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Description
Kind of like the coloured pencil one, featuring whales requested by my tumblr followers as BABIES! All were painted in less than 20 minutes (around 10 lol) so effort was not a factor in how they look.

From least favourite paint to favourite:

Daler Rowney Simply Watercolor 36 Pan Set
Modeled by: K20-Spock
Price: approx. $11.00 CAD
Mini Review:I honestly have nothing good to say about this paint. The colours even when soaked and scrubbed aren't at all vibrant. The colors rub off once dried. It's like painting with chalk. I have heard better things about the tube set and smaller 12 pan set but I have no need or desire to spend my money on them at the risk of them not being better (thought the tubes shouldn't be so chalky!). They didn't blend well, they felt weird, the colours were vibrant, AND they weren't even the cheapest on my list so these... avoid them! The only somewhat positive note I have on this set is that it came with an actual brush and not one of those weird plastic ones, however it still wasn't really a useable brush.
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 0/10

OK From here on out all brands are definitely usable, despite my critiques. But some are definitely stronger than others.

Buffalo (school brand.... may be defunct)
Modeled by: Katina
Price: Unknown. Bought at a garage sale for $1.00
Mini Review: These were a basic kids grade watercolour. They came in cakes that needed to be scrubbed, but when scrubbed they did have decent vibrancy and behaved like watercolour. They were chalky and rubbed, but given these ones were definitely marketed towards kids. For $1.00 I have no right to complain. They were well loved by me, being my first watercolour set and for sentimental reasons I'll probably hang on to it, but all things considered minus decent blending and colour vibrancy, there's nothing to rave about. Plus, even if they were good, I can't find them anywhere and I'm pretty sure they've been discontinued!
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 1.5/10

Artist's Loft
Modeled by: Kalina
Price: $5 (according to Michaels America, pretty sure it's like 10 here)
Mini Review: This set is pretty much identical to Daler Rowney SW, only the colours are vibrant and they blend nicer. Colour selection wise, palette design, and even the brush included are very similar to DRSW, but they're definitely a step up AND they're cheaper so.... if you're looking to not spend a lot of money these might be ones to go with and they are super popular for reasons not really understood by me. Even if they're "better" they're still really opaque, not as bright as they appear on the cakes, and they're quite chalky. Colours will rub off and are definitely not lightfast, so if you're going to use them I would recommend only selling reproductions or using them for work that won't be kept.
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 2.5/10

Staedtler
Modeled by: J2 Granny
Price: approx. $15.00 CAD for a tube set of
Mini Review: the colours are ok but these are not paints to put in a palette! I put these in a "palette", and they cracked and fell out of the wells! Luckily for me my pallette was an ice cube tray so it didn't make as big of a mess as it could have! Rewetting was a bit of a pain because of the dehydration but once I managed to rewet the paints they were ok. Lightfastness is probably not the greatest, but I haven't tested these to know for sure. Also no brush came with the set, but staedtler does make decent cheap synthetics and frankly, I rarely use the brushes that sets come with anyway so it was not a big deal for me!
No other paintings available
Rating: 3.5/10

Reeves
Modeled by: Tilikum
Price: approx $10.30 CAD for a set of 12 Tubes
Mini Review: Honestly these were a pleasant surprise! They aren't great but there's nothing inherently wrong with them. They stayed moist in the palette after being put in a few weeks prior (they had some cracking but not that bad!), rewet great, and had decent vibrancy and blending. They granulated more than I expected. They were tubes, so I honestly think when it comes to cheap watercolors, tubes are the way to go! Plus for the price they aren't that bad, definitely the best of the "cheap" watercolours, as from here on out all are student grade and have a noticeable price increase. Again, no brush included but that wasn't a big deal. The only big difference between these and Staedtler was the rewet-ability and moisture retention.
No other paintings available
Rating: 4/10

Sakura Koi
Modeled by: Sumar
Price: approx $30.00 CAD for a 24 set
Mini Review: Koi really got me into watercolour, and are the reason I'm primarily a watercolour artist at the moment. When I first got these paints, I LOVED them and had 0 complaints. As time's passed and I've tried other paints, I have a few complaints. For starters, the pan size is ridiculously small. Not a big deal really, as the set has more colours than other comparable paints within the same quality but something to note. The paints are ok, but some aren't very lightfast and I've noticed now particularly that about 1/4 of the paints in my set don't dissolve in water, and have noticable like paint grains in it which is weird and a problem that others have had. I haven't had it with any other brand. The colours however are vibrant and pretty, and the ones that do dissolve I enjoy using. The colours blend well and mixing is easy, though colours tend to get muddy when mixed so I avoid it, and haven't needed to mix much given the big selection. Where this set really shines are in it's palette design. Hands down, koi has my favourite travel palette. It has LOTS of mixing space, is a sturdy this plastic, comes with a nice waterbrush (that on it's own runs about $10.00), and sponges to clean the brush. It's compact and super portable and I will always keep the set even if for just that beautiful palette. I would consider this a good starter set, but paint quality is not the best from what I've tried.
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… (and most of my bookmarks!)
Rating: 6/10

