Solid Watercolor Paints: Why They Outshine Tubes for Every Artist

For centuries, watercolor has captivated artists with its luminous transparency and fluid beauty. But when it comes to choosing your paints, the age-old question persists: solid watercolor pans or traditional tubes? Increasingly, artists of all levels are discovering the distinct advantages of solid watercolor paint. Let's delve into what solid watercolors are and explore why they might just be the best watercolor paints for your creative journey, especially when portability is key.

What Exactly is Solid Watercolor Paint?

Solid watercolor paint, also known as pan watercolor or cake watercolor, comes pre-poured and dried into small, portable pans (either half pan or full pan size). These concentrated blocks of pigment are activated simply by touching them with a wet brush. Unlike their tube counterparts, which are a viscous paste, solid watercolors are ready to use without the need for pre-squeezing onto a palette.

The Solid Advantage: Why Pans Often Win

While tube watercolors have their place (especially for large washes requiring vast amounts of paint), solid watercolor paint sets offer compelling benefits that make them ideal for many scenarios:

Unbeatable Portability & Convenience: This is the crown jewel. Travel watercolor paint sets built around solid pans are incredibly compact, lightweight, and mess-free. They slip effortlessly into a bag or even a pocket, ready for inspiration whenever and wherever it strikes – plein air painting, urban sketching, or a quick doodle in a cafe. Forget bulky tubes and separate palettes; a compact watercolor portable set is your entire studio in miniature. Grabie's Foldable Watercolor Set Of 56 With Water Brush exemplifies this with its clever sliding design, keeping everything organized and accessible.

Ease of Use & Quick Start: Solid paints eliminate the setup time. Open your box, wet your brush, and start painting. There's no wrestling with tube caps, squeezing out excess paint that might dry wastefully, or pre-wetting dried tube paint on a palette. This simplicity makes them perfect for easy watercolor painting, especially for beginners or quick sketching sessions.

Less Waste & Longer Lasting: Because you activate only the tiny amount of paint you need directly on the pan, solid watercolors are incredibly economical. You avoid the common problem of tube paint drying out on your palette before you can use it all. High-quality pans, like those from Grabie made with finely milled, high-concentration pigments, are durable and resist cracking, lasting surprisingly long.

Ideal for Controlled Color Mixing: Mixing colors directly on the pan or on a palette lid encourages thoughtful, controlled color blending. You can easily pick up minute amounts of different pigments, perfect for subtle shifts in hue. Sets like the Grabie Watercolor Set of 100 or the expansive 168-color Watercolor Set provide an incredible array of vibrant shades and unique effects (metallics, macarons, fluorescents), minimizing the need to mix while offering endless possibilities when you do.

Simplified Cleanup: When you're done, simply close the box. No scrubbing dried paint off a palette. A quick rinse of your brushes, and your watercolor painting supplies are tidied away in seconds.

Finding Your Perfect Solid Watercolor Set

The market offers a fantastic range of watercolor sets, from beginner-friendly options to professional watercolor set choices. Consider your needs:

The Ultimate Color Explorer: For artists craving maximum variety and effects, the Grabie 168-color Watercolor Set is a powerhouse. It includes 84 regular colors, 48 metallics, 12 fluorescents, and 24 macarons, plus a watercolor coloring book with 100% cotton paper, brushes, a sponge, and pencil – truly an on-the-go art studio.

Professional Range & Performance: The Grabie Watercolor Set of 100 delivers artist-grade watercolors with 100 unique, highly pigmented shades (including 35 metallics, 10 macarons, and 5 fluorescents). These watercolors are known for their smooth dilution, easy blending, and vibrant results. The set comes complete with brushes, a sponge, pencil, and swatch sheet, making it a comprehensive kit that is portable and great to take while traveling.

Smart & Compact Travel: The Foldable Watercolor Set Of 56 With Water Brush is a marvel of design. Its sliding tray reveals 56 chromatically arranged pans (10 metallics, 10 macarons, 36 classics) in an ultra-portable format, often cited as a best watercolor travel set.

Balanced & Portable Essentials: The Watercolor Set of 50 strikes a great balance with a full spectrum of colors in a durable, multifunctional metal tin (that doubles as a palette!). It includes multiple brushes and is perfect as a good beginner watercolor set or a reliable pocket artist watercolor travel set.

Long-Lasting Performance: For artists who go through large amounts of specific colors, the Jumbo Size Professional Watercolor Paint offers pans equivalent to two standard full pans. Made with fine Italian pigments, they provide exceptional brilliance and transparency, ideal for professionals or dedicated enthusiasts needing extended coverage.

Essential Companions: Paper & Brushes

Remember, great watercolor paintings start with the right foundation. Pair your solid paints with watercolor paint paper or watercolor painting paper specifically designed to handle water without buckling. Cotton papers, like the one included in Grabie 168-color Watercolor Set, are particularly prized. Water brushes, often included in these sets, are invaluable watercolor painting supplies for travel, integrating the water reservoir into the brush handle.

Embrace the Freedom of Solid Watercolors

Whether you're a seasoned professional seeking a reliable pro watercolor set for fieldwork or a beginner looking for a good beginner watercolor set that's easy to manage, solid watercolor paints offer undeniable advantages in portability, convenience, and efficiency. They encourage spontaneity, reduce waste, and open up a world of creative possibilities wherever you are. Explore the range of best watercolor sets available, find the best watercolor travel set that fits your style, and discover how solid watercolor paint can transform your artistic practice. Unleash your creativity – the world is your studio!