This is a Title 01

Watercolour supplies

A common struggle in starting out with watercolour is knowing which supplies to buy and start out with. Maybe you’ve never painted before, and you don’t want to be spending huge amounts of money – or maybe the materials you’ve got now aren’t producing the results you were hoping for and you want an upgrade.

Either way, I’ve put together a list of the materials I used starting out, and what I use now. I’ve also tried to explain some of the terms and materials commonly found in watercolour.

(All the links to the different supplies are at the end of the article.)

Brushes:

In watercolour, brushes are crucial. A lot of people go and pick up some cheap brushes from their local supermarket, follow a watercolour tutorial, and then become disheartened when it turns out nothing like what they’d hoped – but it’s not their fault! Unfortunately, you can’t paint watercolour with hard and bristly brushes commonly found, like what I’ve pictured below.

It doesn’t have to be expensive at all, though, to get brushes that will produce a much better result. When I first started out, I unwittingly used acrylic brushes – but even so, they lasted me years! I used Monte Marte’s 6 Piece Acrylic Set, which (depending on where you buy them) are only $6 - $10. (I’ve only pictured a few here, I couldn’t find the others!)

The brushes I use now are Princeton’s Synthetic 5 Piece Set, which are around $25 - $30. They made a significant difference, so if you are willing to pay a little extra, I would definitely recommend them.

Paints:

It came as a surprise to me when I found out a few years ago that pretty much every watercolour enthusiast used watercolour tube paints, and not the palettes I was used to seeing. They are more controllable, and you can mix colours which is a definite bonus.

Price wise though, an assorted palette is definitely more affordable, as most professional or higher quality tube paints will sell for around $18 - $40 for one 5ml tube. (To ease the shock, they do last a very long time – you mix a tiny amount with water, not paint it straight on like acrylic!)

Anyway, a great palette to start out with is Koh-I-Noor’s 24 Colour Disk Set. You get heaps of different colours, and it’s small and transportable. Despite the tiny size of each colour, they last a long time, and it’s only around $25.

Same as with the brushes, you’ll get much more value and much better results from these than the cheap, glossy looking palettes in big stores (which often barely work as it is), so it’s definitely worth spending a bit more.

I couldn’t find a link for the palettes I used, but I got them from a local art store after some advice from the owner. They were $16 each, so if you’re wanting something of higher quality, getting some expert advice by going to an art store and asking the workers there is the best way to do it.

About the tube paints I use now, a friend was extremely generous in buying me brushes and some of her tube paints, which is what I’ve been using for the last year and a half or so (otherwise I probably would never have upgraded – she does a lot more research than me!). She gave me just one squirt of each of her paints, and they’ve lasted me all this time and I’m still only around halfway through my most used colours!

(A tip to make tube watercolours last that long: let each colour on your palette dry out fully, then when you need to use it, just wet the edge of one with water. When you’re done, simply let it dry again.)

The brand of tube paints I were given are Winsor & Newton. Some of the colours are Professional grade, which are a lot more expensive, ($20-$40 per 5ml tube, depending on the colour) and the others Cotman, which are much more affordable ($6-$8 per 5ml tube).

Paper:

Watercolour paper feels to me like a whole world of its own that I had no idea about!

About two years ago, I went into an art shop to buy some good quality large sheets, and then realised I had absolutely no idea what I wanted.

The shop assistant was helpful, but assumed I had any knowledge whatsoever about the difference between hot pressed, cold pressed and rough, what gsm I wanted, and which brand I prefer using (I didn’t)!

Something you might see on the front of a watercolour paper pad might be:

300g/m2(140lbs) Cold-Pressed

So you can have a bit more of an idea than me when you buy watercolour paper, I’ll explain quickly:

The gsm, sometimes written g/m2, (grams per square metre) determines the thickness. Watercolour paper is measured by the weight of 500 sheets of paper at Imperial size, so the thicker each piece of paper is, the heavier it will be and the bigger the gsm will be.

In short, the bigger the gsm, the thicker the paper.

