I can't tell you how many people who start in watercolor go for the student grade, cheap paints, paper and brushes. Many beginners buy the Reeves Watercolor sets and the spiral bound 90lb paper. So the first thing I do to show a beginner the difference between student grade and quality is I have them do 2 watercolors, one with their
materials and then with mine.... they choose the quality every time because it is so much easier painting watercolors with quality paints, paper and brushes.
That's not to say that the student grade is bad, it is just harder to work with. I have always said that the pros can use the student grades because they would know how to make the cheap paint and papers work for them.
Cheap, over-sized, non-absorbent, thin papers tend to warp and don't take the paint the way a quality piece does
so the pro would know to be more direct with the washes and not try to scrub the paper or apply too many washes. They would also know that the pigment would not absorb and rest on top of the paper giving harder edges.
This is all great for the pro, but for a beginner it makes it a lot harder to learn how to use the medium of watercolor.
Here are my recommendations for
high-quality watercolor supplies
Paper- Arches & Strathmore Gemini. There are many other quality papers, just stay away from watercolor papers that have a spiral bound and that come from stores like Walmart.
Paints- Holbein watercolors. There are many other quality watercolor paints, I choose Holbein because they are the only ones that don't use OxGall in their formula,
making it so the pigment doesn't dry to a hard clump. Holbein watercolors work great for students who only usually paint once and week. Other watercolors dry up in hard clumps after a couple of days making it hard to rejuvenate when trying to paint with fresh paint. Holbein rejuvenates instantly with a drop of water.
If you can get a whole set of watercolor tubes for 7 bucks, I would probably steer clear until you get a few years of training under your
belt.
Brushes- Holbein Gold brushes- Of course I recommend this brush because they are the ones that make my BeckerArt Brushes. This is a high-quality brush at an unbelievable great price. Even before they made the brush for me I was hooked on the quality for such a great price. The points on these Holbein Gold brushes have sold me on them, even way back when they were made by the Stratford and York company.
Animal hair brushes are
great but I always get sticker shock when I see the price.
This is the time of the year when people ask you what you want for gifts, which makes it a great time to get some new art supplies!
Happy Holidays!
