The Sinours Professional SC01 is a 14 full pan watercolor set that has become one of the most popular starter sets in Sri Lanka. At a price point well below imported brands like Winsor and Newton or Van Gogh, it promises professional-grade pigments in a portable tin palette. But does it deliver?
I have been testing this set for several months across different paper types and painting styles. Here is an honest assessment of what it does well, where it falls short, and who should buy it.
The Sinours SC01 set includes:
The tin is compact enough for travel and sturdy enough for daily studio use. Full pans are larger than half pans, which means you can load a large wash brush without scrubbing.
The pigment load is above average for this price range. Colours are reasonably saturated straight from the pan – not as intense as Daniel Smith or Schmincke, but significantly better than cheap student sets. The warm red and ultramarine blue are standouts, offering strong chroma even in diluted washes.
Most colours in the set lean transparent, which is exactly what you want for watercolor painting. The cadmium substitutes (yellows and reds) are semi-opaque, which is normal across all brands. Transparency matters for glazing and luminous washes – this set handles both adequately.
Do not expect dramatic granulation effects. The pigments are ground fine and settle smoothly. If you want textured washes with visible granulation, you will need specialty professional paints. For most subjects and styles, the smooth behaviour is actually easier to work with.
The pans reactivate well with a wet brush. After sitting dry for weeks, they take about 10-15 seconds of gentle brushing to release pigment. This is on par with most mid-range sets. Professional sets like Schmincke rewet slightly faster, but the difference is minimal in practice.
Mixes are reasonably clean for a set at this price. Warm + cool primaries produce acceptable secondary colours without excessive muddiness. The earth tones mix particularly well – burnt sienna + ultramarine gives a beautiful range of greys.
Where mixing shows limitations: triple mixes (three colours) can turn muddy faster than professional single-pigment paints. If you are doing complex colour mixing, this is where you will feel the difference between student and professional grade.
Flat washes lay down evenly on 300 GSM paper. On lighter paper (200 GSM or below), the paint can look patchy in large areas – but that is a paper issue, not a paint issue. Use proper watercolor paper and the results are good.
14 colours is a generous starter palette. The selection covers the essentials:
The palette covers about 80% of what most watercolorists need. You could add a single tube of a missing colour (like a true cadmium orange or a quinacridone rose) later without replacing the set.
Against the Winsor and Newton Cotman range: Cotman individual tubes give you more control over palette selection and have published pigment data. The Sinours set offers better value as a complete starter package – you get 14 colours in a tin for less than the price of 4-5 Cotman tubes.
Against cheap no-name sets: the Sinours is significantly better. Cheap sets use almost no real pigment and produce washed-out, chalky results. The Sinours actually behaves like watercolor paint.
The Sinours 14 Full Pan Set is the best value starter watercolor set available in Sri Lanka right now. It will not replace a professional palette, and it does not pretend to. What it does is give beginners a genuinely usable set of paints at an accessible price point – paints that behave predictably, mix reasonably cleanly, and produce results that look like real watercolor.
Pair it with 300 GSM paper and a decent synthetic brush, and you have everything you need to start painting seriously. When you are ready to invest more, keep this set for travel and practice.
The branding says “professional,” and the paint quality is above typical student grade. However, without single-pigment formulations and published lightfastness data, it falls in the premium student to entry professional range. Excellent for learning, good enough for casual finished work.
The tin fits 14 full pans snugly. You could replace one or two colours with individual pans from other brands if you want to customize, as long as they are standard full pan size.
Any quality watercolor paper at 200 GSM or above. For the best experience, use 300 GSM cold press – the paints perform noticeably better on heavier, textured paper.
Yes. You can order the Sinours 14 Full Pan Set from Watercolor.lk with islandwide delivery.
Ready to build your complete setup? See our starter kit guide for everything else you need alongside your paints. Or if you are deciding between brands, read our best beginner paints in Sri Lanka comparison.
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