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Here Are the Best Student-Grade Watercolor Travel Sets

By The ARTnews Recommends Editors

The ARTnews Recommends Editors

Watercolor is an ideal medium for plein air painting. You don’t need lots of supplies, but you can still have at your fingertips the color range of acrylic or oil paint—all without the hassle of extensive setup or time-consuming cleanup. Maximize watercolor’s portability by choosing a travel set with built-in palettes, brush holders, and more. Browse our selection of some of our favorite student-grade watercolor travel sets below. Note that while they are student-grade sets, they are suitable for all but the most advanced skill levels.

1. Sakura Koi Watercolors

At the top of our list sits this set from Japanese brand Sakura, which comes with everything you need to start painting, save for paper. It opens to reveal a removable palette with five mixing pans, 18 little paint cakes, a brush, and a sponge for mopping up excess water. The paint is highly concentrated and vivid, and the color palette is solid, including fundamentals like Chinese White and Ivory Black, in addition to shades like ultramarine, vermillion hue, and cobalt blue hue. The included brush is a water brush—ideal for painting on the go, as all you have to do is fill up its reservoir. The box features a pull-down ring for easy holding, and the cakes can be refilled—choose from Sakura’s range of 84 colors!

2. Sennelier La Petite Aquarelle Watercolor Travel

Sennelier’s travel sets  come with just a box with several wells and paints, so it’s a great option if you already have a favorite brush or want to shop for specific tools to supplement it. It features the company’s La Petite student line of paints, which are made with honey as a binder—a special ingredient that makes them super smooth and easy to rewet. While the color pigmentation is of course not as intense as Sennelier’s artist-grade paints, these paints are an especially nice choice for glazing, showcasing beautiful translucency. This set of 24 half-pans set features a range of colors ideally suited to landscape studies.

3. Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Paint Compact Set

Winsor & Newton makes its Cotman student-grade paints more affordable by replacing the costliest pigments with more economical alternatives. While less expensive than the company’s professional-grade paints, they still provide strong, non-grainy color and good transparency. This pocket travel set features 12 half pans in a useful range of colors, including burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and cadmium yellow, and includes a brush, built-in palette, and a slide-out dish for mediums. The air-tight case will keep the pigments safe and drip-free in your bag. 

4. Raphaël Watercolor Travel Pan Set

If portability is a priority, consider this round set that measures just four and a half inches in diameter—small enough to slip into a pocket. It opens to reveal 10 half pans on one side and a dozen mixing compartments on the other, and snaps firmly shut to a flat disk with non-skid pads on its bottom. The colors are highly pigmented and flow well. Included is a mini brush measuring just three and a half inches from end to end.

5. Kuretake Gansai Tambi Portable 14-Color Set

Gansai, a traditional Japanese watercolor, uses a binder different from that found in Western watercolors, resulting in bright, creamy paints that are more opaque and shinier than what many watercolorists in the United States are used to. With beautiful chroma and without the chalkiness that can accompany heavy application of other paints, these affordable paints are an excellent and satisfying option for beginners as well as professionals. Kuretake ’ s travel set of 14 gansai colors includes a water brush plus a drawing pen.

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Superb Watercolor Palettes, Designed and Built for Travel

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How to Choose the Best Travel Watercolor Set

The primary advantage of a travel set is portability, so the size and weight matter. A compact, lightweight set is easier to carry around, whether you’re exploring urban landscapes or hiking up a mountain trail. Some sets come with a compact watercolor travel brush, a waterbrush, a detachable palette or a water container, which is amazing for those who don’t like carrying around all the equipment for watercolor painting.

Quality of Pigment

Not all watercolors are created equal. The vibrancy and durability of your paintings depend largely on the quality of the pigments in your set. High-quality paints offer more color intensity, enabling you to capture the world around you with stunning accuracy and lasting for a lifetime, in contrast to low quality pigments, which can easily yellow or fade in a matter of weeks.

Although archival pigments tend to be much more expensive, if you plan on painting professionally or want your works to stay as they are, then investing a bit more is not a bad idea.

Range of Colors

Ensuring a brand has a wide range of colors will allow you to hand pick your favorite pigments and attach them to your travel palette easily, without needing a lot of non-interchangeable variety cramped in a small palette.

Besides, a set with lots of small pans might be prone to color contamination due to the limited space and can be a hindrance when you want to use only a few pigments and can’t build a cohesive color palette with ease.

