Updated May 2025

So you’re ready to get started with watercolor! Yay! What supplies do you NEED and what supplies are nice to have? Excellent question! Let’s dig in!

I try to use affiliate links whenever possible. So, if you use one of these links I may get a few pennies from it. However, the cost to you will be the same. I promise that I never choose what to suggest to you based on the benefit I might receive from it! You can learn more about our affiliate policy here. 

Also, I have a whole page with all my art supplies recommendations, which covers many other forms of media as well. I regularly buy at Amazon because of shipping, but I also shop at Michaels a lot. They seem to have a better watercolor section than Hobby Lobby.

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Looking for the Easy Button?

I’ll talk about each of these below, but here are my top recommendations for a quick start. You can see them all on one Amazon list here for about $40-55 (depending on your paper choice). If you don’t want to mess with Amazon and splitting larger packs with friends, you could instead purchase a pre-assembled watercolor kit from me.

These are all mid-range or cheap just to get you started, and they are listed in order of importance:

• Paper: Fingraspuro 140lb, 30 sheets, 9×12, 100% cotton paper– This is a really affordable paper for 100% cotton!
  • If you’re starting up with friends, buy one pack and split it (10 or 15 sheets per person). If you don’t have someone to split a pack with, and you are taking an in-person class from me, I’ll split a pack with you! Just ask.
• Paint in a Palette: Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Field Set. (14 colors). This is a great brand for beginning students and this ‘field set’ palette has a nice mix of colors and travels easily.
• Brushes: You really can start with cheap brushes ($5 for a whole set!), but of course I have upgrade options below too!
• Extras– you’ll want:
  • White painter’s tape or masking tape (I like the 1/2″ width). (You might even have some laying around the house you can use- just make sure it’s not super sticky! It doesn’t have to be white- that’s just my preference)
  • A plastic board or plastic clipboard (to tape your paper to)- 8.5×11 is a nice size, since it holds 8×10 paper (you could split this 6-pack with a friend or me as well, since 3 is plenty!)
  • Eye dropper bottles or small plastic pipettes, for quickly wetting each pan of paint
  • a water cup/container (I use an old jar with a big wide mouth)
  • a few paper towels
  • a pencil with an eraser

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A Method to the Madness

Looking to dive in deeper? Here’s how I think about supplies and what I suggest you purchase. Having a methodology for selecting art supplies will help reduce feelings of overwhelm from the vast choices! Here’s how we do it:

Start with “Student” grade

• This is below “Professional” grade but is a giant step up from the least expensive kid-craft type of art supply.
• I want to make sure my art supplies aren’t so cheap that they’re holding me back. However, I also don’t need to spend tons of money on high-end supplies that won’t make any difference at my skill level.
• Almost all my recommendations will be within the “Student” levels. 
• Once your art is at a “Professional” level, you’ll probably have a lot of personal opinions about the art supplies that work best for your specific style and you won’t even want my opinion!

As you delve into watercolor, you’ll start to learn the vocabulary and HOW that particular supply jumps up in quality. For example, the lightfastness of a paint or the intensity of color in a paint… Always research (google or ask a teacher) any unknown terms so you can keep learning about your art supplies

Look for Ways to Test Out Certain Tools. 

Testing before you buy is the best way to end up with what you like and now have a giant pile of unused supplies! Here are the best ways I’ve found to test supplies:

• Some art stores allow you to test out certain supplies. 
• Artist friends will usually enjoy ‘talking shop’ about their favorite supplies and are often very generous in sharing. 
• When you take a class, often the instructor and your classmates will have some supplies that are different from yours and allow you to try them out.

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Watercolor Supplies

At a bare minimum you need paper, paint in a palette, and a brush. Since I already posted my easy-button-supplies for each of those up top, let’s dig in a little deeper and see how we might save money too!

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Watercolor Paint

I am very laid back about what paint I use. I have paint from a wide variety of brands and I haven’t noticed all that much difference! (except Crayola watercolor paint- don’t buy that!)

Ready to learn more details? Check out my post: All About Watercolor Paint!

Supplies: All About Watercolor Paint

If you’re looking to start with the least investment, buy an “Artist Loft Level 2” set from Michaels. You can get the tubes of paint (24 for $10) and put them in your own palette ($2), or buy a palette with paint. Whenever I teach Painting Parties, I use the Artist Loft Level 2 paints, mostly because so much of the paint gets thrown out at the end of the night. It’s really quite nice! The main downside is that the colors aren’t as intense.