Winsor and Newton Cotman
Modeled by: Keiko (he looks a little off lol)
Priceocket box of 12 half pans typically retails around 30, but can usually easily be found for around 22 online, I paid around 33 locally. (my art store is expensive unfortunately)
Mini Review: A decent little palette, very portable of really great paints. Minus lightfastness I have no complaints with the paint quality, and even the lightfastness isn't severe enough that I would say you can't sell originals painted with cotman. The pocket box also comes with a little travel brush that is decent. It isn't as nice as some other synthetics but is definitely usable and I have used it many times! They blend well, have good granulation, and mix well. I have few complaints but of the few my biggest complaint is that the set contains white, which is honestly a useless colour for watercolour imo (and it's an opinion commonly shared!). I ditched the white and put in a paynes grey. My other complaint is that some colours are a bit opaque, nothing too bad but definitely something to note. Since my style utilizes harder lines, I prefer super transparent paints so I don't have to go over my lineart. These are a great starter paint! The palette is cute but if you're looking to save money I would buy tubes and select your own colours. The tubes are a big pricey (about 5 dollars per tube) BUT keep in mind that one tube gives you more paint than in the pans so they go a further way. If you just want a tiny palette like me (I'm obsessed with them!) there's certainly nothing wrong with a pocket box.
Other paintings I've done with cotman: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 7/10

Lukas Studio
Modeled by: Comet
Price: approx 24 CAD (that's about what I spent) but on Jerry's is 12 American for the set of 12 half pans (the set I have)
Mini review: I was at a loss of where to rank this. From the comparison painting it looks poor, but that's mostly because I don't really have a comparable blue to the other's I used! These are a gem! I really think that paint quality wise, these are the best student grade, AND they're one of the most affordable! The half pans are actually larger than standard, and larger than cotman so you get a little more paint, plus they're obviously cheaper so you get more bang for your buck. The paints work similarly to cotman, though I personally think they mix better. They are a big more opaque in general, but comparible to cotman. I bought these on a whim and I'm so glad I did, they're a joy to paint with! HOWEVER! I am not without complaints: the pans seem to be a bit bigger than the palette is designed for and I've had trouble with one in particular never staying in the palette. Once used the rest all stuck just fine, so this could be an isolated issue with my one pan! The palette is designed incredibly similarly to cotman, however the plastic feels cheaper, is a bit more yellow, stained almost instantly, and the lid is impossible to open comfortably. The palette is so frustrating to open that I frequently would use cotman instead, even though paint wise I prefer Lukas. I don't see a lot of other artists using them but if you're wanting to upgrade from kids to student, or start watercolour I definitely recommend these (though you cant go wrong with most student grades!)
Other Paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… (the last one is heavily inked!)
Rating: 7/10

M Graham and Co.
Modeled by: J34 Doublestuf
Price: varies by store and by tube (there are 5 series I believe). At my local art store, the palette I bought for them, 16 tubes (mostly series 1 and 2 but a few higher), and brush cleaner for $210.00 CAD (quite the increase!). I later bought two more tubes at my university where they're cheaper (so I will be buying them there now!) for around 24 dollars. They were my birthday gift to me though
Mini Review: I'm still new to professional grade paints and can't compare them to anything else, but my god do I ever LOVE these so far! They mix beautifully, stay moist but not wet, and require hardly any water to get rich pigments! I bought mostly staining tubes as they're more transparent and they still granulate quite nice. My only complaint was that they aren't completely transparent. Minus that I love everything about them! This particular brand uses honey to keep the paints moist. While the price hike is steep from student->professional (and other brands are notably more expensive!) I want to stress that less paint goes further, and I don't think I'll need to replace any tubes for a few years. These are also very lightfast so I'm more than comfortable selling originals painted with them. Again I want to stress I haven't compared them to other professional brands so I can't say whether these are THE best or not, but from what I've read the differences between prof. grade paint is subtle and relatively insignificant. One frequent complaint and a warning from M Graham is that the paints don't completely dry, so may leak in the palette. I've had no problems with this, and I've had them sideways/upside down for hour long rides in a vibrating car. Just make sure you let them dry out in the palette before packing them up, and initially let them dry in the palette for at least 24 hours (I left mine for 72)
Other pieces I've painted with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 9/10

I hope this was helpful, or at least you enjoy the babies

Description
Kind of like the coloured pencil one, featuring whales requested by my tumblr followers as BABIES! All were painted in less than 20 minutes (around 10 lol) so effort was not a factor in how they look.

