Winsor & Newton, Cotman Watercolour, ‘Complete Pocket Set’, 16 x Half Pans + 1 x Travel Brush PLUS 1 x Kneaded Eraser + 1 x Pencil

Great tin with all colours required for artists.

The box has sufficient range of colours, l needed a few brushes to go with it. After watching a few You tubes on watercolour for beginners l painted a tolerable picture. There are better paints but these suit me for now. I have had them about 1 year.

I started illustration classes recently and my teacher recommended W&N. Since I'm still a beginner I didn't want to spend too much but I knew that if I wanted to get something decent I'd have to invest a little. I found these to be a great quality for the price.I was debating which set to get but opted for the Deluxe one in the end: 16 colours, a pencil, putty rubber, and brush. The quality of the paints has been great, very vibrant and pigmented, I've done quite a few pieces now and the pans look like they've barely been touched so I anticipate I'll get quite a lot of use out of it. Speaking of, most of the pans are completely filled but two colours are noticeably much smaller than the others, cadmium yellow and turquoise. I don't know if that's the norm but thought it might be something to note.The pencil's just and ordinary wooden pencil, haven't used it much so I don't have much to say. The putty rubber's good, I appreciate it having a paper sleeve and plastic wrap, makes it easier to handle. The brush is quite small, nice for detail work, I bought my own set of brushes so I just use it in a pinch.The case itself feels quite study despite being plastic, I like how spacious the wells are in the lid for mixing colours. I wish they included another divider for another row. There are notches that indicate you could fit another one in, though the rubber would probably have to go. It's quite fiddly setting it up and the dividers didn't feel very secure initially but I'm a messy user and the paint has made it stick in place.The selection of colours is just right for me, not too many to be overwhelmed but enough so I'm able to mix any colour I need. Very happy with it overall, wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

I’ve been a user of a W&N 12 half pan pocket box for as long as I can remember, and found it practical and sturdy. Being a person who stands on the water line on a pebble beach or perched on a rocky outcrop, I occasionally have dropped the palette and the original (and still available) is really tough and the paint pans generally stay where they are. This new 16 half pan box was purchased to allow me to take a few more half pans/tubes, but I was surprised to find that this newer larger capacity box is very poorly made inside. The original 12 half pans is a moulded unit which held the paint firmly, but the newer 16 half pan is very flimsy, and everything pops out at the slightest chance (OK I do drop it sometimes while trying to balance sketchbook and palette in one hand when painting). Generous bluetak can help.This is still a good option to go for, just fix everything with a sticky tak stuff. The paint are Cotman student colour, but as you use the pans up, just replace with Artists colour - you will soon be converted to the more intense pigment load of the finer paints.

Excellent

The plastic fitting holding the paints had to be glued into place.

Bought this as I'm just starting out with medium and wanted something good quality but not too expensive. It definitely does that. The only negative I would say is the paints are particularly secure once you unwrap them all and put them in the box so you do have to be a little careful

Six months ago I was looking for a metal tin with empty half pans. I added the empty Meeden box and empty half pans to my cart, but suddenly saw this WN Metal Box with 24 Cotman half pans for the same price as the empty Meeden box. This was a no brainer: for £11 I bought the WN box and a few days later bought another 2.I was already familiar with Cotman so I knew what to expect. The Cotman line is student quality. I have outgrown the Cotman now, but it is fine for beginners and intermediate painters. I am now using these for my sketchbook and other doodles. Some colours don't rewet very well but it helps a lot if you spray the paints with water a few minutes before use. The colour selection in this box is very versatile and is a standard selection.Usually the Cotman paints come in a plastic box or a blue metal tin. This black metal tin is the same as the one that comes with the professional line. It gives a luxurious feel, much more so than a plastic box does. The WN logo is printed on the outside of the lid. It has a ring at the bottom of the box. The inside is sprayed white. There are no sharp edges, all edges are rolled. Resting the box in my hand with one finger in the ring feels very stable and comfortable.I've used this box almost daily and have often carried it in my bag. I made a protective cotton sleeve for it. Apart from the odd dent and scratch the box is still as new. The hinges are as new and the box opens and closes as it should be.To summarize it was a great buy!