What’s my favorite personal brand??? When I’m painting for fun or a commission, I find myself leaning towards Daniel Smith, but I think that’s mostly because I have a 4-page set of samples of every single color they make! My dad and I share paint tubes and we’ve bought tons, just one tube at a time, over the years, so it’s never felt like a giant investment.

What Colors Do You Need?

This is more important than the brand! Make sure you have at least the 3 primary colors: Magenta, Cyan, and Yellow (just like your inkjet printer)

• Magenta- this is a bright red like “Alizarin Crimson”
  • It should look magenta! We often tell kids that “red” is primary, but it’s really magenta. When you add a touch of yellow to magenta, you get the typical red color. But if you start with that typical red, you’ll never be able to mix up a magenta color.
• Cyan- this is a bright sky blue like “Cerulean”
  • Different brands spell this word differently, so don’t let that trip you up!
  • Some people use “Phthalo Blue” or “Cobalt blue” as their primary. I like them as extras but not my primary blue color.
  • If you’re going to get 2 blues, I’d suggest Phthalo blue and one of the other since Phthalo is staining and the other two are granulating. (It’s ok if you don’t know what those words mean!!)
• Yellow- This is a bright yellow like “Lemon Yellow” (Yellow Ochre is very brown)

I suggest you also have these:

• “Sap green” and/or “Hooker’s Green” are nice to have if you’re painting a lot of plants
• Purple and Orange are a little more elusive so we tend to mix them. I do like Daniel Smith’s “Permanent Orange” and “Purple” from Daler Rowney.
• “Burnt Umber” is a really nice brown (“VanDyke Brown” is pretty similar) and it can be hard to mix just the right color of brown, much less do it twice (especially when you’re just starting out). The “Siena” colors are very orange and I don’t find that I use them very often.
• “Paynes Grey” and/or “Indigo” are great for shading.
• “Lamp Black” or “Ivory Black” are nice to have.
• “Chinese White” or “Titanium White” are both handy and fun. Watercolor purists don’t use any white paint, but I’ve never been a purist!

If you’re looking for a ready-made set of tube paints, I like the mix of colors in this 20 color Winsor & Newton Cotman set ($27 on Amazon). You’ll need to buy an empty palette to use with the tubes (see below).

Watercolor Palettes (full)

I’m always torn between these starter sets. They are a great price for what you’re getting!!

• If you’re looking for a set of paint in a palette already, this Daler Rowney Watercolour Aquafine Travel Tin is a great starter set! ($18 for a travel set of 18 colors). I wish there was a Payne’s Grey. My only complaint is that it’s round and I like a rectangular palette! 🤷🏼‍♀️
• Therefore, my top recommendation is the rectangular Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Field Set. ($20-30 for a travel set of 14 colors) It has a nice mix of colors and it travels easily. I do wish there was a nice purple though. The price seems to jump around a lot so google it!
• The Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Studio Set ($42 for a set of 24 colors). is also very nice. You just need to pick your budget!

If you’re ready for a full range of colors from a top brand, I recommend Daniel Smith’s 24 pan set ($130)

Watercolor Palette (empty)

Strangely enough, it’s sometimes cheaper to buy tubes of paint and fill your own palette. This method has the added bonus that you then have more paint if you use up one color. But keep in mind that watercolor painting involves lots of water and not all that much paint. It may be a year or two before you use up that little pan of watercolor paint!

I prefer my palette of paint to be portable, even if I’m not traveling a lot. Then I can clean up my desk and put it all away, or take it with me on vacation. Here are a few options for that:

• I bought the “Portable Painter” (pictured in my travel set up below) and I LOVE it. I use it all over the place: camping, traveling, even just sitting in my car waiting on the kids! It’s not watertight, so I do need to let it mostly dry before I close it.
• On my desk at home, I use a set of these metal rectangular pans with plastic half pans or full pans ($10 each). I have two with half pans full of paint and two with full pans I use for mixing (See photos below). When I need to clean it all up, I let it all dry, put on the lids and then they all stack up perfectly. My analytical brain loves the tidiness while my creative brain loves all the mixing space!
• My sister and I both have these Mijello Martin Airtight Watercolor 18-Well Palettes. (Deanna talked about this in the podcast #36 – timestamp: 49:40)! They are definitely watertight, so they won’t leak, but if your paints are still watery and you tip it, the paints will mix into each other. Also, paint can mold, so open it up and let it dry when you get home!

