Jessica Lily

Atlanta Artist & Graphic Designer

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Recommended Watercolor Supplies

My favorite and best art things!

Hi Watercolor friends! Here are the supplies that I recommend for watercolor painting. This is a live document and is constantly being updated and changed as I find new great things to share. I am an art supply person and love to talk shop.

If you’re looking to shop locally, check out the Blick in Roswell – they have the most watercolor supplies that I’ve seen in Metro-Atlanta with a huge selection of very fun things!

* Amazon links are affiliate links and I do receive a small amount of financial support when you purchase through my links. Thank you for your support!

Watercolor Paper

Lower cost options – for class, studies & learning

Meeden
Meeden Watercolor Paper is a really good quality 100% cotton paper, and is the lowest cost similar product that I have found. +_ $17 / 20 sheets

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Bee Creative watercolor paper. This is the lowest cost, & still good 100% cotton watercolor paper I have seen. It is too soft for tape or resist. BUT it holds paint beautifully and is great for art classes & studies.
50 sheets for +_ $20

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Professional grade options – for finished pieces & to enjoy

Arches Cold Press watercolor paper – single sheet. Much lower cost to buy a large sheet, and then cut it yourself into little 8×8 squares to study from, or any other size you are using. +_ $8-10

Buy Locally in Person at Hobby Lobby or Blick
Arches Cold Press watercolor paper. If you have not tried Arches before, its worth knowing what all the fuss is about. Its pricy, and maybe better suited for a final project more than classroom studies. But, it sure is nice. +_ $18 / 12 sheets

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Windsor & Newton Professional 100% cotton, 140lb watercolor sheets. This costs less, and is worth it if you are buying a whole order from Blick anyway. Otherwise, shipping will not make up for the discount. +_ $6-7

Buy on Blick

Watercolor Paints

Complete Paint Sets

Van Gogh Pocketbox – Very richly pigmented, great quality student/ artist grade paints. If you are picking watercolor paints for the first time, this is what I recommend. Pick a set based on what you’d like to paint – if you are looking for floral painting, choose a set with Quinacridone Rose.
+_ $20 for 15 pans

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Daniel Smith Watercolor Essentials Set. If you are looking to explore professional range paints, this is the way to start. This split primary set will allow you to mix most any other color you can imagine, and the Daniel Smith paints are top of the line. +_ $35

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Windsor & Newton professional – set. If you want the whole set, of the good paint, then I would consider this complete set from Windsor & Newton. Its pricy, so its not for everyone. +- $70

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Individual Paint Tubes – my favorite brands. This is realistically how I buy paint, one tube at a time. They last for a while. You can buy them in small (5ml) or large (15ml) sized tubes – I normally start with a small tube if it is a new color to me. I buy large tubes if I am replacing a smaller tube that I used all of the paint.

Windsor & Newton professional are my go to paints for their reliability, beautiful colors and tactile way they feel when I paint with them. My favorite Windsor & Newton color is Permanent Rose. +_ $12

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QOR professional paints are known for having a different type of binder. The colors tend to be super saturated, and when you drop them into water, they spread out further, generally. My favorite QOR color is Dioxazine Purple. +_$12

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Daniel Smith professional paints are all around wonderful. They have some colors with really exceptional mineral and textural qualities. My favorite Daniel Smith color is French Ultramarine. +_ $14

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It is better to have a smaller quantity of higher quality paints, and slowly add to your collection. High quality paints will make painting easier. I do not recommend this kind of thing, which I often see people bring.

Brushes

Transon Round Watercolor Paint Brush Set Goat Hair for Watercolors. This is my recommendation for a starter full set of brushes. They are wonderfully soft, easy to control, hold water well and include all of the sizes for a low cost. +_ $12

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Princeton Velvetouch – You don’t need more than just the 2 brushes, something larger like 10-14, and something smaller like 2-6, and you can do most things and have great control. This line is a sturdier brush with a nice snap.

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Silver Brush Silverwhite Flat. These are my all time favorite brushes, and I use them to lift and to sculpt. I love them and constantly am buying more. I use size 4 and size 10 everyday. +_ $10

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Silver Black Velvet – This is the set that I use from this collection. I use them almost every painting. If you are not a beginner and are building your collection of higher quality brushes, these are a win. +_$60

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Drawing

Kneaded eraser – this invaluable tool is the best and most agreeable kind of eraser to use with watercolor paper.

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SAKURA Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens – waterproof so you can paint on top without the ink bleeding.

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Staedtler drawing pencil set – this is where I get my H or 2H pencils from. If you are close to a local art store, you can buy a single pencil as well. Anything between 4H – H is what I would choose for a watercolor drawing because they make lighter lines and erase easier.

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Staedtler Mechanical lead holder. You don’t need this. Any pencil will do. But, this is my absolute favorite drawing tool to use. I keep mine filled with the 2mm, 2H lead. Its wonderful.

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Tools and Supplies

Residue eraser pulls the resist back off of your painting without damaging your paper, and cleanly removing all debris. It also helps if tape goo gets stuck on there, too!

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Windsor & Newton art masking fluid. This is a liquid rubber that you can paint or draw onto your painting to preserve white areas. I use Windsor & Newton brand, and it works well and removes cleanly. +_ $16

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Pebeo Drawing Gum – Watercolor resist in another name, I have not tried this brand, but I see it everywhere and it costs less, and is rated high. It is the correct item even though it has a different name. +_$9

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Grafix Original Incredible Nib – Color Shaper Masking Fluid tool – I use this kind of tool, and its my favorite. The wooden nib collects the rubber and can make really fine lines.

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Saral Graphite Transfer Paper – this particular transfer paper is easy to remove with a kneaded eraser and removes cleanly. If you are seeking a lower cost option, look for one that is wax-free. But, really, this one is the good one.
+_ $18

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Duck Professional Painter’s Tape – this works best for me for complicated masking projects, and to stretch my paper to my board. I get them from Home Depot. I use thin most often, thick only for masking.

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Koh-I-Noor techical pen. A great tool for applying masking fluid. It can make tiny lines and also big lines, as well as little dots. +_ $10

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The 24″ Pacific Arc straight edge is my studio MVP – I use it every day, to tear paper, make mats, weigh things down. Its sturdy and heavy, and has a sharp edge.
+_ $55

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Logan 2000 push style mat cutter – a perfect bevel, and it has line markings to know exactly where to push the blade into the board.
+_ $32

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X-acto blade – we won’t use this in every class, but this is what I use when I am doing a masking tape mask.

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