When I first started doing watercolor, the most confusing thing was choosing supplies. I've been painting in acrylic, oil, gouache, and other mediums for years, but never have I been as confused as when I decided to try my hand at watercolor.
Most watercolorists seem to have strong, strong preferences, and so when I went digging for information, it all seemed..too much. Some people like this kind of paint, some *hate* it. I spent hours looking at videos, articles, and even asking for help from a friend who has been working in this medium for many years. It doesn't help that the investment for watercolor is high compared to the way I work in my favorite medium, acrylic. All I saw was $$$$.
So after throwing some caution to the wind and making some purchases, accumulating supplies over several months, and testing things out, I quickly learned what I liked and did not like. Since each artist is unique, I highly encourage you to do your own research if this is a medium you think you would enjoy trying. Some people like information neatly in a list ("just tell me what I need to buy, already!"), but in my humble opinion, that personality type might not be best suited for this medium. So I would settle in, and get used to the experience of experimenting with your materials. Expect that you will buy things that might not work for you in the end. If I could do it all again, I think I would do it all the same. Yes, I did lose a few dollars here and there, but most products that I bought... I enjoy, because I researched them from a variety of sources before purchasing. As for the ones that didn't work out in the end, they all taught me valuable lessons about my materials that now put my painting experience in perspective...
I admit there is still more to know, but as a trained artist, yet beginner watercolorist, I feel I can add a unique perspective to this subject of choosing supplies, and today I would like to share some of my favorite supplies thus far in my journey.Â
Firstly, let's get the simple stuff out of the way. Here is an absolute must have, basic list for watercolor, for you to think about and research:
- watercolor paintsÂ
- watercolor paper
- cups for your water
- paper towels
- a few brushes
- a palette
- a pencil and eraser for drawing (if needed for your style of working)
And after purchasing the essentials, I encourage you to check out the following supplies:
-  some delicate masking tape (that wont rip your paper when peeling off)
- Â small hair dryer
- Â coarse salt (big chunks of salt), and potentially sponges if you want to experiment with creating textures
- Â travel supplies (palette, brushes, sketchbooks, water cups, waterproof box to put supplies in to protect your bag), if you plan on working on the go or outside
-  white gouache and gouache in general
-  "Gatorboard" and office stapler if you plan on stretching your watercolor paper (using sheets instead of a block)
- Â then finally all the other fun things, like unique watercolors, brush pens
And finally... to the good stuff, the positive reviews! Below are some reviews of products I have bought and enjoyed that fit in some of these categories. This is a several part series since there is much to say about these products! All the links I have here I do not earn any money from, I just want to provide help to you in case you are interested in purchasing something. These are just my observations, and you may have an entirely different experience, so just keep that in mind when reading!
When you are choosing watercolors, you have basically two options. Either a pan set already prepared for you, or a tube set from which you squeeze tiny bits of paint onto a palette, or squeeze the whole tube out and let dry in a palette of your choosing. I bought myself both because I was unsure about which way I liked working, and to be honest, I like both. This Mijello set is fabulous. The brand is Korean, and thus the colors have some different variety that you might not find in a western palette, which suits my style of working just fine. They take awhile to dry in the palette when you first squeeze them out (I live in a humid climate so it took me a little longer), but the paints look just as good using them dried in the palette as they do fresh out of the tube. Of all the sets I have so far, this is by far the most vibrant. To some people, this number of colors might seem overwhelming, but I do not paint in a limited palette usually, so for me it is not a problem. The packaging I must say was also very luxurious! I could tell they put alot of love into producing this product.
Some other brands include, yet are very popular include (Sennelier, Windsor and Newton, with student and professional grade levels, Schmincke Horadam, Daniel Smith, and more). I have the Windsor and Newton Cotman student set, which is often recommended for beginners, and while I do think that is a great, great beginner recommendation, I believe you will find the Mijello set, or Schminke, or Daniel Smith, to be an upgrade once you are ready to spend more on paints.  Â
As for the palette, which is purchased separately, Mijello is known for the quality of their plastic palettes, if that is something you are looking for! I really like the one I bought above, but as you can see I didn't fill all the pans, and it might be a little too big for my paint set. It's not very travel friendly, because of the size. To some people that isn't important, but since I have limited desk space, it can be. I will say, the palette itself snaps shut in a super satisfying way though! I will get into palettes in the next post, but generally, I'd recommend using a ceramic palette instead, and I will explain why.