Accessories

Some travel sets come with added bonuses like a built-in mixing palette, or a water brush. A palette is essential for mixing colors, and its inclusion makes for a more compact set.

A water brush combines a brush and water container into one tool, which can be a game-changer when painting on the move.

High-quality watercolor sets can be pricey, but there are also many affordable options available that don’t compromise too much on quality. It’s important to find a balance between cost and quality that suits your budget.

Will watercolor work on canvas?

While traditionally, watercolor is used on paper, especially designed for its absorbency, it can indeed be used on specially primed canvas meant for watercolors. This allows you to create larger, more durable pieces that can stand the test of time.

Best Watercolor Travel Set Today

• Best Watercolor Travel Set Overall — Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Compact Set
• Best Watercolor Travel Set for Beginners — SAKURA Koi Pocket Field Sketch Kit
• Best Value Watercolor Travel Set — ‎ Paintcrush Watercolor Paint Set
• Best Watercolor Travel Set for Professional — Schmincke – HORADAM AQUARELL
• Best Metallic Watercolor Travel Set — ARTEZA Iridescent Watercolor Paint Set

1. Best Watercolor Travel Set Overall — Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Paint Compact Set

Selection Criteria

• Our Score – 9/10
• Our Score- 8/10
• Our Score – 10/10

About the Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor

Winsor and Newton is one of the most popular brands in the world of watercolors and not without good reason. Although the Cotman line is not “professional watercolor paint”, it still is very high quality paint, has a wide color range and it’s very lightfast in comparison to other brands.

The Cotman line has something other “student-grade” paints don’t, and that is color variety. This means, you can get each individual pan separately  and build your own color palette, or replace the colors you use the most without needing to get a whole new set.

• Extensive color range
• High-quality pigments
• Refills available
• Set might be too small for some

2. Best Watercolor Travel Set for Beginners — SAKURA Koi Pocket Field Sketch Kit

About the SAKURA Koi Pocket Field

The Sakura Koi Pocket field is a small, portable set with one of the most bright color combinations, perfect for landscaping, flower painting and ghibli-like illustrations. It has 30 pans which fit nicely into its small case and it comes with a mixing palette as well as a waterbrush and a sponge packing everything you need to paint on the go.

The palette has a foldable handle so you can use it on a flat surface or hold it with your hands as you paint, and it comes in 72 colors as well for those who love to have everything at hand.

• Small and portable
• Very affordable
• No refills or pan replacements available
• Limited color range

3. Best Value Watercolor Travel Set — ‎Paintcrush Watercolor Paint Set

• Our Score- 7/10
• Our Score – 8/10

About the Paintcrush Professional Watercolor

The Paintcrush watercolor set is not one of the most popular, however it is one of the highest quality professional watercolor paints that are also extremely affordable and offer great value. This small, select watercolor palette is the perfect starter set for those who want to learn color mixing and color theory, it has all the needed pigments as well as an included watercolor painting course by Kristy Rice.

This set offers one of the greatest values which is learning watercolor painting and color mixing, which will take the limitations of needing lots of pigments. You’ll be able to experiment with professional-grade watercolor paint as well as learn from one of the best.

• Professional watercolor paint
• High-quality, vibrant ink
• Painting lesson included
• Great value for the price
• On the expensive side

4. Best Watercolor Travel Set for Professional — Schmincke – HORADAM AQUARELL

• Our Score – 7/10

About the Schmincke – HORADAM AQUARELL

Well known as one of the best watercolor brands worldwide, Schminke now presents this small, yet amazing travel watercolor set. This set is not only beautiful and very high quality, but it’s also portable, easy to use and has a great design where the container is also a water tank and the cap becomes a water container so that you can easily paint from anywhere, anytime.

It has a small integrated mixing palette and handle in the back for easy holding.

• High quality watercolor paint
• Small, portable presentation
• Water container and tank included
• Very expensive
• Limited color set
• No space for paint brushes

5. Best Metallic Watercolor Travel Set — ARTEZA Iridescent Watercolor Paint Set

About the ARTEZA Iridescent Watercolor

Since a while ago, Arteza has been building a name and reputation of their own and we must say that although they’re a relatively new brand, their products are exceptional. This metallic watercolor set is no different. Crafted with care and attention to detail, this iridescent watercolor travel set is the dream of many. Whether you love giving metallic accents to your work or are a lettering artist or craft professional, this set has everything you could dream of.

