Occasionally I get asked about what to buy to get started with watercolor… I love this question, and it’s been almost exactly five years since I bought my first watercolor supplies! In honor of my five year watercolor anniversary next month, here’s what I would buy if I was just getting started today:
- Paint: I would buy small watercolor paint tubes (8 mL) of the Windsor & Newton Cotman brand in the following colors: alizarin crimson, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, sap green, ultramarine blue, phthalo blue, burnt umber, and payne’s gray
- Brushes: I’ve had good luck with Princeton brushes, and this set from Princeton Heritage is a great deal, and would be perfect for getting started– a small round, a larger round, and a flat brush for washes– perfect! And if you’re feeling fancy, I would get this brush set from Etchr. I have it and I use it almost every day.
- Paper: these watercolor blocks from Fluid are so great! The paper is attached at the top and bottom, so the paper doesn’t curl up while you’re painting, and you can peel it off easily once it’s dry. Get the 6″ x 8″ size if you’re painting on the go, and the 9″ x 12″ size if you’re painting at home.
- Palette: I would get the small folding palette box from Blick.
That should do it! Let me know if you try these out, and what you think… I love talking about art supplies!
Katie Broussard 
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