MY FAVORITE WATERCOLOR SUPPLIES
My Favorite Watercolor Supplies
Are you thinking about starting to paint with watercolors for the very first time? Are you wondering where to start? I know a trip to the art supply store can be exciting but a bit overwhelming. My best advice is to get what you can afford and have fun experimenting.
PAPER
Definitions:
Cold Press: textured and perfect for creating original artwork
Hotpress: Smooth paper and perfect for scanning and creating digital art. The smoothness of this paper makes it easy to digitize.
Canson XL Cold Press Watercolor Paper
This is a 140 pound paper in a pad with an affordable price and great for practice and original. The surface is sturdy and has a slight texture. The 140 lb is ideal for watercolor. The lighter weight papers tend to buckle.
Arches paper is more expensive and professional-grade paper. The texture is fantastic. This paper is 100% cotton paper absorbs the watercolor beautifully.
Fluid Easy Block Watercolor Paper
This is another cold press paper in a block. I especially that it comes in a square format and in a variety of sizes. It is on the moderately priced side.
PAINT
Paints are one of the most expensive tools artists use. Generally, the more costly colors have high-quality pigments and fewer fillers and binders.
The quality is better. That being said, you should buy what you can afford when you are just starting out and add in the more expensive brand when your budget allows.
Paint comes in tubes and pre-made pans sets.
The pan set is convenient, portable, and easy to use. They are great if you are traveling or painting outdoors. The collections have a range of primary colors, both cool and warm, and you can mix every other color from them.
The tubes require a palette, and they are a little more work to set up.
This is a student grade of watercolor. The quality is excellent, and the colors are vibrant and clean. They come in tubes and pan sets. One of the benefit of pans sets his that they can be refilled.
This is fantastic paint with vibrant, clean pigments. These are a little bit more expensive. One tip might be to buy one or two of these in the smallest size to see if you like them before committing to larger quantities.
There are many brands there are also worth a try: Daniel Smith, Sennelier, and Holbein.
Brushes
Of all the supplies, I think it’s worth spending money on is a good quality brush. Brushes come in lots of shapes and sizes.
Round brushes are my favorite type of watercolor brush because they are so versatile. I look for ones that hold plenty of water, have an excellent fine tip, and spring back quickly. I like synthetic brushes because they are generally affordable and durable.
The most expensive brushes are made of sable hair. (They make the brushes from the tails of the animals, so they aren’t killed.) (Pro-tip: the brush sizes are not universal from brand to brand).
This is an affordable student grade brush. They are synthetic and come in a range of sizes and shapes.
Princeton Heritage Series 4050 Brush
This is a synthetic sable brush. Heritage brushes hold lots of water and maintain a beautiful tip. I recommend a size 6 or 8. The smaller the number, the small the size, so something in the middle is a great place to start.
This is a synthetic squirrel hairbrush that holds a ton of water and keeps its shape beautifully. I recommend any round brush sized 6-10 to start. The smaller brush sizes are perfect for detailed work, and the larger brushes are ideal for washes and painting larger shapes.
Other Materials
Two jars of water - one for dirty and one for clean.
Paper towel or rag
I have provided links to the products and I do not receive any compensation from sales.I What are your favorite tools so far?
I hope you find the tools you need to get your watercolor adventures started.