Winsor & Newton Watercolour Half Pan Compact Set

I used to paint alot in my younger days, so i really wanted to return to it as it gave me so much peace and calmness. I didnt want to spend alot so i went onto amazon to do a search. After reading a few descriptions i settled for this product. Why? Cheap, limited colours, compact. Upon receiving my item, i noted how nicely it was packed. In its own box, looked expensive than what i paid. The paint palette itself is made of strong white plastic. Upon opening it, i find 14 paint blocks, all neatly individually packaged in its place with its respective shade labelling on it. There is a small brush included and ample space as seen on the picture to mix shades etc. When opening the paint blocks packaging, i see how strong each colour is. Please take note, the colours included are not ahuge variation on eachother. For example 2 blocks are quite similar- '2 greens' in simple terms. This palette is a beginner set so you cannot expect to have all colours but a few with their darker shade alongside. I wet the brush and test each colour. I expected quality paint and i got it. I am delighted with my purchase and hope to buy a bigger set soon.

Top quality exactly what I expected.

The whole box is very convenient and useful for field work. Love it. But one thing, seems the top can't be tightly sealed. That is the only thing i don't like. Anyway it is a very nice deal.

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!

Buying watercolours can be a minefield: good artists quality paints are expensive and cheap ones are not much good, to be honest. This set is priced just above not much good, but the cottman range are good quality paints. I have bought several sets, trying to get the best one, others with different mixing pallets, but I have come to the conclusion that using a small sheet of thick glass with smoothed edges is best and the number of paints included, offers better value. For me, waterclolour is a past time, but I am serious about it: this set provides 14 colours and I have added to the collection a tube of Payne's Grey, which is not in the set. With these colours, you should be able to mix colours and paint just about anything you care to. The pigments are rich. mix well and appear long lasting. It is economical in use and, providing you keep the top closed after use, the colours should last a long time. Replacement half-pans are quite expensive, so this set offers good value for money: 5 stars!

This product is excellent value for money. Well produced, it features 14 half pan top class paints from Windson & Newton. I ordered it simply for the paints which are excellent value alone, without he Compact Case they're enclosed in. This set is a must for those who enjoy a spot of simple outdoor watercolour painting. It slips neatly into your pocket. All you then require is a small container to carry a little water and a few brushes and you're ready to complete that watercolour masterpiece. It is a very well designed product and came well packed on the delivery date promised. I strongly recommend this product.

Fantastic set! Very pigmented (I’m a beginner) and easy to use. I love how compact it is and easy to take on the move or store away at home. The little brush that comes with the set is also great. So many spots for mixing paints and easy to clean. Great variety between cool and warm tones too! I would recommend for a beginner!

I bought this set so I could still paint on our recent holiday. I found there to be a good range of colours, and used all except the black. Before we went away, I noticed in a couple of local art stores that this set was priced £10 above what I paid here so it is certainly value for money.

Belle palette d'aquarelle. Pratique à utiliser

Ainda não utilizei as cores mas o conjunto parece de boa qualidade.

Super Farbbrillianz ! Angenehme Größe, sodass man die Farben überall mitnehmen kann. Auch wenn die Näpfe klein ausschauen halten sie recht lange. Auch größere Bilder kann man ohne Probleme damit malen. Das einzige was mir manchmal fehlt ist die Farbe schwarz, aber da kann man ja auch einfach eine dazukaufen und sie mit der weiß tauschen:) (Auf dem Bild habe ich ein Dina4 großes Bild gemahlen mit dem Kasten daneben)

Beautiful set, each color is individually wrapped. Light weight and perfect for sketching on the go.

I read all the reviews before I made the purchase. I have used the windsor newton professional version of this set for years and I’m very happy with it. I bought this cotman set because cotman set is far less expensive in comparison to the professional set and I was curious about the differences. The cotman set I received from amazon japan in August 2023 is perfect. For the container itself, the pans sit in the slots nice and snug, easy to open and close, the bottom palette slides out snuggly, the top cover is easy to remove and reattach. If a pan wobbles, put a tiny dot of blue tac down the bottom would have it fixed easily. If a paint block falls off, remove the block from the pan, put a drop of clean water at the bottom of the pan, put the paint block back in, give it some time, allow it to dry, the gum in the paint will melt a little and stick the paint to the pan. The paints are the colours exactly as described, no missing ones, no duplicates. I saw reviews complaining about the lack of “red red” or “green green” etc, but the kind of red or green or most colours you desire can be easy made by mixing the existing colours. For example, you can mix colder red with warmer red to get a more neutral red. Cotman is student grade, and I understand that it wants to encourage people to mix colours. The brush is of decent quality which was a surprise to me since the brush I had from the professional set wasn’t very good. One thing to note is that winsor newton pans are slightly smaller than some other brands, so the half pans you have from other brand might not fit in the slots. I tried with my schmincke pans, didn’t fit. It doesn’t bother me since I prefer windsor newton paints anyways, and I can also use empty pans to hold paint from tubes. In conclusion, I would highly recommend this set for beginners and artists who want an inexpensive travel set.