1.) #8 in this About article lists "[the author's] choice for a starter set of six primaries (a warm and cool version of each primary):"
- Cadmium yellow and azo yellow
- Cadmium red and quinacridone red
- Cerulean blue and phthalocyanine blue or Prussian blue.
Six is rather more limited than I'd like, but it's a good start, and points out warm vs. cool aspects.
2.) parkablogs' "Best Watercolor Sets for Beginners" has a more extensive review, but only states financial qualifiers like "if your budget allows," and not the comparative costs.
Artist quality is better (and more expensive) than student quality; student quality has less pigment and more filler, so they're less intense. This is the consensus from several sites. I'm not sure that student quality would actually be a better value if it has less pigment.
Squeeze (cheap) tube paints into pans for easier transport, because they dilute easier.
Pan sets are more convenient to use and transport; squeeze tubes into pans for transport.
Pan colors take longer to rehydrate to make a large mixture, if you're making a larger painting.
There are more details about brands and relative price, as well as the number of colors in each size of set.
I'm hoping for something more along the lines of the best deals on mix and match individual colors? I'm not sure.
3.) art-is-fun's "Watercolor Paint" lists a palette of ten colors. "If you want to buy your tubes separately here is a sample color palette you can use as a guide. There's a combination of transparent and opaque colors and each can be mixed to create different hues. These aren't set in stone as "the best" colors, just a sample range which you'll need to build on."
I've noticed from working with YSPs that some colors seem highly pigmented in the pan, but are not on the paper. I don't know if that has something to do with transparency/opacity, or not. "If you're just starting out, don't worry too much about [the distinction between opaque and transparent]."
"You do need to think about the transparency of the paint when it comes to layering. It's important to plan ahead and layer transparent colors before opaque colors because they won't show up the other way round. You can make opaque colors more transparent by thinning them with water but this can diminish their intensity."
"The test for transparency is simple. Use a permanent marker and draw a wide black line across a piece of paper. Stroke each color over a section of the line and after they're dry you can identify the transparent colors as those which seem to disappear on the line and the opaque as those which are visible or leave behind sediment."
"Staining is also a factor when layering paint. Some non-staining pigments may lift and mix with layers placed on top, thereby muddying the colors and hindering luminosity." To test for staining vs. non-staining, "[m]ost watercolorists like to test their colors beforehand on a separate piece of paper. Just let the paint dry and see how much pigment remains when you scrape or sponge it off," or 'lift' it off.
"It's easier to waste paint from tubes by squeezing out too much, but if you're an artist who uses a lot of paint, you'll need the convenience of tubes." Re-wetting tube paint that has dried on the palette is harder on the brushes. Tube paints contain fewer preservatives, so re-wetting might add mold to the mix.
There're are recommended brands for artists' and student quality tubes and pans, with prices--it looks like student quality costs about half as much.
4.) handprint's "Watercolor Brands" includes links to many reviews done by one author. It will take some time sorting through all the separate pages.
5.) watercolourfanatic's "Watercolour Painting on a Budget" compares lower-priced Cotman Tubed paints and higher-priced W&N Artists quality pans, among a few others, in lengthy text.
"In the Cadmiums many manufacturers offer additional `hue' versions as the toxic and opaque qualities of the true Cadmiums are anaethema to many artists. With blue one of the Phalo Blues or Ultramarine is used with added white to make `hue' equivalents of Cobalt and Cerulean Blue. Viridian is replaced by a `hue' version based on Pthalo Green."
6.) somecallmebeth's "Watercolor Tubes vs Pans -- Which are Better?" lists pros and cons of both formats.
8.) watercolorpainting's "Beginner's Guide: Watercolor Painting Supplies" looks promising, and suggests a 10-color palette.
9.) reddit's r/watercolors has no FAQ or wiki on which to rely.
10.) thepostmansknock's "All About Watercolor Paints" seems to have history and science behind the paints. This will take some time to absorb.
11.) janeblundellart's series on Watercolor Comparisons where she compares various brands and manufacturing lines of the same hue, discusses the variations in re-wetting, amounts of granulation, and slight differences in hues, as well as her resultant favorites. She discusses lightfastness, staining, and use of certain hues in contrast with others, i.e., "I don't often use indigo though it is rather lovely with quinacridone gold." She notes which hues are mixes of other hues, so you can get the basic ones and mix your own. She summarizes with how many hues of each color palettes of varying size might require (she has a palette of 20).
12.) janeblundellart also discusses palette building in other posts.
13.) painting-ideas: scroll down for ingredients and pigment characters in watercolors.
14.) dinannesutherland has a longer, more detailed discussion on pigment ingredients and characteristics.
15.) thepaintedprism's "Basic Color Palette"
16.) thepaintedprism's "10 Things about Greens" (there may be other colors on other posts.
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