Winsor & Newton Designers' Gouache Introductory 10-Tube Paint Set, 14ml Review (2026)

Who this set is built for

This is a ten-tube introductory set of Winsor and Newton Designers' Gouache, aimed at letterers, illustrators and calligraphers who want to write or paint with opaque, flat color rather than the transparent washes typical of watercolor. According to the manufacturer, Designers' Gouache is popular with designers, illustrators and commercial artists for creating bold, vibrant artworks with a flat, matte finish, which is exactly the quality dip-pen and brush letterers look for when mixing custom ink colors. It suits someone moving beyond black ink who wants to explore colored lettering, envelope addressing or illuminated details, and it works as a lower-cost way into a professional gouache line before committing to the full range of shades Winsor and Newton offers.

What is in the set and how it is made

The set includes 10 tubes at 14ml each, covering Primary Yellow, Permanent Yellow Deep, Spectrum Red, Primary Red, Ultramarine, Primary Blue, Permanent Green Middle, Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black and Zinc White, according to Winsor and Newton's own product listing. That spread gives two versions of yellow, red and blue for mixing warmer or cooler variations, plus a green, an earth tone, and black and white to adjust value and opacity. These ten colors are drawn from Winsor and Newton's larger Designers' Gouache range of 82 total colors, and the manufacturer notes all colors in the line are intermixable, so this set can be extended later with individual tubes rather than needing a whole new set.

Mixing, writing and caring for the paint

For lettering, gouache is typically thinned with a small amount of water and loaded directly onto a dip pen nib or brush, and its opacity means it can sit visibly on top of dark paper in a way transparent ink cannot. Because the tubes are a standard squeeze-tube format, the main care point letterers mention is keeping caps tightly closed between sessions, since gouache can dry out at the tube opening if left loose, wasting paint that then has to be rehydrated or scraped away before the next use. Some pigments in the wider Designers' Gouache range carry a California Proposition 65 label noting trace heavy metal content, so it is worth reading the tube labels and following Winsor and Newton's own safety guidance, especially around ventilation and handwashing after use.

How it compares with other gouache sets

Against the Holbein Artist Gouache Set of 24, which offers well over double the color count in 15ml tubes, this Winsor and Newton set is the more focused, budget-conscious option for someone who wants to learn to mix rather than start with two dozen pre-made shades. Compared with Winsor and Newton's own Designers' Gouache Primary Color 6-Tube Set, this ten-tube introductory set adds black, white, an earth tone and a green on top of the core primaries, giving more room to adjust value and temperature without buying extra tubes right away. Letterers who already know they want a huge range from day one may still prefer the Holbein set, but most beginners get more practical mixing experience from this ten-color spread.

Verdict and who should choose differently

At our score of 8.6 out of 10, this set earns its place as a genuinely useful mixing palette rather than a token starter kit, since ten well-chosen colors plus black and white cover most colored lettering and illustration needs while teaching real color mixing skills. Choose it if you are new to gouache and want room to learn how pigments combine before buying single tubes. Choose the Holbein 24-color set instead if you already know you want a wide ready-made range without mixing every shade yourself, and choose the smaller 6-tube primary set if budget is the main concern and you are comfortable working from primaries alone.

Frequently asked questions