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Watercolor Brushes

You can use almost any brush, but watercolor brushes will hold more water than a brush for acrylic painting, making the experience less frustrating. When your brush won’t hold much water, you constantly are moving between your palette and your paper. If this is happening to you, consider upgrading your brushes. You also want a brush that will hold its point, not splay out constantly.

Brushes can be very expensive, so I like to buy them one at a time and test them out. Want to learn all about brushes? Check out my Watercolor Brushes blog post for an in depth look at what they’re made of and why it matters!

Supplies: All About Watercolor Brushes

I suggest you look at the student-grade watercolor brushes at Michael’s and pick out 2 round watercolor brushes: Something around size 2 to 4 and something around size 8. Synthetic is fine. Plan on spending $5 to $15 per brush. Keep any case, guard, or tube they come in for transport! Since I suggest you start working small (like 4×6 or 5×7 with watercolor), the giant brushes are not needed at the beginning.

• I love the Silver Brush Limited Black Velvet Round Watercolor 2, 6, 10 Brush Set (Often cheaper at Michaels than Amazon!). These are a really nice blend of Squirrel hair and black synthetic fibers. I’ve had mine since 2019 and they are still in great shape with a nice pointy tip and no stray hairs.
• I’ve also heard great things about these:
  • Princeton Heritage, Series 4050, Synthetic Sable Paint Round Brushes also work well. I suggest either a size 0, 4, & 8 -OR- a 2 & 8 ($8-20 each). I just recently bought the #6 round and I’m testing it out.
  • Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Brushes. This set with a size 0, 4, & 8 would be a nice starter set for under $20

I know cheaper brushes work well too. When I lead a watercolor painting party the brushes I provide are pretty low-end, so I switch to using them for my prep work and when I’m demonstrating. They really aren’t all that bad and I think they’re a great way to see if you enjoy watercolor. It seems like most of the big online influencers sell their own personal brand of brushes now… I think that means that there’s some big company out there offering to put your own label on their standard brushes, but they haven’t called me, so I don’t know! LOL! Anyway, there are a million brands of brushes and I have only tried a few!

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Other Watercolor Supplies

• Tape– You need to tape your paper down to a firm surface so it won’t buckle when wet (unless you’re working on a paper block).
  • You can buy the name-brand Pro Artist Tape for this temporary use or just buy white painter’s masking tape. I’ve been experimenting with it and it seems to work just as well on watercolor paper. It did not release as well on the card stock. I highly prefer the 1/2″ size!
• Boards or Acrylic/Plexiglass sheets to tape the watercolor paper to (see above).
  • For a while, I used some scrap MDF and then a plastic clipboard and they worked fine, although I do NOT like the smell of wet MDF!
  • Then I got these 0.04″ thick, 8″x10″ Plexiglass Panels (5 sheets for $9) and I LOVE them! This pack came with 5 sheets and I use them all, painting on one thing, setting it aside to dry, and painting on another!
• Light Pad / Box: Many artists will use something like this to transfer their own drawing to the watercolor paper as well since extensive erasing can damage the surface of watercolor paper. If you aren’t confident in your drawing skills yet, just trace your image onto your watercolor paper so you can focus on your painting techniques. This is one of my favorite things for both younger and more advanced students!
  • Light Box / Pad for ($22) – It’s easy to use, lightweight, and has held up to a year of being hauled around in my kids’ backpacks! I purchased this Tikteck one near the end of 2018 and it’s still doing great! (updated Dec 2024). 
  • That one seems to be unavailable at times, so I also recommend this one by LitEnergy. (Aug 2022)
• Watercolor Pencils: These are just so fun, but think of them as an advanced watercolor supply.
  • My favorites are the Fabber Castel Albrecht Durer pencils ($38 for a 24-pack). They are also sold in different sized packs, so buy what your budget allows.
• Palette Paper is a disposable paint mixing surface. It’s a little bit like wax paper, but sturdier.
• Eye dropper bottles or small plastic pipettes, for quickly wetting each pan of paint
• Paper Towels
• Pencil w/ eraser

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Those are the supplies I use, now what questions do you have? You are welcome to contact me and ask away!