Watercolor Supplies 101

(c) jlowatercolor.2018

Welcome back watercolor peeps! 

This week is all about supplies. Some of the questions I had when I first started painting included:

·         Do I need special paper?

·         Does the type of watercolor paint matter?

·         Does the type of brush hair make a difference?

I will try to cover all of these questions so you can find the supplies that are right for you and get painting! Let’s break it down one at a time…

Paper

Yes, you definitely need paper specific to watercolor painting. It is designed to hold and absorb the paint in a way that regular paper cannot. Just like with all art mediums, there are a million options for what to choose, but I can tell you a decent and inexpensive starter brand is the Strathmore 400 Series. This line is commonly found at art/hobby stores. Because the price is right, you can experiment all you want.

Once you get a bit of confidence in your painting, you may feel ready to step up your paper game. Typically, the higher quality papers are 100% cotton. Two that I really like are the Strathmore 500 Series (moderately priced) and the Arches line (more expensive-at least for me). If you subscribe to more watercolor blogs (gasp!) you will often see people raving about their love for Arches watercolor paper, and with good reason, it is pretty amazing.

Jlowatercolor Supply Tip #1: Paper type, above all else, will make the hugest difference in your paintings. Don’t break the bank (especially when you are just starting), but when you try the higher quality papers… mind blown!

Watercolor Paint

Everyone had those standard Crayola watercolors growing up, right? Shoot… if you got some laying around; try ‘em out! I am not saying the paint brand doesn’t matter (it does!), just not as much as the paper. When I first started experimenting, I was lucky enough to find a bunch of Windsor and Newton Cotman paint tubes on sale. This is their student line and I actually still like it. Now I mostly use the Windsor and Newton Professional line, but also mix in some from Grumbacher Academy because it works decent and is inexpensive. Paint is an area that I have not taken the jump to brands that are more expensive (yet), but if you are interested, I see people rave about the Daniel Smith line.

Jlowatercolor Supply Tip #2: Student paint vs. professional paint. The student lines that some brands carry tend to be less expensive and more transparent… also more forgiving with errors, because it lifts (more on that term later) easily. Professional lines are pricier because they have more pigment packed in for a color punch!

Brushes

I’m sure some painters would disagree with me, but I have found the type of brush to have the least impact on the quality of my artwork. There are so many different options available to you, natural (squirrel) hair, synthetic, and blends. For me, I have a mix of cheap and moderately priced brushes. My favorites are based on shape more than anything else. A good starter pack is this Cotman set.

Jlowatercolor Supply Tip #3: The main difference between brush hairs is how much water they hold and release onto the paper. Pick up some cheapies from your local art supply store and see what works best for you!

I hope this info was helpful; our next step is to explore some basic subject options to get putting paint to paper. Please post any questions or comments below!

Next week's blog: What to Paint?

If you would like to get a jump-start, check out this Pinterest link: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/easy-watercolor-paintings/