Which Tobio's Kit Should You Buy? Every Kit, Bundle & Add-On Compared
What You'll Need
- Be honest about whether you will paint at a table or out of the house
- Decide if you want prompts (a workbook) or a blank page (the sketchbook)
- Decide if you want lessons (the Academy) or just supplies
- Set a budget: $36 covers the whole first month
Tobio's Kits sells one core product, the Tobio's Watercolor Kit ($36), and everything else in the shop is either an add-on to it, a bundle built around it, or a different craft in the same spirit. The Watercolor Kit is a pocket-sized box with twelve student-grade watercolor tubes, a walnut palette, a refillable water brush, a 60-page cotton sketchbook, a clip, a wristband and a video guide. The Beginners Workbook ($12.99) adds 30 pre-sketched pages so you never face a blank page. The 50 Watercolor Paint Set ($34) is a tin of 50 colors for people who want range. The bundles ($47 to $49.99) combine the kit with a workbook, extra paints, a pouch or 30 days of the Painting Academy. Embroidery kits ($27) and paint-by-numbers kits ($19.60 to $28) are for people who want to make something with their hands but not with watercolor. Below I go through each one, what is in the box, what it costs and who should skip it, because the right kit for you is usually the cheapest one that fits how you will use it.
I get asked this question in our inbox more than any other, usually phrased as "I want to start, which one?" Full disclosure, I make all of these, so I am not neutral, but I would rather you buy the right $36 box than the wrong $49 one and never open it.
Key takeaways
- Never painted: the Watercolor Kit plus the Beginners Workbook. Under $50.
- Want lessons, not just supplies: the Mini Kit + 30 Days To Your Masterpiece Challenge.
- Already paint: the 50-color tin or the Artist Brush Set, not a kit.
- Gift for someone you cannot ask: the Creative Awakening Bundle in its keepsake box.
Tobio's Watercolor Kit, $36: the one most people should buy
The Watercolor Kit is the box the company is built on. Inside: a pocket-sized walnut palette with 12 wells that closes with magnets, 12 tubes of student-grade watercolor (8 ml each) that you squeeze into the wells once and rewet like pans, a refillable water brush, a 60-page 300 gsm cotton sketchbook that clips to the palette, a metal clip, an absorbent wristband for wiping the brush, and a digital guide with video tutorials. One kit is $36; two are $72; the buy-three-get-one-free bundle is $108 for gifts. It has a 4.75 rating from more than 7,300 reviews, and the thing people mention most is that it fits in a coat pocket.
Who it is for
Anyone who has not painted since school, anyone who wants to paint on trains, in cafes and on holiday, and anyone buying a first kit for a teenager or a parent. When the paint runs out, 12 refills are $10.99.
Who should skip it
People who already own paints and brushes and want a bigger palette or artist-grade pigment. For them the 50-color tin or a brush set is the better $30. If you want to read the critical reviews first, I quoted them in the best paints for beginners and the full kit review.
The Beginners Workbook, $12.99: 30 pre-sketched pages so you never face a blank page
The Beginners Workbook is a 60-page book on watercolor paper with 30 pre-sketched illustrations to paint over and 30 blank pages for your own. Each sketch takes 10 to 20 minutes, and the drawing is done for you, so the only skill you practice is the one that matters first: putting water and color on paper. It is $12.99 on its own and included in most bundles. There are seasonal editions too (Cozy Autumn, Winter Wonderland, New Year New Me, Cupid's Brush), each $12.99, with the same format and different sketches.
Who it is for
People who freeze at a blank page. That was me. If you are not sure whether you want a workbook or a sketchbook, this post settles it, and this one shows how to use one.
The 50 Watercolor Paint Set, $34: for people who want range
The 50 Watercolor Paint Set is a stand-alone tin with 50 artist-grade colors, a brush, a water brush, three small mixing trays and a sponge. The paint is a step up from the student-grade tubes in the kit, with more pigment per stroke. It is $34, rated 4.8 from 46 reviews, and it is the product people buy second, once they have painted through the 12 colors in the kit and want the colors they see outside without mixing them. One reviewer, who had not painted in 50 years, wrote that she has painted something every day since it arrived.
Who should skip it
Total beginners. Fifty colors is a drawer you open twice in the first month, and mixing is the skill you should be learning. Start with twelve.
Mini Kit + 30 Days To Your Masterpiece Challenge, $49.99: supplies plus lessons
The 30 Days To Your Masterpiece bundle is the Watercolor Kit, the Beginners Workbook and a white travel pouch, plus 30 days of access to Tobio's Painting Academy: more than 20 short video lessons, guided exercises, downloadable guides, weekly challenges, live coaching from our team and a community. Access starts right after checkout, so you can do day one while the box is in the post. It is $49.99, which is $14 more than the kit alone for the workbook, the pouch and the month of lessons.
Who it is for
Someone who wants to be told what to do each day for a month. If you already have the kit, the Painting Academy on its own is $6.99 a month after a 14-day free trial.
The bundles, $47 to $49: kit plus workbook plus extras, in a gift box
Each bundle is the Watercolor Kit with a workbook and a few add-ons in a keepsake box, priced so the extras cost less than buying them separately.
- Creative Awakening Bundle, $47: the kit, the Beginners Workbook, an extra blank sketchbook, the travel pouch and the keepsake box. The all-season gift.
- Winter Wonderland Bundle, $49: the kit, the Winter Edition workbook, 12 Christmas paints and 12 classic paints.
- New Year, New Me Bundle, $49: the kit, the New Year workbook, 12 pastel paints and 12 classic paints.
- Love in Color Bundle, $49: the kit, the Valentine's workbook, 12 pastel paints and 12 classic paints.
