Have you ever watched an artist create a painting that seems to glow from within, filled with soft colors that blend like a dream? That magic often comes from Aquarelle paint, also known as watercolor. But stepping into the world of watercolor can feel overwhelming. You see tubes and pans, professional grades and student sets, and suddenly, choosing the right paint feels like a puzzle with too many pieces.
Many beginners face the same frustration: buying the wrong set leads to dull colors or paints that refuse to mix properly. You want vibrant skies and gentle washes, but instead, you get muddied results. Selecting quality paint matters because it directly affects how your artwork looks and how enjoyable the painting process is.
This guide cuts through the confusion. We will break down what makes a great watercolor paint. You will learn the differences between pigment loads, binding agents, and pan versus tube sets. By the end of this post, you will confidently choose the perfect Aquarelle paint that matches your budget and artistic goals.
Top Aquarelle Paint Recommendations
Bestseller No. 1
ARTISTRO 50 Watercolor Paint Set - Portable Paint Kit - Perfect for Gifting to Adults, Teens, Tweens, & Kids - Art and Craft Supplies Kit
- High Quality Watercolor Paint Set: Make your watercolor art come to life with vibrant colors. This art advantage watercolor kit was designed for both beginners and pros. These watercolor paints are ideal for coloring books, bullet journaling, sketching, lettering, and more.
- Create On the Go: This Travel Watercolor Set gives you the ability to paint with watercolor paint at home or while traveling. Everything you need is included in this watercolor set.
- Elegant Design & Giftable Box: This lightweight watercolor plate set has a tin box that’s both stylish and practical. Gift these watercolors to professionals or beginners. It’s both a kids watercolor paint set and a watercolor paint set kit.
- Non-Toxic: All our water colors conform to ASTM d-4236 & EN71 safety standards. Please keep away from direct contact with food. This water color painting kids set is safe for children above age 3.
- Everything Included: This portable watercolor set comes with 40 water color paints, 4 fluorescent, and 6 metallic colors. The watercolors come with a metal box that has a water brush pen, sponge, mix tray, pencil, eraser and sharpener swatch sheet, and set of flexible brushes for different techniques. Take this kit anywhere!
Bestseller No. 2
Yasutomo Niji Aquarelle Watercolor Set 36 Colors
- This set contains 36 brilliant watercolors that dry to a matte finish
- Perfect for artists, designers, students and crafters
- Each round tray boasts a generous amount of water-soluble color formulated to dissolve easily in water
- Lid serves as a mixing palette; Non-toxic
- Package has a convenient removable tab for hanging
Bestseller No. 3
Artecho 48 Colors Watercolor Cake Set with 3 Brushes, Washable, Travel Design, Perfect for Card Making, Illustrations, Painting, Calligraphy
- 48 Vibrant Colors Set: Seek a balance between beginners and professional players. Carefully selected colors are perfect for every level of demand
- Well Designed Package: Travel Watercolor Pan Design, Come with 3 paint brushes for gift
- Easy to Clean: Water soluble pigment, washable. Never have to worry about sticking to clothes
- Perfect gift: Excellent for Card Making, illustrations, painting, calligraphy and more. Perfect gift for your friends, students and anyone who love painting
- Safety for Children: Conforms to ASTM D-4236. Acid-free, washable, non-toxic and suitable, safety is always the first element we consider
Bestseller No. 4
Artecho Watercolor Paint Set 100 Colors with Metallic in Portable Box, Paint Kit with Watercolor Papers and Brushes, Water Color Set for Beginners & Professionals
- Watercolor Paint Set 100 Vibrant Colors: This art set comes with 51 regular colors, 4 fluorescent colors, 35 metallic colors, 10 macaron and candy colors. In addition to 100 unique colors, this watercolor set also comes with 1 water brush pen, 1 nylon brush, 1 pencil sharpener, 1 sketching pencil, 1 color chart, 2 watercolor paper, 1 natural sponge, 1 portable tin box and 1 velvet bag. All in this art kit, perfect for travel
- Portable Water Color Set, Create On The Go: This watercolor kit was designed for both watercolor starter kit and water colors paint adult set. This travel watercolor set gives you the ability to paint at home or while traveling
- Elegant Design with Velvet Bag and Metal Case: Excellent for card making, illustrations, painting, calligraphy and more. This watercolor supplies with watercolor palette is ideal for artists, amateur hobbyists and painting Lovers
- Water Color Paint Set with Watercolor Brushes and Papers: This water paint makes a great art supplies for both beginners and professionals. The colors are strongly pigmented, rich, and clear. Easy to create an endless range of colors with metallic watercolor paints
- Non-toxic: This water color conforms to ASTM D-4236 safety standards. Acid-free, washable, non-toxic and suitable
Bestseller No. 5
Grabie 50 Colors Watercolor Paint Set, Detail Paint Brush Included, Watercolor Paints, Painting Sets, Art Supplies for Painting, Travel Watercolor Set, Amateur Hobbyists
- 50 Essential Colors for Every Artist: A carefully curated palette of vibrant, rich pigments that cater to all artistic styles—just add a little water to activate these semi-transparent watercolors.