A few examples: 190gsm watercolour paper will be quite flimsy and thin, about the same thickness as two normal sheets of paper. 300gsm is a standard thickness, and probably what you’d want to buy for general use. 620gsm is like cardboard (and costs a fortune, too)!

Watercolour paper can also be measured in pounds (lbs) instead of gsm, so if you need you can look up a conversion. Most brands will give you both the gsm and lbs.

Watercolour paper traditionally comes in three surfaces: Hot Pressed (HP), Cold Pressed (CP) and Rough.

Hot-pressed is very smooth, and slippery compared to the other two. Cold-pressed is the most common and versatile, and a good one to start with. Rough paper is exactly as it sounds – it has an uneven and rough (hence the name) texture, which can be a nice effect.

One last thing – good quality watercolour paper is rarely sold in A sizes (A2, A3 etc). It’s annoying, yes! Often you just have to find the closest size to what you want, or buy a bigger size and cut it smaller.

Okay, now I’ve finished rambling, the best paper to start out with is probably 300gsm, Cold-Pressed.

It will generally come in a ‘pad’. Cheap watercolour paper I use is Monte Marte’s 300gsm Cold-Pressed or Rough pad of 12 sheets, for $12-$15.

If you want a higher quality paper, you can go to an art shop (or online, if you know what you want) and buy a few separate sheets, or if you want several, you can buy a pad. Some I’ve tried are Fabriano’s 200gsm Cold-Pressed pad of 12 sheets, for about $17-$20. A higher quality brand, Arches, has a 300gsm pad for around $50.

To start out with, though, you should be able to find reasonable 300gsm, cold-pressed pads for about $10-$16 for 12 sheets (doesn’t sound quite as expensive any more, right?).

Other helpful supplies:

Right, so I’ve finished with the main three things you need for watercolour painting (brushes, paints, paper), but these are some optional materials that I always use and find helpful.

Sketching pencils:

A set of sketching pencils have been a great thing to have, not only for watercolour, but for drawing as well. I first had a Derwent set of 12, for about $30, but I now have a Staedtler Lumograph set (around $35-$40). They both work great, and it’s really helpful to have a range from light to dark. A tip before you buy any set – make sure you look at the graphite range of the pencils. 9H is extremely light, and 9B is extremely dark. I find a range from around 2H to 8B is a good compromise.

Kneadable eraser:

A kneadable eraser is basically just a better version of blu-tack! I found it especially useful to have for watercolour, because after sketching something with a pencil, pressing a kneadable eraser over it can remove layers of graphite at a time, so you can control how light you want it (rather than a regular eraser’s all-or-nothing approach). You can get a set of 2 for around $6-$10.

That’s it for today, I hope this (admittedly long-winded!) article can help you get started, or understand more about buying watercolour materials and supplies.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, or you’re not sure, the best thing you can do is go into an art shop and talk to someone who can help you. Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions about supplies or terms they might be referencing (they may think it’s common knowledge for any artist – it never is!).

It’s much more helpful to know what they’re talking about so you can tell them what you’re looking for, instead of just standing there nodding blankly (I speak from experience here).

Anyway, I hope this helped! Good luck, and as always, enjoy making art!

Links for materials:

(Note – I tried to find the cheapest option for each, and most of these are eBay links for online shopping. They may not be stocked in every art shop or website.)

Brushes:

Monte Marte 6 piece acrylic set: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/234231719240?epid=20012066335&hash=item36894c6548:g:knQAAOSwoVVhZjOn#rwid

(if you want bigger brushes as well, you could also buy these:) https://www.artshedonline.com.au/mont-marte-gallery-series-brush-set-acrylic-6pce/

Princeton 5 piece synthetic set: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/224591907884?epid=1725135932&hash=item344ab88c2c:g:n64AAOSwCoVhLdAP

Paints:

