A comprehensive guide to choosing the right portable watercolor kit based on features, price points, and user feedback
If you've been scrolling through social media lately, you've probably seen them: gorgeous wooden watercolor boxes being used in coffee shops, train stations, and parks. The portable watercolor trend has exploded, and suddenly everyone seems to be painting on the go.
But here's the problem: Amazon now lists over 200 "portable watercolor kits," prices range from £12 to £120 (that's around MYR64 to MYR640) and the quality varies wildly. How do you know which one is actually worth buying?
This guide breaks down everything you need to know about portable watercolor kits, with a special focus on the viral Tobios Kits and how they compare to alternatives across different price points.
Whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced artist looking for a travel setup, this guide will help you choose the right kit for your needs and budget.
What Makes a Good Portable Watercolor Kit?
Before diving into specific products, let's talk about what separates a great portable kit from a disappointing one.
Based on user reviews, artist feedback, and product specifications, seven key factors determine quality and usability:
Paint Quality and Pigmentation
The paint is the heart of any watercolor kit. Quality watercolors should have rich, vibrant pigmentation that activates smoothly with water. According to user reviews, poor quality paints appear chalky, require excessive layering to achieve depth, and often contain fillers that make colors muddy when mixed.
Artists report that budget kits often require 5-6 layers to achieve the same depth that quality kits achieve in 2 layers.
Brush Quality and Design
Most portable kits include water brushes (brushes with built-in water reservoirs). This is convenient, but quality varies enormously.
Key factors to evaluate: Does the brush hold its point? How much water does the reservoir hold? Is the flow control reliable? Does the brush shed bristles? Can you create both fine details and broad washes?
User feedback consistently shows that budget kit brushes often splay after a few uses, making detailed work impossible. Quality brushes maintain their shape through dozens of painting sessions.
Paper Quality and Texture
Paper makes or breaks your watercolor experience. Good watercolor paper needs appropriate tooth (texture) to hold paint, adequate weight to prevent warping, and enough sizing to allow for lifting and layering.
Artists note that budget kits often include paper that's essentially thick printer paper, which pills, warps, and doesn't hold water properly. Look for paper at minimum 230gsm, with 300gsm being ideal for proper watercolor techniques.
Build Quality and Durability
A portable kit needs to survive being tossed in bags, carried around, and used in various environments. Important considerations include hinge quality, latch security, whether paints stay in their pans, and overall construction.
Customer reviews reveal that some kits look beautiful but fall apart after a few weeks of regular use, while others have modest exteriors but prove surprisingly durable.
Portability and Size
"Portable" means different things to different people. Consider your actual use case: Are you painting on your daily commute? Traveling internationally? Taking it to cafés on weekends?
Think about actual size, weight, whether you need additional supplies, and how well the kit fits in your usual bags.
Color Selection
Most portable kits include 12-36 colors. Evaluate whether the color selection allows for realistic mixing, includes essential colors, and avoids unnecessary duplicates. More colors isn't always better—18 high-quality colors beat 42 mediocre ones.
Value for Money
Price doesn't always indicate quality. Consider the total value: paint quality, included supplies, durability, and whether you'll need to buy additional materials immediately.
The Viral Sensation: Tobios Watercolor Kit
Price: £26
Colors: 24 half-pans
Paper: 20 sheets, 300gsm cold-press
Brushes: 2 water brushes (fine and medium)
Overall Assessment: Strong value for money
Let's address the elephant in the room: yes, Tobios Kits is the viral sensation everyone's talking about. But does it deserve the hype?
Based on extensive user feedback and product specifications, here's what you need to know:
What Makes Tobios Stand Out
Paint Quality: Users consistently report that colors are vibrant with strong pigmentation. Artists have compared Tobios paints favorably against Winsor & Newton Cotman (a respected student-grade brand), noting surprisingly competitive performance.
Thoughtful Color Selection: The 24-color selection includes essential primaries, useful earth tones, and enough variety to mix practically any color you need. Reviews note there aren't useless duplicates or bizarre color choices that plague some cheaper sets.
Better-Than-Expected Brushes: User feedback indicates the included water brushes exceed expectations for this price point. The fine brush maintains a decent point, and the medium brush handles both washes and moderate detail work. Long-term users report the brushes don't shed bristles or lose shape quickly.
