Akademie White Box 2025

Most watercolor boxes look alike, so it's always great to see a stylish new box from Schmincke. This 2025 special edition is packed in a minimalist white plastic box. Inside the lid, there are two fold-out mixing areas. The paints are held in place by a removable metal insert. Nine colors are included, and there's space for at least nine more colors and a travel brush.

The colors in this set are bright, easily reactivated with water, and capable of very saturated or very pale tones, depending on the dilution. As you would expect from Schmincke, the Akademie watercolor medium is very well-behaved and easy to use. The colors are strongly pigmented and readily mixable. Toxic and expensive pigments have been omitted, but Schmincke's manufacturing quality has not been compromised—which makes this set an excellent value.

The colors included are 224 Cadmium Yellow Hue, 332 Cadmium Red Hue, 336 Magenta, 443 Ultramarine Blue, 448 Cyan, 551 Brilliant Green, 660 Yellow Ochre, 664 Burnt Umber, and 782 Black.

Made in Germany.

About Schmincke Akademie Watercolors:

For its entire 140-year history, the Schmincke brand has meant the finest colors for artists, made to professional standards and used by the most demanding painters. On each package, the blue Schmincke owl holds a banner that reads "I strive for the best" in Latin. So you won't be surprised to hear that the company was hesitant to produce a more affordable watercolor for art students and beginners. It would have to appeal to artists on a budget but still adhere to the basic standards of the historic German color house.

Akademie Aquarell is Schmincke's answer to this challenge, and we recommend it strongly to any watercolorist who isn't ready to invest in a set of Horadam paints. It is the best student-grade watercolor we have ever carried; frankly, it outperforms many paints that call themselves artist grade. The colors are clear and vibrant, and it's easy to make mixed colors that are just as beautiful. A majority of Akademie colors are single-pigment, and the multi-pigment colors are carefully chosen to allow further mixing without muddiness. Intense, high-chroma colors are included alongside rich, organic earth colors, so you can make paintings in any style with Akademie.