Now that you've had a small peek into my process, I want to share a few things I've learned over the years about watercolor. In this post, I'll talk a little about paints and show you the set up I use. It's never too early to think about starting watercolor!
I tried to keep the information below minimal, but it's so hard! LOL! I could probably talk for hours about watercolor paint! I'll try not too, I swear... !
We can always explore this topic again.
Watercolor can be very finicky if you use inferior materials. As such, it usually puts off many who want to try them out.
Use professional/artist grade materials.
Trust me, your art will thank you! Yes, I know they can get a little expensive, especially if you don't even know if you'll like them. But trust me, it will be worth every penny spent. With that said, you don't have to break the bank buying them. There are plenty of fairly inexpensive artist grade paints out there. Winsor & Newton's Cotman series is a fantastic paint to start out with. Most brands offer individual tubes or sets.
Depending on the brand and where you buy your supplies, the prices can vary. If you decide on tubes, you only need three to begin with. Three will be cheaper and can run around $30-$40 US dollars.
I know what you're thinking, "But what about all those fabulous colors that come in a set"?! Or, "I don't know how to mix colors!" That's okay. You do what you feel most comfortable doing. Be aware you'll be spending more money with a set and you'll be missing out on the great experience of mixing your own colors.
I tried to keep the information below minimal, but it's so hard! LOL! I could probably talk for hours about watercolor paint! I'll try not too, I swear... !
We can always explore this topic again.
Watercolor can be very finicky if you use inferior materials. As such, it usually puts off many who want to try them out.
Use professional/artist grade materials.
Trust me, your art will thank you! Yes, I know they can get a little expensive, especially if you don't even know if you'll like them. But trust me, it will be worth every penny spent. With that said, you don't have to break the bank buying them. There are plenty of fairly inexpensive artist grade paints out there. Winsor & Newton's Cotman series is a fantastic paint to start out with. Most brands offer individual tubes or sets.
Depending on the brand and where you buy your supplies, the prices can vary. If you decide on tubes, you only need three to begin with. Three will be cheaper and can run around $30-$40 US dollars.
I know what you're thinking, "But what about all those fabulous colors that come in a set"?! Or, "I don't know how to mix colors!" That's okay. You do what you feel most comfortable doing. Be aware you'll be spending more money with a set and you'll be missing out on the great experience of mixing your own colors.
Here are a few pan sets from some great watercolor brands.
Sennelier. These paints are a wonderful French made brand. They use honey as a natural binding agent for preservation of color and fluidity. Sennelier is a good brand, I have a few tubes and like the vibrancy of their yellows.
Lukas's half pan set of 12. Lukas is the oldest company in Germany to produce watercolor paints. They use a gum arabic as opposed to honey, but don't let that be a negative. Lukas produces high quality paints that are renowned for their color consistency. I have a few Luaks tubes and like their browns.
There are, of course, many other professional brands to look at. Winsor & Newton has a set of 12 half pans. They have a nice rich transparency and are easy to paint with. I have several tubes of W&N paint and like their greens and the quinacridone colors especially.
If you're a thrifty shopper, you can look around for better deals. I usually get all my watercolor supplies from dickblick.com, but go wherever you prefer. Sometimes you'll get lucky and find one of these brands on sale!
My palette consists mainly of Da Vinci permanent watercolor tube paints with some Winsor & Newton, and Sennelier at the moment. I squeeze my color into a palette and let them dry for a day before using them. The great thing about tubes is you can make several palettes up consisting of several different colors.
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| Sennelier |
Lukas's half pan set of 12. Lukas is the oldest company in Germany to produce watercolor paints. They use a gum arabic as opposed to honey, but don't let that be a negative. Lukas produces high quality paints that are renowned for their color consistency. I have a few Luaks tubes and like their browns.
There are, of course, many other professional brands to look at. Winsor & Newton has a set of 12 half pans. They have a nice rich transparency and are easy to paint with. I have several tubes of W&N paint and like their greens and the quinacridone colors especially.
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| Winsor & Newton |
If you're a thrifty shopper, you can look around for better deals. I usually get all my watercolor supplies from dickblick.com, but go wherever you prefer. Sometimes you'll get lucky and find one of these brands on sale!
My palette consists mainly of Da Vinci permanent watercolor tube paints with some Winsor & Newton, and Sennelier at the moment. I squeeze my color into a palette and let them dry for a day before using them. The great thing about tubes is you can make several palettes up consisting of several different colors.
Da Vinci paints are an American company, out of California. I like the vibrancy of their oranges, reds and blues. They also have a nice creamy consistency I find exciting to paint with. They're easily mixable and in a palette like this, can last me a fairly long time. I can dip right into the tube with a small brush if I want a very pure color.
The brands above are just suggestions, of course. If you find another professional grade brand you like, excellent! Preferences in paints can change as you grow in the medium. Be aware the reviews on many watercolor paints vary and can be strongly opinionated, so try what you like.
I have about three different brands on my palette. All are fabulous and all worth the money spent on them. Keep an open mind and you'll do great!
I hope this has been a good, informative post. Let's get started and paint!
Until next time, stay creative!
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| My paint set up |
The brands above are just suggestions, of course. If you find another professional grade brand you like, excellent! Preferences in paints can change as you grow in the medium. Be aware the reviews on many watercolor paints vary and can be strongly opinionated, so try what you like.
I have about three different brands on my palette. All are fabulous and all worth the money spent on them. Keep an open mind and you'll do great!
I hope this has been a good, informative post. Let's get started and paint!
Until next time, stay creative!
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