Below is a list of materials and brands I recommend for my watercolor class. Do your best to look for deals on better quality supplies, and try to resist inexpensive but cheap quality materials.
I recommend 140 lb. cold press Arches watercolor paper.
Jerry’s Artarama has 10″ x 14″ Arches 140# cold press pads for $15. I cannot make promises regarding their shipping time, but their prices are always very good.
If you don’t want to shop online, you can purchase materials on the Flax Oakland website and place a request to pick up product at the door, no need to go inside. I have gone inside this business by appointment during Covid and it is a large, open store with few customers. I felt much safer than at the average grocery store. Blick on 10th St. near Gilman in Berkeley is also open to customers.
The best deal for the best paper $7 for a full sheet of Natural White Arches 140# cold press paper. These sheets are huge, 22″ x 30″, and you will need to cut them down to your preferred size.
If you really want a spiral bound notebook, I suggest the Field Watercolor Journal, although the paper is not as good quality as Arches.
If you want to try a Block, I suggest the Fluid Watercolor Paper Block, which has the same paper at the journal above.
Other tools you need include:
- Size #10 round watercolor brush ($5-$15) If #10 is not available, you can go up or down a size. Princeton is a good, reasonably priced brand. Watercolor brushes have short handles and soft bristles that come to a point when wet. Synthetic brushes are springy, and animal hair brushes (real or imitation) are softer, more expensive and hold a ton of paint. Both are fine to paint with. Really cheap brushes shed hairs and don’t come to a fine point. I will demonstrate other brushes in class and you can decide if you they are worth purchasing.
- Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Paint Sketchers’ Pocket Box- 12 colors ($17-30) This set is a quick way to get a range of colors at an affordable price. Van Gogh is also pretty good and inexpensive, as well as White Knights. Do NOT buy Pentel, Angora, Arteza, Koi, Sargent brand paints or any set labeled for kids or hobbists. There are a ton of very poor quality paint brands and they don’t perform well.
Additional tools you should have are:
Paper towels, a 1-qt sized clean plastic container to hold water, number 2 pencil, a pencil sharpener and an eraser.
Optional items include: salt, Pigma Micron .5 mm felt tip pens, removable art masking fluid and permanent white gouache.