Watercolor paint comes in three general quality categories:
- Professional or artist grade, which is the best but most expensive. The colors tend to be very strong. The catalog often includes a wide range of colors, including expensive pigments, but you have to know what you want and buy them a la carte.
- Student grade, cheaper, still pretty good, but less pigmented than artist grade: you may have to use more paint to get bold color, depending on the color. But it tends to come in larger sets.
- Craft or hobby grade, very cheap, very weak.
I wouldn’t recommend craft paint because it’s so frustrating to use. So, as a beginner, should you start with student grade paint, or jump straight to artist grade? This can be a hot topic, so let’s dig in!
What are some student grade and artist grade brands?
Many major paint brands offer both a student grade and an artist grade line. Here are some common ones:
| Watercolor Brand | Student Grade Line | Artist Grade Line |
|---|---|---|
| Daler Rowney | Aquafine | Artists’ |
| Royal Talens | Van Gogh | Rembrandt |
| Schmincke | Akademie | Horadam |
| Winsor & Newton | Cotman | Professional |
Some of my favorite artist grade brands don’t offer a separate student line; these include Da Vinci, Daniel Smith, and Holbein.
Which should I choose?
Why choose artist grade paint?
Although artist grade paint tends to cost more, it has numerous benefits that can make it more pleasant to use than student grade paint.
- Artist grade paints tend to have a higher pigment load, which makes them easier to work with. You don’t have to work as hard to get good, vibrant color.
- The higher pigment load also means a little goes a long way. You use less paint, which may even out the price differences over time.
- It’s possible to get strong, transparent color without slathering on too much paint and making it opaque.
- Artist grade paints offer more color options. Some interesting pigments are only available in artist grade lines. For example, student grade paints don’t offer genuine Cobalt Blue (perhaps due to the toxicity or expense).
- The teachers and tutorial-makers you follow are probably using artist-grade paints. It is easier to mimic their results using the materials they use. Many artists say you can also follow along using student grade paints, but if they don’t use them themselves, they may not be able to advise you on how to get good results.
- On a subjective, sensory level, I simply find artist grade paint more pleasant to work with. I was particularly struck by this when I tested Cotman paints again after using only artist grade for many years. It’s just… idk… worse.
Why choose student grade paint?
Most newbies to the hobby start out with student grade paint for a very compelling reason: it’s cheaper.
Less expensive paint creates a lower bar to entry. It may mean the difference between being able to afford the hobby and not.
Because they are cheaper and aimed at beginners, student grade paints often come in larger sets with more colors. Some artists will tell you that’s a disadvantage because it can be confusing or distracting to have too many options, but many beginners struggle with paint mixing and may find it easier to start with colors closer to their desired mix.
Since the main advantage of student grade paint is price, be sure to check prices carefully. Depending on your region, you may find that some domestic or lower-cost professional grade lines are cheaper than imported student grade lines. For example, in my region, I often find that pro grade Da Vinci or Holbein is cheaper than imported Schmincke Akademie or Daler Rowny Aquafine. Cost is not always a stand-in for quality! If artist grade is cheaper or the same price as student grade, there is no reason not to go for artist grade.
Can you mix and match?
Yes! In fact, it is very common to move from student grade to artist grade gradually, color by color. It makes sense to wait and see which colors you like best in student grade and then replace those with artist grade equivalents, or wait until you have a compelling reason for wanting a specific color that’s not available in student grade.
It’s also possible to be strategic about which colors you will get in each grade. I have found that some colors are notably worse in student grade, while others are fine – almost as good as pro grade, really. You see less of a quality dropoff in student grade with really strong pigments, like Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Green, Prussian Blue, and Dioxazine Violet. When I tested Cotman, I also liked their yellows. I tend to find that reds/pinks and earth tones are worth getting in pro grade.
I identified specific colors I found better or reasonable in student grade lines in these posts:
- 20 Student Grade Winsor Newton Cotman Watercolors Compared to Professional Grade
- 8 More Cotman Colors Compared to Professional Grade
- Van Gogh Dot Cards!
Am I worth it?
I have found that for many beginners, a barrier to using artist grade paint is psychological. They can afford the good stuff, or maybe even live in a region where student grade isn’t actually cheaper. Still, there’s a mental block against using high quality paint, as if it’s precious, liquid gold that is too stressful to use lest you waste it.
Learning isn’t wasting! As a learner and an artist, you will produce a lot of bits of paper you don’t need to keep for the ages: swatches, exercises, messes, bad paintings, etc. It’s really okay to use good paint for this purpose. Everybody does, even (especially) professional artists.
And having an experience isn’t wasting, either. I’ve had this existential crisis with paper more than paint, but I finally realized that I bought my supplies for a reason: to have a fun experience. As long as I’m having the experience, I’m not wasting the supplies. It doesn’t matter how the product turns out. The only way to waste supplies is to leave them on the shelf.
tl;dr
I tend to feel that artist grade paint gives a better experience and is easier to use, so all things being equal, I’d go for that. I have lots of posts about which colors to buy, such as How to Build a Watercolor Palette from the Ground Up.
But if student grade paint is much more accessible to you due to cost, availability, or the simplicity of buying in a set, then it’s also a good place to start. Reputable student grade brands like Winsor & Newton Cotman and Van Gogh are very good starting places. If you find you like the hobby, you can always upgrade color-by-color.
Leave a Reply