Watercolor Essentials for Adults— Beginner Friendly Materials
If you happened to attend my recent Adult Watercolor classes, you may remember me saying that watercolors are accessible and easy to use at home and for this reason, are a great way to get into painting as an adult. Compared to other mediums, I would argue that watercolors are easy to set up and clean up and require a minimal amount of supplies. The fluid nature of watercolors allows for both precision and spontaneity, making them ideal for a wide range of skill levels and styles. If you are looking to grow your art practice at home or begin the habit of painting on a regular basis, watercolors are a great place to start. I’m going to show you how to create a small tabletop painting studio that you can customize to your preferences.
When it comes to the paints themselves, I love the idea of a Cotman Watercolor set. To activate the paints all you need is water and the inside of the lid offers space for mixing colors. As soon as you are done painting, you can simply close the compartment and stow your paints away. The 12 Pan Pocket set is affordable and small enough to store virtually anywhere. Don’t be fooled by the small selection of colors—if you’re willing to mix and experiment, you can create all the colors you need with just these 12 pans.
For a larger selection of colors with the same convenience of stowing away easily, I would recommend a 45 Pan set. Here you have more than enough space to mix colors on the inside of the lid as well as the mixing tray provided.
Finally, if you would like endless possibilities and are looking to paint at an advanced level, you may enjoy a full set of 20 loose paints. Loose paints require more set up and clean up but if you are committed to learning watercolors, these are a great investment. There are many high quality options available to explore.
Next you’ll need a small range of brush options. Once you know what you like, you may find yourself gravitating towards two or three brushes that accomplish everything you need. To get started, you will need a range of soft and dense brushes in different sizes that allow for different levels of precision. We used this affordable brush set in the classes I taught at the Rec Center and I felt like the quality and range of sizes was great for the price. A small travel set like the one shown below could be especially convenient and easy to bring on the go—this would pair nicely with the pocket watercolor set. For a very high quality option, a lot of watercolor artists really enjoy this Princeton Velvetouch set which I am eager to add to my collection!
Finally, paper options. While you can purchase really amazing watercolor paper in individual sheets at specialty art stores, sometimes a paper pad is most convenient for someone looking to paint regularly and experiment as they go. We used this Canson paper in the adult watercolor class and I was pleased with the quality. The smooth surface was great for beginners as well. Strathmore also makes great watercolor paper in wirebound, taped, and sheet options. If you are sticking with small, travel-friendly materials or just want to work on small-scale projects, I’ve really enjoyed using this little Strathmore pad and enjoy keeping it in my collection.
Once you have your paints, brushes, and paper, all you need is water and a paper towel or rag to dry your brushes with. Everything else is optional! A few other items I enjoy having in my kit are these water blending pens, some white gouache for fixing mistakes or adding opacity, and some painter’s tape for creating borders or taping paper in place. If you tend to paint at a kitchen table or desk, you can also use a cheap plastic placemat from Amazon or the Dollar Store (where they’re sold individually) to avoid staining your tabletops. These are easy to rinse and wipe clean.
Getting into painting can feel intimidating when you visit an art store but I hope this helped narrow the supply list down to the essentials. Making art can be as affordable, small-scale, and manageable as you would like it to be. The idea is to customize a set of supplies that you will be excited to use regularly and that make sense for the space you have. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced painter, you can always find ways to make art easier to incorporate into your everyday life.
