Watercolor pans come in a variety of sizes, shown here are quarter pans. A pan watercolor is a dried block of watercolor paint. To use simply add water, using the brush into the desired color. Mixing colors is easy when using a separate palette. Pans come in a variety of color combinations and even have the option to buy individual colors to create a unique color palette.

Watercolor tubes have a variety of volumes, these are measured in milliliters or ounces. They are liquid within the tubes, but have highly concentrated pigment so they must be diluted with water when being used. A separate palette is needed to use tube paint. Be warned a little goes a long way when using these. Don’t worry about waste, when ready to be used again, the dried paint can always be reconstituted with water. Tubes come both individually and in sets to suit the needs of the artist.

Watercolor pencils are similar to traditional colored pencils, but the ‘lead’ is water-soluble. These are great for kids, those just beginning to paint, or for a specific look of an art piece. Pencils must be sharpened with a hand sharpener because the colored core is very soft and prone to breaking with an electric sharpener. With pencils the color is drawn right on the paper and water is added after the fact. Be careful when coloring, pushing too hard can cause the pencil marks to be visible. Although for some this is a benefit to using pencils if a certain look is desired.