My favorite watercolor painting supplies
My top recommendations for watercolor supplies
(scroll down for the full review, pics and videos)
WATERCOLOR SETS
Generic set - Kuretake Gansai Tambi (24 colors)
Specialty set (Metallics) - Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry (6 colors)
Brights collection - Jane Davenport Bright Palette (12 colors)
Vintage collection - Prima Marketing Vintage Pastels (12 colors)
ESSENTIAL ACCESSORIES
Water brush pen - Kuretake Medium nib
Watercolor cardstock 300 gsm - Canson 9*12 inches, 30 sheets
Different sizes of watercolor brushes - Royal round brush soft grip (set of 5)
Collapsible water cup with brush holding ridges - Faber-Castell pot
Full review
Check out my video below to see a close up of all the colors across these 4 watercolor collections and to learn why it’s so useful to make your own color swatches.
WHAT watercolor ACCESSORIES ARE REALLY ESSENTIAL?
BRUSHES - brush pen or traditional brushes?
In the video, I am only using the water brush pen for speed and convenience. You can see the Kuretake brush pen in action in the video and I explain why this is the only brand I would recommend for these, guess how I know most others are a disappointment?… If you can only afford one at the moment and to test how well you get on with it, I would suggest you get it in the medium size, but there is also a fine point for more detailed work and a wide brush, perfect for watering big backgrounds. The only slight disadvantage of this type of brush compared to traditional ones is that if you are doing a big piece or lots of small ones in a row, you will need to refill the water tank. It’s very easy to do it (you can refill it from a water cup you can keep nearby or by doing it under the tap) but it does mean you may need to pause for a few seconds to do it.
Particularly if you think you will want to add small details to your watercolor creations, or if you don’t want to break your rhythm to refill the brush pen, I would suggest you also get a set of traditional brushes. For watercoloring the best types are the round brush ones and you’ll want to consider the sizes you’ll use the most. The set I owe is a great all-rounder collection as it features 5 brushes in a good selection of sizes from smaller to larger: 0, 2, 4, 6 and 10. This particular set has a soft comfort grip that makes them very comfortable to hold.
CARDSTOCK and WATER POT
Like with everything else, you get what you pay for and when it comes to watercolor paper and cardstock it’s worth investing in a good brand. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re just making swatches you can use a more inexpensive alternative. But I’d say particularly beginner crafters will benefit from working with good quality substrates, like this one (it’s actually quite affordable considering the number of sheets included and the large size).
The final must-have watercolor accessory I highly recommend, can at first be perceived as a bit of a luxury but it’s far from it. Here are all the reasons why this bit of kit is something I can’t do without this water cup:
It’s actually quite inexpensive, particularly considering it’s by the renowned brand Faber-Castell
It is a very ecological solution and it will last you a lifetime
It’s foldable! Yes, you heard that right. If you spring it open it’s about the height of a normal cup but you can collapse it easily for storage and to take with you when you’re on the go or moving your craft supplies from one room to another in your house (I keep having to do this - does it sound familiar?). You can use it and fill it with water in both settings, collapsed or expanded.
It’s very sturdy and robust; because of the wide base, the material it’s made of and the weight at the base, it’s not as easy to accidentaly knock over as a normal cup or glass would be.
It’s super easy to clean due to the silicone texture (as you can tell from the pics I don’t always clean mine after using it! I find I don’t have to, there’s no real contamination).
Finally - my favorite feature! - the edge of the cup at the top is shaped with ridges so you can easily rest your brushes across it or leaning against it without them rolling over accidentally. Genius.
DEMO VIDEO AND FINISHED WATERCOLOR EXAMPLES