This set includes a waterbrush and two mixing palettes, plus the pans are interchangeable and Arteza does have a dedicated color range for metallic watercolors so you can get the ones you like the most and arrange your own palette.

• Wide color range
• Portable and refillable
• Includes a waterbrush
• Mica-based paints

Conclusions

In the end, the best travel watercolor set is the one you feel most comfortable with, be it you’d rather have everything in one set or you prefer to carry your tools separately, it’ll be up to you to unleash your creativity in the most unexpected places, adding a personal, hand-painted touch to your travel experiences. The sets we’ve reviewed bring that possibility to your fingertips, allowing you to paint anywhere without the need for a vast array of tools, and make the cleanup as simple as a splash of water.

So pack your brushes, choose your colors, and let the world be your canvas. Whether capturing the fleeting hues of a sunset or the intricate details of a bustling street, a travel watercolor set invites you to see the world through the eyes of an artist, where every scene is a potential masterpiece waiting to be painted.

Happy painti

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A5 Travel Paint Kit (8.8 x 7.2 in)

Our travel kits are thoughtfully designed & made by artisans to give you a mess-free painting experience anywhere, without any hassle. Whether you want to paint at the office or during an outing, our Travel Paint Kit helps you  paint with total ease!

If you like a little extra space for painting then A5 Travel Paint Kit is ideal for you. It is comparable to the size of a tablet (just enough space you need for painting!).

Here comes the best part - The colorsheets & the sketchpad are refillable !

• One stop solution -  Get everything you need for painting in one kit
• Refillable colors and sketchpad
• 16 Incredibly Vibrant Colors (scroll down to see the colors)
• Designed for a mess-free & stress-free painting experience anywhere

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Fantastic quality, just like I remember from 6 years ago, and the tote folio is such a soft and lovely texture. It just looks gorgeous and I'm so happy I decided to buy it again- I don't blame whoever stole my first color sheets!!

Very pleased!

I found the Autumn color set in a local specialty shop. Enjoyed it so much that I ordered the travel set for my sister's birthday. She was thrilled with the quality and design of the product.

Will not buy the metallic sheets ever again.

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Vivivia watercolor pouch

Love it so compact. Will be taking it on my next vacation.

great for travel

I love these for all the travel that I do. Great on the plane where you do not want a lot of your supplies out that I have dropped in the past and lost. I actually left the small leather one on a flight and another passenger caught up with me and told me I had dropped in my seat. I guess because was so different thankfully the passenger rerouted me and when I showed up to the front of the plane... the staff knew exactly what I was talking about! I would have been sick to lose it as I had that one in several different countries. I have since purchased the larger size that is better when you are outside and is easier to hold and several of the hardbound journals to use with my own paints. I love that I can buy the replacement books when I use it up. They are starting to come out with different books of paint which I love the ease of them. I am not a huge use of water in my stuff so it is perfect with their paints and a water pen. I think ViviviaColors is Very good quality and the leather has held up well after a good year of use. I will continue to purchase and look forward to new products

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Viviva Colorsheets are the most portable and vibrant watercolors you will use.

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As a result, the colors you see are pure dye and hence very, very vibrant. Global Footprint: -The Viviva Colorsheets, sometimes referred to as watercolor sheets or paint sheets by our customers, are sold all over the world through our website and a network of curated art stores spread across USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and many more. Featured In: -We are proud to have featured on Hochanda TV, UK twice in 2 years with a terrific response each time. In fact, we’ve received a lot of requests to launch a special Viviva Colorsheets UK edition and rest assured, our team is working to make it happen. Crowdfunding: - In addition to this the Viviva Colorsheets, which began as a simple watercolor booklet on crowdfunding website Indiegogo, we have been featured in Country Living, Design Insider, Martha Stewart and Buzzfeed. To round off, our exciting and innovative watercolors are of superior quality guarantee. If there is any issue with the colorsheets when they are delivered to you, we will replace your order for free.

The Viviva Colorsheets Single Set

Our flagship product, the Viviva Colorsheets Single Set has 16 premium watercolors but weighs less than 1.5 Oz! What’s more, they are smaller and thinner than your phone and, if used properly, the Viviva Colorsheets Single Set last as long as a regular half-pan watercolor set. The Viviva watercolor sheets are very, very vibrant. This is because in a regular half-pan set, a lot of binder is used to keep the color together. We make our colorsheets with a unique method that involves affixing the concentrated dye on a sheet of paper with almost no binder.