Who it is for
Gift buyers. The box does the wrapping and the workbook means the person can paint on the day. If you are buying for yourself, the kit plus one workbook is $49 too and you choose the workbook.
The add-ons: refills, brushes, sketchbooks and the small stuff
- 12 Extra Paint Refills, $10.99: the same 12 colors as the kit, in tubes. Rated 4.9 from 53 reviews.
- 12 Pastel Watercolor Refills, $10.99: a softer palette for florals and skies. Rated 4.8 from 69 reviews.
- 4 Extra Water Brushes, $6.99: four sizes and tip shapes. Rated 4.8 from 320 reviews.
- Artist Brush Set (12 pcs), $21.99: twelve synthetic brushes for table painting, compared in the brushes guide.
- Extra Sketchbook, $7.99 for 60 pages; Travel Pouch, $7.99; a fineliner, $3.99; a viewfinder, $6.99.
None of these are needed on day one. Buy them when something runs out.
Embroidery kits, $27: the same idea, with a needle
Each embroidery kit is a hoop, linen with the design printed on it, full skeins of thread in every color, needles and a needle threader, with video instructions. There are ten designs, from "My First Embroidery Kit" to Tobio the Cat, each $27. Nothing to draw, nothing to buy on the side.
Who it is for
People who want a slow evening craft but do not want to paint, and anyone who has finished the watercolor kit and wants a different hobby from the same shop.
Paint by numbers, $19.60 to $28: painting with the decisions made for you
The paint-by-numbers kits are a framed, pre-printed numbered canvas, sealed pots of water-based acrylic (replaced free if one runs out), four brushes and a printed color guide. They are acrylic, not watercolor, and the canvas has a hanger on the back so the finished painting goes straight on the wall. Three designs, $19.60 to $28.
Who it is for
Someone who wants a finished picture on the wall more than a skill. If you want the skill, the watercolor kit teaches it; paint by numbers does not.
What customers say
Real reviews from our product pages, quoted as written, with the reviewer's name as it appears on the site.
What people like
- Gloria M., kit: "I bought 3 and gifted them to my daughters and to myself. I can be creative anywhere I go. Great quality and portability."
- Carmel H., 50-color tin: "The colours are so pigmented and easy to use."
- Tracey T., refills: "I am a beginner and love the books especially the autumn one."
- Diana M., pastel refills: "I loved that the pastel color palette worked well getting shadows and not too washed out."
Good to know before you buy
The kit is pocket-sized on purpose and the sketchbook is roughly postcard size, so if you want to paint A4, buy the 50-color tin and a bigger pad instead. The 12 kit colors are student grade; the artist-grade upgrade is the 50-color tin, and the paint options are compared in the best paints for beginners.
So which Tobio's kit should you buy?
- Never painted, want to start this week: Watercolor Kit + Beginners Workbook, $48.99.
- Want a month of daily lessons: Mini Kit + 30 Days Challenge, $49.99.
- Gift, level unknown: Creative Awakening Bundle, $47.
- Already paint: 50 Watercolor Paint Set ($34) or Artist Brush Set ($21.99).
- Kit owner, paint ran out: 12 refills, $10.99.
- Do not want to paint at all: an embroidery kit ($27) or paint by numbers ($19.60 to $28).
Questions people ask before buying a Tobio's kit
What is the difference between the Tobio's mini watercolor kit and the watercolor kit?
Nothing. "Mini watercolor kit", "mini watercolor set" and "travel watercolor set" are all names people use for the same $36 Watercolor Kit. There is one kit; the bundles add a workbook and extras around it.
Is Tobio's legit?
Yes. Tobio's Kits is a real company with more than 7,300 reviews on the kit, a 60-day money-back guarantee and a support team you can email. I wrote a longer answer because people ask, and I would rather you check than wonder.
Is there a Tobio's discount code?
Current offers are listed on the discount codes page, and the buy-three-get-one-free option on the kit page is the biggest saving if you are buying gifts.
What age is Tobio's for?
Six and up. The paints are not food-safe, so they are not for toddlers. Most of our customers are adults who have not painted since school.
Is Tobio's sold on Amazon?
Our own site is the place to buy it, with the guarantee and the refills. Here is the full answer on marketplaces and lookalikes.
Do I need the workbook as well as the kit?
No, but most beginners are glad they bought it. The kit's sketchbook is blank; the workbook gives you 30 sketches to paint over. If a blank page does not scare you, skip it.
What is Tobio's Painting Academy?
A video course and community with more than 20 short lessons, guided exercises, downloadable guides, weekly challenges and live coaching. It comes free for 30 days with the 30 Days Challenge bundle, or on its own for $6.99 a month after a 14-day free trial.
Can I get a refund if I do not like the kit?
Yes, within 60 days of purchase. Email support and they will sort it out.
When in doubt, the $36 kit
Most people who write to us asking which kit to buy should buy the Watercolor Kit and the Beginners Workbook, and nothing else, for under $50. Everything on this page exists because people asked for more after that first box, not before it.
If you are buying a gift and do not know the person's level, the Creative Awakening Bundle in its keepsake box is the safe choice. If you know they already paint, skip the kits and buy the 50-color tin or the brush set.
Mel, FounderLike these guides? Set Tobio's as a preferred source on Google and our pages will show up first when you search for watercolor questions.
Keep reading
The one most people should start with
Twelve paints, a walnut palette, a water brush and a 60-page cotton sketchbook in one pocket-sized box, with a video guide. $36, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- 12 colors chosen to mix
- 60-page 300 gsm cotton sketchbook
- Refillable water brush, no cup needed
- Video guide included
4.75/5 from 7,300+ reviews
