14 Neon Watercolor Tubes

UPDATE 2/8/24 Still LOVING these colors. Perfect for that added pop in paintings. Perfect color therapy for endless gray winter days. I bought quite a few sets of these so I always have them handy. ---------- ORIGINAL REVIEW I have been doing watercolor for a while, but I have honestly been frustrated not having neons, which is one of my favorite palettes to incorporate into paintings. I was not expecting much with these. BOY was I surprised. INTENSITY These are way more intense than I was expecting. They are not as highly concentrated as say M Graham, or Sennelier or other professional paints might be, but they are really good and build up nicely. SHEER These can be used for a wash on watercolor paper. They look really nice. LAYERING I layered them on the edges of my painting that I posted for you. They layer well. LIFTING These paints lift nicely if needed but they do also stay on the paper well like other watercolors without lifting too much. COLORS All but a few of the colors in this set are what I call NEON. There are a couple of what I would call bright, but most of them are neon level intensity and they work well with other paints to set them off. MIXING I have used other paints to mix with these to temper them and also change their appearance. They work out pretty well. I like how they blend. THE BOTTOM LINE I really love these paints. They are rich and true watercolor paints with a good brilliant neon level to them. They are the best of the neon watercolors I have used. MY RATING FIVE STARS. I love these paints so much I bought SEVERAL sets. I use them a lot and am thrilled every time I try another brand which turns out to be disappointing. These are always my go to for watercolors when I want to perk up my paintings.

One of the most interesting characteristics of this set is that several of the Opera colors behave differently than expected. The Opera Blue and Opera Red Light both show visible granulation. The granulation adds texture and makes these more versatile than typical neon paints, especially for artists who enjoy atmospheric or layered effects. There has been some discussion about the Opera Rose and Opera Peach being too similar. After testing them side-by-side, I found there is a meaningful difference: Opera Rose shows more granulation and slightly more texture in washes, while Opera Peach appears smoother and warmer. They are close in hue family, but they are not duplicates in behavior. Across the set, staining strength is relatively low. The paints lift easily compared to many modern watercolor pigments, which makes them forgiving for glazing, soft transitions, and corrections. One behavior to be aware of is bronzing when the pigment load becomes heavy, especially past mastone. This is worth keeping in mind for anyone planning dense applications or layering. Where these paints really shine is as mixing tools. They are excellent for lightening and brightening other watercolors without introducing chalkiness the way white gouache can. Adding a small amount to traditional pigments creates a noticeable boost in luminosity, which makes them surprisingly useful beyond novelty effects. I brought this set to a watercolor class, and the response was immediate. The instructor purchased a set after trying them, and several students bought them as well. They are simply fun to use — bright, playful, and inspiring experimentation — which is sometimes exactly what a painter needs. Overall, these function best as specialty colors — excellent for brightness, accents, mixing luminosity into other pigments, and adding unique texture characteristics that make them more interesting than other watercolor sets.

I got these and dried them into pans to put into a little travel palette. They dried very nicely, absolutely no cracking whatsoever (just like all my other Paul Ruben’s tubes and Meilang tubes I’ve dried into pans). The colors are bright and vibrant on white cellulose 140lb paper. I used only these to paint this loose floral piece. You can mix the colors together to darken things like the green or yellow. They are a little watery right out of the tube, but there was no binder separation which was great. The paints are nice and perfect for sketchbooks despite the lack of lightfastness. I wish the tubes came in a larger 12ml size like other P.R. Tubes do.

Holy guacamole. These are very neon. Just what I wanted. Consistency is good. And it’s affordable too. Unlike other brands that are not so affordable. Looks amazing under black light. The purples and blues don’t glow but that’s normal.

WOWza !!! These paints POP. I dinged a star off because it's mostly oranges and reds. Would have been really nice to get a few other colors but for the price, not bad. Pigments are strong. I will be using these to mix with some reg watercolors to push the vibrancy. Background is from the MeiLiang watercolor set affiliated with P. Rubens.

I absolutely love this set of Paul Reubens neon watercolor tubes! They all glow under a blacklight except for the two blues. These will NOT be lightfast, as they are neon and simply cannot be, so if you're looking to use these in a professional painting, I would recommend you skip these. However, they work great, blend well and will last for a very long time in a watercolor sketchbook. These are not professional grade paints, do not expect them to be so. I went in knowing they were not lightfast, but I also don't sell my art so it wasn't a deal breaker for me. If you are looking to use these in a watercolor book, coloring book, brush lettering or other craft projects, I say go for it! The colors are highly pigmented and I did not have any issues with binder separation. All in all, fantastic craft/student-grade paints with a huge variety of neon colors at a reasonable price. You can also mix them with your other watercolors to brighten them up and make them pop! Very pleased. Will purchase again!

I don’t usually write reviews but I just busted these watercolors open and I have never seen colors like this in my 30+ years of painting in watercolor. I have always looked for the brightest colors possible because I do a lot of whimsical art of children’s rooms. These colors are literally fluorescent and they hold their color after dry. I can’t wait to do some florals with them. They are truly amazing!

I have been wanting flourescent/neon watercolors for years and years, and tried several of the pans that are availavle (the Gansai ones) plus the kids' versions and they were all very gelatenous and sort of more a neon "glaze" than a true watercolor with actual pigment in it that behaved like a watercolor. This set is it! It's beautiful- the colors are insanely vivid and bright, and there is actual pigment particles in it (very, very finely ground) so it behaves like a watercolor and mixes well with other non-neon watercolors. Of course, these colors are not lightfast. But they are BEAUTIFUL. They mix so well with all my other watercolors and the colors I can create from them- beautiful, saturated, almost vibrating plums and corals and all shades of pink and everything in between. Just beautiful. So happy I got this set, and because of the quality of the paints, I ordered two more sets of Paul Rubens Professional (the ones that come with the palettes). I am so excited to put them all together in one big palette and work with them.

Really pretty and bright, I'll update with pictures later.

Great quality and colours

Colores vibrantes y muy intensos que se mezclan muy bien entre sí, permitiendo generar texturas y acabados realmente espectaculares. De las mejores compras que he realizado.

Brilliant colours and absolutely worth the price! I have purchased a second set for a friend as well it’s affordable and so much fun to work with!

Some colors are neon - the yellows, oranges and green but the rest aren’t neon at all pretty much. Quite chalky but will pop in paintings. Shows up ok on black. Reactivates fine. Colours hold well to slight dilution. Overall good value - got it on sale for $29 AUD.