Marie's Artist Extra Fine Watercolor Sets - High Pigment and Concentration 12mL Watercolor Paint Set for Artist, Students, Teachers, Professionals, & More! - Set of 18

I needed a tube of Cerulean Blue paint and this whole set cost $2 more than the single tube I was considering, so I gave it a try. I am delighted with these paints. The difference in quality between this and the Winsor Newton paint I was considering is negligible. I found the colors to be vibrant, beautifully transparent and smooth (not gritty or sandy at all). The standard colors are a close match to other brands. If you are on the edge about whether or not to try, I would say, "Go for it!" I was not disappointed and saved a lot of money.

I am a beginner at watercolors. Recently I took a watercolor class onboard a (healthy) cruise ship, while at sea for extended days due to covid-19. The ship had a guest artist and Marie's Watercolors were one of the sets of watercolors she had available. I fell in love with the texture and colors. and was able to find these upon my return. They are very easy to mix. I would highly recommend.

This is a super awesome set! With 18 colours there's more than plenty to work with. They're highly pigmented and easy to blend. Just a little dab works!The box also states these paints have some "refined gum" in them so that could prevent them from cracking if you decide to dry them in a pallette.A couple negatives are:EDIT: March 6th 2016So I've had these paints for a little while now and I still like them, however I wanted to point a few things out. The colours are still wonderful and very pigmented, so nothing wrong there. However, these paints WILL crack if left to dry in a palette. I've had it where they just crumble into bits and pieces several times. They are also showing evidence of drying in the tubes. So all in all, they're very good paints and easy work with. Good for the price but will crack!1.) The Crimson Red wasn't sealed. It didn't have the silver part you're supposed to puncture. It was a bit dried and caked to the opening, but other than that didn't really pose a problem.2.) There was a weird brown glue (?) or something stuck to one of the green tubes. Didn't really affect the paint tube, but it's completely adhered to it.Overall I think these are really good paints for their price! Totally worth it.

My daughter attends a fine arts magnet high school. She used an entire set of these first semester and requested the replacement be the same brand. They have vibrant colors that can be as diluted or as opaque as you want.

Using the paints straight out of the tube with a bit of water is fine, as well as putting down a single layer of 2 colors mixed that has been watered down to a pastel. But, when it comes to putting down most of the colors that are 2 color mixed at almost full strength, they leave streaks making it hard to get a nice, smooth, finish. Causing you to have to try to correct the mess, or just start over.

Without high cost. Worth it.

Impressive quality for the price! Good color payoff and transparency. Consistent quality in all of the tubes. Highly recommend!

I’m a noob at watercolor so I don’t really know what good ones look like but these are pretty good for beginners!