I looooove watercolor and I use it all the time.
That said, I am not a watercolorist. I think of myself as a watercolor enthusiast.
I like to use watercolor in some conventional…
…but mostly unconventional ways, like these watercolor gelatin prints:
Watercolor is a wonderful medium for adding texture and color to a project.
Watercolor paints allow you to achieve a range of colors, from intense hues to delicate tints, and the colors remain transparent when dry, allowing for beautiful layered effects. Check out this watercolor glazing:
I especially love watercolor on book pages because of the transparency:
Many people begin their art making with watercolors as they are perceived as easier to use than acrylics (false, but that's a whole other conversation) and they clean up with water. Even if you're a beginner, I encourage you to buy artist's grade watercolors. Just look at the difference:
As you can see, the pigment load on the expensive watercolors is so much better than that of the cheap watercolors. The expensive watercolors are incredibly vibrant.
Watercolors are definitely my go-to for art while traveling…
…or out and about.
So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite watercolor-related supplies:
For many years I was exclusively dedicated to the Sakura Koi Watercolor Palette. (You can read this 2016 blog post about it.)
I still think it's awesome. There's a built-in palette extension, two sponges for cleaning your brush, and a waterbrush is included in the kit. I have two and they are well used and well loved. But for a little more flexibility, I like to make my own watercolor sets now, using QoR Tube Watercolors.
The thing about QoR watercolors that makes them unique is the binding agent. Watercolor paints are usually made from pigment and gum arabic (the binding agent). Gum arabic has a slightly yellow tinge to it. This makes all watercolors have a slightly yellow tint to them. However, QoR watercolors are made with Aquazol, which is 100% clear. Thus, the pigments have no additional yellowing! How cool is that?
For palettes, I use a Mijello palette at home:
It's airtight and leak proof so your watercolors never grow mold or any of that other gross stuff.
For travel, I use a Pocket Watercolor Palette that was gifted to me many years ago.
It's about the size of a credit card and I love it! A cheaper alternative are these 3D-printed palettes from Etsy, which I blogged about in 2021:
When I don't make my own sketchbook, my watercolor sketchbook of choice is the teeny tiny (i.e. fits in your hand) watercolor Moleskine.
For budget watercolor paper, you can't beat the quality and price of Canson.
You can usually pick up a pad on sale at Michaels or another big box store.
When I'm feeling flush, I'll splurge on Fabriano Artistico sheets.
They are so luxurious and yummy. But I'm guilty of hoarding it in my stash — too afraid to use it because it's soooooo nice. (Anyone else have that problem?)
And finally, as far as brushes go, I'm a cheap watercolor brush kind of girl. I'm not a good enough watercolorist to see the value in an expensive sable brush I'd probably dip in acrylic paint at some point. If you want great fake sable, go for the Princeton Heritage Series brushes.
In general, I loooooove Princeton brushes. I love that they keep budget and hard use in mind for people like me. My favorite acrylic brushes are from their Catalyst series.
Let me know if you have watercolor questions and I'll do my best to answer. I do go through some basics in my online class, Sketchbook Habit: Keeping a Visual Diary.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Julie. I want to point out the lovely creation in the first picture of this post. On the right you captured one of your palettes. In the mixing area (the lid) is a faantastical dark pink/light pink image. In fact, that is what caught my eye. I almost thought you had created another painting! Too cool. Thanks for all the info about paints, papers and brushes. I will know what to look for next time I shop. Thanks again.
Hi Julie. I want to point out the lovely creation in the first picture of this post. On the right you captured one of your palettes. In the mixing area (the lid) is a faantastical dark pink/light pink image. In fact, that is what caught my eye. I almost thought you had created another painting! Too cool. Thanks for all the info about paints, papers and brushes. I will know what to look for next time I shop. Thanks again.
Hi Julie. I want to point out the lovely creation in the first picture of this post. On the right you captured one of your palettes. In the mixing area (the lid) is a faantastical dark pink/light pink image. In fact, that is what caught my eye. I almost thought you had created another painting! Too cool. Thanks for all the info about paints, papers and brushes. I will know what to look for next time I shop. Thanks again.
Hi Julie. I want to point out the lovely creation in the first picture of this post. On the right you captured one of your palettes. In the mixing area (the lid) is a faantastical dark pink/light pink image. In fact, that is what caught my eye. I almost thought you had created another painting! Too cool. Thanks for all the info about paints, papers and brushes. I will know what to look for next time I shop. Thanks again.
Hi Julie. I want to point out the lovely creation in the first picture of this post. On the right you captured one of your palettes. In the mixing area (the lid) is a faantastical dark pink/light pink image. In fact, that is what caught my eye. I almost thought you had created another painting! Too cool. Thanks for all the info about paints, papers and brushes. I will know what to look for next time I shop. Thanks again.
Hi Julie. I want to point out the lovely creation in the first picture of this post. On the right you captured one of your palettes. In the mixing area (the lid) is a faantastical dark pink/light pink image. In fact, that is what caught my eye. I almost thought you had created another painting! Too cool. Thanks for all the info about paints, papers and brushes. I will know what to look for next time I shop. Thanks again.
Hi Julie. I want to point out the lovely creation in the first picture of this post. On the right you captured one of your palettes. In the mixing area (the lid) is a faantastical dark pink/light pink image. In fact, that is what caught my eye. I almost thought you had created another painting! Too cool. Thanks for all the info about paints, papers and brushes. I will know what to look for next time I shop. Thanks again.
You are just such a cool person! Lu u, ur works, and ur entire family! U are one of my u art idols!
You are just such a cool person! Lu u, ur works, and ur entire family! U are one of my u art idols!
You are just such a cool person! Lu u, ur works, and ur entire family! U are one of my u art idols!
You are just such a cool person! Lu u, ur works, and ur entire family! U are one of my u art idols!
You are just such a cool person! Lu u, ur works, and ur entire family! U are one of my u art idols!
You are just such a cool person! Lu u, ur works, and ur entire family! U are one of my u art idols!
You are just such a cool person! Lu u, ur works, and ur entire family! U are one of my u art idols!