Paper:
Bee Paper 140lbs Watercolor Paper (low cost)
Fabriano Watercolor Paper ( mid cost)
https://amzn.to/3Xdg6Kv (Amazon)
This is one of the best watercolor papers on the market and I've used this paper plenty of times for turning in commissioned work or gallery work. It is 100% cotton and is a pure pleasure to work with. I specifically recommend this pack because you get a good amount of paper sheets and they are large so that you can work on large pieces or just cut it down to whatever size you need. Trust me when I say that you will not find cheaper 100% cotton paper than Fabriano. If I only had to use this paper for the rest of my life - I would be more than happy to do so, you can't go wrong with it.
Arches Watercolor Paper ( high cost)
https://amzn.to/3XhlRWz ( Amazon)
This is without a doubt the king of professional art quality paper. I used to joke with a close art friend of mine that it must be enchanted by dwarven magic since painting on it is like nothing else. I think for the past 3 or 4 years this is the only thing I've been asking from friends and family for Christmas. One year I got about 10 pads of this paper and they were all gone by the end of July. It's really hard to explain how good this paper is unless you've painted on it. I don't know if it's the texture or the quality of cotton that they use, but something about how it absorbs water and paint at the perfect rate makes it a fantastic painting experience. The only drawback to this paper is that it is pricey. It's definitely worth every penny, but not something that I would use for sketching. I reserve this paper only for finished pieces that I intend to give to people or hand in a gallery. I would not start with this paper if I was a beginner. Partially because it's good to try some cheap paper first so that you can really appreciate the magnitude of the quality once you start painting on Arches.
Brushes:
Any brush works. Even if it says that the brush is for acrylic paint or oil paint. It will work just fine. I’ve even used 70 cent Walmart brushes - and they have worked just fine. If there’s anything that you shouldn’t even think twice about it’s the brush. That being said if you use a high quality watercolor brush - it’s a completely different experience, but it’s only in how it feels to paint with the brush and it won’t really affect the final product. So to start us off:
Basic size 8 Taklon Brush (low cost):
https://www.wonderingwatercolor.com/products/watercolor-brush
I like this one because it’s very affordable and I get it directly from the manufacturer. I sell it on my website and I use it in a lot of my paint along tutorials. It also comes to a very nice point, so that you can do a whole 6 x 9 inch painting without having to switch brushes since it does fine details so easily.
Silver Black Velvet - Size 8 (mid - low cost)
https://amzn.to/3XbJ6Cj (Amazon)
This is one of the best synthetic watercolor brushes out there. It holds a lot of water and it comes to a nice point. The bristles are very soft so it’s perfect for easy blending of colors.
8 piece Sable Brush Set ( mid cost):
Princeton Aqua Elite Brush Pack ( high cost):
https://amzn.to/4cxQ1Kx (Amazon)
The Aqua Elite Brushes are incredibly good at handling all kinds of media. Out of all of the brushes that I’ve painted with I would say that they have a perfect balance between stiffness and softness which makes them easy to use with a lot of different painting techniques. Also they seem to last a very long time. I’ve been abusing my set daily for the past 3 years and it’s still going strong. I highly recommend this set. The only drawback is that it costs a little more.
Princeton Aqua Elite Quill Brush (mid - high cost):
https://amzn.to/3WYdFtQ ( Amazon)
If I had to choose only one brush to use to finish an entire painting - regardless of size - I would pick this one. The brush itself has a very large brush head so that it can hold a ton of water. However it also comes to a very fine point at the tip of the brush. You can make the fine set of marks or really large brush strokes. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever come across a brush that had such a large brush mark range. If you only bought this brush - you would not be disappointed. I’ve been using my brush for over 3 years now and I’ve used it for ink, gouache, and watercolor. I know that you’re not supposed to mix mediums like that, but I’ve done it a lot and it still functions just fine.
Water Brush Pens (low cost):
https://amzn.to/3WSHImV (Amazon)
This type of brush has nylon bristles so it’s not as good as the others because they loose their form quickly and they also don’t hold a lot of water. However they have a build in water reservoir so they’re very useful for travel sketching, and plain air painting. I use them when traveling, but that’s about it. I don’t consider them worthwhile for studio work.
