Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Half Pans

Video Series: Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colours

More than any other medium, water colour relies upon the variable characteristics of the pigments used. Winsor & Newton’s Professional Water Colours use only the purest pigments, ensuring a supreme quality, permanence and strength of colour second to none.

Video: Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Demonstration

First introduced in 1832,Winsor & Newton’s Water Colour Half Pans are available in a vast selection of 96 colours, ensuring artists can be certain to find a palette to perfectly fit their requirements.

Colour Chart: Professional Water Colours

What is water colour?

Water colour is produced by the combination of a pigment with a binder, usually Gum Arabic. This is then applied, with water, to a support such as water colour paper. The pigment fixes to the support upon evaporation of the water. Click here for further product information on Winsor & Newton’s water colour range.

Water colours are water-based, so brushes used to apply the water colour paint need only mild soap and water to clean them after use. This video illustrates how simple it is to clean and care for water colour brushes.

Why use half pans?

Water colour paint is available in two different formats, tubes and pan. Half Pans are ideal for creating detailed artwork and for using for field work, due to their quick drying properties.

What is better, tube water colour or half pans?

There is no difference in quality between tube water colour and half pans; the difference is in the application. Designed for ease of travel, half pan colours are perfect to use on the go. Half pans are popular with artists who paint infrequently, as the paints may be left for a long periods of time between uses, without affecting their quality. One of the main features of the tubes is controlled measurement of use, applying as little or as much as required by the artist. Big spaces are more easily covered using tube water colour than when using a half pan.

Which surfaces best support Water Colour?

When choosing a Water Colour surface, it is important to consider the absorbency, colour and stability of the paper. Our range of Water Colour Paper & Pads offers an extensive choice of size and style, to meet artists’ every requirement.

Which brushes are best for Water Colour painting?

Water Colour painting requires the brush to hold large amounts of water and paint. Natural hair brushes, particularly Red Sable brushes, tend to be favoured by artists working with Water Colour. With a middle body able to hold a good reservoir of colour, Sable hair has excellent spring and resilience. The hairs are particularly strong at the brush’s fine tip, allowing the brush to be used both delicately and aggressively. Advancements in the production of synthetic hair have resulted in a rise in popularity of Synthetic Water Colour Brushes, especially if price and durability are an issue.

Which techniques work best with Water Colour?

The following links show some new techniques on how watercolours can be used:

Water Colour Revolution

Techniques For Contemporary Water Colour

Focus On Water Colour Illustration Techniques

Who are Winsor & Newton?

In 1832, William Winsor and Henry Newton introduced the first moist water colours to the world. Today, Winsor and Newton remain the premier choice for artists, offering a wide variety of fine art supplies including: oil, water colour, acrylic and alkyd paints, pastels, artists' brushes, canvases, papers and portfolios.