Watercolour Paints, Pads, Paper & Mediums

We supply Watercolour Paints from the leading art supplies manufacturers including Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowney in all available colours in each range which we stock.

We cater for all levels of artists – from student to professional - by offering a number of different varieties of watercolours. In addition to the paints available we also offer watercolour mediums, pads and paper along with an extremely wide selection of Artists Brushes suitable for watercolour painting.

Types of Watercolour Paints

The various varieties of watercolour paints available exhibit a diverse range of different characteristics which result in a substantial effect on the finished painting. These include Reflective, Opaque and Transparent, Sedimentary and Fugitive watercolours.

Transparent watercolour paints result in a transparent effect with the colour beneath remaining visible, as the name suggests. They are excellent for the purpose of tinting and glazing and can be useful for creating a glowing effect or a multilayered wash, such as in a representation of the reflective qualities of water.

Reflective colours feature pigments which themselves are reflective and can be used to provide an element of luminosity to the painting. The ranges of cobalt blue and viridian green, violet, raw sienna, aureolin yellow and exhibit a reflective quality.

Opaque watercolour paints such as - Designers Gouache - are well suited for the primary wash to the paper. In addition they function well for highlighting the painting, and in the mixing of realistic skin tones. As opposed to transparent colours, painting opaque colours over previous washes creates an unwanted chalky effect.

Sedimentary colours are made with sediments which includes various types of stones and clays. This type of watercolour is and coarser and heavier and may resist being absorbed into the paper; as opposed to staining colours mentioned above which have greater permanence.

Fugitive colours are likely to change in appearance after some time. This Type of watercolour paint is unpredictable and really should be avoided as it may darken, fade or even change colour over time. These paints need to be avoided.

Student Watercolour Paints

Less expensive watercolours – including Cotman and Aquafine - are available in the Students ranges. They are typically used by novices and beginners as well as students, and are cheaper due to being made with less expensive pigments with a lower amount of purification and are mixed with a neutral filler pigment. These types of paints may appear shiny because of an increased amount of binder. Although these low cost colours may appear to be similar to higher quality watercolour paint, they have a lesser amount of tinting. The higher priced paints are generally regarded as the authentic versions which should be used by artists who are seriously interested in mastering watercolour painting.

Watercolour Paint Ingredients

Transparent watercolour paints are typically made with finely ground pigments which are dissolved in gum Arabic. Gum Arabic is a gum from a type of acacia tree. It is safe completely non-toxic and water-soluble. Apart from Arabic gum, various other binders are widely-used including fish glue, crystallized sugar, dextrin, Tragacanth, glycerine and honey; on cheaper paints clove oil can often be used.