Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Deluxe Watercolor Studio Set:

I'm new to watercolors .Had bought this brand in a small set at a local store and I wanted to add more colors to my set so I naturally went with the same brand cause I've done fine with my original set .I didn't realize the tubes were so small so I haven't taken the time to figure out how good a price value it is but I am happy with the product and will buy again and tell other .

Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Travel Bag Set:

I received one of these bag a few years ago and was able to reduce my plein air painting kit significantly. I have added a few of my own essentials and the result is very satisfactory. I recently purchased two of the bags for my painting buddies who admired the compactness and quality of mine on a couple of recent painting adventures. One will take hers to Europe this spring.Since I paint with two water jars for clean colours I needed to add those to the kit. I have not found the folded plastic water bucket useful yet. I have also added a few compact travel brushes, a painting knife and paper towel. Everything else has worked out well.Thank you.

Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Deluxe Watercolor Studio Set:

For whatever reasons unknown to myself, I don't know whatever possessed me to take a watercolor class several years ago. I hated the media, how uncontrollable the paints were. I favored watering down acrylic paints and using them like watercolors.

Well the instructor happened to favor these and insisted each student pick out an assortment of tubes. Once I got to painting, I actually liked the media. This line essentially saved me from writing off using watercolor as a media entirely.

I knocked off a star because I agree with a reviewer here about some of the colors being hard to rewet and some flaking/cracking apart when dry. But overall I have to say, compared to other "student" and cheaper sets I've tried, rewetting is easier and the flaking is a lot less. When painting, I find a little goes quite a long way. I tend to paint thin amounts and layer. Recently I've upgraded some of my colors, but I still use these often in the same paintings.

Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Deluxe Watercolor Studio Set:

I've purchased 30 different colours and they're all awesome. Very rich and vibrant colours, though subtle when needed. Definitely artists' quality product.

Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Deluxe Watercolor Studio Set:

Better than the cheaper varieties, but I find it has a terrible texture. Once dry, it can be extremely hard to re-moisten and I sometimes have bits left behind. (This varies from color to color, but some of them I've had to replace with other brands because they became unusable.) Definitely worth buying, but don't hesitate to sample other watercolors either.

Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Travel Bag Set:

I've had this travel set for probably about five years and love it. I've grown so attached to it that I've ditched all my portable pencil holders and use this as my only sketch set. If you don't go insane with too many pencils, pens, and brushes, you can squeeze an 8x5 sketchbook inside for a truly portable package.

My main complaint is that several of the zipper handles have snapped off. The metal used seems to be a very cheap quality and simply hasn't stood up to fairly moderate use, though mine is rather old and perhaps the materials are better now. The only zipper remaining now is one of the two main external ones; I'm rather concerned and have to treat it gingerly, more so than I'd like for a quick sketch set that's meant to be always at the ready.

I'm glad that Winsor & Newton still makes this set, in case I have to replace it, but that brings me to another drawback: it's a little pricey for what you get. As someone's first sketch set, it's a great bargain, but I quickly became less than impressed by the Cotman half-pan colors, which drive up the cost but are mediocre at best next to a set of real artist's pigments. If they sold the case by itself, without the paints and other accessories, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.

Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Deluxe Watercolor Studio Set:

A good watercolor, that doesn't vanish in a moment, with the daylight. Of course, as all paper inks, you should not expose it to the direct sunlight- but it is a good material.
Very transparent, what's fundamental in a good watercolor.
Basic colors, in tubes bigger than usually sold in boxes of this kind; good price.

Comments about Winsor & Newton Cotman Deluxe Watercolor Studio Set:

I got this on sale from Dick Blick. Great value! Well made and very functional. The paint included alone was worth the price. Local art store sells this type kit for 3x the price.