The Single Set

The Viviva Colorsheets Single Set is our flagship product. A set of 16 premium watercolors that are handmade by women from our local community and are 100% eco friendly. Each colorsheets is handcrafted and sunbaked for a premium, smooth finish.

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Easy-Sketch is our flagship product. The hardest part of creating art is sketching and we have solved it by an elegant looking sketchbook. Now anyone can become an artist in just 3 simple steps! All you need is the Easy-Sketch and an image to sketch, that's all!

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The Viviva Colorsheets Gift Set is designed to be the perfect gift for someone who enjoys art. You receive a Single Set, a waterbrush and a premium, personalised wooden case with text engraving on demand. You can choose to add a quote from Picasso or just a simple ‘I love you’ :)

The Best Travel Watercolor Kits For Every Level Artist

I love the idea of packing up a sweet little watercolor kit, a thermos of tea, some snacks, and heading out for a day of plein air painting alone in the beautiful countryside.

I’d drive somewhere rural and full of prairie, strap my folding chair to my back, and hike out to a remote location where birds, butterflies, and the occasional bunny would frolic about, as I listened to soothing music in my earbuds.

The best part is, I don’t paint landscapes or nature, so I’d be hiding in a field somewhere painting little triangles, and still happy as a clam.

Anyway, let’s talk travel watercolor kits. I’m sure you’ve seen them on Pinterest and Instagram, right? Some are pre-made, and some are fabulous little treasure boxes artists have cobbled together to carry their most essential paints and accessories.

For this post, I’m focusing on the pre-made kits that you can buy. They include small pans of watercolors, one small brush, and an area or more to use as a palette.

They are small enough to stash in a bag (or even a pocket), and fold closed to contain all the items. They’re perfect if you travel or have a long commute and want to do something besides:

• Stare at your phone
• Stare at other people
• Read a book

Watercolor Travel Kits to Buy

Want to bypass the DIY thing and just buy a lovely little watercolor travel kit to take with you? Apparently some of these small kits are okay to take on airplanes. Be prepared for people to gawk at your art-makin’.

Sakura Koi Watercolor Travel Kit

We’ll start with what is undoubtedly the most popular travel kit, the Sakura Koi. No doubt if you’re into travel watercolor kits, you’ve heard of or seen this one all over social media.

Sakura is an overall fantastic brand, and this little kit is perfect for painting on the go for most people.

• half-pan watercolor paints
• Refillable water brush
• 2 sponges (set into the case)
• Removable mixing tray
• Very lightweight
• The lid doubles as an easel
• You can stash a few sheets of paper in the box

What I love about it:

I love how the tray has little feet that fit perfectly over the paints when you close the kit, but then you can remove it and place it in the lid or on the edge of the box by snapping two legs into two of the holes. If you place it in the lid, the feet elevate it for easier access. This is one of those small design features that you end up appreciating so much!

It comes in different sizes and numbers of paint colors. I have the 18 color set, which is fine for if you really want to save space, but not enough colors for my liking. I’d go with the 24 or 30 color sets if you want more color choices.

Who is it For:

This set is perfect for teens up through adults who aren’t necessarily looking for professional-quality paints, but still want a well-designed travel set with lots of colors to choose from.

You’ll want more water brushes, either to have different brush shapes, just as backups, or to help keep your colors separate. You can sort of clean the brush tips on the sponges, but if you’re fussy about keeping your colors pure, be safe and buy more brushes.

You can see paint swatches for all of the colors here.

Here is a pic of the sizes for the different sets:

Winsor & Newton

You can always count on Winsor & Newton for quality art supplies, and their watercolor kits are no exception. I’m including 2 here, because you absolutely need to feast your eyes on the gorgeous professional travel kit.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Pocket Box

This is similar in quality to the Sakura Koi. You get good quality paint, just this side of the lush professional paints. This little box is a no-frills travel set that comes with 12 half-pan paints and a teeny tiny brush.

• Just 5″ long when closed makes it nice and small!
• 12 half-pans of basic mixing colors
• Lid is segmented for 3 mixing areas

The larger watercolor pans mean you can use larger paint brushes (and they last longer, of course).

You get the bare necessities: paints and a mixing surface and a brush.

The price is great, so this is an amazing introduction set for beginners.