Quality Paper: At 300gsm with appropriate sizing, the included paper handles wet-on-wet techniques, layering, and lifting without excessive pilling or warping. While not professional-grade, users confirm it's genuinely usable for learning and practice.
Solid Construction: The wooden box feels substantial, with properly attached brass hinges and a secure magnetic latch. Customer reviews indicate the kit holds up well to regular use and travel.
The included mixing palette provides adequate space, and the built-in water holder (though small) stays secure when closed.
Known Limitations
Small Water Holder: Multiple users note that for painting sessions longer than 15-20 minutes, you'll want an additional water container. This slightly undermines the "completely portable" promise.
Paper Supply: The included 20 sheets won't last long for daily practice. Replacement paper is available but adds to ongoing costs.
Fine Detail Limitations: While decent, the fine brush struggles with very fine detail work according to illustrators. Professional artists recommend supplementing with a quality detail brush.
Size Constraints: The box size limits you to relatively small paintings. If you enjoy larger works, this isn't your solution.
Who Should Consider Tobios
Tobios appears ideal for beginners to intermediate artists who want a genuinely usable portable kit without spending £60+ on professional travel sets. It's well-suited for daily sketching, travel painting, and learning watercolor fundamentals.
It's also frequently mentioned as an excellent gift option, arriving in beautiful packaging with actual usability backing up the presentation.
Who Might Look Elsewhere
Professional artists will likely want more pigment quality and better brushes. Very budget-conscious beginners might find adequate cheaper alternatives. And if you primarily paint at home with space available, a traditional palette offers better long-term value.
Budget Alternative: Arteza Watercolor Field Sketch Box
Price: £15
Colors: 36 half-pans
Paper: 15 sheets, 230gsm
Brushes: 1 water brush
Overall Assessment: Workable for absolute beginners, but limitations appear quickly
The Arteza kit is tempting: more colors, less money. But user reviews reveal complications.
Reported Strengths
The color selection is genuinely extensive at 36 colors. For beginners unsure about color theory, having many pre-mixed options can be helpful.
The price point is accessible for people testing whether watercolor painting will stick as a hobby.
The box is compact and lightweight, making it very portable.
Common Complaints
Paint Quality: Users consistently report colors are less saturated than higher-priced options, requiring more layers to achieve depth. Mixing often produces muddy results due to weaker pigmentation.
Inadequate Paper: At 230gsm, the paper warps significantly when wet and pills if you attempt lifting techniques. Most reviewers recommend replacing it immediately with better paper, which negates some cost savings.
Brush Durability: The single water brush receives mixed reviews, with several users reporting it loses its point after a few weeks of regular use.
Construction Concerns: The plastic hinges feel fragile according to customer feedback, with some users reporting latch failures after a couple months.
The Assessment
Arteza works if you're genuinely unsure whether you'll continue with watercolor and want the absolute minimum investment. However, many users report that the limitations lead to frustration and eventual upgrade to better kits like Tobios. The extra £11 for Tobios may be worthwhile if you have any serious interest.
Premium Option: Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Compact Set
Price: £68
Colors: 16 half-pans
Paper: Not included
Brushes: Not included
Overall Assessment: Professional quality for serious artists
For experienced artists who want professional-quality paint in a portable format, Winsor & Newton has an established reputation.
What Makes It Premium
Exceptional Paint Quality: These are genuine artist-grade watercolors with rich pigmentation, excellent lightfastness ratings, and beautiful granulation properties. Artists report colors mix cleanly and predictably.
Customization Options: You can buy individual pan replacements in hundreds of colors, allowing exact palette customization to your needs.
Built to Last: The metal box is designed for decades of use—simple, functional, and extremely durable.
The Trade-offs
You're paying for paint quality alone. No brushes, no paper, no water holder. You'll need to source these separately, adding to the total investment.
With only 16 colors, you need solid color mixing knowledge. This isn't beginner-friendly.
The higher price point means users report being more precious about using it, which can inhibit creative experimentation.
Who It's For
Serious artists who already have watercolor experience and know they'll use professional-grade materials regularly. If you're painting frequently, exhibiting work, or selling paintings, the investment makes sense according to professional artists.
