Watercolour materials
To achieve the best results, it is important to buy good paints, brushes and papers. They might cost a little more, but the best advice I can give is to choose products made by reputable manufacturers and to buy the best you can afford. The results will be worth it.
Paints
Watercolours come in tubes and pans of solid colour. I prefer tubes because they are quicker and easier to use. Colours come in two qualities, “artist’s” and “student’s”. Artist's quality are the best, but they are more expensive and the prices of the individual colours vary according to the cost of the pigment. Initially you may prefer to use the less expensive 'student' quality and I would recommend Winsor and Newton's 'Cotman' series. Cheap paints and paints produced for children or schools are usually a waste of time and you will be quickly discouraged by your results.
Start with a limited palette of colours. A good general palette might include cadmium red, cadmium yellow, ultramarine, cerulean blue, yellow ochre and an earth red, such as burnt sienna. However, this very much depends on the subject. For example, the projects for the 'Painting in the Countryside' painting cards (see separate page) are done using just six colours: Cadmium red deep, cadmium yellow pale, phthalo blue, phthalo green, yellow ochre and raw umber.
Brushes
Brush strokes are an important aspect of watercolour painting because the shape of the bristles determines the shape of the mark you make. The range of brushes is enormous, but you can get along perfectly well using a small round, a large round and a flat brush. The Painting Cards use a small round brush (Number 4 round brush), a large round brush (Number 8 round brush) and a 1cm (half-inch) flat brush.
Watercolour brushes are made from real hair, synthetic fibre or a combination of both. The choice is a personal one. Many artists still prefer brushes made with sable or other real hair, but good modern synthetic brushes can be excellent. Again, buy the best you can afford. Winsor and Newton, Daler-Rowney and Da Vinci all make quality watercolour brushes. Avoid cheap brushes and brushes made for hobby workers because the bristles have no shape and will make indifferent marks until they eventually fall apart!
Good watercolour brushes will last for years provided that you look after them. Wash them carefully after use in mild soap and warm water. Shake the brushes - do not squeeze them - into their natural shape and allow them to dry naturally. Do not leave brushes bristles down in the water while you are working because this will distort the shape.
Paper
Watercolour paper comes in pads or sheets. Sheets are cheaper, but for the beginner pads are much easier. Some pads have gummed edges making the papers appear like a solid block. There is a small ungummed section where you insert a knife and remove the finished painting.
Paper also comes in different weights, measured in grams per square metre (gsm). A 300gsm paper is ideal for most watercolour painting and will withstand wet washes without wrinkling.
You also have a choice of surface - HP (smooth)), 'Not' (semi-rough ) and 'rough'. 'Not' or rough are the best choices because they are absorbent, easy to paint on, and the textured surfaces give an attractive granular effect.
Winsor and Newton 'Cotman' and Daler-Rowney 'Langton' pads are good quality and relatively inexpensive.
Palettes
These are usually plastic or ceramic. Plastic palettes are lighter although the surface of a new plastic palette has a disconcerting way of repelling diluted watercolour which tends to collect in small globules. Persevere, the problem is temporary! Choose a palette with plenty of mixing space and recesses that are deep enough to mix a reasonable quantity of colour for washes.
Pencil
A well-sharpened 2B pencil is ideal for make the initial drawing. To rub out your lines, use a kneadable (putty) eraser or a gum eraser. The hard erasers used in offices are too hard and will damage the surface of the paper.
Next: Techniques