Stepping Into Tube Paints? Start Here

If you've been painting with the half pans that come in most watercolor sets, you might be eyeing tube paints and wondering where to even begin. All those brands and varieties can feel intimidating, and nobody wants to waste money. A student recently asked me how to choose, and it got me thinking about how I'd approach it from scratch today.

In my new video, I walk through five practical tips: start with the colors you already reach for, use dot cards to sample before you commit, pick a warm and cool version of each primary to build a limited palette, assemble your own pan set, and create swatches for reference.

One nice bonus—a single tube refills a pan many times, so tubes can actually save you money down the road.