- 6 Premium Brushes Included: Enjoy precision painting with high-quality brushes (sizes 3/0 to 3) featuring fine-pointed tips—no cheap water brush pens or wooden substitutes here!
- Built-In Mixing Tray for Easy Blending: The integrated mixing space lets you create custom colors effortlessly—no extra tools needed for seamless color exploration.
- Beginner-Friendly All-in-One Kit: Perfect for new artists! This set simplifies watercolor painting with ready-to-use colors and tools, so you can start creating confidently right away.
- Portable Metal Case for Artists On-the-Go: Everything stores neatly in a sturdy metal "tool box"—ideal for travel, or plein air painting adventures.
Bestseller No. 6
Watercolor Paint, 48 Colors Washable Watercolor Paint Set with a Brush a Refillable Water Brush Pen and Palette, Non-toxic Water Color Paints Sets for Kids Adults Artists Children Students Beginner
- 48 Vivid Colors Best Watercolor Paints Set -- The watercolour paint set including 42 unique vibrant colors, fine pigment powder make them soluble in water easily. The color is saturated and beautiful, the effect of halo dyeing is good, the texture is light and thin, with high transparency, and create a natural blooming in your painting paper. You can play your imagination and talent more freely, easy to blend to create an endless range of colors
- Portable Watercolor Cake -- These watercolor pan set large capacity but lightweight, comes in a lightweight and sturdy plastic box makes it easy for storage and carrying. The removable cover design of case allows it not only works as a normal cover for pan, but also as a palette, to keep the watercolor paints organized and tidy. Profect for ield sketching, natural journaling or coffee-house painting, capture every beautiful moment by watercolor painting whenever inspiration strikes
- Upgraded Watercolors Set & Bright Art Paintbrushes -- Blablaovy Perfect and convenient water coloring paint set, including 48 Premium Colors, 2 paint brush and 1 water pen. Convenient for both beginners and professional artist to start painting just with few drops of water, ideal for home painting, indoors, countryside, beach, park, garden, city and anywhere you want. Bring this watercolour paint box and come to painting in suburbs on weekends ,Enjoy happy artistic creation time
- Perfect High-Quality Water Paint Supplies -- Blablaovy use elevated concentration of finely ground top permanence rating and durability pigments, make our solid watercolor paints will not crack. They are easy to blend colors, washable and dry fast , fading resistant and have excellent fluid, and there's no chalky or grainy feel to them after they are dry, is an ideal arts & crafts supply choice for outdoor sketching, scrapbooking, creative interactive classroom activities, scho
- Safety and Quality Watercolor kit -- Blablaovy Washable Watercolors is 100% Non-toxic tested and certified for safe use. Conforms to ASTM D4236 & EN71. Makes it a perfect gift for Birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve. Suitable for kid preschoolers, students to painting novices, art lovers. Recommended Age Rage: 3 Years & Up. Best choice for encourage a passion for kids arts and crafts
Bestseller No. 7
Watercolor Paint Set with 100 Bright Colors: for Adult Beginners & Professional with Metallic - Travel Sized Water Color Art Kit Palette
- 100 Bright and Vivid Watercolors: Immerse yourself in unlimited creative possibilities with an expansive collection of 100 different watercolors. This paint set has a spectrum of colors that features 50 regular shades, 35 metallic colors, 5 fluorescent hues, and 10 candy colors. The variety of paints produce bright and vivid colors, allowing you to spend less time having to blend and create custom colors. With 100 rich and vibrant colors to choose from, the possibilities are endless!
