I am regularly asked what the difference is between the W&N Cotman and the W&N Professional watercolors. This is immediately the difference between student quality and artist quality. Cotman is the semi-student range of W&N but slightly better, and the Professional is the Artist quality.

What is the difference between student and artist quality?
The student version is a range lower than professional quality. With the student version, concessions have been made to make the paint affordable. A brand like W&N will not make a product that they do not fully support. So the student label indicates that it is certainly a good product but not the very best. If you want the best, you pay more for it.

Another difference is that with the Cotman different pigments are mixed to achieve a specific color. With paint you actually prefer it to consist of a pigment. This ensures that your color is as bright as possible.

At Cotman, a few colors are mixed more quickly, which is a more economical way. It is just not as clear as it would be from the Professional.

Furthermore, there is a little more binding agent and cheaper pigments in the Cotman. This can ensure that the paint is slightly more opaque. With the Professional, as much pigment as possible is put into the paint and as little binder as possible.

Why do you choose the Cotman or the Professional?
With W&N Cotman, for example, there is a palette of 45 colors and it is very affordable. The wide range of colors is very useful if you have a little trouble mixing colors. But it is also a super nice palette to start with watercolor painting. The palette also comes with room to blend.

What's nice about the W&N Professional is that you can build your palette yourself by buying individual tubes. This way you have exactly the colors you think you need. You can also simply reuse the paint once it has dried. This is great because you don't waste paint unnecessarily. You also don't lose any quality.

If you want to start or are having trouble mixing, I recommend starting with the Cotman. If you have more experience with watercolor, I recommend the professional.

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Regularly I get questions about what the difference is between the W&N Cotman and the W&N Professional watercolors. This is the difference between student quality and artist quality. Cotman is the semi-student range of W&N, only slightly better, and the Professional is the Artist quality.

What is the difference between student and artist quality?
The student version is a range lower than the professional quality. With the student version, concessions have been made to make the paint more affordable. A brand like W&N won't make a product that they don't fully support. So the student label indicates that it is certainly a good product, but not the very best. If you want the very best, you'll have to pay more for it.

Another difference is that with the Cotman different pigments are mixed to get a certain color. With paint you actually prefer that it consists of just one pigment. This ensures that your color is as bright as possible.

So at Cotman, a few colors are mixed, which is a cheaper way. It's just not as clear as it would be from the Professional.

Furthermore, there is just a little more binder and cheaper pigments in the Cotman. This can ensure that the paint is just a bit more opaque. With the Professional, as much pigment as possible is put into the paint and as little binder as possible.

Why do you choose the Cotman or the Professional?
With W&N Cotman, for example, there is the palette of 45 colors and it is very affordable. The wide range of colors is very useful for when you have a bit of trouble mixing colors. But it is also a super nice palette to start with watercolor paint. The palette also has room to mix your own colors.

What's nice about the W&N Professional is that you can build your palette yourself by buying separate tubes. This way you have the exact colors that you think you need. You can also simply reuse the paint once it has dried. This is super nice because this way you don't waist paint unnecessarily. You also don't lose quality with it.

If you want to start or if you have trouble mixing, I recommend starting with the Cotman. If you have more experience with watercolor, I recommend the professional.