Note: This blog post first appeared on pennandlight.com, which I have since transitioned to shelbythayneart.com. 

Watercolor Painting - it’s easier than you think to get started!

Watercolor has a reputation for being intimidating, but the truth is, it's actually one of the simplest and most accessible art mediums to dive into.  You only need 3 supplies to get started with: some paint, a brush, and paper!

I've been painting with watercolor and teaching beginners through online watercolor workshops and in person classes since 2019. The question I get asked the most often is

What watercolor supplies do I actually need -- and what can I skip? 

This guide is my honest answer. 

Below, I'm sharing the exact watercolor supplies I used when I started out, along with a few thoughtfully chosen upgrades I still use in my watercolor practice today. These recommendations are beginner-friendly, practical, and focused on helping you enjoy the creative process - not overwhelm you with options. 

Note: This post contains affiliate links to art supplies I genuinely recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Whenever possible, I also encourage supporting local art stores.

Watercolor Paint for Beginners

My first set of watercolor paints (besides the crayola set my kids were using) was this Sakura Koi Pocket Field Sketch Set with 24 colors.

It’s a nice quality set for beginners and intermediate artists. It has a good variety of colors, and the paints are a good quality — better than your basic $10 sets and more affordable than the Daniel Smith tubes I use now. Plus, it’s portable and comes with a waterbrush, sponge, and lots of mixing space!

Other good options for beginner watercolor paints:

• Sakura Koi Pocket Field Kit 30 assorted colors with water brush pen

• Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Paint Sketchers' Pocket Box, Half Pans, 14-Pieces

• Arteza Watercolor Paint, Set of 12 Assorted Vibrant Colors in Half Pans, Tin Box with Water Brush Pen 

• Arteza Watercolor Paint Set, Set of 25 Water Colors, Vibrant Pan Paints with Brush,

If you want to skip ahead to professional quality paints, my favorite paints are Daniel Smith. Windsor and Newton is another good option.

If you want to start with tubes, this Daniel Smith Essentials Introductory set includes two complete sets of primaries (so two blues, two yellows, and two reds - a warm and cool of each). Using this set will help you become familiar with color mixing and how different pigments behave and interact. 

Another option would be Jane Blundell’s Ultimate Mixing set for Daniel Smith. Jane Blundell is a wealth of knowledge about pigments and mixing and watercolor generally if you want to dive deeper into the topic. 

Watercolor Tubes vs. Dry Pans

The primary difference between watercolor tubes and dry pans of watercolor paint is simply how wet they are. The paint in watercolor tubes is still liquid. If you squirt it out and leave it to dry (which is will over time), it will behave exactly like a dry pan of paint. 

When I was just starting out I used a pre-made palette of dry pans (as explained in the section above). I've since switched to purchasing tubes of colors I know I like and use, and then I create my own palettes with them. 

If you purchase tubes of paints, you’ll want your own palette to put them in. I use this simple plastic palette (I actually have 3 of them) which are easy for traveling. I also highly recommend Expeditionary Art Art Toolkit Palettes as well. Plus Maria of Art Toolkit is an incredible resource for all things watercolor — supplies, tool, techniques, color mixing, etc.

One of my very favorite watercolor hacks is to just use a simple ceramic plate when I work in my studio. I pick them up at my local second-hand store and just add the paint straight from my tubes. 

Watercolor Brushes

How to choose your watercolor brush 

Watercolor brushes vary by shape, size, and bristle type. So when you are shopping for brushes you’ll see information like Round, Size 14, Synthetic. Here's what you need to know to make sense of this terminology: 

• For shape, you’ll see words like round, oval wash, dagger, script, mottler, filbert, fan, and more. These describe the shape of the bristles in the brush.

• For size, the larger the brush, the bigger the number telling you the size. So a round size 14 is larger than a round size 8. Unfortunately, sizes are not consistent across brands, so a Size 8 Princeton Velvetouch may be a different size than a size 8 Da Vinci Cosmotop spin brush. Just a head’s up!

• As for bristle type, you can find brushes that are made of natural hair (like genuine goat or squirrel hair), brushes that are made of synthetic hair (often engineered to behave similar to a specific natural hair), or bristles that are a mix of natural and synthetic hairs. Natural hair brushes hold more water and are typically more expensive. Synthetics give a nice range of price points, still manage water very well, and often keep their shape better and for longer than natural hair brushes.
  

Recommended Watercolor Brushes

For beginners, I recommend a round synthetic brush as a starting point. Round brushes are excelling because they can make both larger and smaller strokes depending on how you use them. I used this Princeton Velvetouch round size 8 brush exclusively for about 6 months before branching out into other sizes and shapes. The truth is you can really do just about anything with a round brush, from washes to tree details in your paintings. Even many years later, I still rely primarily on round watercolor brushes for all of my paintings. 