Observations
- bright vibrant colors, tube paints, luxurious, international brand, tubes last a long time, higher price, takes awhile to dry on palette, palette purchased separately Â
2.  White Nights Watercolor Pan Set
This set was something that I bought solely because of OTHER good reviews on Youtube. Of course it was a gamble, but in the end I can say that I enjoy this set. Are these the highest quality watercolors in the world? I am not entirely sure. However, there is alot to like here about these mid-range professional Russian watercolors. First of all, if you want a set that is customizable, you can do that with this product easily, and the individual colors are relatively inexpensive. As for the normal set with pre-determined colors (since this is also a more western set of colors) you will get some colors that are traditionally used in western painting, and I find the selection of blues in this set to be stunning. When working with blues, I usually prefer this over the Mijello pigments, as beautiful as they are. You get quite a range of blues with this set! As for the gripes I have with this product, I do find that initially the pans would fall out of the their little sockets and stick to the lid in my more humid climate. But it's not a huge deal, in the end, once you use the set enough for them to stick properly in their little bunkers :) One other observation I had was that the neutrals were not *that* great, such as the browns, etc. I would say that was a weaker point for this set.
Observations
- more subtle colors, gorgeous blues, pan set, customizable, international brand, enticing plastic palette (for some weird reason! I know, I am weird about palettes, guys!), mid-range price, pans can get sticky until they settle into place, palette included with set
3. Gansai Tambi/ Japanese Watercolors
Another on the whim purchase, but I REALLY enjoy these. These Japanese professional/craft watercolors are very interesting. First of all, I would not recommend these for beginners who are looking to learn traditional western watercolor, as these are paints with different properties. I think using these to begin with could potentially make painting with western watercolors more frustrating, as they did with me. Here is the Kuretake website that explains the finer details about what Gansai Tambi are.
With that distinction out of the way, let me tell you what I like about these. First of all, they can be used in more than one way. Traditional western watercolors are transparent and the artist often works by building up several layers to achieve the final look. With these watercolors, you can use them either transparently, or in a more opaque way, like gouache ( but not quite like gouache, either). Each layer is slightly more malleable and not entirely set deep within the paper, should you need to rewet an area and blend in new colors. I find this aspect insane, and since they are so unique I would put them in a category apart from most watercolors. They are on the cheaper side, so it may be worth your while to experiment with these if you are curious, especially after you have had experience with traditional western watercolors. They come with an excellent palette and packaging and I really felt as though I bought something special, traditional, and Japanese when it arrived. They come in multiple sets of colors, and I even bought a set of dark shades of black called "Graphite Colors", which I will link here. All in all, I think these paints are amazing, personally. I am always really excited to use these, with their excellent properties, the full, wide pans, and the vibrant colors. The color palette is beautiful, and you get some traditional colors you would find throughout Japanese design, which is right up my alley!
Observations
- beautiful Japanese colors, wide pan set, awesome properties to paint, international brand, beautiful fabric covered palette, lower price, can be used professionally or for craft purposes, palette included with set, different from western watercolors
4.  Finetec Artist Mica Watercolor Pans
Now if you are in the market for decorative watercolors, I love this set. The shimmer of these mica infused paints are beautiful. I haven't gotten much use out of them yet since I haven't worked on too many projects that need shimmer, but the quality of these are so good, and I can't wait to do more with them. This is the larger set, but they also can be bought in a small set if needed. This is more of a splurge set since they are pricey, but I highly recommend them!
Observations
- beautiful, strong shimmer, sturdy metal palette, awesome properties to paint, higher price, can be used professionally or for craft purposes, palette included with set, not opaque
Â
And for now that wraps up my intro to watercolor paint products, and my thoughts about my favorite purchases so far!Â
Next week I will move onto paper and palettes, so stay tuned! Also, check out my previous post What I Wish I Knew Before Starting Watercolor for some more of my thoughts about this medium!Â
Â