Paper
For my finished paintings I prefer paper that is 100% cotton, 140 lbs., and either cold pressed or rough in surface. The following brands of paper meet these requirements:
NOTE – I recommend buying paper in full sheets and either cutting or tearing paper down to standard or required sizes. It is a much more cost effective way to start using good quality paper.
Basic Color Palette
This basic, 10 color, palette covers most of the situations I encounter in watercolor. With a little mixing, I can create most of the additional hues I would require at a desired level of brightness. All paints listed are by Daniel Smith.
- Cool yellow – Hansa Yellow Medium
- Warm yellow – New Gamboge
- Warm red – Pyrrol Scarlet
- Cool red – Quinacridone Red
- Warm blue – Ultramarine Blue
- Cool blue – Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)
- Green – Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)
- Earth yellow – Yellow Ochre
- Earth orange – Burnt Sienna Light
- Dark neutral – Neutral Tint
Intermediate Color Palette
This expanded, 17 color, palette builds on the basic color palette and allows me to work a little more quickly as it contains common hues that I would generally mix to with the basic palette as well as allowing the option to mix most other hues with a minimum of fuss.
- Cool yellow – Hansa Yellow Medium
- Warm yellow – New Gamboge
- Orange – Permanent Orange
- Warm red – Pyrrol Scarlet
- Cool red – Quinacridone Red
- Warm violet – Quinacridone Magenta
- Cool violet – Imperial Purple
- Warm blue – Ultramarine Blue
- Mid-blue – Cobalt Blue
- Cool blue – Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)
- Warm green – Phthalo Yellow Green
- Mid green – Permanent Green
- Cool green – Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)
- Earth yellow – Yellow Ochre
- Earth orange – Burnt Sienna Light
- Earth red/brown – Van Dyck Brown
- Dark neutral – Neutral Tint
Brushes
The following 6 brushes brushes are the core of my workflow. For the beginner, I feel that only the first 2 brushes are “essential”. The rest are nice to have and certainly serve their purpose in the way I prefer to paint.
- Round – No. 8 & 12 – Versatil by Escoda
- Round – No. 2 – Anna Mason by Rosemary & Co.
- Rigger – No. 4 – Versatil by Escoda
- 1″ Fan – No. 2 – Classic Fan by Rosemary & Co.
- 1″ Hake brush
Sketching
For me, sketching is a varied process and I will use many different materials when I am “playing” in a sketchbook. Here are some:
- Pentel p205 mechanical pencil (loaded with 2B lead)
- Kaweco Brass Sport Fountain Pen
- Pentel Brush Pen
- Walnut Brown watercolor pencil – Albrecht Dürer by Faber-Castell
- Black and Burnt Umber pastel pencil – Conté á Paris
- Milky Brush by Pentel
- Dry Media sketchbook – Opus Essential Wirebound Sketchbook – 8.5×11″
- Mixed Media sketchbook – Alpha, Beta and Nova Series by Stillman & Birn – various sizes
Miscellaneous
Handy things to have but entirely dependent on what your doing:
- Watercolor palette – FW Studio Palette by Little Brass Box Company
- Watercolor palette – small tin box by Medeen
- Kitchen sponge or towel
- Two containers for water
- Kneaded eraser