Van Gogh Pocket Box watercolour set review

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Back when I first started thinking I’d learn to paint watercolours, I picked up the Van Gogh Pocket Box watercolour set with 12 half pans. I’ve used it a fair amount over the years, switching back and forth between it and other sets I own or have built myself.

Watch my review of the Van Gogh Pocket Box watercolour set on my YouTube channel.

Things to know about the Van Gogh Pocket Box watercolour set

They are student grade paints. They do not seem to have as much pigment as artist-grade, but are a decent entry point.
It’s a great value. The price is fairly inexpensive while still having many of the qualities associated with artist-quality paints.
Comes with 12 paint colours, including two yellows, two reds, two blues, two greens, two neutral browns, one grey and one white. I don’t think the white is particularly useful colour, but the rest let you mix nearly every colour out there.
It has plenty of mixing space. It includes a tray with 6 mixing areas, which you can pop out, giving you an entire second space to mix colours.
It’s called a pocket box, and it’s pretty small and portable. I could probably fit it an average jacket pocket.

Drawbacks of this watercolour set

I only have two main negatives, and neither are that major.

The paints aren’t as pigmented as artist-quality paints. The difference isn’t dramatic, so if you’re just starting out or budget is an issue, I’d definitely suggest using this watercolour set.
It comes with a brush, however, it’s not a great quality brush. When I store the brush properly, the hairs keep bending back, which is unfortunate. I’d bring another brush instead of using the one that comes in the set.