This kit is for someone who wants to take up the least amount of space in their bag or suitcase, while still getting quality paints. You won’t get a ton of colors, so make sure you’re comfortable mixing paints, or practicing as you go. This is an excellent starter set for anyone who prefers a very pared-down paint set.

Buy your own brushes, either regular or the pen style brushes

Use double-sided tape or sticky tack to keep the pans in place – this is a common complaint with this kit, but easily fixable

Switch out the colors you find you don’t use for colors you prefer – some reviewers mentioned adding a green and purple. It’s hard to find refill pans for these so your options are:

• refill with professional half pans
• squeeze tube watercolors into the empty pans and let them set up

Paint up a color chart to bring with you before you travel- look at this amazing example from one reviewer:

Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Field Box, 12 Half Pans

Yes. When you are ready to graduate to professional watercolor paints, this is your travel kit. 12 half pans give you more paint, and are nestled in a 5.2″ long case that opens up into a mini portable artist’s studio.

• Compact size still holds a lot of paint
• Larger sponge than most travel kits
• Folding travel brush
• 2 palette surfaces fold out and stay connected to the case
• Large water cup attached to the end

Here’s a list of the colors that come in this set:

French ultramarine, Winsor blue (green shade), permanent sap green, Winsor green (blue shade), Winsor lemon, Winsor yellow, scarlet lake, Winsor red, permanent alizarin crimson, permanent rose, yellow core, burnt sienna, raw umber and titanium white.

Rich, vivd colors don’t fade and don’t have that granulated texture that watercolor paints can sometimes develop.

Good sized sponge for cleaning brushes and using to add texture to your painting

Included water flask built into the lid

Generous half pan colors that, since they are professional quality, you can mix up lots more colors

Plenty of palette surfaces

A splurge for people who want to use professional-quality paints on their fabulous trip through Italy, working artists, or anyone who is obsessed with using the highest-quality art supplies. So worth it.

Yep, more brushes! Bring along a few different sizes, as the brush included is small.

Buy your refill (or other color) half pan paints at Blick ; the refills are usually cheaper there than Amazon.

Use distilled water in the included water bottle if you tend to leave the water in there for more than a few days, so it doesn’t get gross.

Professional paint needs professional paper. Use 100% cotton!

Travel Watercolor Kit For Kids

If you give a kid a semi-decent quality art kit, they will 10 times out of 10 feel like a professional artist, love you forever, and probably go to town using it immediately. Little travel watercolor kits are PERFECT for kids to bring on vacations, to doctor’s appointments, to dinner, and basically anywhere you would normally let them play on a screen.

In all honesty, I have not tried this kit, but most of the reviews look legit (you can always tell fake reviews), and I LOVE how compact and cool this little set is.

• 42 colors of paint
• Small divided side palette for mixing colors
• Colors are labelled on the edges for quick locating
• Non-toxic paints

It fans out to reveal 42 colors, and comes with a small sponge and watercolor pen brush. You can just toss this thing in your bag or their backpack with a small sketchbook, and you don’t have to chase markers or crayons all over the place.

It comes in a really cute box, so remember this next time you need a kid gift. You can give them the paint set and a sketchbook for under $25! (see images below)

Watercolor pen brushes are amazing inventions for kids, because, hey, no tipped over jars of water!

I would stick to kids and beginners for this kit. I may be an art supply snob, but as cute as this is, there are a bunch of other brands selling the exact same design. There’s a reason reputable art supply companies have been around for a long time and earn our trust.

Travel Sketchbooks/Loose Paper

Don’t forget the paper! Think about whether you want a travel sketchbook or loose paper – or even a pack of watercolor postcard paper – these are all fairly small, but are good quality to take the abuse of water and pigment.

I couldn’t resist this gift idea for the travel watercolor enthusiast: It’s a drool-worthy box

containing a Winsor & Newton 100% cotton watercolor sketchbook, 12 half pan paint colors in a tin box, and a size 3 of their series 7 (kolinsky sable) paint brush, plus a blank color chart! Swoon.

4 thoughts on “The Best Travel Watercolor Kits For Every Level Artist”

It makes sense to think about whether a portable watercolor set will fit in your pocket or luggage when shopping for one. It will not be sensible to add extra weight to your belongings because you will be relocating from one location to another.

My family always say that I am killing my time here at net, but I know I am getting experience daily by reading such fastidious articles or reviews.

Hey! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa? My website discusses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you happen to be interested feel free to send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Terrific blog by the way!

