I’ve made a commitment to myself to write to y’all every week and I’ve written 3 drafts of some not so great pieces. SO I scrapped them and decided to go listicle on you.
I wanted to share my favorite art supplies for getting started if you want to watercolor. I get asked this on a regular basis and realized I don’t have a place I share it publicly. Hopefully this will be helpful!
Paints
Prima Pastel Dreams- My very first watercolor kit that I still use constantly. It lasts forever, is so vibrant, and is only $30
Kuretake 48 color set- When you’re ready to upgrade and get some more bougie watercolors, I can’t rave about these enough. It is a bit more pricey at $60 but honestly for art supplies, these last forever and are such a good bang for your buck. Such a great variety of bright colors
Prima Complexions- same brand but for more skin tones/earthy colors. They have a ton of variety kits and I have a few.
Paper
Arteza Cold Pressed- I paint all my art on 9x12 paper and this is my fave higher quality brand for the price. It’s $30 for 64 sheets
UCreate- This is the paper I use for my workshops because it’s much more affordable and great for practicing. It’s similar to regular printer paper but with a bit more weight for absorption.$25 for 250 sheets
Brushes
Princeton Artist- This is my go-to brush. It’s ridiculously small (like size of a grain of rice). But that is what I need for all the detail work I do. $6
UPins Water bushes- I haven’t used this exact kit because I bought my first kit in Malaysia but I like water brushes for the texture. I honestly don’t use the main feature of them which is fill them up with water and press when you paint, I just like how they feel. $10 for 12 piece set
Transon- These are a variety pack if you want some larger brushes. $12 for an 8 piece set
Brush travel kit- I need this when I travel now. Love it after trying a few out. $10
Pencils
Muji pencil- I love Muji’s .5 mechanical pencils $8
Erasers
Rubber eraser- I use a rubber eraser to blot out the darker sketch lines before I start painting. Not required depending on your style $6
Tombow holder eraser- A new one for me but I’m so into it. Perfect for making the smallest eraser marks $4
Ok that’s all that I can think of for now! One of the reasons I love watercolor so much is that you really only need some paper, 1 kit, and 1 or 2 brushes to get started. The paint lasts forever and doesn’t dry up. It is such an accessible/affordable medium to get started in if you want to just play with art for fun.
If you end up getting any of these and trying them out, please send me pics! I’d love to see 😃
P.S. None of these are affiliate links, just meant to be useful!
Ways to support me:
📗 Buy my book! It’s a great coffee table book for yourself, your office, or your nerdy climate friend.
👩🏼🎨 Become a paid subscriber here to become a true ✨~patron✨~ of the arts.
📱 Forward this to a friend or share on socials.
That’s all for now!
Nicole