- Versatile for Every Artist: Whether you're a budding beginner or a seasoned professional, this premium watercolor set is designed to empower artists of all skill levels. You will be pleasantly surprised at the value you get from our premium watercolor paint set. The colors are made with high-quality pigments so that they are soluble, can be easily blended, and have good working properties. Experience the joy of painting, knowing that you have a paint set that will work with your growing expertise!
- Everything You Need in One Premium Set: Experience the convenience of having everything you need to create beautiful watercolor paintings in one set. In addition to 100 unique colors, this premium set comes with 3 watercolor brush pens, 2 regular paint brushes, 1 art sponge, and 1 swatch card. Our versatile brushes each feature a different tip, so you can choose what works best for you and your art. Find all your creative essentials in one set for making effortless masterpieces.
- Portable Watercolor Studio: Paint on-the-go with this portable watercolor set! The watercolors are all protected inside a sturdy metal case, which is sized perfectly at only 3.25x8x1.5cm so you can take it with you wherever you go. This compact paint set is lightweight, easy to carry around, and won’t take up much space in your bag. Whether you're at home, in a cafe, or exploring the world, this set travels with you so you can unleash your creativity anywhere, anytime!
- High-Quality, Non-Toxic Paint Set: Paint with confidence using our premium, non-toxic watercolors. Our paints are made with high-quality pigments and conforms to ASTM D-4236 and EN71 safety standards. They are formulated to be non-toxic, while still providing rich and vibrant colors, so you can let your imagination roam free!
Bestseller No. 8
48 Color Solid Watercolor Paint Set with 3 Wooden Brushes - Non-Toxic, Vibrant & Washable Watercolor Kit for Artists, Children, Beginners, Kids - Portable Watercolor Painting Set for Travel & Studio
- Rich & Vibrant 48-Color Palette---Unleash your creativity with our extensive set of 48 highly pigmented solid watercolor cakes. From essential primaries to beautiful mixed shades, this comprehensive palette provides all the colors you need to create stunning artwork. The colors blend smoothly and reactivate easily with water, offering excellent coverage and vibrant results on various papers.
- Complete All-in-One Painting Kit---This set includes everything you need to start painting right out of the box. You get the 48-color paint box along with 3 high-quality wooden handle brushes in different sizes (small, medium, large). It's the perfect starter kit for beginners and a convenient, portable solution for experienced artists on the go.
- Premium Quality & User-Friendly---Designed for a superior painting experience. The solid pans are long-lasting and less messy than tube paints. The sturdy, reusable plastic case acts as a built-in mixing palette. Our watercolors are smooth, easy to layer, and washable from skin and most fabrics, making clean-up simple and worry-free.
- Safe, Non-Toxic---Certified to be non-toxic and acid-free, our watercolor set is safe for children, students, and professional artists alike. It's a wonderful gift to inspire creativity in kids, help students learn art techniques, or provide a relaxing hobby for adults. Enjoy peace of mind with our high safety standards.
- Portable & Perfect for Any Occasion---The compact, lightweight, and securely closing box makes this set incredibly portable. Take your art supplies anywhere – to school, art class, on vacation, or into the outdoors for plein air painting. It's the ideal travel companion for capturing inspiration whenever and wherever it strikes.