Spot on with this write-up, I really believe this amazing site needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read more, thanks for the information!

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Paint your adventures with 10 of the best travel watercolour sets

If you enjoy painting outdoors, a travel watercolour set is an essential piece of kit. Discover Gathered’s pick of the best travel watercolour sets

Whether you like to paint on your holidays or simply want a convenient paint set to take with you on the go, a travel watercolour set is just what you need.

Travel watercolour sets are small enough to fit in your bag or slip into a suitcase pocket. They contain a limited selection of colours and are usually enclosed in a sturdy case.

Many travel watercolour sets come with a miniature brush or a water brush to make it more convenient for you to paint wherever you are.

There are sets available to suit all budgets, but we’d recommend looking out for well-known brands such as Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowney. While these sets only include a few paint pans, the quality of the watercolours will be much better than those found in cheaper sets.

If you like adding a touch of sparkle to your paintings, you can also buy gorgeous metallic paint sets to give your art an extra shimmer.

10 best travel watercolour sets

1. winsor & newton cotman pocket watercolour sets.

Winsor & Newton’s compact pocket watercolour sets are ideal for artists who like to paint on the go. These sets include eight paint pans with space to add four more pans of your choice, so you can customise the set to suit your needs. It also comes with a small brush that’s perfect for quick sketches!

The range has four different colour palettes available, including sets designed for portraits, flowers, landscapes and celestial landscapes. This means you can choose the shades that match your painting style.

2. Artway travel watercolour paint set

Looking for travel watercolour paints that won’t break the bank? This set from Artway is affordable without compromising on quality.

It includes 14 watercolour pans in a good selection of shades, such as cadmium red, cobalt blue, leaf green and lemon yellow. The paints are vibrant and dry with a glossy finish.

The robust tin also folds out to create a paint palette for mixing colours together. This is always a useful feature when you’re painting outdoors! There’s a handy miniature brush included too.

3. Sennelier Aqua Mini watercolour tin

Watercolour paint sets don’t come much smaller than this teeny tiny travel tin by Sennelier. It’s very compact and includes just eight paint pans, but they still managed to find space to include a brush.

Sennelier has a great reputation for producing high-quality paints and these watercolours come in a selection of beautifully pigmented shades.

Buy the Sennelier Aqua Mini watercolour tin from Cass Art

4. Daler Rowney Aquafine On the Go watercolour set

This stylish travel watercolour set from Daler Rowney comes in an unusual round tin. The colours are arranged around the outside with a palette and brush in the centre.

The set contains 18 colours, so you’re unlikely to feel restricted. The paints have a beautiful creamy consistency too.

It’s small enough to take with you for a painting session en plein air and provides excellent value for money overall.

This is a good set for beginners looking to buy their first set of travel paints.

5. Winsor & Newton complete pocket set

Winsor & Newton’s Cotman range is aimed at beginners and art students. It’s a good option for anyone looking for decent watercolour paints, especially if you’re not yet ready to upgrade to professional-standard paints.

This set contains 16 beautiful shades to experiment with. As an added bonus, the pocket set also comes with a travel paintbrush, pencil and a mouldable eraser – everything you need to create stunning watercolour sketches on your travels.

Everything you need to know about watercolour painting

Watercolour paints are fantastically versatile and can be used to create everything from portraits to botanical art. Learn everything you need to know about watercolour painting with our comprehensive guide.

6. Winsor & Newton Cotman metallic pocket set

If you want to add some sparkle to your paintings, we’d recommend this mini metallic watercolour set from Winsor & Newton.

With eight shimmering shades, these brilliant paints will give all of your art an extra dimension.

There’s space to fit additional watercolour pans if you’d like, but we’d recommend using the metallic paints alongside a larger watercolour set with a wider range of colours.

7. Derwent Graphitint paint travel set

Strictly speaking, Derwent’s Graphitint paints aren’t strictly watercolours: they’re graphite paints with added colours. You can use them in the same way as watercolours to create paintings in subtle, muted shades.

If you already own watercolours, you might enjoy using this set as a change from conventional watercolours – it’s always good to switch up your painting style now and then!

The set comes in 12 colours with a small water brush and a sponge as an added bonus.

8. Winsor & Newton Professional watercolour field pocket set

If you’re heading off on a special trip, why not treat yourself to an upgraded set of watercolour paints?