From least favourite paint to favourite:

Daler Rowney Simply Watercolor 36 Pan Set
Modeled by: K20-Spock
Price: approx. $11.00 CAD
Mini Review:I honestly have nothing good to say about this paint. The colours even when soaked and scrubbed aren't at all vibrant. The colors rub off once dried. It's like painting with chalk. I have heard better things about the tube set and smaller 12 pan set but I have no need or desire to spend my money on them at the risk of them not being better (thought the tubes shouldn't be so chalky!). They didn't blend well, they felt weird, the colours were vibrant, AND they weren't even the cheapest on my list so these... avoid them! The only somewhat positive note I have on this set is that it came with an actual brush and not one of those weird plastic ones, however it still wasn't really a useable brush.
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 0/10

OK From here on out all brands are definitely usable, despite my critiques. But some are definitely stronger than others.

Buffalo (school brand.... may be defunct)
Modeled by: Katina
Price: Unknown. Bought at a garage sale for $1.00
Mini Review: These were a basic kids grade watercolour. They came in cakes that needed to be scrubbed, but when scrubbed they did have decent vibrancy and behaved like watercolour. They were chalky and rubbed, but given these ones were definitely marketed towards kids. For $1.00 I have no right to complain. They were well loved by me, being my first watercolour set and for sentimental reasons I'll probably hang on to it, but all things considered minus decent blending and colour vibrancy, there's nothing to rave about. Plus, even if they were good, I can't find them anywhere and I'm pretty sure they've been discontinued!
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 1.5/10

Artist's Loft
Modeled by: Kalina
Price: $5 (according to Michaels America, pretty sure it's like 10 here)
Mini Review: This set is pretty much identical to Daler Rowney SW, only the colours are vibrant and they blend nicer. Colour selection wise, palette design, and even the brush included are very similar to DRSW, but they're definitely a step up AND they're cheaper so.... if you're looking to not spend a lot of money these might be ones to go with and they are super popular for reasons not really understood by me. Even if they're "better" they're still really opaque, not as bright as they appear on the cakes, and they're quite chalky. Colours will rub off and are definitely not lightfast, so if you're going to use them I would recommend only selling reproductions or using them for work that won't be kept.
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 2.5/10

Staedtler
Modeled by: J2 Granny
Price: approx. $15.00 CAD for a tube set of
Mini Review: the colours are ok but these are not paints to put in a palette! I put these in a "palette", and they cracked and fell out of the wells! Luckily for me my pallette was an ice cube tray so it didn't make as big of a mess as it could have! Rewetting was a bit of a pain because of the dehydration but once I managed to rewet the paints they were ok. Lightfastness is probably not the greatest, but I haven't tested these to know for sure. Also no brush came with the set, but staedtler does make decent cheap synthetics and frankly, I rarely use the brushes that sets come with anyway so it was not a big deal for me!
No other paintings available
Rating: 3.5/10

Reeves
Modeled by: Tilikum
Price: approx $10.30 CAD for a set of 12 Tubes
Mini Review: Honestly these were a pleasant surprise! They aren't great but there's nothing inherently wrong with them. They stayed moist in the palette after being put in a few weeks prior (they had some cracking but not that bad!), rewet great, and had decent vibrancy and blending. They granulated more than I expected. They were tubes, so I honestly think when it comes to cheap watercolors, tubes are the way to go! Plus for the price they aren't that bad, definitely the best of the "cheap" watercolours, as from here on out all are student grade and have a noticeable price increase. Again, no brush included but that wasn't a big deal. The only big difference between these and Staedtler was the rewet-ability and moisture retention.
No other paintings available
Rating: 4/10

Sakura Koi
Modeled by: Sumar
Price: approx $30.00 CAD for a 24 set
Mini Review: Koi really got me into watercolour, and are the reason I'm primarily a watercolour artist at the moment. When I first got these paints, I LOVED them and had 0 complaints. As time's passed and I've tried other paints, I have a few complaints. For starters, the pan size is ridiculously small. Not a big deal really, as the set has more colours than other comparable paints within the same quality but something to note. The paints are ok, but some aren't very lightfast and I've noticed now particularly that about 1/4 of the paints in my set don't dissolve in water, and have noticable like paint grains in it which is weird and a problem that others have had. I haven't had it with any other brand. The colours however are vibrant and pretty, and the ones that do dissolve I enjoy using. The colours blend well and mixing is easy, though colours tend to get muddy when mixed so I avoid it, and haven't needed to mix much given the big selection. Where this set really shines are in it's palette design. Hands down, koi has my favourite travel palette. It has LOTS of mixing space, is a sturdy this plastic, comes with a nice waterbrush (that on it's own runs about $10.00), and sponges to clean the brush. It's compact and super portable and I will always keep the set even if for just that beautiful palette. I would consider this a good starter set, but paint quality is not the best from what I've tried.
Other paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… (and most of my bookmarks!)
Rating: 6/10

