Brushes

I use a pretty simple set of brushes. I do much of my work with a decent-sized, synthetic round brush (#12-16 – note that numbers are not standardized across makers). It’s important that brushes spring back to a point. I use two similar smaller rounds, a large area water brush and a small stiff brush for pulling out pigment. All are mid-quality synthetics. Clearly, more expensive natural brushes have their advantages, however for my style of watercolour, they are not essential.

Papers

I invariably use 140 lb. watercolour paper and I typically carry two qualities: a cheap pad and one of decent quality: Arches when the price is right, however I do a lot of painting on Fabriano paper. I’ve tried most decent quality brands and like them all. Good quality 90-lb paper is OK, however I would always choose a poor quality, 140-lb sheet in preference.

Weight aside, the key is that it’s real watercolour paper. If it does not say “Watercolour” it will not work. Watermedia or mixed media papers are not the same thing at all. The difference is in the cellulose sizing that prevents it from acting like blotting paper, allowing you to lift colour. I use a half-sheet, 22”x 15” or similar and prefer to do small work on large, uncut sheets rather than be constrained by the edges of the paper.

I use cold-pressed, although I like hot-pressed for more graphic work and have had good results with rough and for more expressive abstractions.

I do not stretch the paper first, although that means the paper will move around somewhat. (There’s lot’s of advice on stretching on the web and this site looked comprehensive: https://watercolorpainting.com/stretching-paper-bucking-the-buckle/)

I do press flat when finished, slightly dampened on the back, between a few blank sheets of acid-free paper and 2 plates of glass, weighted with books. Some watercolourists will gently iron their work: I’ve tried it, but it still scares me.

Pigments

The most important paint characteristic, for me, is permanence – the light-fastness, or fade-resistance over time. All reputable paint manufacturers will specify the permanence and I check the tubes for this: If it’s not marked on the tube, it’s not good. I use a variety of paint brands in both Artist and Student quality. In many cases, the difference between the Artist and Student variants is the ratio of pigment to medium – the goop that is carrying the granules of pigment. There are potentially other differences in tone, clarity, opacity and covering power. All of these are factors when painting, however above all else, you do not want your painting to fade over time.

I use a limited palette, favoring pigments that are close to the primaries: red, yellow and blue. Should you be off to the store as you start the course, by all means follow my recommendations in the course description: cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, cadmium red, Alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, burnt Sienna, yellow ochre and Paynes gray.

On a final note, you may see some pigments marked “hue”. This indicates a pigment that’s been formulated to mimic the true “hue” of a traditional pigment – but at lower cost. As such, it is not necessarily inferior, however it may have somewhat different characteristics, depending on application. I often use “hues” and have had no problems.