The 10 BEST Winsor & Newton watercolor colors

It’s color time and I’m SO excited to share with you what I believe to be the top 10 Winsor and Newton Colors. These are my favorites and the colors that are not only colors that are best in class among the competition but also iconic colors for Winsor and Newton. So if you’re looking to expand your palette and invest in some amazing new colors, look no further, this video is for you!
Xo
Margot

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SHOP THE VIDEO

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PLACES TO FIND ME

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ABOUT ME

Hi! My name is Margot and I am a professional artist and graphic designer. My parents like to joke that I was born with a paintbrush in hand. I started my career after graduating from the renown Parsons School of Design in New York City and spent over 15 years creating and designing for many of the world's top Fortune 500 brands and companies. My painting journey started as a side project and a creative outlet for me to step away from the computer, go back to my "roots" in fine art and to hone my skills as an illustrator and painter. I started posting some of my work on instagram and the rest is history. My work is inspired by all the things that I am passionate about. Ballet, travel, graphic design, color and finding a world of beauty in all facets of everyday life. I hope you'll join me in this YouTube journey as I take you through all the tips, tricks and trade secrets I've gathered throughout the years. I hope I can teach you some of what I know, help you discover your creative voice and I hope you enjoy this Channel!

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[SwedePotato]

I used to think of Winsor and Newton as boring. But then I realized that maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. They have a good range, it’s everything you need. And they’re reliable. They will ALWAYS mix and go down on paper like you want them to. They will do their job and they’ll be great at it. They won’t be extra special. They’re decently priced- not cheap but not out of reach. The pan of Antwerp Blue that I got 2 years ago will be the exact same as the tube of Antwerp Blue I bought last week. I don’t have to do anything special to them to make them work. There’s no guessing games about what it will look like on paper. They’re clear vibrant and only travel so much. I LOVE Daniel Smith for their expressiveness, massive range, different characteristics, the way they travel in water and on paper will always create something new. Sennelier has outstanding clarity and I can layer them 100 times without overworking a piece. Schmincke is my special one that I only use when I feel fancy and get a bonus at work or a good commission. Holbein for when I want something opaque and punchy with a lot of character in 1 pass. Paul Rubens for sketchbook, travel, plein air and studies. They all have their strengths and uses. I have a beautiful collection that I am so grateful for. My old reliable Winsor and Newton is the foundation of that. It’s what I started with when I got serious- then and White Nights. So I will always think of then fondly. I love their Rose Madder Genuine, Potters Pink, Caput Morton Violet, Perylene Maroon, Antwerp Blue, Brown Madder, Bismuth Yellow, Aqua Green, Turners Yellow, Dioxazine Violet and Cobalt Violet. They’re just staples in my art. They’re always there when I need them. They have convenience colors that I don’t have to mix myself and will stay clear, consistent and true every time. I feel bad that I ever thought of them as basic in a negative way and boring. They’re reliable and they’re beautiful.

[twinkletoes]

I agree with all of her input! Just bought W&N and I love all the colors. I love the transparency and smoothness of all the colors.

[kellyrutherford]

You can't go wrong with Winsor & Newton. Even using the primary colors of Winsor Yellow, Winsor Red, and Winsor Blue will provide the most beautiful mixes. Thank you so much for this video. You are a delightful presenter. I think you sold me on Rose Dore and Venetian Red. I will have to get those this week.

[VickyFlint]

My fave WN colours are Smalt (Dumont’s Blue) a beautiful blue violet granulating paint, Cobalt Green Deep - stunning, Caput Mortuum Violet, Potters Pink, Quin Gold, (the best hue out there IMO), Cobalt Blue Deep, so pretty and granulating, Perylene Maroon, again the best brand for the true blood red colour, Aqua Green - a beautiful teal, I could go on!

[TracyIndy]

My respect for W&N comes from their uniformly smooth, transparent colors. I have yet to see another brand that goes down on paper so effortlessly. Theirs is the benchmark I compare all others to. Having said that, there are many other brands with unique and outstanding paints as well. I would have to say the Rose Dore and Potter's Pink really stand out to me as special W&N paints. Loved your top 10 colors. TFS 😊

[Bunnykisses]

I love their paynes gray compared to the others.

[mald]

I've never liked using orange (or red!) paint until I've got my hands on W&N transparent orange. It's so juicy and smooth and truly transparent that it can pass off as engine red but has this translucency that will allow you to make amazing mixes with any other transparent color. My other favourites are Parelyne Maroon (love it the most over other brands), aqua green, quin violet, cobalt turquoise light, payne's gray and phtalo turqouise. Also WInsor Yellow is a good all round use yellow! I mean i really really really like this brand i guess! For people that do not own the chart though, i would NOT recommend terre verte and cobalt violet - those are very hard to rewet and look like there's very little pigment, but its actually rather the pigments property in those two cases.

[ArtAndAnimalsAlways]

Thank you! It’s a brilliant idea doing the same video with different brands, as it’s so very helpful. Love your colour choices too! ❤

[colleenmcchesney]

Wow your top 10 choices are some very unknown colors to me as a beginner-intermediate artist. I do love you reasons for choosing these. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information with us. Yes please do more Top 10 colors for more brands.

[ceciliasawyer]

I Love this and I really enjoyed your historic examples of these colors in art.

[MrsBarnabas]

Thank you for a comprehensive 'walk-through' of your colour choices. Not only giving us your top ten, but the 'why' and the demonstration of your use of the colours. It must have taken quite some time to put this together and to edit it so seamlessly, and I truly appreciate good workmanship in whatever form it takes.

