Guide to art materials useful for my art tutorials
When you follow my art tutorials, you may wonder what kind of supplies you need. I have compiled a list of art supplies for watercolor painting and colored pencils that I recommend.
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Table of contents
- Guide to art materials useful for my art tutorials
- Watercolor Paper
- Watercolor sketchbook
- Tracing line art
- Watercolor paint
- White gouache paint
- Pearl white gouache paint
- Masking fluid
- Watercolor gold paint
- Colored pencils
- Watercolor Pencils
- Brushes
- Embossing tool (to transfer line art to watercolor paper)
- Sponge
- Tape for mounting watercolor paper
- Set of boards for mounting watercolor paper
- Non-slip metal ruler with cork back
- Utility knife
About Watercolor paper
The best paper for watercolor + colored pencils is smooth, white, and 100% cotton.
Cotton absorbs water very well, and such paper will have a surface that is primed for watercolor.
When you draw with colored pencils on top of dry watercolor, you need a smooth surface for drawing details.
The outcome of your painting depends to a certain extent on the kind of paper you use.
I have tested a few different, smooth watercolor papers over the years, and Arches comes out as my favorite brand. It simply works well with my style of work. But other brands are just as good. If you are a watercolor beginner, I suggest using a cheaper paper for practicing first.
Important about blocks of watercolor paper
Most of the papers listed below come in a block of paper glued together. To separate one sheet at a time, you must use a knife. Always cut away from your body. If you don’t use a knife to cut the papers loose, you will tear up the sheets and ruin your purchase.
You can paint directly onto paper on a block, with no need to mount the paper to a wooden board. But make sure to not use a lot of water. It can seep through to the paper underneath.
This blog post instructs how to stretch and mount watercolor paper. That’s how you avoid bumps when the paper gets wet.
Watercolor Paper
High-quality smooth (not grainy!) watercolor paper
These are high quality, 100% cotton, satin-smooth watercolor paper. My favorite Arches is listed first, and then other brands that cost less.
Arches Watercolor Block, Hot Press 7″X10″,
Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. Hot Press 20 Sheet Block 9×12″ – Traditional White
Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Extra White Block 9″x12″ 300gsm HP 20 Sheets
Smooth practice paper for watercolor
This smooth paper is good for practicing watercolor. It is made to imitate cotton paper.
Fluid Watercolor Paper 850912 140LB Hot Press 9 x 12 Block, 15 Sheets
This is a cheap practice paper with one side smooth, the other side textured. It is thin (190gsm) and A4 size, which means you can easily use it for your printer. Print the free line art in One Tree Art Club library directly, without the need to trace and transfer the drawing.
Watercolor sketchbook
Canson Artist Series Watercolor Pad, 5.5″ x 8.5″ Side Wire
Tracing line art
Tracing paper
In this blog post, you can earn how to trace a line drawing onto watercolor paper.
Strathmore 370-9 300 Series Tracing Pad, 9″x12″ Tape Bound, 50 Sheets,White.
LED Light tracing pad
Speed up tracing outlines for your painting by using an ultra-thin, lightweight LED light tracing pad. Simply connect to your laptop or computer with a USB cord.
Carbon paper
Watercolor paint
My own collection of watercolor paint is a mix of various quality brands. The list below is based on research.
It makes painting with watercolor easier to have a good range of colors. A set with few colors usually doesn’t have cyan and magenta. These two colors are essential for mixing certain colors, especially for painting flowers. If you have to buy cyan and magenta separately, it can add up, so that a set with many colors is more economical.
Quality watercolor paint
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint, Half Pans, Set of 24, 24 Count
SHINHAN Professional Watercolor Paint 7.5ml Tubes 30 Color Set
With watercolor tubes, you need a palette to keep the colors in:
ShinHan Watercolor Palette 42 Colors
Practice watercolor paint
Various practice watercolors at a lower price
White gouache paint
I use white gouache a lot in my watercolor tutorials. Gouache is a kind of watercolor with highly concentrated pigments that makes it opaque. If you mix with enough water, it becomes transparent. The options below are pretty much the same.
Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache Tube, 14ml, Permanent White
Holbein Artists Gouache Zinc White 15ml (A)
M. Graham 2-Ounce Tube Gouache Paint, Titanium White
Pearl white gouache paint
Holbein Artists Gouache Pearl White 15ml (C)
Masking fluid
Winsor & Newton Art Masking Fluid, 75ml
Schmincke Masking Fluid 25ml Blue Dispensing Bottle (50731005)
Watercolor gold paint
Gold powder & gum arabic to make gold paint
In my blog post How to Make Watercolor Gold in Four East Steps, I use these two ingredients: Gold powder and gum arabic, and a little water.
Schmincke Aqua Bronze Powder, 20ml Jar, Rich Gold, 1 Each (15811032)
Winsor & Newton Gum Arabic, 75ml
Ready-made gold paint
Kuretake : Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour : Gold : Large Pan
Coliro M600 Artist Mica Watercolor Paint, Metallic, Gold & Silver (6-Color/Set)
Colored pencils
White polychrome colored pencil
I use a white pencil a lot in my tutorials.
Faber-Castell colored pencils
Faber-Castell Grip Colored EcoPencils – 24 Pack Colored Pencils, Pre-Sharpened
Faber-Castell Classic Colored Pencils Tin Set, 48 Vibrant Colors in Sturdy Metal Case
Castle colored pencils
I haven’t tried these, but a pack like that would be great for my small studio space.
Watercolor Pencils
Derwent Colored Pencils, Inktense Ink Pencils, Drawing, Art, Metal Tin, 24 Count (0700929)
Faber-Castell Creative Studio Goldfaber Aqua Watercolor Pencils – Tin of 12 Colors, Multicolor
Brushes
I have never given much importance to using high-quality watercolor brushes. As long as brushes stay pointed and do the job, I’m happy. Make sure to clean your brushes well after a painting session. Use your fingers to make the hairs pointed each time you leave a brush to dry.
These are three sets of brushes with a wide range of sizes, from very fine to thick. When you’re painting, you use various sizes depending on the level of fine detail or broad strokes.
Set of sable brushes
Set of synthetic squirrel brushes by Zen Art.
Set of nylon brushes
Embossing tool (to transfer line art to watercolor paper)
When you transfer a line drawing to watercolor paper, you can use an embossing tool, or a hard pencil.
Valar Dohaeris Wooden Ball Stylus Dotting Tools Set Embossing Pattern Clay Sculpting Modeling Tools
Sponge
When you want to soak up water and pigments in your watercolor painting, a sponge is your best tool. To soak up paint in a very tiny area, you can roll some tissue paper to make a sharp point.
Tape for mounting watercolor paper
When you mount your watercolor paper on a wooden board, use this tape. Use water sparingly to wet the glue.
MyLifeUNIT White Artist Tape for Watercolor and Canvas (1-1/2 Inch x 60 Yards)
Set of boards for mounting watercolor paper
This is the best and most economical set of wooden boards I could find.
Artlicious – 11×14 Hardboard 6 Pack – Great Alternative to Canvas Panel Boards
Non-slip metal ruler with cork back
When you cut your watercolor paper loose from the woodblock, you need to cut along the edge of a ruler. Use a metal ruler with non-slip cork back. This way, you avoid that the ruler slides, and you cut in the wrong place. You also avoid cuts to your fingers! Press the ruler down firmly, and keep your fingers away from the edge of the ruler.
Westcott 10416 15″ Stainless Steel Office Ruler with Non Slip Cork Base
Utility knife
