Watercolors and pencils for landscapes and illustration

Watercolors and watercolor pencils for transparent color

Watercolors are all about water and transparency. The paint is applied in thin glazes, the white of the paper shows through and colors flow into each other. Whether for landscapes, illustration or urban sketching, here you'll find watercolor sets, pans and water-soluble watercolor pencils for beginners and experienced painters.

How to choose between set, pans and pencils

Watercolor sets are compact, ready to use right away and handy on the go. Use individual pans to restock or to put together your own palette. Watercolor pencils draw like colored pencils and can then be blended with a wet brush. Artist paints contain more pigment and are more lightfast, while school paints are suited for practice and class.

To get started, a small set with a few primary colors is enough, since you can mix many shades from them. With artist paints, lightfastness and transparency are usually listed on the label or color chart. Paper matters just as much, because gradients and brilliance only really show on genuine watercolor paper.

• Watercolor sets for home and on the go
• Individual pans for restocking
• Water-soluble watercolor pencils
• Brands such as Caran d’Ache, Faber-Castell, Schmincke and Talens

Tip: Paint each color once at full strength and once diluted on a strip of watercolor paper. Watercolors often look lighter dry than wet, and with this color chart you'll know in advance what the result will look like.