My All-Time Favorite Art Supplies
When I first started dipping my toes in watercolor a few years ago, I immediately found myself frustrated and disappointed by the results. My paintings were flat and dull and almost always wound up in the trash. I’m better than this, I’d mumble. What’s the deal?
Watercolor, as it turns out, is a very delicate and permanent art. One stroke of pigment stains the paper forever, leaving very little room for error. Of course, mistakes are inevitable. That’s the serendipitous spirit of art - learning how to pivot and transform a mistake into something lovely. Mastering that skill, however, takes time and a lot of patience, which are two things that beginning watercolorists like I was might not have when first starting out. Through trial and error and years of experience, I’ve come to believe that an arsenal of high-quality supplies is the single thing that can alleviate some of the frustrations that arise when learning how to paint with watercolor. But with so many options out there - from paint to paper to brushes - where does a beginner… begin?
Today I’m sharing my all-time favorite supplies, the real MVPs of my painting business, my can’t-paint-without-them tools that have completely improved my skills. Granted, I still have a long way to go. I’m learning every day. And I certainly haven’t tried every watercolor product on the market. But speaking from experience and thousands of sales, these are my top recommendations:
Paper
When it comes to watercolor paper, you have two different options: cold press and hot press. The difference is simply in the way they’re processed. Cold press paper is made using cold water, which results in a rough, slightly bumpy texture. Hot press is made using — you guessed it — hot water, resulting in a very smooth, even texture. I’ve tried both types and have confidently come to the conclusion that cold press is a much friendlier and forgiving paper. Water tends to dry rather quickly on hot press paper, which makes blending pigment extremely difficult. Cold press, on the other hand, slowly soaks in water and gives the artist plenty of time to manipulate and blend the paint. All in all, though, it really depends on your preference and artist style. Some of my favorite watercolor artists use hot press paper and create stunning works of art.
Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Hull Photography
Personally, cold press is my jam. Here are a few of my favorite brands:
#1 Arches Watercolor Blocks, cold press 140lb
If your’e not familiar with “watercolor blocks,” they’re just stacks of watercolor paper that have been adhered together on all four sides, giving the top page a very taut surface to work on. When you apply water to any kind of paper, it’s going to naturally want to buckle and warp. Blocks help with keeping the paper nice and flat (there’re several alternative methods for keeping your paper flat, but I’ll save that for a separate blog post).
#2 Legion Stonehenge Aqua Watercolor Blocks, cold press 140lb
This brand is slightly less textured than Arches, which is sometimes a good thing, in my opinion. I honestly can’t choose a favorite between the two - they’re both excellent.
#3 Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Blocks, cold press 140lb
I don’t use this brand as often as the other two, but it has been a joy to work with in the past. The color of the paper is very white, unlike Arches which can be a bit duller.
If you’re going to spend money on one thing listed in this post, please let it be paper. High-quality paper is a must!
Paint
#1 Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Tubes
#2 Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor Tubes
These are my two preferred brands, as I’ve found them far superior to any other paints I’ve tried. Again, I haven’t tried all the paints out there, but based on the ones I have painted with, these two render the best results. The colors are very earthy and deep, which I love.
#3 Winsor and Newton Professional Watercolor Tubes
If you ever take a watercolor class in school, you’ll likely be given or assigned to buy a set of Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolor tubes. Cotman is the student-grade level of paints, which are fine if you’re trying to save a little money. But if you’re looking for the best, get the professional-grade. There’s a huge difference in the way the paint interacts with your paper.
Brushes
#1 Princeton Neptune Watercolor Series
These are my holy grail brushes. Although the brush hair is synthetic, it’s meant to mimic squirrel hair and is designed to hold a lot of water. I love the snappiness of these brushes and that the tips of the round brushes are very pointed - great for those fine hairs in my pet portraits! I love the round size 6 and 10 brushes.
#2 Princeton Aqua Elite Series
This series is almost interchangeable with Neptune, but I think these brushes are just slightly more rigid. I use the round 8 brush allllll the time.
Palettes
This palette is large with 20 separate wells, and the top cover can also be used as a palette, so it’s basically like buying two palettes. I just love the size and that it can hold a ton of paint.
#2 Richeson Butcher Tray Palettes
This palette looks like it belongs in your kitchen, but it’s actually perfect for watercolor paint! It’s just a big porcelain enameled tray that comes in a variety of sizes. I especially love how easy it is to clean, which I probably don’t do as often as I should. The messier the palette, the better, if you ask me ;)
I can’t speak from experience on this next one because I don’t actually own anything from her, but I’ve heard AMAZING things about the palettes made by Sylvan Clayworks. She makes beautiful handmade ceramic palettes (and other lovely artist things) that literally sell out in minutes, so I haven’t been able to get my hands on one yet. Maybe one day…
Other
I love this lamp. It’s cute, it has three light settings depending on the weather/time of day, and you can attach your phone to make super seamless videos. I literally use it every day, even when I’m not painting.
So there you have it! If you’ve got questions about anything you see in this post, please send me an email at hello@brokenpaddlestudio.com or reach out on Instagram @brokenpaddlestudio. One of my favorite things about this job is getting the chance to help other artists, so please - ask away!
Cheers,
Shelby