Art Supply Recommendations
Watercolor paints: I recommend creating your palette with tubes of water color paints. You can refill your palette as needed as well as mix custom colors. If you would like to use a palette that already has “cakes” of watercolor included, that works just fine. You can upgrade this style of palette, by replacing colors, as you advance as well.
As far as which brand to choose, see recommendations or start with Reeves (or another student set like Grumbacher, Winsor Newton, or Van Gogh) if you don’t have any paints.
If you already have paints, bring what you have plus the color Sepia.
You can also use the watercolor in small pans, cakes, or in tubes.
Watercolor brushes: I recommend starting with: 1.5” flat, ½ flat, #10 round, #6 round, and #4 round. Otherwise, bring what you have.
Palette: it needs to have plenty of wells for colors as well as a large area for mixing. Please do not buy the small round palettes. A palette specifically for watercolor is ideal.
Watercolor paper: 140lb cold press. I prefer Arches brand, but Canson or Strathmore will be a good start.
Board: Gator board is my favorite. It is resin coated foam core and very durable. If you get the half inch thick kind, you can staple the paper down. Large pieces can be cut to different sizes with a sharp blade.
You can also get regular foam core and cover it with contact paper to protect it from water. You will need to use tape to secure the paper to the board this way. This doesn’t lend itself well to very wet work, though. As soon as you feel comfortable, upgrade to Gator board.
Here are the colors in my palette if you would like to know:
· Winsor Red or Naphthol Red
· Orange
· Vermillion-a red orange- I use this color frequently
· Lemon Yellow- (cool yellow)
· Cadmium Yellow Medium- (warm yellow) - this has heavy metals in it. (Please do not touch if you are pregnant!)
· Yellow-Green- a spring green
· Sap Green- a nice medium green
· Hooker’s Green- darker green
· Phthalo Blue- intense blue leaning on the green side, similar to Cerulean Blue
· Ultramarine Blue- leans on the purple side of blue- mix this with Sepia for a gorgeous gray
· Prussian Blue- a lovely “Midnight Blue” mix with Sepia for a “smokey” blue neutral
· Violet
· Thio Violet- a very warm violet
· Yellow Ochre- sometimes called Yellow Oxide-golden brown
· Burnt Sienna- reddish Brown
· Burnt Umber- nice medium dark brown Van Dyke Brown is a similar alternative
· Sepia- brown/black- can go very opaque and is a great black replacement
· Payne’s Gray- ( I actually mix sepia and ultramarine blue for my gray color instead of Payne’s Gray) another nice neutral to have- a blueish gray that can be another replacement for black
· Permanent Rose- Fuchsia, magenta, hot pink, sometime called “Rose Madder”
Watercolor Class supply lists:
Amazon Watercolor Recommended List
Amazon Additional Suggestions List
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