Watercolor for Beginners: Lesson 1 – Essential Supplies & Water Control Basics

Welcome to Your First Watercolor Lesson!

Starting with watercolor can feel overwhelming—there are so many brushes, papers, and paints to choose from! In this lesson, we’ll go over the must-have supplies for beginners and walk through your first watercolor exercise: mastering water control.

🎨 Watch the full tutorial on YouTube: FULL TUTORIAL

What You’ll Learn in This Lesson

✅ The best watercolor supplies for beginners (without breaking the bank!)
✅ How to control water for smooth blends and vibrant layers
✅ A simple exercise to build confidence with your brush

Beginner-Friendly Watercolor Supplies

I recommend starting with quality but affordable materials to make learning easier. Here are my recommended picks (Amazon affiliate links included!) For my full list of recommended supplies including what I like about each one check out My Studio Picks - Watercolor Supplies:

🖌 Brushes – Golden Maple Watercolor Brushes
🖼 Paper – 100% Cotton, Cold Press, Watercolor Paper
🎨 Paints – Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paints
🫙 Palette – Enamel Coated Butcher Tray
💦 Other Essentials – Water container, a spray bottle, and paper towels

💡 Tip: Always use 100% cotton watercolor paper for the best results—it makes blending and layering much easier!

Practice Exercise: Mastering Water Control

Water control is one of the trickiest skills for beginners, but this simple exercise will help:

1️⃣ Wet-on-Wet: Apply clean water to your paper, then drop in some paint and watch it spread.
2️⃣ Wet-on-Dry: Load your brush with paint and apply it to dry paper for more defined shapes.
3️⃣ Gradients: Start with a strong color and gradually add more water to fade it out.

🌟 Watch the full lesson on YouTube for a step-by-step demonstration! FULL LESSON HERE!

Next Steps

🎥 Watch the full tutorial on YouTube: FULL TUTORIAL
💬 Share your finished project: Share a picture of your finished project on social media and tag @libbyallexstudio

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for more watercolor lessons!

Lesson 1 Final Project!