Mid-Range Option: Viviva Colorsheets
Price: £32
Colors: 16 sheets
Paper: Not included
Brushes: Not included
Overall Assessment: Innovative format for maximum portability
Viviva takes a completely different approach: instead of traditional pans, colors come as thin, activated sheets that you paint directly onto.
The Innovation
The format is genuinely clever. Each color is a thin sheet that activates with water. The entire kit is incredibly thin and light, fitting easily in a pocket notebook.
Users report surprisingly good color quality with strong pigmentation and successful mixing.
It's among the most portable options available by a significant margin.
The Challenges
The format requires adjustment. Artists accustomed to traditional pans report a learning curve.
Colors wear unevenly. Heavy-use colors (blues, yellows) wear out faster than others, and individual color replacement isn't straightforward.
You need to source everything else: brushes, paper, water container, mixing palette.
At £32 with no included supplies, some users question the value compared to complete kits like Tobios.
The Assessment
Viviva appears excellent for experienced artists who already own quality brushes and paper and need maximum portability (backpacking, minimalist travel). For most people, it's an interesting option rather than a primary kit.
Budget Pick with Potential: MeiLiang Portable Watercolor Set
Price: £19
Colors: 42 half-pans
Paper: 12 sheets, 250gsm
Brushes: 2 water brushes
Overall Assessment: Decent quality at a lower price with some compromises
MeiLiang offers an interesting middle ground between ultra-budget and premium options.
Reported Strengths
Reasonable Paint Quality: While not as good as Tobios according to comparisons, colors are reasonably vibrant and mixing produces usable results.
Extensive Colors: With 42 colors, you have many options without needing to mix.
Functional Brushes: They're not premium, but users report they work adequately for practice and learning.
Acceptable Build: The box isn't as nice as Tobios but appears durable enough based on customer reviews.
The Limitations
Marginal Paper: At 250gsm, it's better than the cheapest options but still warps significantly and doesn't handle advanced techniques well according to users. Plan to replace it.
Duplicate Colors: Some users note that among the 42 colors, several are near-duplicates, making the extensive selection less useful than it appears.
Size: The box is noticeably larger than Tobios, reducing portability.
Who Should Consider It
If £26 genuinely stretches your budget but you want something more capable than Arteza, MeiLiang is worth considering. It's also frequently recommended for kids or teens who are serious about learning but where a premium kit isn't yet justified.
What About DIY Custom Kits?
Some artists prefer assembling custom portable kits. Here's what this approach involves:
You can buy empty portable palettes (£8-15) and fill them with professional half-pans of your choice (£3-6 per color). Add a quality travel brush (£10-20) and a small water container (£5-8).
Total investment: £40-60+ depending on choices.
Advantages
Complete customization—choose exactly the colors you want from professional brands.
Replaceable colors mean the kit lasts indefinitely.
Potentially better quality than most complete kits at similar prices.
Disadvantages
Higher upfront cost than Tobios.
Requires knowledge to select appropriate colors.
More time investment to set up.
The Assessment
DIY makes sense for experienced artists who know exactly what they want. For beginners or intermediate artists, the convenience and value of complete kits like Tobios generally makes more sense.
Kits to Approach with Caution
Based on user reviews, some kits consistently disappoint:
Generic Amazon Basics Watercolor Kits (Various Sellers)
These appear under dozens of different brand names but are often the same product with different labels. User reviews consistently report terrible paint quality (muddy, chalky), unusable paper, and brushes that fall apart immediately. Even at £12-15, satisfaction rates are very low.
"Professional 48-Color Set" (Multiple Sellers)
The name promises more than it delivers. Despite "professional" in the title, reviews indicate poor paint quality and extensive color selection with many near-duplicates. The plastic box feels cheap according to customer feedback.
Anything Under £10
Products in the £8-12 range consistently receive poor reviews. Users report paint that's essentially colored chalk, paper that's glorified cardstock, and useless brushes. If you're this budget-constrained, you're better off buying a few tubes of student-grade watercolor and using them in a traditional format.
Recommendations by Situation
Best Overall Value: Tobios Watercolor Kit (£26)
For most people, this appears to be the right choice based on the balance of quality, price, and included supplies. It offers genuinely usable quality at a reasonable price and will serve well for months or years of regular use.
