What is the difference between watercolor grades? Children's, budget, student, professional grade?

What is the difference between watercolor grades? Children's, budget, student, professional grade?

Watercolor comes in several different grades. You will find pans, tubes and liquid watercolor in all of the grades of paint.

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Children's grade watercolor paint: These are non toxic watercolors that schoolchildren are given to use. The are what a lot of people think of when they hear "watercolor" l everyone has used these in some point of their childhood. Quality and price vary greatly in childrens watercolor sets such as Crayola, Rose Art or Prang. I prefer Prang watercolors as they are the most saturated and you can purchase refill pans of colors in strips or individually: https://amzn.to/2TqTozh

Budget grade watercolor: This segment of the market has grown immensely over the past few years with decent budget brands manufactured in China and Korea showing up all over Amazon for crazy low prices. I also consider craft watercolors like Prima: https://amzn.to/2TqXk32 American Crafts/Jane Davenport: https://amzn.to/2TvhSHB and Amy Tangerine: https://amzn.to/2TqTozh in this category. This category offers paints that are "cheap and cheerful" and encourage play and experimentation as they are not too expensive to worry about wasting. The downside is that usually the budget lines of watercolor do not offer lightfastness of pigment information and if they do it can be hard to trust the information from a new company. These paints will have lots of fillers and extenders and cheap dye colorants (usually) to make the quantity of paint for the price. My favorite budget watercolor pan set is this one called "Pretty Excellent" https://amzn.to/2tWQ1kr Other good tube sets are JoiArt https://amzn.to/2F0aTxy and Royal & Langnickle: https://amzn.to/2TsEpF6 Royal & Langnickle makes awesome brushes and this set has a large assortment of paints and Aqualon brushes
Arteza: https://amzn.to/2TxpNo4

Student Grade watercolors: These are the introductory paint from companies who also make professional/artist grade watercolors. These paint offer reliable pigment and light-fast information. to reduce the costs they may use alternatives to pricey pigments like cadmium and cobalt they have additional fillers and extenders to bulk them out. The benefit to student grade colors is that you can start with an assortment set and them replace the colors as you use them up with paints from that companies artist grade line so you only end up buying what you will actually use and saving money in the long run. You can also buy student grade colors individually so you can choose exactly the colors you want and not be stuck with ones you won't use. Most big box art and craft stores will have displays to buy them open stock and all big online art suppliers sell them for about $3 a tube. Usually, in student grade paints all colors will cost the same. Buying is sets cost less per color so compare before buying. My picks from this category are:
Cotman by Windsor & Newton: https://amzn.to/2HmVE3q
La PetiteAquarelle by Sennelier: https://amzn.to/2F0fTT0
Grumbacher Academy: https://amzn.to/2tUB6ay
And Van Gogh by Royal Talens: https://amzn.to/2CdgfUp

Artist grade (aka Professional) watercolors *Note there are no laws to keep any company from calling their paint artist quality, in fact you see that a lot with the budget brands so do your research before buying. Artists watercolors contain high quality pigments and just enough binder, humectant (A moisturizing agent typically honey or glycerin) and extenders to optimize the pigment and make it optimal for painting. Paints are available win tubes or pans and you will find a greater variety of colors in a companies artist range. Prices vary between color depending on how expensive the pigments used are, earth tones tend to be cheaper and cobalt and cadmium are more expensive. Typically there will be 5 price levels or series of colors. Paints can also be purchased in sets with pan sets being the most popular and my preference because you get the paints and a palette that you can refill. Artist quality watercolors do cost more per tube BUT in all reality you are paying for the pigment and you get a lot more pigment in tubes of artist quality paint where as student paint is more dilute. If you like to glaze many layers artist quality paint is best because it is the most pigmented and transparent. I recommend the same companies I do for student grade as they are easy to obtain worldwide but their are other nice paints out here.
Windsor & Newton Artists: https://amzn.to/2SThmxZ
Sennelier: https://amzn.to/2Tw9sQx
Rembrandt by Royal Talens: https://amzn.to/2EZ5t61
Grumbacher finest: https://amzn.to/2STyVhh


What is the difference between watercolor? Children's, budget, student, professional grade?

Best Watercolor Brushes (Creative Mark Mimik) https://amzn.to/2F2hgk9

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