Student vs Professional Grade Watercolour Paint: What Really Matters for Artists Who Sell Their Work

As a professional artist, I’m often asked whether student grade watercolours are “good enough,” or whether professional paints are really worth the extra expense. The short answer is: it depends on how you’re using them but if you intend to sell original artwork, one factor matters more than any other: lightfastness.

Many of the other qualities artists discuss eg. pigment strength, flow, transparency, can be adjusted for with technique and experience. Fading, however, cannot be fixed once a painting leaves your studio.

In this article, I’ll explain the real differences between student and professional grade watercolour paints, when student paints are perfectly acceptable, and why lightfastness should always be the deciding factor for original art.

What’s the Difference Between Student and Professional Grade Watercolour Paint?

The primary differences come down to pigment load, pigment quality, and permanence.

Professional grade paints contain a higher concentration of finely milled pigment with minimal fillers. Student grade paints typically include more extenders or binders, which lower cost but also reduce colour strength and longevity.

That doesn’t automatically make student paints “bad.” It simply means they are designed for learning, experimentation, and high-volume use, not for archival artwork intended to last decades.

Why Lightfastness Is the Most Important Factor

Lightfastness refers to a pigment’s resistance to fading when exposed to light over time. A paint that is non-lightfast is referred to as 'fugitive'. For artists selling original watercolours, this is non-negotiable.

You can compensate for weaker pigment by layering. You can adapt to less transparency with glazing technique. You can even work around less predictable flow. What you cannot compensate for is fugitive pigment.

If a painting fades after a few years on a client’s wall, that’s not just disappointing — it undermines trust in your work as a professional artist.

Professional watercolour paints are formulated with pigments that have been tested for permanence, and reputable brands clearly label lightfastness ratings. Many student grade ranges either use less stable pigments or do not provide reliable permanence data at all.

If you intend to sell original paintings, you should always check the pigment code and lightfastness rating, regardless of the brand.

When Student Grade Watercolour Paint Is Absolutely Fine

Despite this, student grade paints have an important place in an artist’s practice.

They are perfectly suitable for:

• Practice and learning

• Sketchbook work

• Colour studies and experiments

• Illustrations intended for reproduction

• Work that will be sold as prints, not originals

If you’re scanning or photographing your work to sell prints, lightfastness of the original is far less critical. Once digitised, the longevity of the artwork depends on print materials, not the paint itself.

For many artists, student grade paints are an economical way to paint more freely and often, which is invaluable for developing skill.

Aquafine is Daler & Rowney's student grade watercolour range. This set of 48 colours includes one of their Aquafine brushes, which is a decent brush.

Cotman is Winsor & Newton's student grade watercolour range. This set is ideal for beginners and includes a handy travel brush.

Van Gogh is a good choice for budget conscious artists and beginners. Tubes are often more economical and can be added to pans in a paint palette if you already have one.

Professional Paints: Where They Truly Earn Their Price

The real value of professional watercolour paint isn’t that it makes you a better artist overnight. It’s that it offers predictability and permanence.

Professional paints generally provide:

• Reliable lightfastness ratings

• Higher pigment strength

• Cleaner colour mixing

• Better transparency and flow

• Greater consistency between batches

For artists painting animals or portraits, where subtle colour shifts and layered glazes are common, these qualities become noticeable very quickly.

A good compact set with all the essential colours. This tin has space to add extra pans and build up your set as you go.

This is a great set if you're taking the leap to professional quality watercolours and want a good range of colours to experiment with.

Daniel Smith are excellent professional grade paints loved by many artists. This is a good split primary set to get you started with colour theory.

A Practical Compromise Many Artists Use

One sensible approach, especially when budget is a concern, is to mix grades intentionally.

Use student grade paints for:

• Large washes

• Sketchbooks

• Studies

• Non-critical colours

And invest in professional grade versions of:

• Your most-used colours

• Key neutrals (such as Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber)

• Any pigment that appears in finished, sellable work

This allows you to prioritise lightfastness where it matters most without replacing your entire palette at once.

Final Thoughts

If you plan to sell original watercolour paintings, lightfastness should always guide your paint choices. Many other characteristics can be managed through experience and technique, but permanence cannot.

Student grade watercolours are excellent tools for learning, practising, sketching, and producing work intended for reproduction. For originals that will hang on a wall for years, however, professional grade paints offer peace of mind for both you and your clients.

When in doubt, check the pigment code, check the lightfastness rating, and choose accordingly.

Alongside lightfast paints, choosing the right tools matters too. I’ve written in detail about the best watercolour brushes for pet portraits and how they affect fur texture and detail.

Also see my guide on why watercolour paper matters

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend brushes I personally use and trust.