The Best Professional Watercolor Paint Brands

The best watercolor paint brand will vary depending on which artist you ask. Each brand will have slightly different attributes, including color range, form, consistency, quality, price, and more.

Choosing the best watercolor paints can make a significant difference in your results. Artists often invest in high-quality art supplies, including professional watercolor paints, brushes, and paper, to achieve stronger color vibrancy, better control, and reliable performance in their work.

If you are searching for the best professional watercolor brand for you, then this blog is here to help. We will look at some of the best professional watercolors that are available on the market today based on their quality and range. But first lets understand what sets professional brands apart.

What Sets Professional Watercolor Brands Apart?

Summary: Professional watercolor paints are high-quality, artist-grade watercolor paints designed to offer superior performance, longevity, and color vibrancy comprised of pure pigments with minimal fillers, high lightfastness to resist fading, including clear information about the transparency level of each color.

Professional series often include a broader spectrum of colors, including rare and historical pigments, as well as modern synthetic pigments, giving artists a wide palette to work with.

Professional or Artists’ grade and Student grade

You may notice brands divided into two categories, Professional or Artists’ grade and Student grade. Some brands will even contain two different lines of each type of grade. Despite their names, You do not need to be a professional to use Professional grade, or a student to use Student grade.

Rather, the names are meant to distinguish between more high quality, expensive paints, and lower-quality, inexpensive paints. That being said, each brand has its own standards for professional and student grade lines.

Generally, Professional grade paints are expected to be lightfast, archival, and hold a large pigment load. The higher pigment load creates more potent paints that are more intense in color and will go farther than paints with lower pigment load, but tend to be more expensive.

Student grade paints, on the other hand, tend to have a lower pigment load and are more likely to be made with fugitive materials, but for a lower cost.

While these qualities will change between brands, the right paint for an artist varies depending on their individual needs and workflow.

Many professional artists choose trusted watercolor brands like Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, Schmincke, and Holbein when building their watercolor art supplies.

Here are some of the Professional grade lines that you might encounter on the market:

Daniel Smith Watercolors

• Experience the Superior Quality of Daniel Smith!
• A go-to for many professional watercolorists
• Vibrant, Bold Watercolors Unlike Any Other!
• Finest pigments in the highest possible concentration!
• Available in: Pans, Sets and Tubes.

Daniel Smith was founded in 1976. Even though they are a more modern brand, the majority of their production is devoted to watercolors. Therefore, they have one of the widest varieties of colors on the market.

They sell tubes in 5ml and 15ml, as well as pre-poured pans, sets, dot cards, and even unique watercolor sticks. With a whopping total of 266 colors in their watercolor line, they have options for every artist. 

Each color is intensely pigmented and has an easy, workable consistency that has become a favorite among many artists since Daniel Smith’s founding. 

LUKAS Aquarell 1862 Artists’ Watercolor

• Vibrant, Bold Watercolors Unlike Any Other!
• Superb lightfastness, highest possible concentration!
• Highest quality pigment
• Exclusive blend of wetting agents
• Available in: Pans, Sets and Tubes.

Lukas 1862’s story began when Dr. Fr. Schoenfeld created permanently moist panned watercolors in 1862. Since then they have developed 70 colors in their range with 48 of those colors as single pigment recipes that are perfect for mixing.

Available in 24ml tubes as well as half pans and specialty sets, the vibrant colors have a classic palette that is useful for any artist.

Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolors

• Only the purest pigments for permanence and brilliance.
• Beautifully clean color mixing and unrivaled transparency.
• Painting breathtaking washes with ease.
• The greatest possible permanence.
• Available In: Tubes, Pans and Sets

Winsor and Newton’s professional watercolor line is one of the most common go-to brands that artists reach for.

Founded in 1832, the line has 108 vibrant colors in 5ml, 14ml, and even 37ml tubes. Used by the likes of famous painters such as Turner and Sargent,

Winsor and Newton also sells half pans and a few classic color palettes in sets. Its consistent quality and reasonable prices makes it a favorite among both hobbyists and professionals.

MaimeriBlu Superior Watercolors

• Handmade, Pure, Simple & Extraordinarily Transparent Watercolors
• Bound with authentic top quality gum arabic from Sudan and distilled water
• Top quality and lightfastness
• Specialty handmade superior watercolors
• NO additives or artificial processes which would alter its genuine quality
• Professional artists with high standards
• No blending powders, and no additives
• Made and imported from Italy
• Available In: Tubes and Sets

MaimeriBlu watercolor paints embody the rich tradition of Italian craftsmanship and artistic excellence. The Maimeri company was established in 1923 by renowned Italian impressionist Gianni Maimeri and his brother Carlo, driven by Gianni’s desire to create artist materials that reflected his personal standards for purity and performance. That same passion for uncompromising quality inspired the development of MaimeriBlu – an elite line of professional watercolors designed for artists who demand exceptional color clarity and transparency.

MaimeriBlu stands as a symbol of the Maimeri family’s enduring legacy in the art world, offering artists a product that combines tradition, innovation, and uncompromising quality

Charvin Extra-Fine Watercolors

• Extra-fine gum arabic watercolors
• Shellac-like glossy finish
• Highly transparent color
• Artists who value texture, transparency, and layering
• Painting light, ethereal portraits and landscapes
• Available In: Beautifully Crafted Pan Sets

Charvin Extra-Fine Watercolors bring the elegance of traditional French paint making to the modern watercolorist, offering a luminous palette inspired by Impressionist color and light. Handcrafted in France, each pan is carefully poured and air-dried using time-honored techniques, then formulated with first-flowering gum arabic and carefully selected pure pigments for brilliance, stability, and lasting vibrancy.

