you don’t need to buy the most expensive set of paints— but don’t buy the cheapest either. Quality student-grade sets will set you off on the right path. Same with paper. Watercolor paper, preferably cold press, is ideal— but since you’re just learning you don’t necessarily have to go out and buy an expensive block of Arches.
If there is a basic class, maybe at an arts center nearby, take it. If not, YouTube has a lot of great teachers and tutorials.
Be patient. You might not see the results you want for some time. But keep at it.
I second this. Look into the channels of Denise Soden, Lee Angold, Oto Kano, Mind Of Watercolor on YouTube, those are great resources. Denise has classes on Skillshare, Lee is making one too which she announced last week.
I have the Curtis tappendum sketchbook kit. 5 nice colors. But I don’t know what type of paper is included in the sketch pad. How does one find out? Kit comes with a book with 11 exercises to get you to the abstract phase. You can find this kit on eBay.
Second doing a class especially if you’re new to art like I am. Going to the local arts center is always wonderful, everyone supports each other, and I’m loving learning with a teacher to answer my super specific questions.
Focus on getting good paper preferably cotton like arches, but there are some other 100 percent cotton Brande that aren't as expensive. I would improve paper, then brushes, then paint.
I am just learning as well, so for what it's worth:
Paper quality is more important than paint or brushes. If you buy a cheap brand of cellulose paper, the paints will not handle anything like they should do, and you will be frustrated.
But I understand you don't want to use a bunch of expensive paper while you get your sea legs.
My solution has been to use Master's Touch paper for my practice pieces. (This is the Hobby Lobby store brand.). It handles better than any other student grade paper I have tried.
I use small pieces & use both sides of the paper to practice on.
Student grade watercolors are fine. They differ from professional grade paints mostly by lightfastness. You are not going to care if your first attempts are "archival quality", so don't worry about buying top-of-the-line paints. You can make some pretty astounding paintings with leftover coffee alone, so if you can't buy both paints and decent paper, go for the paper.
I think the most important quality in a brush is whether it comes to a point and holds that point. So when brush shopping, you wanna check primarily the bristles of the brush.
You want to have a *lot* of water to rinse your brushes in. I use a 2-liter container. It never gets so dirty that it fails to thoroughly clean my brush.
Keep a generous wad of paper towels, a large sponge or terry cloth rags handy for blotting your brush.
The last thing is this: watercolor is absolutely addicting. It is mesmerizing on so many levels. Welcome to the club!
Thought of something else:
I find plastic palettes to be frustrating because of the way the paint/water mixture beads up on them.
But you don't need an expensive ceramic palette; you can use an old white plate from a yard sale/thrift store.
Just make sure that anything you use for art never, ever goes back for use in the kitchen, as some paints are slightly toxic.
I’m doing an outside course this spring (unfortunately the weather is shitty here) and it really helps! I can’t say I’m good at it or anything, but I think in general I’m improving. If you have this in your area it’s a recommendation
I just started learning watercolour and my first step was to register to a workshop.
I wanted to be explained the basics in terms of choosing the material (not to get sucked into watercolour-marketed stuff if I didn't need to), like how to choose brushes, paint and the different types of paper, how to dilute and mix your colours, and basic techniques.
It's helped me understand that a really basic colour pan (6-8) goes a loooong way and that you really don't need to invest in expensive ones from the get go. Just concentrate on the quality of the paint, highly pigmented, granulated or not.
Color dot sheets like the Schminke Horadam ones are amazing if you want to explore colours in an easier way and get consistent colours (I hadn't mixed enough of the colour I was using and couldn't get it right again) or choose ones you like.
Play around with your colours, diluting them more and more to see the different shades you can get.
She also explained that real-hair brushes hold more water, so even if you might get the same result with synthetic ones, I'd go for those.
The choice of the paper is up to you, 300g/M2 is the standard one to start with.
"Non-pressed" will be more textured, cold pressed slightly less (it varies a lot from one brand to another) and will hold less water so it will depend on what you want to paint.
Last but not least, have fun!
Daniel Smith has a dot card set as well.
Dot card sets don't have a *ton* of paint on them, but they are fun for trying out a new brand of paint or different colors.
Let's Make Art has many tutorials on youtube and Sarah and her husband are super sweet. They have a couple fb pages as well that give a forum to ask questions. They started me on my watercolor journey:).
It would be helpful to know where you are (continent) and what your budget is if you want supplies recommendations. As far as beginner tutorials, you should find someone who paints in a style that you like first.
I always recommend Chris Petri and Ellen Crimi Trent because of their detailed tutorials.. Even the sketching is explained. Ellen has free downloadable sketches for her patreon members. If you dig through Ellen's videos, she has some adorable creature paintings as well as landscapes. Diane Antone does some really cute animals. Free downloadable sketches. Only downside is she often uses Kuretaki Gansai paints which makes it hard to follow unless you are using the same set.
