watercolor supplies

watercolor supplies

I get asked about what supplies I use ALL the time.  Today I'm sharing my favorite watercolor supplies. 

You'll notice the watercolors I use are in pan sets.  Someone asked me why I don't use tubed watercolors. 

2 reasons. 

I am a poor college student, and I like that all the paints come in a case and are ready to go any second.  I like to take my paints with me on vacations, so it makes taking them with me easy. 

For Beginners:

1.  Artist's Loft Fundamentals Watercolor Pan Set - These are great for beginners or if you're not quite ready to invest in watercolors.  You get what you pay for; these dry with kind of a chalky look, but I love this set because of all the colors that come in it.  I bought mine in early 2014 and already need to replace them.
2.  Artist's Loft Necessities Natural Hair Brushes - There are a ton of sets you can buy at any craft store.  Just make sure you read the label and get watercolor brushes!  This is an inexpensive way to get a variety of sizes and shapes, too!

Intermediate/Advanced:

3.  Winsor & Newton® Cotman® Watercolor Compact Set - I love this set.  It's compact and can fit in my purse.  The quality is awesome, but it doesn't have as many colors so you have to get good at mixing ;)  I bought this set 5 or so years ago and it's still going strong.  Definitely worth the investment.
4.  Yarka Professional 24 Color Set - I just recently bought these for myself and LOVE them so far.  The colors are rich and the paints are very creamy for being a pan set!  I read lots of reviews before I purchased these and everyone loved how long they last.  Someone had purchased these in the 90's and said she was still using the same set!  Sweet!!
5.  Winsor & Newton® Cotman® Round Brushes - My favorite brushes of all time are the Winsor & Newton Round Brushes in a 4 and 6.  I rarely use anything else.  I love how versatile the shape is, and the size is perfect for me.



 Paper:

For Beginners:
 Artist's Loft Fundamentals Watercolor Pad

Intermediate/Advanced:
Canson Watercolor Pad
Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

I hope this helped!  Let me know if you have any other questions as I just covered the very basics!  Happy painting! xo