18 Assorted Water Colors Travel Pocket Set- Quality Refillable Water Brush with Sponge - Easy to Blend Colors - Built in Palette - Perfect for Painting On The Go JQ-118

Been wanting something a little different with my watercolors; something cheap, simple and portable. This pallet has rich, gorgeous colors that flow wonderfully on Artist’s loft Block watercolor paper (pictured) and on Arches Cold press watercolor paper, I was even pleasantly surprised to see the plastic tins are even removable so I can personalize and switch my paints around, very pleased with my purchase 😃

No, this isn't professional quality watercolor...no, this isn't even quite as good as W&N Cotman student-grade watercolors...but folks...if you want that kind of quality you're going to have to be willing to pay more than $12 for a set with this many colors!This little set is an absolute STEAL for the price, if for nothing more than the palette itself, which is a great size for travel. It's sturdy yet lightweight plastic, with plenty of mixing area and room for extra half-pans if you like having a ton of colors in a portable format. If you aren't happy with the quality of the watercolors that are included (which are a step up from crayola or reeves and perfect for beginners, crafters, art-journalers or children to use) you can remove the color blocks and you've still got 18 empty half-pans to fill with your favorite artist quality paints, and room to spare in the middle for extra full/half pans, brushes, pencils, and the like. The ceramic dish is great for mixing a puddle of color with which to do hand-lettering, and while it's not necessary, it's a nice touch. The little waterbrush is also a nice touch, and a great size for plein air or urban sketching.I ended up purchasing another one just for the palette alone...the watercolors, ceramic dish, and waterbrush are just nice extras, you can't really go wrong unless you insist on using a metal or ceramic palette.I purchased this set with my own money and was not sent anything for free/review.

Disclaimer: I am a professional illustrator/artist who has every major brand of watercolor known to man (i.e., M. Graham; Winsor & Newton Daniel Smith; Sennelier; Holbein; and I wouldn't even think of writing a review of a watercolor unless it was done on the bumpy side of Arches 140 Cold Press watercolor paper. (watercolor is only as good as the paper you put it on.Having listed my bonafides, I should also say that I have never once offered my opinion of a watercolor product... EVER. The reason I'm doing so now is a result of how SHOCKED I was at the quality and performance of this little kit. Let me explain how this all went down.I'm sixty-five, unmarried, no kids. I usually spend Christmas buying new toys for myself, but this year I decided to spoil a friend of mine's nine-year-old. I got her an Arches cold press block, some good brushes, the Winsor & Newton Cottman 24 set, and decided to throw this in, just to give her something to let her friends use when they come over.So, we opened these first, and filled up the brush with water, and laid out the colors on Arches 140 lb Cold Pressed. The color comes up easily and the "creamy" quality is the result of calcium carbonate, (an inert pigment that spreads the color). I was expecting that, but... what shocked me was how vibrant the color was in spite of that. When I was done, I realized that all the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors of a twelve tone color wheel are represented -even a beautiful blue-green that looks like Winsor & Newton "Cobalt Turquoise Light" (PG 50) and a perfect magenta like Winsor & Newton "Permanent Rose" (PV 19).Of course, I have no idea what these pigments are, or if they're permanent, but, since the majority of my work is sketching out ideas in journals (which rarely see enough light to worry about permanence) and my end product is an iPhone photo (which I can print or distribute digitally,) none of this matters. What matters to me, (and the nine-year-old) is the color. Period.So, If I had to guess, I'd list the colors in this order, using names that any amateur will recognize from the Winsor & Newton lexicon:Lemon YellowCadmium Yellow MediumCadmium OrangeVermillion (Cadmium Red Light)Permanent RoseWinsor Violet (Dioxizine Violet)Ultramarine BlueWinsor Blue red shade (phthalo blue red shade)Manganese Blue Hue (or Winsor Blue green shade)Cobalt Turquoise LightWinsor Green yellow shade (phthalo green yellow shade)Phthalo Yellow GreenAnd the neutrals are pretty complete looking:Yellow OchreBurnt Sienna (bordering on Venetian Red)Burnt UmberPayne's GreyBone BlackChinese WhiteSo, to sum up... I'm just SHOCKED that a little set can be so we'll thought out, and be so VALUE priced. I suppose I may have accidentally received a better than normal set, but I'll know soon enough:I'm only here because I ordered two more of the 18 color for myself, and the small 12 color (JQ-112) and that's only because after me and the nine-year-old got done comparing the Winsor & Newton 24 half-pans... she put the Jerry Q in her purse. And I was bummed. Oh well, only five days to go. (And free shipping!) Love Amazon Prime. :-)  Jerry Q Art 18 Assorted Water Colors Travel Pocket Set- Free Refillable Water Brush With Sponge - Easy to Blend Colors - Built in Palette - Perfect For Painting On The Go JQ-118

I came from a Chinese brush painting background and recently dive into the watercolor world. After reading countless review (sooo feed up with reviews LOL), I decided to buy this little set as my first step of watercolor adventure.Overall I think this is a steal for what this little set is offering for the price. Is this excellent quality? Probably not, I say it's decant quality and good enough for kids, beginners or travel (I won't feel heart broken if it got damaged or lost during travel).This set has a decent range of colors and small enough to carry around. I brought it with me to air travel and I don't feel it's too heavy for my liking (as a Pettit person). Color are fairly rich and vibrant. Decent quality, but of course, nothing compare to professional grade ones.Case:I like the size of it, not too small, not too big (Not pocket size, but small enough to fit in a small handbag). It's heavier than I expected, though not too heavy and feel sturdy. As a petite person, I brought it to air travel, along with a sketch book, personal belongings and mirrorless camera, I feel the weight is ok to carry around.The half pans are removable, so you can switch out colors or add more half pans. The color will pop out if you drop the case. The palette size is good, but I do wish it would come with a removable palette like the Cotman set for easy clean up. The colors stained the palette easily, which is kind of annoying.Color:I mist with a spray bottle and the colors wet easily. Pretty rich and vibrant colors. Personally I feel the Cotman line is still the best among the student grade paints I've tried.Water brush:It's really tiny, even too small for me, but perfect size for my toddlers! (whom always want to use my Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush, so this is a win-win situation for us!)Calligraphy dish:Decent build, it's a nice extra to have.Sponge:Meh. I tossed it and replaced it with the cut natural sponge that I have.