The result is a silky, highly transparent watercolor with a smooth, shellac-like finish that layers beautifully, allowing artists to build subtle washes, refined tonal transitions, and mixed-media effects with exceptional control.

Schmincke Horadam Waterclors

• Highest possible lightfastness
• Gum Arabic binding medium
• ONETZ (ox gall) dispersant
• Professional artists with high standards
• Available In: Tubes, Pans and Sets and Naturals

Schmincke Horadam was founded in Germany over 140 years ago and their watercolors have been a favorite choice among many artists over the years. They have a wide variety of unique colors with 189 in their offering, such as those in their Super Granulation line as well as the additional 16 colors in their Naturals line. 

They sell watercolor in 15ml and 5ml tubes, as well as in pre-poured half pans and whole pans. Schmincke also has an array of sets consisting of both pans and tubes and will often feature limited edition sets with specialty colors or tin designs.  

QoR Watercolor Paints

• Modern Watercolors. The unique formulation!
• Exclusive Aquazol Binder.
• Vibrant, intense colors that stay brilliant even after they dry.
• Higher pigment density – More density of color than traditional watercolors
• Available In: Tubes, Pans and Sets

QoR is a unique and modern watercolor brand that was created by Golden Artist Colors in 2014. What makes QoR different from other watercolor brands is its binder. Rather than bind the pigments with the traditional gum arabic, QoR is made with a binder known as Aquazol. 

Originally used in the art restoration field, Aquazol is a clear, synthetic, water-soluble glue that is said to give QoR better clarity in color and make them more archival. This unique binder makes these paints very flowy compared to other colors, especially when working wet in wet. 

The entire line consists of 96 colors in 11ml tubes as well as sets of tubes and pans in their distinctly designed tin packaging. 

Turner Professional Watercolor

• Exceptional Quality Professional Watercolors Packed With Pigment!
• Finest pure pigments!
• No fillers added
• Highest lightfastness ratings
• Available In: Tubes, Pans and Sets

Founded in 1947, Turner Colour Works is a Japanese company named for the renowned watercolor artist, William Turner. They have collaborated with well-known brands, such as Golden Artist Colors, and have a long history as a prominent art supply producer and distributor in Japan and abroad.

Their line consists of 148 pigmented colors in 15ml tubes as well as sets of tubes. While their classic colors are known for their vibrancy they also have special effect colors, such as their interference and pearl lines, that offer color shifting and shine to any artist’s arsenal.

Sennelier l’Aquarelle French Watercolors

• Honey Based Watercolor- Finest luxury honey-based artists’ watercolors from France!
• Honey Is Added To Binder Which Creates A Lustrous Finish To Your Art.
• Highly lightfast and permanent, kordofan gum arabic & honey binder.
• Highly Pigmented To Produce The Most Vivid Expressions.
• Available In: Tubes, Pans and Sets

Sennelier is a honey-based French watercolor brand founded in 1887. Inspired by the Impressionist movement, their colors tend to lean more towards transparency and clarity than other brands.

Sennelier is an excellent choice for any artist that works in many layers of glazes. Their line consists of 110 colors in both 10ml and 21ml tubes as well as panned sets.

Old Holland Watercolor

• Recognized as the most concentrated watercolors available
• Made from only the best and purest pigments
• All color making is done by hand
• Pigments are ground in stone
• Available In: Tubes, Pans and Sets

Founded in 1664 by old Dutch master painters, Old Holland boasts a long history of working with artists and conservators.

Their clientele has consisted of renowned artists such as Vermeer and Van Gogh. With a total of 168 colors in their watercolor line, Old Holland has intensely pigmented, classic colors that have been well loved by many.

Holbein Artists’ Watercolors

• Truly a treat for any watercolor enthusiast!
• Highest grade pigments – Gum Arabic binder
• Highly lightfast and permanent
• Luminous watercolor washes, Long-lasting, radiant works of art
• Available In: Tubes, Pans and Sets

Holbein watercolors were first introduced to the market in 1920 as a transparent watercolor that could hold up to traditional Japanese techniques. Today, they have 108 colors in their line, available in 5ml and 15ml tubes as well as half pans.

Holbein is notable for some of its unique color offerings, such as their Peacock Blue, Grey of Grey, and their vibrant Opera Pink.

Marie’s Masters Watercolor

• Intensely pigmented and lightfast
• Highly concentrated color
• Permanent, professional works of art
• Beautifully clean color mixing
• Available In: Tubes and Sets

Marie’s Masters watercolors have a range of 55 colors all in 9ml tubes. These include a variety of metallic and pearlescent colors.

While Marie’s Masters does not have as large of a range as other professional brands, each color is well pigmented and cost-effective.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best watercolor brand?

A: The best watercolor brand will vary depending on who you ask. Each brand will have slightly different attributes and it is up to personal preference for which one suits your needs best in terms of price, color range, texture, and quality. 

What is artist grade watercolor? 

A: Artist grade watercolor is considered professional grade watercolor. Typically, it is more expensive than student-grade watercolor and uses a more involved manufacturing process with rarer or more costly materials as well as a higher pigment load. The quality of artist-grade watercolor will vary between brands, as there is no set standard. 

What is the difference between cheap and expensive watercolors?

A: More expensive watercolors may have rarer pigments and materials that were harder to source. They may also be milled more finely and have a higher pigment load, making the paint go farther and have more intensity. 

What watercolors do professionals use?

A: There are many great professional brands of watercolor. Some of the more well known most widely used brands include Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, Lukas, Sennelier, Holbein, Schmincke and Rembrandt.

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More Resources

1. Different Types of Watercolor Paper and Their Unique Qualities
2. The Best Watercolor Brushes
3. Watercolor Tubes or Pans? The Pros and Cons
4. Watercolor Terms You Should Know