Watercolor Supplies: How to and Where to Buy

I have learned through trial and error which watercolor art supplies are the best and most affordable. Everyone has their preferences and as you continue on your journey with painting you may find that your choices differ but this is a really good start to finding out what works best for you.

First of all the most affordable art supplies, I have found, are through mail order. You can buy most of your supplies for half the price. There is shipping involved but especially if you have a large order or go with someone else to buy your supplies you can get free shipping. I get these specific art supply catalogs and compare prices. Cheap Joe's, Dick Blick Art Supply Warehouse, more commonly known as ASW and Jerry's. There are always sales and many times if you are buy several items it may pay to pay a little more for one item if you get a really good deal on paper, for example.

For specifics, I love Arches watercolor paper. I haven't found any paper that I like better. Since they have bright white now, it used to have a little more of a yellow cast than some papers, I love it even more. If you buy the 300-pound, you will never want to go back to the standard 140 pound paper. I suggest that you start out with the 140 pound paper though because it is much more affordable. You can buy it in 10 sheet packs for about $35.00 and it lasts a long time. You can cut one piece into 4 sheets and get 4 good size paintings out of it. You can also paint on the back of it so if you don't like what you have painted you still can paint on the other side.

When you buy brushes I suggest that you start out with a set of round brushes in varying sizes. Different brands sizes run different. You want a small size, say a number 4 and an 8 and a 10. You will probably want some flat brushes. I like to have at least one large flat brush in about a size 10 for watercolor washes. You can add brushes as you go. If you paint with a class you will see other things that you will think you have to have. You might want to get a fan brush too but that isn't really necessary.