As for the colours: I have five of the ten - only two in my limited colour everyday palette, which I've used pretty much since I began painting many years ago (Cerulean blue and Indigo). The other three (Sap green, Winsor violet and Winsor blue) being in what I describe as my 'play' palette, made up of free samples I've gathered along the way over the years, but that box gets used for all sorts of fun experiments, and is how indigo found its way into the everyday palette.

I have a Cadmium orange (PR108 + PY35) in the 'play' box, and it's very similar to the Indian yellow (PO62+PY139), so I have been looking at the transparent orange as a possible single pigment, transparent and warmer replacement, so seeing your comments on it has been helpful. Intriguing that so far, W&N haven't given it a pigment code, simply the DPP.

I'm primarily a plein air landscape painter who also loves the joy of mixing her own colours, including the infinity of greens (!) and it helps to keep the weight and volume of my kit at a carry-able level!

[lorijones]

I love W&N's Quin Magenta and Sap Green, but I also can't do without Cobalt Turquoise Light, Opera Rose, Olive Green, Permanent Rose, and Scarlet Lake. In my opinion, no other paint brand does these colors as beautifully. I recently picked up 2 new tubes of Brown Madder as well, since PR206 will soon be gone.

[deeanncross]

I loved this video! I hope this turns into a series. I love WN transparent orange, but was impressed with the orange hue you showcased. I like aqua green and smalt blue as well. That WN yellow deep is luscious and a must buy for me. I love all the colors you mentioned and have not found an Indigo I like better than WN. Thanks!

[emilymaness]

Thank you for your color spotlight on the Winsor and Newton brand. I would love for you to do a series on this subject.

[saracampana]

Oh my god.. I need just a colour to Complete my palette (because I've got only one more space for a single godet) and now I watched this video I don't know what to choose.. 😂😂😂 it's impossible!!! Thank you, I appreciate so much that you share Your knowledge with us 🙏🙏 Ciao Sara from Italy

[susankelly]

Thank you for this Margot love this idea of yours. To make it a series because it's a great help to know what you put them in your top 10 and to see why, and watch you put them at work and explain why you love them so much and also I love it that you say what you can use these for and show us how you use them. I am really impressed with that, and that you mentioned the granulation or lack of it according to which paint to others. It's a great help for a beginner that wants to shop for paints but is confused and not sure where to go. This is a great roadmap for new shoppers and even experienced ones to be able to go confidently into an art shop and know what they need and not come home disgusted with poor quality paints. There is nothing more disheartening and disappointing to go out on a good days shopping and come home with a heap of rubbish when you know you could have done better. It's a long way for me to get to decent art stores here and I can't afford to make mistakes. I'm sure the same for many more people. I have to say though I went and treated myself to a set of Winsor & Newton tubes before Christmas and I love them. The quality is beautiful. Even though its cotman I bought. But still they are great quality and I bought single tubes that were not in the set.. I fell in love with Permanent Rose and got a few large tubes of that because I love the shade of pink and it's not available in the shops nearer to me so I went and bought a few large tubes of it. it is the most beautiful colour dark or light. And is so versatile painting roses and other flowers And Rose Madder. Gorgeous. I have to say the quality even for Cotman is really very impressive. So I can only imagine what the professional is like. I'm dying to try them. I heard Winsor & Newton were well worth the money and are great quality and I'm not disappointed thank God. I came home that day with my haul and am a very happy bunny. But its through artists like you on YouTube I learned that. So I came home very pleased with myself. Even though I saw your video after that said that we should go straight to the professional brand first of the Winsor & Newton and not work our way up to it. Hopefully I will get to try them. But for now I have the Cotman I am happy with them and I'll use them up rather than waste them. At least I know I am happy with the quality and the colours are gorgeous and I'm having fun. So I know now that when I need to go shopping I know the quality of Winsor and Newton and make a beeline for the professional and know I wont be making any mistakes. Thank you though for the advice. I can pick up one or two of the professional paints while still having fun with the cotman whenever I'm shopping again. I love the paintings you had there of the ballerinas in various colours that you tried these colours on. And various other paintings that you used to show for examples on why you used these colours and why you love them so much. I'd love to see more top 10s maybe even top 20s of them and maybe top 10s or even 20s of various brands thrown in that you love and why. But this was certainly very helpful. Maybe top 20s would be too time consuming for now that you are caring for your young baby girl and maybe too time consuming anyway. Maybe top 10s are better. Fair play to you. ALL your videos are very helpful and tutorials are beautiful to watch. You know how much I love your ballerinas. You should make a book of them. I'd certainly buy it. The weather outside here in Ireland is freezing and has been snowing all week, so I'm going to pull out my paints and have some fun while my little dog is snoring her little head off 🐶🤣🤣🤣 Much love and God bless you and your family Susan xxx👍🤗🤗🥰🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏❤❤❤❤🎨

[softlanding]

WN should definitely make this your signature set. I want them all!

[DB]

I LOVE Winsor and Newton. Some other colours to mention are, Winsor Red and Payne’s Grey and my new favourite Perelyne Green. Thank you for doing this video. IMO, WN doesn’t get the respect it deserves.❤

[jtpaar]

I really enjoyed hearing about your top 10 Winsor Newton picks because you provided great info and solid reasons for your choices. I would certainly enjoying hearing your top 10 Daniel Smith picks...or any other brand you've used.

[shug]

♥️🎯🙏🏼Thank you, you’re delightful to listen to and outstanding in your description of beyond gorgeous colors!