Do you want to get painting in watercolour, but feel confused by all the colours, brushes, paper etc available? Well, here is a guide to the equipment you need: the key thing to remember is that less is more. Here is a list of the essentials you will need to get going in watercolour.
We are going to be looking at:
Paper.
It is hard to overstate the importance of paper: it is probably the one thing that will really make a difference to the quality of your finished painting.
Watercolour paper is either made from wood pulp or cotton and is usually made in one of three ways: by hand, mould or machine. It comes in different weights and in three basic surface types:
Hot pressed or smooth. As indicated by the name, this paper has a flat smooth surface and is good for detailed work such as botanical pantings.
Cold pressed (also called 'not' as it is 'not hot-pressed'). This is textured and is what I usually use. I would recommend using this to start with.
Rough. This has more 'tooth' and is good for highly textured work. This is probably best avoided until you can call yourself 'experienced'.
To begin with, I would suggest buying a pad of 10 x 14in cold press 140lb. Both Saunders Waterford and Bockingford and very good quality. Other good makes are: Winsor & Newton, Langton (Daler Rowney) and Fabriano. It's a good idea to try out different papers and once you find one you like, stick to it as you will get to know it well.
My preferred papers are Saunders Waterford 200lb or Arches 200lb cold pressed - incidentally, Arches has been made in the same French village since 1492! For practice, for example trying out colour combinations, I use A3 pads of Nucasso 140lb (300gsm) available from Amazon. In workshops, I use Langton (Daler Rowney) 140lb cold pressed (not) for paintings and Nucasso for warm ups.
Stretching your paper.
Water is obviously a key element in painting with watercolour and it affects papers in different ways. If you use a good quality 140lb+ paper, you may not need to stretch it. You can also buy gummed packs of pre-stretched paper which you paint directly onto and then use a palette knife to release the sheet of paper. If you want to use cheaper paper, and work larger than A4, then you will need to stretch your paper. This is how to do it:
You will need:
a sink large enough for the paper;
gummed brown paper tape;
a board.
Completely submerge the piece of paper in water and leave it for about half a minute before removing and draining it. Place your paper on the board, take the gummed paper, moisten it and stick it down on all four sides. You will need to leave it to dry completely for a few hours. This will now give you a flat surface on which to work.
Paint
Paint is the second most important element of your painting. Watercolour paint comes in pans and tubes. While pans can be more convenient, especially is you want to take them on holiday or paint 'en plein air' tubes usually give a better intensity of colour. Winsor & Newton do both an artist and student (Cotman) range. The Cotman range is good value and perfect for the beginner. Daler Rowney also do both artist and student range (Aquafine). Watercolour paint has two main ingredients: the pigment and the binder - gum arabic. Cheap paints use low quality ingredients so the results will be disappointing. Other good producers of watercolour paints are: Rembrandt, Daniel Smith, Sennelier. However, these only do artist quality.
Colours
There are endless shades of each colour available from producers of watercolour paints. However, for a very limited palette you can stick to just a warm and cool version of the primaries if you want and experiment with mixing colours.
Cadmium yellow - a warm opaque yellow.
Cadmium yellow pale - a cool transparent yellow
Permanent rose - a cool transparent red
Cadmium red - a warm opaque red.
Winsor blue (green shade) or phthalo blue - a cool transparent blue.
Ultramarine - a warm transparent blue.
Colours to add to the above could be:
Indigo
Alizarin crimson
Burnt sienna
Winsor violet
Viridian green
An opaque white is also useful, for example a white gouache.
Brushes
Keep your brush selection simple. To begin with, I would recommend the Graduate range (stocked by Hobbycraft and The Range.) However, you will get better results if you use a higher quality brush, such as a real or synthetic squirrel or sable hair. Stick to the well known brands to ensure quality: Winsor & Newton, ProArte, Daler Rowney, Da Vinci.
I would recommend:
no 12 round brush. This is your most important brush - it will be what you do most of your painting with.
no 1 or 2 rigger. This brush is used for fine detail.
1/2" flat. This is good for lifting off.
an old toothbrush for spattering.
These 4 will allow you to create large washes; to add fine detail; to lift areas for light, and to add those final touches of spatter. As you get more experienced, you can enjoy experimenting with a bigger range of brushes; however, I mostly still use a no 12 round; a rigger; 2" flat; 1/2" flat.
Other mark making implements for you to experiment with: palette knife, cut up credit card, toothpick, twigs, plastic pipette, wooden knife. You can use almost anything - have fun experimenting and see what works for you.
Other useful equipment
Palette. Try to find one with a large mixing area - or use a cheap white plate. Porcelain palettes don't stain but are more expensive.
Water pots. Always have two water pots to hand - one to clean your brush and one to keep clean water in. Don't skimp on your water - go large!
Water spray. You can buy one or use an old cleaning spray.
A3 drawing board. You can buy one from Hobbycraft for £5, or use any straight piece of plywood. You are going to want something bigger as you progress to larger pieces, but A3 should be good to start you off.
Masking tape. You can buy the cheapest you can find - Hobbycraft do a good one for £1 a roll. This is good because it's not over sticky, and if you de-stick it first by pressing it to your clothes, then it shouldn't tear the paper.
Masking fluid. This is a rubber solution that you paint on to dry paper to preserve white paper and detail. To apply, use anything other than a brush: palette knife or twig, for example. Once dry, you can paint over it. To remove it, gently rub at the edges.
So, to sum up - the absolute minimum you should buy:
A 10 x 14" watercolour paper pad, cold pressed 140lb
A range of Cotman watercolour tubes (or buy a tin with pans from, for example, Winsor & Newton)
3 brushes: no 12 round, rigger, 1/2" flat
In addition buy or find around the house: palette, A3 drawing board, masking tape, water pots, water spray, toothbrush.
And that's it! Happy playing and painting with watercolour.
Suppliers
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Ione Harrison is a landscape artist and teacher working mainly in watercolour. For details of current watercolour workshops, please see here. For work available to purchase, please see here.
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