Best Budget Option: MeiLiang Portable Set (£19)
If £26 is too much, MeiLiang offers acceptable quality with some compromises. Budget an extra £8-10 for better paper.
Best for Serious Artists: Winsor & Newton Professional Compact Set (£68)
If you're past the beginner stage and want professional-quality paint in a portable format, this delivers according to professional artists. Budget additional costs for brushes, paper, and accessories.
Best for Maximum Portability: Viviva Colorsheets (£32)
If size and weight are your primary concerns and you already own quality brushes and paper, Viviva's innovative format excels.
Best for Kids/Teens Learning: MeiLiang or Arteza
The lower investment makes sense for younger artists still developing their interest. If they stick with it, upgrade to Tobios later.
Best for Gifts: Tobios Watercolor Kit (£26)
The packaging is beautiful, quality is genuinely good, and the price point feels substantial without being excessive. Recipients report actually using it, which is the best gift outcome.
Essential Supplies Not Included
Even complete kits might need supplementation:
Additional Water Container
Most kits' built-in water holders are too small. A collapsible silicone water cup (£6-8) solves this without adding much bulk.
Paper Refills
When the included paper runs out, Canson XL Watercolor Pad (£8 for 30 sheets, 300gsm) offers excellent value. Cut sheets to size for your kit.
Better Brushes
If you get serious, invest in one quality travel brush for detail work. Princeton Aqua Elite Round 6 (£12) is frequently recommended by artists.
Pencil and Eraser
A mechanical pencil and kneaded eraser for sketching before painting (£4 total) are worth having.
Tips for Getting the Most from Your Kit
Regardless of which kit you choose, these practices help maximize quality and longevity:
Activate Your Paints
When you first get a kit, "activate" each color by adding a drop of water to each pan and letting it absorb. This makes the paints more responsive according to watercolor artists.
Clean Your Brushes
After each session, flush your water brushes thoroughly. Paint residue inside the reservoir creates muddy colors in future sessions.
Manage Your Water
Change your water frequently while painting. Dirty water creates muddy colors no matter how good your paints are.
Protect Your Paper
When carrying your kit, place a sheet of paper or thin cardboard over your paints to prevent moisture transfer to unused paper.
Replace Individual Pans
Most kits allow you to pop out individual pans. When you use up a color, you can often buy professional-grade replacements for £3-6, gradually upgrading your palette.
The Bottom Line
Quality matters more than color quantity. A kit with 18 good colors beats a kit with 42 mediocre ones every time, according to experienced artists.
Paper is often the weakest link. Budget for paper upgrades even with better kits.
Tobios appears to deserve most of its viral success. Based on user feedback and specifications, it offers genuine quality at a fair price—the viral success is backed by actual quality, which isn't always the case.
Your first kit doesn't have to be your forever kit. Start with Tobios or MeiLiang, learn the basics, and upgrade to professional options if you continue with the hobby.
The best portable watercolor kit is ultimately the one you'll actually use. Portability, convenience, and quality all matter, but if a kit makes you excited to paint, that's the one to choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use regular watercolor paints in a portable kit?
Yes, but it requires some patience. You can buy empty portable palettes and fill them with tube paints, letting them dry into pans. This works but requires trial and error.
Q: How long do portable watercolor kits last?
With regular use (several times per week), expect 1-2 years before needing significant paint replacement. Individual colors used heavily (blue, yellow) will need replacement sooner.
Q: Are expensive brushes worth it for portable painting?
Quality matters more than price. A £12 Princeton brush often outperforms many £25 fancy travel brushes. Focus on brush performance (point retention, water control) rather than price.
Q: What's the best paper size for portable painting?
Most portable kits accommodate A6 (postcard size) to A5 paper. This size range balances portability with having enough space to paint comfortably.
Q: Can beginners start with portable kits?
Absolutely. Portable kits are often better for beginners than traditional setups because they're less intimidating, more convenient, and encourage regular practice.
Q: Do I need special paper for watercolor?
Yes. Regular paper pills, warps, and doesn't hold water properly. Look for paper specifically labeled "watercolor paper" at minimum 230gsm weight, preferably 300gsm.
Q: How do I clean stubborn paint stains from mixing palettes?
Soak the palette in warm water for 10-15 minutes, then scrub with an old toothbrush and dish soap. For very stubborn stains, a melamine sponge works wonders.
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