Pantel Fude Extra Fine Brush Pen (mid cost):
https://amzn.to/4dQUedo ( Amazon)
This is not a brush, but an ink brush pen. It has a reservoir of ink that feeds the brush tip so that you can continuously paint with ink without having to dip the brush into ink. These are great for outlines and ink painting. Especially when you’re making a mix media of watercolor and ink paining.Pantel Pocket Brush Pen ( low cost):
https://amzn.to/3ALxYTO (Amazon)
This is similar to the one above, but it’s just more portable. It fits easily into a pants pocket. It comes to a vary nice point. The only thing is that it has a smaller brush head than the Pantel Fude Brush and also a smaller reservoir so you can't use it for as long. But you can buy refills, or a refillable cartridge.Lamy Safari Extra Fine Fountain Pen ( low cost)
I'm adding this pen in the brush section since I use it as often as the brushes. This pen is amazing for doing ink sketches or even finished ink linework. The quality of this pen is amazing. I've used mine for close to 5 years now and I'm still amazed at how well it works. It still feels like new. And it's not even that expansive. The only thing is that you have to buy ink for it, but since it's refillable it ends up being much ore cost effective than just buying new pens. I highly recommend this one if you're doing a lot of watercolor and ink.
Platinum Carbon Ink Bottle ( high cost):
https://amzn.to/3T1OuW9 (Amazon)
In this whole list of supplies I'm only going to add this ink. I think that if you're working with watercolor - this is the only ink that should be used. The reason being is that it's the only ink that I have used ( and I've used a lot ) that is 100% waterproof. What I mean by that is that if you draw or paint something with this ink - within 5 minutes you can start painting over it without worrying of smudging anything. Not only that but the finished look of the ink looks so much better than other inks. This is just me getting extra obsessed about the tools of the trade, but a lot of inks look kind of shiny or plastic-y once done. This one has a very nice natural looking matte finish. And one bottle goes a long way. Usually I buy 2 per year and they last me a little more than 6 months per bottle. Keeping in mind that I paint every single day.
Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens ( high cost):
https://amzn.to/3ZdWF5V (Amazon)
I used to use these a lot before getting a fountain pen and a ink brush pen, and I still know a lot of artists that swear by them. The main thing is that you can get a variety of sizes and the ink in them is waterproof. If you don't want to fuss about with ink brush pens or fountain pens these are a good ready to use option. However they are a little pricey - especially since they don't last long ( depending on how often you paint/draw).
Windsor Newton Watercolor Marker (low cost):
https://amzn.to/3MfegCr ( Amazon)
This is just a really good and fast option if you're doing value studies. There's been plenty of times when I've gone to figure drawing class or just sketching outside or at festivals. There's nothing that I've found that works faster than a pencil, a water-brush pen, and this marker. You can layout sketches and ideas so fast that I consider this a must have in my travel set up. It also lasts for so long! The last one that I bought ( which I'm still using), I got over a year ago. The paint in it is very concentrated so you can do a lot with a little.
Paint:
The following section is going to be on paint. I'm only covering watercolor and gouache ( opaque watercolor ). I understand that every artist has a preference, but if you're not sure where to start - here is my experience and hopefully it can help guide you:
Prang 8 color, semi moist, paint set ( low cost):
https://amzn.to/4czqS2i (Amazon)
This is the best quality for low cost paint set that I've been able to find. You can still get very vibrant colors that spread around easily to achieve nice washes and other watercolor techniques. The only drawback is that the colors are not lightfast. meaning that they will fade within 1 to 2 years. Not significantly, but it will be noticeable.
Windsor Newton Cotman 12 color set ( mid cost)
https://amzn.to/3MdGo9b (Amazon)
This is an excellent, well balanced, watercolor palette. It's not too expansive, and you get a full range of professional quality watercolor paints. And it's already in a nice and portable palette that has little mixing slots as part of the lid. You can easily make sketches, or finished pieces with this set. You can use this exact set for years if you want. Until you're ready to upgrade to a higher quality set.
