My Favorite Watercolor Supplies

I have a little bit of a different kind of post for you today. If you’ve been here a while, then you know that watercolor is my jam. My passion. I often get asked “What are your favorite watercolor supplies?” And honestly, that can be a lengthy answer. I do both fine art watercolor and crafty watercolor. So, my answer will vary depending on what which one you are looking for advice on. I thought I would share my favorites and my recommendations for both today. I’ll provide my favorites for card making or art journaling, when lightfastness or selling the work isn’t a priority or concern as well as my favorites for fine art when those concerns are a priority.

And of course, I’ll throw in some pictures to break up all of the text!

Watercolor Paper

In my opinion, the most important supply for watercolor is paper. You are much more likely to get good, consistent results with a higher quality paper. Not to say you can’t get good results with lower quality paper, but if you are just starting out and learning, do yourself a favor and get the best you can afford. You will progress quicker, and in the long run you will waste less paper and therefore actually save money. Most watercolor paper is a natural off-white, but there are some that have an “extra-white” version available. Watercolor color paper can be bought by the sheet (usually large sheets), in a pad (glued at the top), and a block (glued on two or more sides). Blocks are nice as you do not have to worry about taping down the paper to prevent warping. To release a sheet of paper from the block, just find the loose edge or corner that isn’t glued, slide a palette knife into the opening and then slide the knife all the way around the edges.

• Arches 140lb Cold Press – 100% cotton rag, dependable and consistent. This can be used for both crafting and fine art if you want to do both and don’t want to bother with buying more than one kind of paper.
• Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140# Cold Press – This one is only available in large blocks, but can be cut down to size as needed. Please note, there is also an “Enhanced” version of this paper. There is more sizing on the enhanced version, which makes it more difficult to do techniques which require multiple layers or lots of water. But can work for quick expressive work and/or if your style uses a lot of “lifting”. I 100% prefer the original version and snatch it up when I can. Comes in natural white and extra white. Can be used for both crafting and fine art.
• Arches 140lb Hot Press – Hot Pressed watercolor paper has a smooth texture and is my go to when I want to watercolor in a more detailed or realistic style. The smoother texture is also great for getting a clear impression when stamping. Can be used for both crafting and fine art.
• Prima Cold Press Watercolor Paper Pad – This paper really impresses me for a craft brand watercolor paper and is a bright white. I’m not sure if it is 100% cotton rag, but it sure does act like it. I only use this for crafting.

Watercolor Paint Brushes

Paint brushes are going to be a very personal choice based on your painting style or the style and technique that you are trying to achieve. A round brush is probably the most often used, and a flat brush is good to have also. Your brush size will be determined by the size of your work. The smaller the number, the smaller the brush. Typically, you’ll use a smaller brush for smaller images and details, and larger brushes for larger work and washes. I tend to favor synthetic brushes that are a little more on the firm side with a bit of snap. However, occasionally I do like to paint in a softer looser style where I prefer a softer brush that holds more pigment and water. I have lots of brushes from different brands that I do use, but below are the ones I use most often.

• Princeton Heritage 4050 series – Outstanding brushes. Not too firm, not too soft, nice belly and fine point. Perfect for both expressive work and fine details. If for some reason I had to choose, and could only ever use one brand of brush, I’d probably pick this series for it’s versatility.
• Princeton Velvetouch – Another good all purpose brush series.
• Princeton Snap! – These are one of my favorites for expressive florals.
• Da Vinci Kolinsky Sable – If you prefer a natural haired brush and want to splurge, you can’t go wrong with these. Incredible pigment and water load with a super fine point. Beautiful brushes.

Bonus: When I was grabbing the links for the brushes, I noticed they have a curated florals brush set featuring many of my personal favorite brushes in great sizes – Princeton Watercolor Floral Brush Set. I will be grabbing this myself, as that petal brush intrigues me!

Watercolor Paints

You’ll find a ton of different watercolors out there, from extremely expensive to extremely affordable. The most important thing I consider when reaching for a watercolor palette is my intentions for the final piece. Fine art that I want to last or plan to sell – a high quality, archival, light fast paint is a must. Otherwise, I reach for whatever is closest. Often I will use my fine art palette for crafting as well because I buy tubes of watercolor and fill the wells/pans of my palette. This is just a more economical choice for me. I can refill a color when it’s empty from the tubes, and only need to repurchase colors as I run out of them vs. buying a whole new set. Again, I have several watercolor brands and sets, but these are my favorite and most used.

• Daniel Smith – Tried and true, beautiful colors and decently priced.
• M. Graham – Gorgeous cobalts. *These are honey based so they never fully dry in the pan to a hard “cake”.
• Da Vinci – I particularly love their Prussian Blue, Red Rose Deep (Quinacridone), and Perylene Green.
• Mungyo 48 Pan Watercolors – This is an excellent all purpose palette. I only use if for crafting or warm ups as I have not tested it for lightfastness or fading or color changing over time. The colors are beautiful and there is not an excess of binders which can leave a chalky finish when dry.

Keep in mind that if you decide to go with a higher quality paint, you do not have to buy all of the colors at once. A pink or rose, a blue, a yellow, and Paynes Gray is a wonderful start and will allow you to mix more colors than you could imagine. Most brands even have a starter set available. Then add to your collection by purchasing the colors similar to the ones you find yourself mixing and using most often. This will depend on the subjects you enjoy painting the most.

I hope that you found this helpful. Remember, these are just my favorites and the ones I find myself reaching for most often over the last several years. Others may have different favorites and that is OK, just because they aren’t on my list, doesn’t mean that they aren’t any good.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are having an amazing week!

Featured Supplies

Some of the products used in this post were provided to me for free. I am not under any obligation to use or review these items unless otherwise noted. The following is a list of the featured supplies used in today’s project(s) along with links to purchase for convenience. Please note, this list contains affiliate links. Use of these links when shopping provides me with a small referral commission at no additional cost to you. Use is never expected, but always appreciated. Thank you for your support! ❤️

Fabriano Enhanced Cold Press Block Extra White 7×10 Shop at: Blick	Lots of Love Die Shop at: WP9	Arches Watercolor Pads Shop at: Blick	Arches Watercolor Blocks Shop at: Blick
Princeton Heritage 4050 Series Synthetic Sable Shop at: Blick	Princeton Velvetouch Synthetic Brushes Shop at: Blick	Princeton Snap! Synthetic Brushes Shop at: Blick	Da Vinci Sable Watercolor Brushes Shop at: Blick
Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors Shop at: Blick	M. Graham Artists’ Watercolor Shop at: Blick	Da Vinci Artists’ Watercolor Shop at: Blick	Princeton SNAP! Round size 10 Shop at: Blick