My Supply Lists

Hi Friends! I always get lots of questions about supplies, so I’m going to share a few guiding principles with you first and then share specific links for the exact supplies I use.

Please note that I share affiliate links. If you purchase an item using one of my links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

A word of (art supply) wisdom...

You can use what you have on hand. You don’t need to use the exact same supplies as me to get great results. Use the colors that you like and use brushes that are comfortable to you.

However, this brings me to…

Guiding Principle #1: Paper

Specifically, you must use high-quality watercolor paper if you want to produce high-quality artwork. Paper is the singular most important thing when it comes to watercolor techniques. Why? Because we are painting with water, and the paper needs to be adapted for that. Student quality paper simply will not work the same way, and so if you are trying to learn watercolor techniques on paper that doesn’t work well, you will get frustrated with your results. A lot of students think they need to practice on student quality paper before they deserve higher-quality paper, but the truth is that if you learn how to paint on cheap paper, you will have to re-learn how to paint on high-quality paper. In this case, it is best to start as you mean to go on. A final word of warning: if the price looks too good to be true on a brand you find randomly on the Internet, it is too good to be true. You will get what you pay for with watercolor paper.

Guiding Principle #2: Brushes

Brush sizes are relative. Below, I’ll share exactly what I use, but please know that brush sizes are not universal. A size 3 in one brand will be completely different from a size 3 in another brand. The most important thing with brushes is to use one that you’re comfortable with, that holds lots of paint, and that has a sharp point for detail. When it’s time to paint, select your brush based on the size of the thing you’re painting so if you’re filling a large area, grab a larger brush and if you’re filling a smaller area, grab a smaller brush. As you improve, you’ll be able to use a large brush for wide swaths and detailed areas, but at the beginning of your painting journey, just use what is comfortable for you. Student quality paper simply will not work the same way, and so if you are trying to learn watercolor techniques on paper that doesn’t work well, you will get frustrated with your results. A lot of students think they need to practice on student quality paper before they deserve higher-quality paper, but the truth is that if you learn how to paint on cheap paper, you will have to re-learn how to paint on high-quality paper. In this case, it is best to start as you mean to go on. A final word of warning: if the price looks too good to be true on a brand you find randomly on the Internet, it is too good to be true. You will get what you pay for with watercolor paper.

Guiding Principle #3: Paint

When it comes to purchasing paints, less is more. You can mix almost every color with just three or four paints. You do not need sets that have 48+ paints in them. In fact, the more colors you purchase the more overwhelmed you’ll feel when you start painting. I’ll share my top twelve individual colors below and I’ll also share a couple of pre-created sets of watercolor paints. You don’t need to buy everything, but I’m giving you some options because some students will already have some of these colors and other students are starting from scratch. Take a few minutes to read the product descriptions, research, see what colors come in the sets, and plan your palette out. I prefer the brand QoR for my watercolor paints, but you can use any professional or artist-quality watercolors and get similar results. Student-quality paints are fine for the Watercolor Week workshop, but if you decide to continue with watercolor, you’ll want to upgrade to at least a few tubes of high-quality paint.

Have zero supplies?
Starting from scratch?

Here are some additional recommendations!

High-Quality Paper Recommendations:

Brush recommendations:

I recommend that you mainly use pointed round paintbrushes. Having a couple Filbert brushes on hand gives you a fun way to make organic petal shapes, as well.

Alex’s Favorite Brushes:

Princeton Heritage Watercolor Brushes in a variety of sizes

Inexpensive Brushes:
Princeton Velvetouch Brushes in a variety of sizes

Princeton Velvetouch Filbert Brush

This is a good set of brushes to get started as well

Expensive, highest-quality brushes:

Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Brushes Set of 5

Paints I love:

Reminder: You don’t need to buy everything, but I’m giving you some options because some students will already have some of these colors and other students are starting from scratch. Take a few minutes to read the product descriptions, research, see what colors come in the sets, and plan your palette out.

Tubes of paint and pans of paint are the same. I personally prefer to purchase tubes and squeeze them into my palette as needed. This allows me greater customization.

If you can only afford three high-quality tubes of paint, it should be these:
QOR Nickel Azo Yellow

QoR Quinacridone Magenta

QOR Phthalo Blue Green Shade