Following is a list of watercolor supplies and equipment I use and recommend for beginning watercolor painting. You help support my website when you purchase your watercolor supplies at discounted prices using my affiliate links below.
Watercolor Paints
I buy and recommend Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor – 14 ml Tube paints. I also use Holbein and Daniel Smith professional watercolors.
- 6 Pure Transparent Watercolors
- 12 Watercolors on the Color Wheel
- Cadmium Lemon or Cadmium-Free Lemon
- Winsor Green (Yellow Shade)
- Viridian
- Manganese Blue Hue
- Winsor Blue (Green Shade)
- Ultramarine Violet
- Permanent Mauve
- Winsor Violet
- Alizarin Crimson or Permanent Alizarin Crimson
- Cadmium Red Deep or Cadmium-Free Red Deep
- Cadmium Scarlet or Cadmium-Free Scarlet
- Cadmium Orange or Cadmium-Free Orange
- Additional Watercolors – I frequently use
Watercolor Brushes
I use Blick Masterstroke Finest Red Sable Brush – Short Handle, Round Size 8 and Size 12.
I store my watercolor brushes in a Canvas Brush Organizer.
Watercolor Palette
I prefer palettes made of material that does not stain. I use old dinner plates or cereal bowls bought at thrift shops, and I also use Butcher Tray Palettes.
Watercolor Paper
For my painting surface, I only use Arches Watercolor Paper in sheet size 22 x 30 inches that I then divide into half-sheets or quarter-sheets. I also like to use Arches Watercolor Blocks to avoid the step of stretching watercolor sheets before painting.
To mount my watercolor paper sheets while painting, I use Gatorfoam Board size 23 x 31 inches, 1/2 inch thick and painter’s tape.
And, to preserve white highlights and details on the watercolor paper, I use Masquepen Art Masking Fluid and Grafix Mask Liquid Frisket.