Koh-I-Noor 24 colour watercolour disk set: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/324121667770?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4b772828ba:g:Cy4AAOSwObdf0FXb&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA4ObpEIDwe%2FiqdIH1hnwVsc7UJHSgySAaAYMXqutDqnCernloh7d7r%2BDvKz05hAevUy0Atn6Or4pPyHNye4osRP%2B4Js9W%2BSbPBWTxG%2BX643DmPi0jNhDQ0hKdDn4oApj6YkgYV04c%2BG8u4ZUyDYuZIod1boxRTzZUYJfu7u1c9nIUfRUSZ3aM%2Fb%2B1mzIt0IiBMNWkgPOanVu14vlnRTZR%2FMBr9ftNgqxhrnkGqyG7WPiyKFIqMwGlyxUYGNeYJyeC6AdxBXvhWCcqrjsgCYr3xAn%2BLbJBvP7zEhFtexQxQYJF%7Ctkp%3ABFBMzOWy4flf

Winsor & Newton professional watercolour tubes: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/401346814537?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item5d72226249:g:CwMAAOSw081f~8SC&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA8DpOuwqT1wP1jSgeza93gTz%2BRP4vR34R54SLKgfvpNZ%2Bji92jjkdUh6lgw2qC%2BRlvd4AW%2FKA4RLb%2FDDjm8Q76T96XcJbeRZwcMpJ1Ubc07e0kOD%2FGJM7VuFjSobM6Vdp4ARF%2B4iS8Cc1Zf3TNRftBobhSOG8ojYItln6UO3PcFEnxOSEqu %2BEcm8Ul26zjRQ1JasPwkNMzcUUffIEkd%2F3LloZTQEMpjVSGVMfGhGP9I%2FuIzC610V9FPpRzs3P3XaeSNT2m8gWYyxhru7T%2BfwOoLCuFdQfErs%2FKeAfONVp2XeU6Y01FctVTWtnGyzS6F2vYA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMmoK1uvpf

Winsor & Newton cotman tubes: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/373297085833?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item56ea3d7d89:g:k8AAAOSwtYVgfXvb&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA8FO3udydNizXY4TW7H%2Fe52ZSRSAM6zXEtkBmgF5tPUONok%2BhmRv3tASToBGkmV0lxrV%2BSgGoFgLf3ib0GEwXblc5Q%2BH85Kzra3lCRmQbIaLrxpUVNHbRslUiGrQhe2UW8nIW7DdfKUQy0zlJxxykfAGlm7QNEKhTfnJVC4u0lubC%2FSX88Uwh6K12hnKYqdPYBj0l5BP6oAVlpHL2RvllRT0TTq%2FP0mzzbnNFJKVvQnlcS3HZoJXgXyAzUCplE8lnUOGojal8WGNwhU1p9FtFzG%2Fj8at2qlZYVVMIyQmpB61nAZC85oyaMmSBVqmNDbMQzA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM3qu8uvpf&frcectupt=true

Paper:

Monte Marte 12 sheet pad paper: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/163830086811?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item262508bc9b:g:lK8AAOSwXXxdiX4A&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAAA8DOiWgDOopfoGdZ %2B6f8Tx8Cu5OMarNHUKYLBaVoQFXt1lmA0uX0IenpvxEjkueMmSp7C76qfjO4q%2FkSVgW8upZic%2F7p%2BZ2AI%2BjQhADNUEYPG6ObEkkryAbWjBC4xJHwN3y8iAFVmOCvy2gXwx1g3%2BJBPup1oqeIq1drcIeTjQMAONJ2RFItzbwDewdhE%2BoimAxes8C15r6R9oLqp42w9vLzAmlaRCSVPFvXxCZNqs9QGlV6JrtTc2O%2BC441lYueu0Pm4ofB8HE1ihv0ToXqN8fAW6eOCyFIFrcQMuW8%2Fv9cGinJbCnVpHvH%2F01hz3tRiRw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM2LiOvvpf

Fabriano pad: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/294554975480?hash=item4494d83cf8:g:MUUAAOSwEdxhlF2K&frcectupt=true

Arches pad: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/165147139831?epid=4022245179&hash=item2673895ef7:g:13YAAOSwk3Rexx1h&frcectupt=true