After painting in watercolours for over 30 years the most popular question I am asked is about the brand of watercolour paints that I use followed by the colours I like. Here is my view on my personal favourites.

Which brand?

There are two brands that I use - Winsor & Newton and Schmincke. Winsor & Newton was my 'go to' brand right from the start and has a slightly muted colour palette. I was gifted my first set of Winsor & Newton watercolours when I was 18 and I have stuck with them since. Schmincke, on the other hand, has a more vibrant colour palette. The first time I opened a tube of Schmincke's Lemon Yellow I was blown away by the brightness. It was totally different from Winsor & Newton's colour of the same name. But both are wonderfully rich and full of pigment and I can mix both brands together without any weird effects.

Why use different brands of watercolour paint?

I use Winsor & Newton and Schmincke watercolour paints because I have found that no single company can produce the perfect range of colours that I want. An example is French Ultramarine. I use Winsor & Newton's because the colour is deeper and more saturated than Schmincke's version. I mentioned the vibrancy of Schmincke's Lemon Yellow above. It is so much brighter than Winsor & Newton's. I have tried lots of different brands over the years but these two together give me the palette I enjoy using.

Tubes or Pans?

Tubes for me! Although there is a school of thought that says you cannot fill pans from tube colours, I have not found that to be a problem. I squeeze colour onto my palette and work with it from there. Over 30 years I have never found the colour to fade or go funny in any way - and Schmincke actually states that they have the same formula in their pans and tubes. I like the intensity that I get from tubes and it is more immediate than waiting for the paint in pans to soften, ready for use. It is easier to mix up large quantities of paint for a wash too.

Student or Artist quality paints?

As you might expect, I use Artist quality paints (Winsor and Newton call theirs 'Professional' watercolour paints). I found they have a finer pigment, better colour quality and mix more easily. They flow onto the page nicely and keep their vibrancy better than student grade paints. Having said that, for anyone wanting to start painting with watercolours, student colours will do the job. They are more affordable and, if you are just wanting to experiment or use some colour in journals, then they are great. If you feel you might want to be more serious about watercolours though, I would recommend a small selection of Artist quality paints, say 4 to 6 tubes of the right colours and you're set to go.

What colours of paint?

As for my choice of colours, I use six main colours (the letters in brackets indicate the brand I use) - Burnt Umber (S), French Ultramarine (W&N), Alizarin Crimson (W&N), Qinacridone Gold (W&N), Raw Sienna (S) and Cadmium Yellow Light (S). French Ultramarine and Burnt Umber make the most wonderful dark shades, especially blacks but with a hint of blue or brown (depending on which colour you use most of in the mixture). Most colours that I need for wildlife or nature can be mixed from those colours.

Update (28th June 2023): I have just found out that Winsor & Newton's Quinacridone Gold is being discontinued soon and they will be changing over to Transparent Gold Deep. So the quest is on to find another suitable Quinacridone Gold paint!

Very occasionally I will also use Helio Cerulean, Burnt Sienna or Lemon Yellow. I have a few other colours but I never use them - in fact some tubes are so old that the pigments separated and changed colour in the many years sitting in my paint box untouched and unloved. However, that does not mean that I don't love the colours available from watercolour manufacturers.

Some women like jewellery or clothes or plants for the garden in a rainbow of colours. I love tubes of paint. But after all the years of buying paints because I love the colours - and then never using them - I discovered that less is more. A small palette is just as effective as having every pretty colour that I see. However it won't stop me watching all those swatching videos on YouTube, where other artists have the joy of buying the paint and I get the pleasure of seeing them being used.

To finish, while writing this I was reminded of this quote by Leigh Hunt, 19th-century English poet and essayist:

'Colours are the smiles of nature. When they are extremely smiling, and break forth into other beauty besides, they are her laughs.'

The Seer (1840-41)

I couldn't have put it beter myself.