Key Takeaways
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The number of watercolors in your palette matters less than choosing the right ones for what you actually paint.
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A minimum palette of 6 colors (two reds, two yellows, two blues) in a split primary arrangement lets you mix virtually any hue on the color wheel.
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A standard 12-color palette adds pre-mixed convenience colors that save time and cover nearly any subject with confidence.
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Prioritize pigment quality over pan count, match your palette to your favorite subjects, and start building a swatch chart early to learn how your colors behave together.
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Tobio's 12-Color Watercolor Kit gives beginners a balanced, ready-to-paint palette with quality pigments and a portable setup in one box.
How Many Watercolors Do I Need for a Palette?
Most watercolor artists only need 6 to 12 colors. A 6-color palette should include two reds, two yellows, and two blues (one warm and one cool version of each primary), giving you everything needed to mix a wide range of colors. A 12-color palette builds on that foundation by adding ready-to-use secondary, earth, light, and dark tones, so you spend less time mixing and can tackle everything from landscapes to florals and portraits with greater ease.
Choosing the right number of colors matters because an unbalanced palette can make color mixing more difficult, while too many similar shades often create unnecessary confusion. A thoughtfully selected palette helps you learn color relationships faster, mix more predictable results, and enjoy painting from the very beginning.
Tobio's Kits makes choosing your first palette much easier with a curated 12-color Watercolor Kit that includes Venetian Red, Poppy Bloom, Sunset Orange, Lemon Yellow, Green Gold, Forest Green, Twilight Indigo, Glacier Blue, Electric Rose, Royal Plum, Titanium White, and Ivory Black. Instead of buying individual paints and wondering whether they work well together, you get a balanced selection that's ready to paint straight out of the box.
Tobio's Kits: Everything You Need to Start Painting, In One Box
Complete Starter Kit | Ages 6+ | No Art Experience Needed
Tobio's portable watercolor kit puts everything in one compact box (pans, paper, and a wooden palette) so you can start painting right away, whether you're at home or on the go. No separate shopping, no guesswork. Just open the box and paint.
✓ A truly portable all-in-one kit, not just the wooden palette (unlike cheaper lookalikes)
✓ Pre-sketched Beginner Workbook with 30 guided illustrations, so no drawing required
✓ Curated supplies that work together, designed for beginners without the overwhelm
✓ Great for ages 6+ and thoughtful gift-givers who want to give something meaningful
Creativity should feel welcoming, not overwhelming.
The Minimum Watercolor Palette
A minimum palette of 6 colors is the ideal starting point. The concept is called the split primary palette: two reds, two yellows, and two blues, each pair consisting of one warm and one cool version of that color. This gives you the ability to mix clean, vibrant secondaries and a full range of neutrals without any unnecessary extras cluttering your wells.
With these six colors, you can mix any hue on the color wheel. The reason you use a warm and cool version of each primary is simple: mixing two colors that both lean toward the color you want produces brighter, cleaner results. Mixing colors that lean away from each other produces muddy and dull results, which is one of the most common frustrations beginners run into.
The Standard Watercolor Palette
A 12-color palette is the standard. It includes convenience colors, which are hues that can be mixed from your primaries but take time and practice to get exactly right. Adding them pre-mixed saves time and expands your creative range without overwhelming your setup.
This 12-color arrangement gives you a palette that's genuinely capable of handling almost any subject matter, such as landscapes, portraits, still life, and urban sketching with confidence.
You should have at least 6 colors in your palette, but a 12-color palette is the standard option.
Tips for Choosing Watercolors for Your Palette
1. Choose Colors You'll Really Use
Before adding any color to your palette, ask yourself: what do I actually paint? A warm earthy palette makes perfect sense for someone painting landscapes or architecture. That same palette will frustrate someone whose heart is in botanical painting, where cool greens, soft pinks, and delicate purples do most of the work.
2. Go for a Pre-Curated Watercolor Kit
For most beginners, a pre-curated kit is the smartest starting move. Selecting individual tubes or pans requires color theory knowledge that most people are still developing when they start out. A well-designed kit makes choosing colors much easier by giving you a balanced, tested selection of colors that work together harmoniously right out of the box.
Look for kits that offer a split primary selection or at least a balanced range across warm and cool tones. Tobio's 12-Color Watercolor Kit is built exactly this way, giving beginners a cohesive palette that encourages color mixing and creative exploration without the confusion of incompatible hues.
Here are the 12 colors you can get from the kit:
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Venetian Red
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Poppy Bloom
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Sunset Orange
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Lemon Yellow
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Green Gold
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Forest Green
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Twilight Indigo
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Glacier Blue
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Electric Rose
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Royal Plum
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Titanium White
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Ivory Black
The 12 colors included in Tobio’s Watercolor Kit are enough for your next painting project.
3. Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
A set of 6 premium paints will outperform a set of 24 flimsy paints every single time. Higher-quality watercolors also contain more pigment and less filler, which means richer color, better transparency, and more predictable behavior on paper.
4. Learn to Mix Colors
Color mixing is the single most valuable skill a watercolor beginner can develop, and your palette is your classroom. Start by mixing each of your primaries together in different ratios and recording the results in a simple swatch chart. You'll quickly learn which combinations produce clean, vibrant secondary colors and which combinations dull each other out.
Ready to Start Painting with Tobio's 12-Color Watercolor Kit?
Tobio’s Watercolor Kit comes with 12 full colors to help you get started.
A split primary palette of 6 colors is all you need to start, and a well-chosen set of 12 covers nearly any subject you want to paint. Pick quality over quantity, learn to mix early, and let your palette grow with your skills rather than ahead of them.
We built our 12-Color Watercolor Kit around these same principles: a balanced selection, quality student-grade pigments, and a portable setup that keeps everything in one box. No extra shopping or mismatched supplies, just a thoughtfully curated palette that's ready to use the moment you open the box. Check out Tobio's Watercolor Kit today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the basic colors for a watercolor palette?
The basic colors for a watercolor palette are warm and cool versions of each primary color: red, yellow, and blue. This gives you six foundational colors (two reds, two yellows, two blues) from which you can mix a surprisingly wide range of hues.
What colors should you put in a watercolor palette?
Your palette should reflect what you paint most. Start with the split primary palette for maximum flexibility, then add convenience colors as your skills grow. Avoid filling wells with colors that duplicate each other or that you rarely reach for.
What watercolor colors go well together?
Colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel (called complementary pairs) create the strongest visual contrast when placed side by side, such as ultramarine blue with burnt sienna or cadmium yellow with purple.
Analogous colors, which sit next to each other on the wheel (like yellow ochre, raw sienna, and burnt umber), blend smoothly and give paintings a naturally unified feel. Starting with one warm and one cool version of each primary gives you the flexibility to mix both vibrant combinations and subtle, muted tones.
What is the best way to mix watercolors?
Always mix the watercolors on your palette, not directly on the paper. Start with the lighter color and gradually add the darker one, since dark pigments are much more powerful and can quickly overpower a mix. Use enough water to keep the consistency fluid, and mix more paint than you think you need.
How many colors are included in Tobio's Watercolor Kit?
Tobio's Watercolor Kit includes 12 carefully selected colors to give beginners a complete and balanced palette right from the start. Check out the full kit and start your watercolor journey at Tobio’s Kits.
*Disclaimer: Tobio's Kits watercolor supplies are designed for ages 6 and above. As with all art materials, paints are not food-safe and should be kept away from the mouth. Best suited for beginner to intermediate painters. Visit Tobio's Kits to explore our full range of art kits and find the right set for you.