The Ultimate Buying Guide for Aquarelle Paint
Aquarelle paint, often called watercolor, is a beautiful and versatile medium. It uses pigment mixed with a binder, usually gum arabic, and water. This guide helps you choose the best paints for your artistic journey.
1. Key Features to Look For
When buying aquarelle paints, you should check a few important things. These features tell you how the paint will perform.
Pigment Quality and Lightfastness
- Pigment Load: Higher pigment load means brighter, richer colors. Good paints use more actual color and less filler.
- Lightfastness: This measures how well the color resists fading when exposed to light. Look for ratings like ASTM I (Excellent) or ASTM II (Very Good). Poor lightfastness means your artwork will fade over time.
Binder and Consistency
- Binder: Most quality paints use Gum Arabic. A good binder helps the paint flow smoothly and adhere well to the paper.
- Consistency: Paints come in pans (dry cakes) or tubes (moist paste). Pans are portable. Tubes offer more paint and are easier to mix large washes.
2. Important Materials and Grades
Aquarelle paints generally fall into two main grades. Your skill level and intended use should guide your choice.
Student Grade vs. Artist Grade
- Student Grade: These paints are more affordable. They use fewer, less expensive pigments and often contain fillers. They are perfect for beginners learning techniques.
- Artist Grade (Professional): These use the highest quality, single pigments. They offer maximum brilliance and transparency. Professionals choose these for archival quality work.
3. Factors That Improve or Reduce Quality
Several factors directly impact the quality of your painting experience.
Transparency vs. Opacity
- Transparency: True aquarelle is transparent. This lets the white of the paper shine through, creating luminosity. High-quality paints are usually very transparent.
- Opacity: Some colors, like certain whites or earth tones, are naturally more opaque. If a paint is labeled opaque when it should be transparent, the quality is lower.
Granulation and Flow
- Granulation: Some pigments settle into the texture of the paper, creating a speckled, grainy look. Artists sometimes seek this effect.
- Flow/Wetting: Good paints re-wet easily, even after drying completely in a pan. Poor quality paints might resist water, making them hard to use.
4. User Experience and Use Cases
How you plan to use your paints matters greatly.
Portability and Setup
- For travel or sketching outdoors (plein air), small sets of pans are ideal. They require minimal setup.
- For studio work where you need large amounts of color quickly, tube paints mixed on a palette are often preferred.
Color Mixing
Artist-grade paints mix cleaner. Fewer muddy colors result when you blend them. Student paints might create duller secondary colors because of their mixed pigments.
10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Aquarelle Paint
Q: What is the main difference between watercolor and aquarelle?
A: There is usually no real difference. “Aquarelle” is the French term for watercolor. They refer to the same water-soluble paint.
Q: Do I need expensive paper for good results?
A: Yes, good results often require good paper. Watercolor paper is thick (140 lb or more) and designed to handle lots of water without buckling.
Q: How do I reactivate dried-out pan paints?
A: Simply touch a wet brush to the dry cake of paint. Let it sit for a moment, and the paint will soften and become usable again.
Q: Can I use regular water with aquarelle paint?
A: Yes, clean tap water works well for most applications. Some artists prefer distilled water to avoid mineral deposits.
Q: What does “single pigment” mean?
A: Single pigment means the color comes from just one type of pure pigment, leading to cleaner, brighter color mixing.
Q: Should I buy a set or individual tubes/pans?
A: Sets are great for starting out and trying many colors. Buying individual colors lets you replace only the shades you use most often.
Q: How do I make my colors darker?
A: You make colors darker by adding more pigment and less water, or by layering more transparent washes on top of each other.
Q: Is white paint necessary in an aquarelle set?
A: True watercolorists rarely use white paint. They rely on the white of the paper to create highlights.
Q: What is ‘lifting’ in watercolor painting?
A: Lifting is removing color from the paper after it has been applied, usually by blotting with a clean, damp brush or cloth.
Q: How should I store my aquarelle paints?
A: Store them away from direct sunlight and extreme humidity. Keep the lids closed tightly if they are pans to prevent dust accumulation.