that contain a lot of it. That makes their texture richer. Such types of watercolor sets have vibrant saturated tones and a wider range of colors available.
Student grade cheap watercolor sets are made using fewer pigments that are replaced by more economical binders and fillers.
It is quite logical that the price of both watercolor kits is different. However, the distinction between them is not so significant, provided that both types were made adhering to all production technologies and using quality material. Moreover, beginners cannot always tell the difference between a student and professional watercolor set.
Color
Watercolors have one huge advantage - new colors can be created by mixing base shades. First, it saves money, and, second, allows you to create own shades, the analog of which may not be included in the watercolor painting kits.
Moreover, it is impossible to achieve some of the shades that a certain pigment can give. However, it all depends on your style as well as the result you are striving for.
Not all pigments are identical. Some of them are quite expensive due to the material that underpins them. Very often, these are rare minerals.
Watercolor sets for beginners, as a rule, consist of those paints, natural pigments in which are replaced with fillers. Professional grade kits, in turn, are distinguished by the high quality of the material used.
By the way, here is a piece of advice. If you see the word shade after the name of the pigment, then it is not a natural substance, but filler.
Permanence and Transparency
Another characteristic of the paint is its ability to maintain the brightness of the light. However, not all paints do it in the same way. Again, a lot depends on the pigments or rather their quality. Artificial substitutes do not have a sufficiently high lightfastness. Watercolor sets also have a similar mark, indicating the level of lightfastness, which is measured in the ASTM system.
Artists love this characteristic the most. Moreover, it is a distinctive feature of the watercolor, since other types of paints do not have the transparency that can be achieved when using a watercolor kit.
The bottom line is that light can penetrate deep into the colors and create a blur effect due to the refraction of the rays, which is a kind of optical effect.
All watercolor kits indicate whether the paint is transparent or opaque. To create a multi-layer effect, only watercolor sets with transparent paint are suitable.
Coloration
Not all paints are absorbed equally into the surface. Some penetrate deep into the fibers, making it impossible to correct, while others remain on the surface. That is also related to the pigment. Those paints that are less absorbed - mix worse as well. That is the factor to consider, especially if you plan on mixing colors frequently.
Besides, you can experiment with colors to see which ones mix and which don't.
Tubes and Pans
You can purchase a watercolor paint kit, which can consist of both tubes and pans or half-pans.
Two main types of paint packaging differ significantly. There are:
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Liquid paint in tubes;
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Dry or semi-dry watercolor in pans.
To use pans, wet them with water. The tube paint is ready to use immediately.
Besides, it is generally accepted that tubes are a tool for professionals, while pans – for beginners. That is true and not true at the same time. Most likely, advanced painters would prefer professional watercolor sets, which consist of tubes for one simple reason – the paint is enough for working on huge-scale canvases. For that matter, in pans, there is much less paint. One more point: watercolor travel kits usually consist of pans, since they are more convenient to carry and apply to the surface.
The disadvantage of it, in turn, is that some manufacturers neglect the quality, and the paint dries up after several uses. However, it does not apply to those cases when the item is of high-quality. In this case, it gets soaked well upon contact with water. Paints in tubes mix more easily and economically. Depending on the size of a watercolor kit, paints can contain either basic or additional colors. That applies to both types of packaging. Watercolor painting kits usually contain from 6 colors.
Watercolor Sets for Beginners
Use pans if you are just learning the basics of the art. First, they already contain the base colors needed to create the painting. Besides, pan`s advantage is that you can always fill an empty cell with paint from a tube. Also, you can mix colors and get new shades.
Best beginner watercolor paints are very easy to use, since applying paint from a tube is much more difficult, than just dipping a wet brush into an already prepared substance. Besides, convenient packaging only contributes to versatility. It is firm and flat enough to be carried with wherever you want. In this respect, it is more complicated to work with tubes. You can use a set of the pan as a watercolor field kit. Besides, you do not need to additionally carry a palette with you, since it is already in it.
In terms of quality, all watercolor sets for beginners are made at a certain level that can meet your expectations and skill level. Watercolor paint sets highlight your personality and help to reveal abilities. In the future, you can try using a professional watercolor paint set, which will be discussed below.
Professional Watercolor Sets
They are no different from the first type, actually. The variety is more visible in quality indicators. It is also available in both tubes and pans, the same as at the beginners` level. Professional watercolor sets can contain only the most popular colors, as well as more exotic ones. The same applies to the pans. The amount of pigments in such paints is greater, and the colors are more saturated. A distinctive feature of professional watercolor sets, in general, is also high lightfastness.
Such paints mix well and penetrate deep into the surface, creating an even texture of the picture. As a rule, a professional watercolor set consists of transparent paint, as it remains more in demand among advanced artists. It also includes a color mixing palette. Professional watercolor sets are usually made of metal or wood, as these are the materials best suited for mixing paints. In this case, the plastic comes short of them in its practicality.
Traveling Watercolor Kit
The watercolor field is a great idea for a gift to a loved one. Also, it is a tool that will come in handy when you don`t expect it.
One may long enumerate the advantages of a portable watercolor set. Here are the most basic ones:
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The opportunity to do what you love on the way, in a hike;
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Comfortability, small size;
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Contains everything you need to create paintings;
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Convenient for those who often forget brushes or other tools (all included);
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No need to think ahead of what to take with you for the road;
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The color palette includes only the most necessary colors from which you can create any other;
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Convenient packaging;
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Different types of decoration (bag, folder, backpack, etc.).
As a rule, such sets include everything you need, without which it is impossible to paint. The only exception is water, which must be taken separately.
What Does the Traveling Watercolor Kit Consist of?
The developers include only the most necessary things, so you don't need to rely on the refinement or uniqueness of the details, but you can be sure of the convenience. The travel kit consists of:
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drawing surface (sketchbook, drawing paper, the canvas that can be folded);
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set of paints (tubes or pans);
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brush (one or more);
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palette;
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pencil and sharpener;
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other tools.
The content of the watercolor field kits may differ depending on the price category, dimensions, and purpose.
Mixed Sets
You can buy watercolor sets, which consist of a variety of tools and differ in sizes. For example, a watercolor art set with watercolor paint sheets would be a great gift idea. Alternatively, you can look at bigger sets, similar to a watercolor travel kit, but which includes a much larger number of paints or tubes. It may also include additional accessories, such as a wooden stick, sponge, watercolor pencils, sketchbooks with watercolor paper, etc.
In addition to the division into professional and student grade sets, one also divides it into children and adult kits. Moreover, there are also separate sets of watercolor paper too. It may include a different number of special watercolor sheets that are suitable and compatible with this particular type of paint. By the way, watercolor paint sheets have very distinctive features suitable only for watercolor. Painting on the common piece of paper has no sense, indeed.
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