A Surprisingly Great Budget Watercolor Set with Some Texture

Hello there!

I'm guessing many artists and art material enthusiasts have stumbled upon those little tin boxes with a bunch of watercolor pans at least once. I decided to get one and put it to the test on my artwork, and I'm glad I did.

The box and its contentsWhat's in the box:

The watercolor itself, which is what we're all here forA sketch pad, which is always a nice bonusA transparent palette, which I found really helpful in my workPrice: 1200 rubles, which is an absolute steal for a set this size.

You can buy this set on Aliexpress or our marketplaces (Wildberries or Ozon, I got mine from Wildberries), and I highly recommend it.

Country of origin:

China, but don't let that scare you off - this set is a real gem

The set itselfThe set in all its gloryAppearanceThe watercolor is stored in small blocks inside a plastic tray attached to the tin box. The box has a small lock and overall, the packaging looks pretty convenient and probably easy to carry around, assuming the set isn't too heavy. My metal art case from Nevskaya Palitra is actually lighter, but it only has 50 colors, which is a big difference.

I'm used to using watercolors from Nevskaya Palitra, so I was drawn to this non-standard design. At first glance, the set might seem like it's all about looks and not meant for professional use. And that's basically what it is, but I was surprised to see that many people in the reviews mentioned they actually prefer this watercolor over the student-grade 'Sonet' from Nevskaya Palitra, and even use it for their school projects. That got my curiosity, so I decided to put this set to the test.

A comparison with the Nizhny Novgorod palette setThe color paletteFirst impressionCOLORS are delicious. I think I was most surprised by that. Many shades have depth and look vibrant and alive. There are a lot of colors with whites, but the set is big enough, so there are also decorative metallics and even fluorescent ones. The manufacturer has smaller sets where there aren't a hundred shades, but there are brushes with a reservoir included. But many artists don't like white shades, so if you're one of them, it's better to get a smaller set. I was happy to see that the manufacturer included a card for watercoloring on decent paper. However, it's best to watercolor on the paper you're going to work on.

Watercolor on white paperWatercolor of metallics and fluorescent colors on black paperMetallics and fluorescent colors are okay, but I wouldn't say they're my favorite. Those colors are good for 'Van Gogh' and 'Malevich' if you're looking for decorative metallics. If you want quality, you'll have to pay more.Mixing

I think many of you have already figured out that the abundance of colors wasn't made up of just one or two shades. It's obvious that a set with a hundred colors would be hard to mix. However, despite that, many colors in the set mix well and stay vibrant. For an experiment, I mixed a few different shades, some of which mix well and some of which are clearly made with complex pigments. You can see the result for yourself.

MixingFor example, you can see that there are granular colors, and they stand out because I used coarse cellulose paper. But for the actual drawing, I used a sketchbook with fine cellulose.

An acrylic painting by SeamiArtFull-fledged drawing

I have to say, I really enjoyed working with this watercolor set. Although, at first, I found it a bit tricky to get used to, as it's even too controlled. I'm more accustomed to the flowing watercolor of the Nevskaya Palette. I often compare them because I've been impressed by the reviews of people who found this set more suitable for students than the same 'Sonet' from Nevskaya Palitra. In my opinion, it's a bit risky to use this set for professional work. For a student, it might be worth trying, as it's around the same price as the 'Sonet'.

Looking at my artwork, you can see how I went a bit overboard with the blush on the cheeks and how the shadows on the jacket don't blend in with the color of the jacket. You can also notice how the watercolor granulates in darker shades. I won't say it's ugly, but if you avoid granulations and prefer a more fluid paint, you might want to steer clear of this set. On the other hand, comparing this artwork to one I did a few years ago with markers, you can see how this watercolor actually looks surprisingly painterly.

I still have my old version of the artwork done with spirit markers. And if you put them side by side, you can see how these granulations somehow make the portrait look more alive, which is weird, given how easily controlled this watercolor is.A few words about the palette in the set. Despite looking pretty bland, I found it really helpful in my work. Yes, there's not much space for mixing, but since one side of the palette is smooth and the other is textured, it prevents the paint from forming droplets and makes it easier to see the mixed color. That's often a problem with other similar palettes. In short, I was pleasantly surprised by this little detail.

This is a definitely worth-mentioning budget set that both kids and adults will love. I even think it'll be a treat for kids, as the watercolor is easy to control, making it perfect for them to draw with, and the colors are bright with good tonal depth, which sets them apart from other kids' watercolor sets.

However, I'm not sure if this set is suitable for professional work. For students, it might be an option, considering the reviews of students who replaced their usual student watercolor with this one, but I'm not certain. You might want to give it a try for curiosity's sake.

I'll definitely be using this watercolor for my own projects, especially when my Nevskaya Palette runs out of some essential colors.

Large variety of colors, including some really nice metallics and fluorescent onesDeep tones of colors that look vibrant and aliveBright and saturated colors that are perfect for kids and beginnersConvenient packaging that's easy to carry aroundMany colors mix well and look great, even with complex pigmentsVery affordable price for 100 colors, which is a real stealThe set comes with a good palette that's really helpful in my workCons:

The packaging is seriously sturdy, but it's not the most elegant thing in the worldSome colors have a slight grain to them, which can be a bit annoyingThere are a ton of different shades with a hint of whiteness to them, which might not be to everyone's tasteMany colors seem to be mixed with at least three different pigments, which can make them a bit tricky to mixI'd definitely recommend this product to readers who've taken the time to read this review!