My Palette (high cost):
A custom set of Daniel Smith Paints ( plus one other):
Quinacridone Purple - https://amzn.to/3XfkJE4 (Amazon)
Hooker's Green - https://amzn.to/4fVw9nG (Amazon)
Phthalo Turquoise - https://amzn.to/4cuPlWd (Amazon)
Cobalt Blue - https://amzn.to/46V07E8 (Amazon)
Phthalo Blue (GS) - https://amzn.to/3TkQQQn (Amazon)
Indian Yellow - https://amzn.to/3SYPzhv (Amazon)
English Red Ochre - https://amzn.to/4cEWy65 (Amazon)
Aussie Red Gold - https://amzn.to/4cByOQi (Amazon)
Ivory Black - https://amzn.to/4dR0EJk (Amazon)
Pyrrol Scarlet - https://amzn.to/3MeGtth (Amazon)
Opera Pink - https://amzn.to/3WQJFQJ (Amazon)
Skin Tone - Old Holland Medium Pink - https://amzn.to/3Au5FJv (Amazon)
So I know that this is a long list, but it actually took me year to build my palette to make it perfect for my needs. Now this palette is very specific to me and the colors that I like to use, but I've had a lot of positive feedback from people - especially other artist friends that I've shared my palette with. The reason being is that often watercolor paint can come out looking kind of dull or muted. And out of all of the different brands of paint that I've tried ( which at this point I think it's all of them), Daniel Smith is by far the most vibrant and pleasant to work with. It's not just that it looks exactly how I want it to look, but also that it spreads very easily and nicely. And the paint is 100% lightfast. If I remember correctly the Daniel Smith company guarantees that the colors will hold their saturation and vibrancy for over 300 years. That may be a little extra, but it's especially nice if you know you have paintings that you've made that you'd like to be passed down to your great-great-grandkids. The only color that is a not Daniel Smith in my palette is the Old Holland Medium Pink skin tone. I added that one in there after trying out about 20 different skin tones. That' because I sketch outside or during events often and I want to be able to paint people quickly. Otherwise I don't mind taking my time mixing up skin tones. But this one works the best out of all the skin tone paints I have tried. You can mix in other colors to make the tone darker or lighter without issues. It's worth noting that this palette setup is expansive and the total of everything will come to a little over $150. But the paints themselves are super dense, and I buy the 15ml tubes. I seem to have to refill my palette only about once a year. And the tubes are good for about 3 refills. So it only ends up costing me about $50 per year, but it is a large up-front cost.
Gouache:
Gouache is still considered watercolor paint. A lot of places actually label it as "opaque" watercolor paint. The advantage to gouache is that you can layer lighter colors on top of darker colors.... somewhat. Most gouache is not lightfast however, and the difference between using a low cost gouache and a high cost gouache is very noticeable. That's why there's only 2 brands that I can recommend:
Himi Jelly Gouache ( low cost):
https://amzn.to/3XbR8uS (Amazon)
This is a perfectly good starter gouache. If you use it you'll get more familiar with how gouache layers and how to handle it. You also get a very large amount for the price. You can probably paint everyday for 6 months with this paint and still have left over. That being said - it is not lightfast. Within a month or two of painting with this paint you'll notice the colors fading. Especially if the paintings are exposed to the sun. Nevertheless it is still an excellent set to use for practice.
Holbein Iridori Summer Set ( high cost):
https://amzn.to/4dAh61c (Amazon)
This is one of those things where you can just tell that you're using a quality product. The colors in this set are so vibrant, and they flow so easily. If you paint with the Jelly Gouache and then with this set - you can immediately appreciate the difference in quality. The colors in this set are all lightfast ( I think the company rates the paint for at least 100 years of lightfastness). And as an added bonus - you can easily achieve the colors of studio Ghibli background illustrations. Part of the reason I started using this set is my research and experimentation to see how studio Ghibli achieved such brilliant colors. The studio uses something called Poster Colors - which is a type of gouache paint, but it is not lightfast and you can only buy it in large quantities. This is the second closest thing. And honestly the more I use it - the more I want to use it. If you have the extra cash and want to try it - you will not be disappointed.
Miscellaneous supplies:
There are some more supplies that can make your painting experience easier, but they are not required. Here's what I often use that may be useful to you:
Porcelain Soap Dish (low cost):
https://amzn.to/3XeGuUi (Amazon)
This is just a simple soap dish that one can use to mix their colors while on the go. You can get one from pretty much any general store that sells house goods. I just like this one because it's a smooth surface with ridges on the ends so that the paint can't just slide over, and it's smooth. A lot of soap dishes have ridges in the middle.
Portable Storage Palette ( mid cost):
https://amzn.to/46WAp1X (Amazon)
This is probably the best palette that I can recommend to people. I like it because it comes with a nice little water bowl that the palette fits into. Also it has a rubber lining on the lid so that when you snap it shut you're not worried about any paint spilling out. It has a very solid body build. And you can also use the lid as a place to mix your paints on the go. One last thing is that it has 16 slots where you can add paint. This to me is as close to a perfect palette as one can get. Highly recommended..... Side note - I've given this palette to art friends at least 5 times and every time my friends were supper happy and loved using it.
Small Portable Pocket Palette ( low cost):
https://amzn.to/3XdjOnp (Amazon)
This one is more of a novelty. But if you obsess about having portable travel sized art tools - you can see how useful this can be. You can forget it in your pocket ( as I have) and easily bring it anywhere for sketching. Also makes a really good gift.
So that's pretty much it. I don't think that I could have been more comprehensive in my coverage of the supplies that I use regularly. Keep in mind that these are just the supplies that I like. I did not go over any of the hundreds of different ones that I had tried and did not like. But if you have any questions at anytime feel free to email me or message me, whatever works. Easiest way to get in contact is just to click "contact" on this website and the email will go straight to me.