Carly Lake
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- Sharing -

SUPPLIES LIST ~ WATERCOLOR FROM THE TUBE

Have you ever wondered how people create vibrant, watercolor paintings? Perhaps you’ve only ever used some cheap watercolor color palettes as a child and thought that was all watercolor had to offer. I was there too, until I was in college and was introduced to watercolor from the tube. With 10 years pursuing my career as a professional artist, it is still my favorite paint to work with!

My Essential Supplies + Amazon Links to Shop:

(I also encourage you to support your local art supply store!)

~ WATERCOLOR PAPER ~

  • Use 140lb. paper for practice + less precious paintings

  • Use 300 lb. paper for final artwork ( I find it holds up quite well to warping, so I don’t worry about stretching my paper)

  • Hot Press paper is smoother, Cold Press paper has more texture (I tend to use Cold Press - everyone has their preferences!)

  • My favorite paper is Arches brand

~ ILLUSTRATION BOARD ~ (another option for painting on)

  • I use #300 Cold Press board (I tend to purchase Crescent brand)

  • Cold Press is best for wet media vs. Hot Press is best for dry media

    PROS - You have a thick surface to work on and don’t have to worry about warping

    CONS - I find illustration board soaks up the water quicker than watercolor paper, so you have less time to move your paint around before it dries.

~ WATERCOLOR BRUSHES ~

  • There are Flat and Round brushes (Here’s a great brush set with both kinds)

    • I mostly use round brushes, but sometimes use my large flat brushes for big washes of color

  • There is variety of student grade and artist grade options!

    • Cotman brushes are a great affordable student grade option.

  • Pro-tip: Dedicate one flat brush for mixing paint so you don’t damage your other brushes

~ PALETTE for MIXING PAINT ~

  • I like these flower palettes with deep wells for mixing

    • I recommend purchasing a few palettes along the way so that you have plenty of space to develop color

  • I clean them easily and quickly with a sponge and water

~ WATER DROPPER ~

  • I like using a small travel bottle for adding water into the paint in the palette and controlling how much water I’m adding

    • You could also use a squeeze bottle of some sort, but that can be harder to control the flow

~ SCRAPS of WATERCOLOR PAPER ~ for testing color

  • Keep scraps of 140 lb. watercolor paper on hand for testing your colors as you paint.

    • It’s important to use watercolor paper because it will show the true color that you paint is going to dry as!

  • I like to have scraps that are around the size of my hand - not too big that they get in the way, but not too small either

~ CUP of WATER

  • Use some kind of large cup for rinsing your brushes off between using colors

    • I use a large mason jar, but any kind of large cup or container will do

    • Pro Tip: Have 2 cups for rinsing: one for the first rinse and the second for an extra clean rinse!

~ HAND TOWEL ~ for wiping brush off

  • I have a reusable cloth hand towel that I use for wiping paint off my brushes before or after rinsing my brush

last but not least…
~ The PAINT ~

  • Paint comes as Student grade (most affordable) and Artist/Professional grade options (more pigmented and archival lightfastness)

  • I also use gouache paint interchangeably with watercolor

    • Gouache comes in Student grade and Professional grade options as well, but I am only familiar with a few of the Professional grade options I have used

  • Gouache brands I’ve used and enjoyed: Lefranc & Bourgeois, Winsor & Newton, and Holbein

Below I share my 10 most used paint colors that I mix from most often:

~ I hope this list is a good jumping off point for figuring out what to purchase for your
first collection of watercolor from the tube ~

I also have a video where I share more details and tips about each of these supplies:

 
 
Carly Lake