While this professional set from Winsor & Newton might seem pricey, the quality of the paint is much higher than the Cotman range. These professional paint pans contain more pigment, so a little goes a long way. The paints are also permanent and lightfast, so your artwork won’t fade over time.

This set could last you for years if you take good care of it and you can easily replace any paint pans that get used up.

9. Schmincke Akademie watercolour set

This brilliant little set of travel watercolour paints from Schmincke includes 12 half pans in bright, lightfast shades.

The paints are highly pigmented and would be suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. The compact set is ideal for travellers, but it also comes in larger sizes if you want a wider selection of colours to choose from.

10. Cass Art Professional watercolour quarter pan

Paint like a pro with this watercolour travel set by Cass Art. It’s always worth checking out own-brand products sold by art stores, as they’re often excellent quality.

This set has a range of brilliant colours that are truly professional quality. It comes with a small brush and the tin itself is strong. For added protection, the Cass Art set comes with a leather travel pouch to keep your paints safe.

The whole set is about the size of a smartphone, so it’s highly portable – perfect for all of your painting expeditions!

• Buy Cass Art professional watercolour quarter pan from Cass Art

The best travel watercolour sets will inspire you to capture your travels

When you’re out and about or travelling, it’s not always convenient to bring lots of heavy art supplies with you. Choosing a travel watercolour set means that you can settle down for a painting session whenever the mood strikes you!

Travel watercolour sets usually contain a more limited range of colours and come in a strong box or tin. These sets often include mini brushes to make your art kit even more convenient to carry. They’re often small enough to fit into a pocket too.

Look out for well-known paint brands, as the paint quality is usually better than the budget options.

Become a better painter with our watercolour techniques guide

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced artist, there’s always something new to learn. Pick up new tricks and improve your painting style with Gathered’s watercolour techniques guide.

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How to Create a Travel Art Kit for Beginners

Summer plans are being made! However, your plans are not complete without a travel art kit .

Remember my post all about travel art vacations ? You don’t have to wait for a special tour or workshop to be artistic during your travels. Create a travel art kit to take out when creativity calls.

Basic Travel Art Kit

Start with a basic kit. Add to it depending on the art medium of your choice. I start with pencils, pens and erasers.

• Fine point pens ( Pilot Precise V5 , JV Pen Java )
• Sketching pencils ( MET Art Supply , General Kimberly )
• Plastic eraser ( Prismacolor )
• Gum eraser ( Prismacolor )
• Pencil sharpener

Watercolor Travel Art Kit

For watercolor painting, add watercolors and special watercolor paper. I cut regular sized paper into smaller rectangles. This makes the paper easier to travel with. Strathmore is my favorite brand for watercolors pads. I buy most of my art pads from them.

For all the travel art kits that include paint, I use a small container with water and a piece of paper towel. This allows me to clean the brushes in between colors. Fun fact, the water container I used came from a printer ink cartridge.

Palette paper has a shiny surface and is used for blending colors. You can also use a plastic palette.

Brushes can be expensive. Many are sold individually. I’m linking a set that I bought recently. It is very good quality for the price and includes a wide variety of brushes.

• Watercolor paints ( Yarka )
• Paint brushes – (1) flat wide, (1) round thin, (1) round medium ( Craft Smart )
• Watercolor paper ( Strathmore )
• Paper towel squares
• Water container
• Palette paper or plastic palette ( Dollar Tree )

Acrylic/ Gouache Travel Art Kit

Acrylic and Gouache paints are a little harder to use in a travel art kit. This is due to how messy they can be. Either are still a good option if you’ll have enough room to spread out when you paint.

• Acryl Gouache paint ( Turner ), Acrylic paint ( Blick Studio )
• Paint brushes – (1) flat wide, (1) round thin, (1) round medium ( Craft Smar t )
• Mini canvases ( Dollar Tree )

If you really don’t want to get messy, choose colored pencils.

Colored Pencil Travel Art Kit

• Colored pencils ( Raffine )
• Small sketchpad ( Strathmore )

Illustration Markers Travel Art Kit

The last type of travel art kit includes illustration markers. Illustration makers are great for capturing cars, trains and similar items.

Illustration markers, like watercolor, need a special type of paper. Otherwise, the markers will bleed through the paper. Use what is called bristol paper.

• Illustration markers ( Prismacolor )
• Bristol paper ( Strathmore )

What are you going to add to your travel art kit? Where will you create your art? Don’t think you need to travel far. Discover art right in your own backyard. 

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