When most people who aren’t into painting think of watercolors, they think of the pan watercolors that we all used back in the day when we were in school. But, many people don’t realize that there are other forms of watercolor paints.
For instance, there are tubes of watercolor paints that look much like tubes of acrylic paints (yes, I have mistaken one for the other on many occasions since I tend to use the same brand for both types of paints).
Now that you know that there are three different kinds of watercolor paints, which ones should you be using? There are good points and bad points to each of the three types of watercolor paints, and these are things you need to know before you go out and spend money on paints.
Today we are going to look at watercolor pans, tubes, and liquids so you can have a better understanding of how each works and which ones are best for your art projects.
Are you ready to learn more about watercolor paints? Let’s get started!
Watercolor Pans, Tubes, and Liquid Comparison
| Factors | Watercolor Pans | Watercolor Tubes | Liquid Watercolors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy color mixing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Easy to use | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Paint dries out | Yes | Yes | No |
| Colors get dirty | Yes | No | No |
| Concentrated colors | Not so much | Yes | Yes |
| Mix custom colors | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Good for beginners | Yes | Yes | Somewhat |
| Cost | Least expensive (less than $15 per set) | A bit more costly (a good set will run at least $25) | The most expensive of all watercolor paints |
| Messy | No | Somewhat | Yes |
What Are Watercolor Pans?
Watercolor pans are by far the most popular type of watercolor paint. You can take them anywhere, and they are so easy to use.
You will find watercolor pans of varying sizes, depending on how many colors you want to have in your set. You can also get numbered sets that have pre-made color palettes.
For beginners, I recommend getting a basic set of 12 watercolors. These sets contain the primary colors, some secondary colors, and a few neutral colors.
Most of the time, you will find these pan sets come with a brush and a built-in mixing tray. This is great if you are on a tight budget and don’t want to spend anything extra on a brush and a mixing tray.
How To Use Watercolor Pans
As I already mentioned, watercolor pans are super-easy to use. All you have to do is wet the brush and then dip it into the pan.
The water on the brush will dilute the paint, as well as activate it, and it will be easy to spread on the watercolor paper. You can also use a spray bottle to spritz some water onto the pans.
If you are wondering whether or not you can mix colors from watercolor pans, the answer is yes. You will need to have an acrylic or plastic palette for this purpose (I often use the cover of the pan case).
Pick up one diluted color with your brush and place that color onto the palette. Then you can do the same thing with a second color and mix them until you achieve the desired color or shade.
You can use watercolor pans for many purposes, including dry brushing, wet-on-wet, and lifting color from the paper with a wet brush or a damp sponge.
Pros and Cons of Watercolor Pans
Pros
- You can often replace watercolor pans and create customized color palettes
- Many watercolor pan sets are expandable
- You can enjoy plein-air painting because watercolor pans are easy to transport
- Cleanup is nothing more than closing the case when you finish painting
Cons
- Watercolor pans can dry out and crack
- Colors can get dirty if you don’t clean your brush often
- Budget watercolor pan sets don’t have a lot of pigment
What Are Watercolor Tubes?
While watercolor paint tubes aren’t as popular for beginners, they are rather easy to use. I did a few paintings with pans and then switched to tubes because I find the pigment is more highly concentrated.
The downside to using watercolor tubes is that they do tend to cost a lot more than watercolor pans. But, you get more color options, including black, white, and brown in a decently-priced set.
Watercolor tubes are just like tubes of acrylic paint. The pigment is inside the tubes, and you have to squeeze the paint onto your palette to use it.
How to Use Watercolor Tubes
As I mentioned, watercolor paint tubes are like tubes of acrylic paint. The tubes are sealed, and you must break the seal to use the paints.
To use watercolor tube paints, uncap a tube and squeeze out a very small amount of paint onto your watercolor palette. You don’t need much of this paint, so be careful not to squeeze out too much.
What I love about using watercolor tube paints is that it is so easy to mix colors. Once you squeeze one color onto a palette, squeeze another color onto the first color and start mixing, just as you would with acrylic paints.
You can even use watercolor tube paints to refill watercolor paint pans. Leave the paint to dry and harden and you can use them just as you would use paint pans.
Pros and Cons of Watercolor Tubes
Pros
- Paint colors are highly concentrated
- The paint contains fewer fillers and binders
- Use less water than with pan paints
- Color is easier to control
- Mix custom colors
- Make pan paints with tube paints
- The paint is gentle on brushes
Cons
- Paint in tubes can be messy
- You can go overboard and waste a lot of paint
- Highly concentrated color is more difficult to work with
- Not the ideal choice for beginners
- Tube paints cost more than pan paints
- The paint can dry out if the tube isn’t properly capped
- Caps can get stuck
What are Liquid Watercolors?
While I haven’t tried liquid watercolors myself, I am told that they are ideal for beginners. The liquid allows you to not have to worry about using water to activate the pigments.
These paints are often used in card making and paper crafting. They are highly concentrated, so you get bright, vivid colors.
While these paints are more expensive than pans and tubes, from what I can see they are worth the added expense. You can buy these paints in sets or just get individual bottles.
I would suggest beginners try a set of primary colors. You can mix the colors to create the secondary colors you will need for your art.
These paints are portable since they do come in bottles. But, they aren’t always ideal for air travel or transporting in a vehicle that doesn’t have air conditioning.
How To Use Liquid Watercolors
This is a very versatile type of watercolor paint that is easy to use for all kinds of crafting and painting projects. You can dilute the colors with water to create lots of fun effects, just as you can with pan and tube watercolors.
You can put liquid watercolors onto your palette to do color mixing. You can also use these paints with tools other than brushes. Try applying them with sponges or even spraying them onto your watercolor paper. Some people even use them for airbrush art.
It is important to practice with these paints before using them for a serious painting. The colors tend to become even more intense once they have dried, and you may not want this type of color intensity. Then again, you just might.
Pros and Cons of Liquid Watercolors
Pros
- You don’t need to use much because they are highly concentrated
- Mixing colors is easier with liquid watercolors
- Liquid watercolors don’t cause as much buckling on your paper (oddly enough)
- Liquid watercolors dry quickly
- You don’t need to dilute the paint with water
- Great for beginners when using simple techniques
Cons
- Sometimes the paint dries too quickly
- Liquid watercolors can be messy
- Liquid watercolors are lightfast
- Liquid watercolors aren’t ideal for beginners when using advanced techniques
Conclusion
Now that you know more about the three main types of watercolor paints, which type are you going to choose? Which type is best for beginners?
When I got back into painting a few years ago, I started with pan watercolors. I recommend this for most beginners. You can get a set of 24 colors if you don’t feel that 12 colors are enough for your needs.
You can even get watercolor pans with matte and metallic colors, and they are loads of fun to use. It did take a bit of trial and error on my part to get the hang of using the metallic colors, but now that I know what I’m doing I love using them.
Get yourself a set of pan watercolors and start painting. As you get used to using these paints, you can upgrade to tube watercolor paints and liquid watercolor paints.
Sari Green is a semi-professional artist and professional writer. She has been hosting paint & sip parties for the past couple of years, and truly enjoys helping other people to create their very own masterpieces. She loves to create, and you never know what she’s going to come up with next!