Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set, Field Pocket Set, 12 Half Pan w/ Brush, Sponge, Bottle

I was excited when W&N offered this portable kit with the Cotman paint in it, at a very reasonable price. The kit previously had only been available with their Artist Grade pan watercolors, at a much higher price. It’s a very nice travel set. The plastic parts are well-made and the paint is ok, if you wet it first to activate. It’s nice to have a portable set with non-sticky or non-honey type paint. Much less messy. The design is fun, partly just because it’s so intriguing how the “box” comes apart to function, and then the many little parts neatly snap together once again to be a sleekly small, classy, portable art machine! It’s functional and cute. Leaks are better controlled than in simpler travel box designs. The organic sponge unfortunately was so fragile out it partly crumbled away, and the supplied brush is so stiff and tiny that I use another larger and softer portable brush. The Cotman paints in this set give me the impression of being less pigmented than a previous Cotman travel set I’ve used, purchased about ten years ago, when the Cotman paints were made in the UK. Or maybe I’m imagining it… But it’s really cool how they all fit in the classy little box! Haha! Happy travels.

This is a super-compact yet super-functional little paint set; it folds down to pocket-size (cargo pockets, not girl-pants pockets) and has two palettes, a water bottle, a folding brush, and space for twelve paints, which are included, but modular so you can swap out empties or colors you prefer. It’s functional, the paint and brush quality is great, and it’s just a very pleasing little object. I get so many people fascinated by it, and it helps with my fidgeting.

These tiny sets pack everything you need to paint on the go - just bring your own paper or canvas.The system to fit and keep everything organized in such a compact form-factor is truly genius. The designers of this product really thought of everything from move-able paint sections, various mixing palates, places for your water, and even a little loop to make it easier to hold in your hand. I highly recommend this to painters and artists of all skill levels, as it will bring you joy to take and use on your adventures.

Perfect as always. Winsor & Newton rarely fails to deliver and with this mini watercolor field kit they go above and beyond. The color set gives you a wide range of options and the fact that the paints are interchangeable not only allows you to organize the colors in any way you want but you but you can purchase you own colors and replace them as you see fit. The brush is a nice size and does the job (I do bring my own brushes though) but I didnt really buy this for the brush, however the fact that the brush is collapsible and has a cover is a nice plus. The kit has three mixing pans which is amazing considering how small the kit it - everything has a function in this kit there is no wasted space. It holds a decent amount of water in the little jug and the cup that holds the water is sturdy when attached to the side of your kit. The sponge is a nice little bonus and just shows how much attention to detail W&N pays attention to their products. You also have an awesome little ring on the back of you kit so that you can hold you palette in your hand if you find cant set it down somewhere. It also clips well to a sketch book with a large binder kit but you will lose a lot of one mixing pan when doing that. Love this kit so very much! Thank you Winsor & Newton!If you are looking at this versus the Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Compact Set and/or the Cotman Plus Kit I have to say hands down go with this kit I also own both Cotman sets and ended up taking out the paint pods and putting them into an Altoids tin and making my own field kit. It just didnt do it for me (But I digress as this isnt a review of the Cotman)... This one addresses all of the issues I had with the Cotman and the Cotman Field Plus Kit. This one is worth the cost.

I am amazed at how compact this field kit is, however I think there was a manufacturing error regarding mine. The hinge isn't fully rounded, but more of an oval shape and there's a noticeable bend that I'm afraid will snap one day. I've whittled mine down and it somewhat works but something to keep in mind.

To be honest I'm not a huge fan of W&N paints (cotman and professional grade included) and personally prefer more opaque watercolors like Daniel Smiths but the design of this field box is so fantastic, it's worth the price for the box alone. I tried it today and the colors are good but I'm planning on switching most of the half pans with my own paint colors. For the review photos, I only used the colors in the box and for paper I used Baohong academy watercolor paper.This is great for at home with small spaces or out for plein air. If you hold it like the first image while gripping a smaller watercolor pad or sketchbook you won't even need those plein air boxes/clips/etc. which saves space in your bag and your money too. You can paint with your other hand. Can't wait to take this out!

If you're comfortable with color mixing and need a space-saving travel set of higher quality watercolors, this one is a very good bet.

A great set for travel and use in field