Five of my favorite watercolor Art Supplies
There are so many art supplies on the market for watercolor painting but these are a few of my favorites. With so many choices for the artist to make I wanted to share some that I love to frequently use.
1. Arches cold press paper 140 lb is good but the 300 lb is my most favorite!!
At my reintroduction to watercolor painting at the Southold Free Library with MaryJane Stevens in 2010, she recommended using Arches 140lb watercolor paper. I began painting on Arches cold press paper 140 lb, and still use it today but I tried the 300 lb paper and absolutely loved the texture and the weight of it. I use a lot of water when I paint and it really holds the washes and pigment beautifully and effectively. I don’t cut corners when it comes to paper because it really makes a difference in the final product. You can buy it by the sheet, roll or block there are so many choices.
2. Cheap Joe’s Piggyback palette- I have tried a few different palettes and found the Cheap Joe’s Piggy back palette works best for me. I like to have lots of places to mix pools of color and this palette has space to do that on both sides of the lid and in the main compartment. Each color has its own well so you can keep them wet very easily and they don't run into each other either. Pop on the lid and it's ready for transport. I take mine everywhere, to the beach, plain aire painting out to my studio, you get the idea.
3. Loew Cornell Ultra Round Watercolor brush series – These are affordable synthetic brushes that hold their shape really well. You can’t beat the price and performance. I use sizes 8 and 10 the most but have a wide range of sizes from 4 to 14.
4. Holbein Verditer Blue Paint- I buy my watercolor paints in tubes and squeeze the pigment into the wells of my paint palette. I was introduced to this color at a Watercolor workshop last summer. First of all, I love the color blue and secondly, it’s a beautiful soft blue that’s not too red and not too green. Mix it with Burnt Siena for a perfect gray. Here’s a little secret, I use it in my clouds when painting landscapes and I’m not sure what I did before I discovered it!
A tube of Verditier Blue watercolor paint, one of my favorite colors.
5. A Mason jar for my water- There is nothing better than the sound of the brush clinking against the glass jar when I rinse it. It’s music to my ears. I also like to use glass instead of plastic for environmental reasons.
Places to find these supplies
Mixing colors with my loew Cornell brush in my piggyback palette from Cheap Joe's
WIP landscape painting on Arches cold press 300lb paper, with my paints, palette, brashes and mason jar.