Another one of my favorite and most-used brushes is a size 14 round brush from The Pigeon Letters. These brushes are cruelty-free, eco-conscious and a portion of every purchase is donated! There are plenty of brushes including good beginner sets on The Pigeon Letters website.

Best Watercolor Brush Set for Beginners

I love this Princeton Velvetouch Brush Set for starting out. This set includes round 4 and 8 brushes as well as a 3/4" flat brush and an angle shader brush. A great combination for getting started with watercolor!

Another set with a good combination of brushes and sizes for getting started is this set of 4 Princeton Neptune brushes, which includes round size 4 and size 12 brushes and two useful wash brushes. These brushes use a combination of synthetic and natural bristles if you want to try out that combination. 

Watercolor Paper

Watercolor paper varies in weight, texture, and content. The main difference between watercolor paper and computer or even sketch paper is that it is much thicker (weight) so it can handle the water required for this medium. You want to have watercolor paper that is 140lb/300g. Other common weights are 90lb and 300lb paper. If you use a 90lb paper, be aware that it will not handle as much water and 140lb or 300lb paper. 

The texture of watercolor paper varies based on how it is manufactured. Hot press paper is very smooth and especially useful if you plant to do a lot of ink work in addition to your watercoloring. The most common type is cold press paper, which has a good texture to it, and is my personal favorite. You can also find rough watercolor paper if you’d like even more texture.

The content of watercolor paper can be either wood pulp (like most student grade papers including my recommended Canson XL paper) or cotton paper (like my favorite professional paper Arches Cold Pressed watercolor paper).

Watercolor Pads - 

This is my go-to beginner pad — Canson XL 140lb Cold Press 9in x 12in watercolor pad.

Another good option that I have also used is Arteza 140lb Cold Press 9in x12in watercolor pad. .

Once I had been painting for a while, I switched over to 100% cotton paper. Now I paint almost exclusively on Arches 100% cotton cold-press watercolor paper. Cotton paper is more expensive so it’s not my top recommendation if you’re just getting started, but it is so lovely to paint on! It holds up to more water than the Canson XL or Arteza will (though those are still sufficient when getting started).

Watercolor Sketchbooks

In addition to having loose watercolor paper, I find immense of value in having a watercolor sketchbook. I use my sketchbook as my “safe” place to experiment with new ideas. I don’t ever have to show it to anyone, so I don’t have to worry about it looking great. Which is good, because I have some pages in there that made me seriously question if I should stick with watercolor! I also use my sketchbooks to take notes and practice when I’m taking art classes. It’s nice to keep all of my learning experiences in one place for easy reference. And of course, another plus is that watercolor sketchbooks are nice and portable.

My favorite watercolor sketchbook is this small watercolor sketchbook from Hahnemuhle.

It fits in my small purse so I can always have my watercolors with me! I’ve worked my way through five of these at this point — so you know I like this one!

I also have a Stillman & Birn Beta Watercolor notebook that I’ve been using and I like it as well. It is larger and more flexible and I find it great for taking notes and practicing during workshops. 

Another one that I used when I was getting started with my watercolor practice is this Canson XL mixed media wire-bound pad. It’s only 90lb paper, but it works well for basic practice and exercises such as color mixing charts.

Useful Extras for Your Watercolor Practice

Here are a few extra favorite supplies I find very useful for my painting practice: 

1. Painters Tape -- to secure paper while I’m painting to minimize warping from all the water. 

2. Clipboards -- I use this 6-pack to tape my paper to so I can work on several at once and move them around. UPDATE: I've found this is also a great tool to pick up from the local second-hand store. 

3. Paper Towels — I prefer Viva brand paper towels because they are smooth and thick. I can reuse them for a long time before needing a replacement. You could also use an old towel as well!

4. Pencils -- Especially when I’m using a reference mountain or I’m working in my sketchbook I like to have a good pencil & sharpener on hand. Any pencil is fine, but my favorites are Blackwing or these refillable mechanical pencils.

5. Eraser -- get a hi-polymer latex-free one like this.. It has a nice box to keep it in so it stays somewhat clean and easy to use. 

6. Waterproof pens — If you want to do some drawing to go with your watercolor art, make sure you are using waterproof pens. My go-to are these Pigma Micron black ink pens in several sizes.

I hope these recommendations have been helpful. Please feel free to reach out with additional questions or comments or your own favorite supplies. I’d love to hear from you - just email me or leave a comment on this blog post!

Additionally, you can visit my amazon storefront to see further recommendations. 

Next up - take a watercolor class with Shelby Thayne

I host live watercolor workshops for beginners and more experienced painters regularly on zoom. To see what’s coming up, check out the “Learn” section from the menu on my website. Popular topics include:

• How to paint layered mountains and trees

• How to set up and use a watercolor sketchbook

• Watercolor night sky classes

• Snowy mountains in watercolor classes

• Watercolor washes and gradients

Email me or comment on this post if you have an idea for specific watercolor class you’d like to see me make available!