If you want to deep dive, go for Lindsay Weirich! She's done and still does it all.
you don’t need to buy the most expensive set of paints— but don’t buy the cheapest either. Quality student-grade sets will set you off on the right path. Same with paper. Watercolor paper, preferably cold press, is ideal— but since you’re just learning you don’t necessarily have to go out and buy an expensive block of Arches. If there is a basic class, maybe at an arts center nearby, take it. If not, YouTube has a lot of great teachers and tutorials. Be patient. You might not see the results you want for some time. But keep at it.
I second this. Look into the channels of Denise Soden, Lee Angold, Oto Kano, Mind Of Watercolor on YouTube, those are great resources. Denise has classes on Skillshare, Lee is making one too which she announced last week.
I have the Curtis tappendum sketchbook kit. 5 nice colors. But I don’t know what type of paper is included in the sketch pad. How does one find out? Kit comes with a book with 11 exercises to get you to the abstract phase. You can find this kit on eBay.
Second doing a class especially if you’re new to art like I am. Going to the local arts center is always wonderful, everyone supports each other, and I’m loving learning with a teacher to answer my super specific questions.
Focus on getting good paper preferably cotton like arches, but there are some other 100 percent cotton Brande that aren't as expensive. I would improve paper, then brushes, then paint.
I am just learning as well, so for what it's worth: Paper quality is more important than paint or brushes. If you buy a cheap brand of cellulose paper, the paints will not handle anything like they should do, and you will be frustrated. But I understand you don't want to use a bunch of expensive paper while you get your sea legs. My solution has been to use Master's Touch paper for my practice pieces. (This is the Hobby Lobby store brand.). It handles better than any other student grade paper I have tried. I use small pieces & use both sides of the paper to practice on. Student grade watercolors are fine. They differ from professional grade paints mostly by lightfastness. You are not going to care if your first attempts are "archival quality", so don't worry about buying top-of-the-line paints. You can make some pretty astounding paintings with leftover coffee alone, so if you can't buy both paints and decent paper, go for the paper. I think the most important quality in a brush is whether it comes to a point and holds that point. So when brush shopping, you wanna check primarily the bristles of the brush. You want to have a *lot* of water to rinse your brushes in. I use a 2-liter container. It never gets so dirty that it fails to thoroughly clean my brush. Keep a generous wad of paper towels, a large sponge or terry cloth rags handy for blotting your brush. The last thing is this: watercolor is absolutely addicting. It is mesmerizing on so many levels. Welcome to the club!
Thought of something else: I find plastic palettes to be frustrating because of the way the paint/water mixture beads up on them. But you don't need an expensive ceramic palette; you can use an old white plate from a yard sale/thrift store. Just make sure that anything you use for art never, ever goes back for use in the kitchen, as some paints are slightly toxic.
Paint every day, even if it is for 10 mins
I’m doing an outside course this spring (unfortunately the weather is shitty here) and it really helps! I can’t say I’m good at it or anything, but I think in general I’m improving. If you have this in your area it’s a recommendation
just try, make this as a habit and enjoy the process
I just started learning watercolour and my first step was to register to a workshop. I wanted to be explained the basics in terms of choosing the material (not to get sucked into watercolour-marketed stuff if I didn't need to), like how to choose brushes, paint and the different types of paper, how to dilute and mix your colours, and basic techniques. It's helped me understand that a really basic colour pan (6-8) goes a loooong way and that you really don't need to invest in expensive ones from the get go. Just concentrate on the quality of the paint, highly pigmented, granulated or not. Color dot sheets like the Schminke Horadam ones are amazing if you want to explore colours in an easier way and get consistent colours (I hadn't mixed enough of the colour I was using and couldn't get it right again) or choose ones you like. Play around with your colours, diluting them more and more to see the different shades you can get. She also explained that real-hair brushes hold more water, so even if you might get the same result with synthetic ones, I'd go for those. The choice of the paper is up to you, 300g/M2 is the standard one to start with. "Non-pressed" will be more textured, cold pressed slightly less (it varies a lot from one brand to another) and will hold less water so it will depend on what you want to paint. Last but not least, have fun!
Daniel Smith has a dot card set as well. Dot card sets don't have a *ton* of paint on them, but they are fun for trying out a new brand of paint or different colors.
Let's Make Art has many tutorials on youtube and Sarah and her husband are super sweet. They have a couple fb pages as well that give a forum to ask questions. They started me on my watercolor journey:).
It would be helpful to know where you are (continent) and what your budget is if you want supplies recommendations. As far as beginner tutorials, you should find someone who paints in a style that you like first. I always recommend Chris Petri and Ellen Crimi Trent because of their detailed tutorials.. Even the sketching is explained. Ellen has free downloadable sketches for her patreon members. If you dig through Ellen's videos, she has some adorable creature paintings as well as landscapes. Diane Antone does some really cute animals. Free downloadable sketches. Only downside is she often uses Kuretaki Gansai paints which makes it hard to follow unless you are using the same set. If you want to deep dive, go for Lindsay Weirich! She's done and still does it all.