My Favorite Painting Supplies (Update)

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A few years ago I wrote a blog with some of my favorite art supplies and while I still use all of those supplies I have since added a few items to my list that I really love and I think you will too!

When I first started painting with watercolor I had the cheapest supplies that you could find from Hobby Lobby. I painted with those supplies for years. and I learned a lot from using them. When I took my first watercolor class at a local community college I was introduced to higher-quality paper, paints, and brushes. I was amazed at what I could create with my new supplies!

If you are just starting with watercolor you do not need anything fancy, but your art supplies can defiantly help you grow as an artist.

Watercolor paper.

The paper that I use for all my custom paintings is Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. Arches paper is an acid-free, 100% cotton paper that will help preserve your paintings if properly taken care of.

Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper is my second favorite watercolor paper. It is cheaper than Arches and is a perfect paper for beginners. Just keep in mind you will not get the same results from using Canson paper over Arches paper. They are both totally different, but I have created beautiful paintings using both papers.

Watercolor paints.

My two go-to watercolor paint brands are Windsor & Newton, and Grumbach. They are both beautiful watercolor paints, and I personally haven’t noticed a difference between the two brands of paint.

Pencils and Erasers

I love using a Generals Kimberly HB pencil when sketching out my watercolor paintings because it is super light and easy to erase which is important for watercolor paintings. For erasing my pencil marks I use a kneaded eraser. I have noticed that kneaded erasers are the only erasers that don’t pull up cotton watercolor paper.

Painting Pallete

For my painting pallete, I use this folded painting pallete right here. This pallet is perfect because it is smaller than most pallets, folds nicely when you are done, and has separate areas where you can mix your colors without accidentally blending all the colors together. I also just use antique plates that I find at thrift stores for painting palletes as well!

Paint Brushes

I have tried many brushes over the years and I love this size 8 round Princeton Brush and this Winsor & Newton size 0 for tiny details.

Glass For Water

You can use anything for your watercolor water! I use an antique blue Mason jar that was given to me years ago! I love old antique things so I always try to incorporate them into my painting process as much as I can. The only thing that I do recommend is having two water containers for rinsing your brushes, especially if you are working with darker and lighter colors together.

I hope this painting supply list helps you on your own watercolor journey!