Creative Lifestyle

Essential Watercolor Supplies: Paints, Brushes, Paper

One of the most common questions I get asked is what my essential watercolor supplies are. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to actually write it all down, but here they are!

Who is this list of essential watercolor supplies for?

I think it’s important to first address WHO this list is for.

Check this following list to see if this is you. And if so, my list will be very helpful!

  • You are just starting out with watercolor and not sure where to begin
  • You prefer to paint smaller paintings (maybe on a sketchbook, 11×15″ or smaller)
  • You have limited work space and budget

If you don’t see an item on here (like liquid watercolors, other brush shapes, etc.), don’t worry. I’ll probably have another post on other watercolor supplies I use on a less frequent basis. Or you can check out my overall list of favorite supplies here.

This post includes affiliates links. This means that if you purchase the item using my link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. I will only post products that I have personally used and would recommend. The small commission helps run this page and its activities. Thank you!

PAINTS

For the very beginner, I would recommend a set of 12 colors like this LUKAS Aquarell 1862 Watercolor Set of 12, Half Pans. LUKAS is a German brand and their paints are very creamy and easy to activate with water. They are artist quality at affordable prices!

This set of 12 colors is essential to all of my courses in The Watercolor Garden.

  • Permanent Lemon Yellow (PY155)
  • Cadmium Yellow Light (PY35)
  • Yellow Ochre Light (PY42)
  • Cadmium Red Light (PO20)
  • Magenta (Primary Red) (PR122)
  • Cyan (Primary Blue) (PB15:3)
  • Oxide of Chromium (PG17)
  • Ultramarine Light (PB29)
  • Phthalo Green (PG7)
  • English Red Light (PR101)
  • Raw Umber (PY155, PR176, PBk7)
  • Payne’s Grey (PR176, PB15:1, PBk7)

This single set will last you a long time. I also like the two large mixing areas as well as the six smaller wells. The set is small enough that you can take it with you to paint outdoors, too!

If you’re curious how the LUKAS watercolors swatch, check out this YouTube video!

BRUSHES

I paint loosely so I like to use a wide range of sizes. But in terms of shape, I use mostly the round shape.

For beginners, I recommend the Creative Mark Mimik Synthetic Squirrel Brush Try Me Set of 5. I don’t usually recommend a set like this, but this particular set has three round brushes, a flat brush, and a rigger brush. This variety is a great starter pack.

If you’d rather purchase the brushes individually, I would recommend starting out with a round brush size 2 and a size 6 or 8. I like brushes with a short handle so that you have better control on your grip and movement.

I use the round size 6 or 8 for broader strokes or to paint larger flowers. And I use the size 2 for smaller details like the stamen of a flower, whiskers on a cat, etc.

PAPER

Some will argue that out of all of the essential watercolor supplies, paper is the most important. And… I won’t disagree with that. But you might be on a tight budget, or wanting to do watercolor just as a hobby rather than a career. And that’s okay. So this recommendation is specifically for you. If you’re wanting to take watercolor more seriously or want to do commissioned paintings, then I’d recommend a more expensive paper like Arches.

But if watercolor is more just for you, then I’d recommend the Canson XL Watercolor Paper. I like to buy the larger paper pads that are 11″x15″ and cut down to size.

You want to use watercolor-specific paper. Don’t use mixed media paper unless you are using very little water.

I use primarily cold-pressed watercolor paper. Hot-pressed paper is generally for those are doing more detailed painting and don’t need the paper texture that comes across in cold-pressed paper.

These paper pads are tape-bound on one side. These are different from watercolor paper blocks that are tape bound on all 4 sides. When it’s tape-bound on only one side, you can easily tear off the sheets and cut down to size. I also like to display my paintings in my studio for inspiration. Finally, single sheets are easier to scan so you can digitize your paintings!

All of these supplies you can find at Jerry’s Artarama!

And that’s it!

Feel free to comment about these supplies – and stay tuned for other posts on my other essential and favorite supplies.

Find me on social media @AudreyRaDesign and use the hashtag #PaintWithAudrey if you follow any of my tutorials!