Watercolor Supplies – My Top Studio Picks
Starting watercolor painting can feel overwhelming with so many supplies to choose from. As a pet portrait artist, and with 20 years of experience with watercolor, I’ve tested countless brands and products over the years. To make things easier, I’ve put together a list of high-quality, beginner-friendly watercolor supplies that are affordable, easy to use, and perfect for learning the basics! I also include a few upgrade picks if you don’t mind investing a little more.
🎨 Essential Watercolor Supplies for Beginners
1. Watercolor Paints – Affordable & High-Quality
When starting out, you don’t need a huge, expensive set—just a few quality colors that blend well.
✔️ Best Budget Pick: [Windsor & Newton Cotman] – Great for experimenting without breaking the bank.
✔️ Best Upgrade Pick: [Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Set] – More vibrant pigments with excellent blending. These are my personal favorite!
Pro Tip: Look for artist-grade or student-grade watercolors with good transparency and mixability!
2. Watercolor Paper – The Right Texture & Weight Matters!
Regular paper won’t work for watercolor—it will buckle and tear. Go for cold-pressed, 100% cotton paper for the best results.
✔️ Best Budget Paper: [Augacage 100% cotton 140lb paper] – Great for practice and beginner projects.
✔️ Best Professional Paper: [Arches 100% cotton 140lb paper] – Holds more water and pigment for better results. This is the paper I use for all of my commissioned portraits.
Pro Tip: Choose 140lb (300gsm) or heavier paper to prevent warping!
3. Watercolor Brushes – Soft & Versatile
A good brush makes a big difference in how your paint flows. You don’t need a huge set—just a few essentials:
✔️ Round Brush (Size 6-8) – Perfect for most watercolor techniques.
✔️ Flat Brush (1 inch) – Great for washes and backgrounds.
✔️ Detail Brush (Size 0-2) – Ideal for fine details.
✔️ Best Budget Pick: [Golden Maple Sable Brushes set] These work well, and I still use a few of these brushes. Although they are labeled as “Professional” brushes, they aren’t quite as high of quality as others that I’ve used and prefer. They occasionally shed, but not nearly as much as cheaper quality sets.
✔️ Best Upgrade Pick: [Silver Brush Limited Black Velvet set] These are my personal favorite brushes! I use these every day. They hold so much water and paint, never shed, and have great spring. They also have the perfect tip on these round brushes that allow for the smallest of details even with the size 8 or 12.
Pro Tip: Synthetic brushes are great for beginners—they hold water well and are budget-friendly!
4. Palette – Mixing Colors Made Easy
A good palette helps you mix colors efficiently. I included 4 options and what I like about each of them.
✔️ Best Large Palette: [Enamel Butcher Tray] – More mixing space for color blending.
✔️ Best Compact Travel Palette: [Portable Ceramic Palette] – Lightweight and easy to clean. As a travel baseball mom, this one is easy to pack on trips!
✔️ Best Plastic Palette Case: [Folding Watercolor Palette] – More mixing space and closes for easy storage when not in use.
✔️ My Personal Favorite Every Day Palette: [18-Well Porcelain Palette] – There are so many things I love about this palette. The porcelain surface allows for the best mixing and water control, it’s easy to clean, and I can organize my paints the way I like. It’s compact enough, but also has plenty of space for mixing.
Pro Tip: Use a white porcelain or plastic palette to see the true colors when mixing! I personally only use porcelain as it prevents the paint from beading and I am able to see and control the amount of water and paint on my brush. This is a personal preference, so I included 4 options so you can decide what would work best for you.
5. Extras! – Small Tools That Make a Big Difference
✔️ Masking Tape: Helps create clean edges. [Holbein Soft Tape]
✔️ Waterproof Ink Pen: Great for sketching before or after painting. This is also the pen I use to sign all my artwork. [Micron Fineliner Pens]
✔️ Water Brush Pens: Perfect for on-the-go painting. I also take these with me when I travel! [Pentel Arts Pack of 4 Brushes]
✔️ Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White: This is such an amazing product that I use in almost all of my portraits. I use it to add whiskers or extra highlights at the very end of a pet portrait. [Dr.Ph. Martin’s Fine Art Paint]
✔️ Brush Holder: The size of this paint brush cup is perfect for watercolor since we don’t use a ton of brushes. [Mie Creations Designer Paintbrush Cup]
✔️ Water Container: Feel free to use a mug, jar, or plastic cup. But I wanted to share my favorite water container. This design with the two separate sides help to have a clean side and dirty water side. This takes up less room on my desk, and I never have to worry about accidentally dipping my brush into my coffee. [Ceramic watercolor brush wash bowl]
✔️ Hardboard painting surface: If You’ve ever wondered about the board I tape my portraits to here are the boards I use! I have 3 sizes, so I’ll share all that I use. [Ampersand Painting Panel 11x14, 1/8 inch], [9x12, 1/8 inch], [8x10, 1/8 inch]
🎨 Ready to Start Painting?
These beginner-friendly watercolor supplies will help you get started without the frustration of using low-quality materials. Whether you’re painting for fun or planning to develop your skills further, these products will set you up for success!
Check out my Beginner Watercolor Series: Watercolor for Beginners
Some of my favorite supplies!