Winsor and Newton Cotman
Modeled by: Keiko (he looks a little off lol)
Priceocket box of 12 half pans typically retails around 30, but can usually easily be found for around 22 online, I paid around 33 locally. (my art store is expensive unfortunately)
Mini Review: A decent little palette, very portable of really great paints. Minus lightfastness I have no complaints with the paint quality, and even the lightfastness isn't severe enough that I would say you can't sell originals painted with cotman. The pocket box also comes with a little travel brush that is decent. It isn't as nice as some other synthetics but is definitely usable and I have used it many times! They blend well, have good granulation, and mix well. I have few complaints but of the few my biggest complaint is that the set contains white, which is honestly a useless colour for watercolour imo (and it's an opinion commonly shared!). I ditched the white and put in a paynes grey. My other complaint is that some colours are a bit opaque, nothing too bad but definitely something to note. Since my style utilizes harder lines, I prefer super transparent paints so I don't have to go over my lineart. These are a great starter paint! The palette is cute but if you're looking to save money I would buy tubes and select your own colours. The tubes are a big pricey (about 5 dollars per tube) BUT keep in mind that one tube gives you more paint than in the pans so they go a further way. If you just want a tiny palette like me (I'm obsessed with them!) there's certainly nothing wrong with a pocket box.
Other paintings I've done with cotman: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 7/10

Lukas Studio
Modeled by: Comet
Price: approx 24 CAD (that's about what I spent) but on Jerry's is 12 American for the set of 12 half pans (the set I have)
Mini review: I was at a loss of where to rank this. From the comparison painting it looks poor, but that's mostly because I don't really have a comparable blue to the other's I used! These are a gem! I really think that paint quality wise, these are the best student grade, AND they're one of the most affordable! The half pans are actually larger than standard, and larger than cotman so you get a little more paint, plus they're obviously cheaper so you get more bang for your buck. The paints work similarly to cotman, though I personally think they mix better. They are a big more opaque in general, but comparible to cotman. I bought these on a whim and I'm so glad I did, they're a joy to paint with! HOWEVER! I am not without complaints: the pans seem to be a bit bigger than the palette is designed for and I've had trouble with one in particular never staying in the palette. Once used the rest all stuck just fine, so this could be an isolated issue with my one pan! The palette is designed incredibly similarly to cotman, however the plastic feels cheaper, is a bit more yellow, stained almost instantly, and the lid is impossible to open comfortably. The palette is so frustrating to open that I frequently would use cotman instead, even though paint wise I prefer Lukas. I don't see a lot of other artists using them but if you're wanting to upgrade from kids to student, or start watercolour I definitely recommend these (though you cant go wrong with most student grades!)
Other Paintings I've done with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… (the last one is heavily inked!)
Rating: 7/10

M Graham and Co.
Modeled by: J34 Doublestuf
Price: varies by store and by tube (there are 5 series I believe). At my local art store, the palette I bought for them, 16 tubes (mostly series 1 and 2 but a few higher), and brush cleaner for $210.00 CAD (quite the increase!). I later bought two more tubes at my university where they're cheaper (so I will be buying them there now!) for around 24 dollars. They were my birthday gift to me though
Mini Review: I'm still new to professional grade paints and can't compare them to anything else, but my god do I ever LOVE these so far! They mix beautifully, stay moist but not wet, and require hardly any water to get rich pigments! I bought mostly staining tubes as they're more transparent and they still granulate quite nice. My only complaint was that they aren't completely transparent. Minus that I love everything about them! This particular brand uses honey to keep the paints moist. While the price hike is steep from student->professional (and other brands are notably more expensive!) I want to stress that less paint goes further, and I don't think I'll need to replace any tubes for a few years. These are also very lightfast so I'm more than comfortable selling originals painted with them. Again I want to stress I haven't compared them to other professional brands so I can't say whether these are THE best or not, but from what I've read the differences between prof. grade paint is subtle and relatively insignificant. One frequent complaint and a warning from M Graham is that the paints don't completely dry, so may leak in the palette. I've had no problems with this, and I've had them sideways/upside down for hour long rides in a vibrating car. Just make sure you let them dry out in the palette before packing them up, and initially let them dry in the palette for at least 24 hours (I left mine for 72)
Other pieces I've painted with this set: aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/… aleksi-ann.deviantart.com/art/…
Rating: 9/10

I hope this was helpful, or at least you enjoy the babies