I tried to minimalize this list and so I have ended up with just 5 brushes and 6 colors.
But you will be amazed, I think, by what you can do with just these few materials.
And don’t worry if you don’t have exactly the materials listed here. So for example you don’t need a Hake if you have a good quality flat brush. And you don’t have to have Phthalo blue (red shade) if you have another strong blue paint such as Ultramarine.
This list includes links to Dickblick art store so you can order your materials straightaway if you are eager to start – although going to the local art shop might end up quicker and to be honest I love to go to my local art shop and if it is a good art shop they should be able to give you some good advice on materials, which is always welcome.
There is also a PDF of this materials list at the bottom of the page which you can download and print out.
Materials
Brushes
Hake
Details: 16 mm or 5/8” width.
Note: I couldn’t find my hake brush at Dickblick but I’m sure this Winsor and Newton flat brush will be good. It costs about $10.
Liner
Note: I couldn’t find my liner brush at Dickblick but this one looks good and costs about $6
Bamboo
Details: 10-11 mm or just over 3/8” width.
Note: I couldn’t find my own brush at Dickblick but below is one that looks good and costs about $3.
Note: A normal round brush is also fine.
Mop or quill brush
Details: 10 mm or just over 3/8” width.
Note: I couldn’t find my brush at Dickblick but this one looks good and costs about $34.
Pointed oval
Details: 10 mm or 3/5” width.
Note: I couldn’t find my pointed oval brush at Dickblick but this one looks good. It is about 12.5 mm or ½ inch width, which is a little bigger than mine. And it costs about $30.
Paints
Phthalo Blue Red Shade
Note: Ultramarine blue is also okay. I recommend a 15ml tube that costs about $10 at Dickblick.
Cobalt Turquoise Light
Note: Cerulean is also okay. I recommend a 15ml tube that costs about $16 at Dickblick.
Permanent Alizarin Crimson
Note: I recommend a 15ml tube that costs about $14 at Dickblick.
Yellow Ochre
Note: I recommend a 15ml tube that costs about $10 at Dickblick.
Aureolin
Note: I recommend a 15ml tube that costs about $16 at Dickblick.
Note: An alternative is Imidazolone Lemon and a 15ml tube costs about $12 at Dickblick.
Also an extra paint I use is Titanium white because it is so useful.
Titanium White (I use this a little)
Note: I recommend a 15ml tube that costs about $10 at Dickblick.
Paper
Blick Premier Watercolor Pad 355 x 508 mm or 14 x 20”, 20 sheets, 300 gsm. It costs about $50.
Note: I prefer spiral bound pads rather than blocks but I couldn’t find any spiral bound pads at a large size.
And I recommend that if you buy a block that you separate or cut the side edges and the bottom edge and leave only the top edge stuck to the block and then add clips at the bottom. If the pad buckles then lift the whole sheet up, pull it flat and then clip down the two bottom corners.
If the whole pad buckles though I recommend you take the whole sheet off and clip down all four corners down to a block of wood or plastic.
Finally, I want to add that Fabriano, Saunders & Waterford and Arches are other very good watercolor papers.
Palette
Note: A cheap plastic one is fine. I used to have a large metal palette. But I now use a large, plastic palette and find that it does the job very well. And I found one on Dickblick that only costs about $3.
Water container
Note: bigger is better as it takes longer for the water to become dirty and so you don’t have to change the water so often.
I use a kid’s plastic bucket.
Only when I’m doing a video of myself painting do I use a small container.
However, if you are sitting down then you might want to use a container that is not too high as you will have to keep raising your arm a lot in order to put the brush in the water container and this will become very tiring.
I tend to stand when I paint so this is not a problem.
My bucket though is around 12 cms (5 inches) high and I find this comfortable to use even when I am sitting down.
If you would like a small water container though, such as the one I use when making videos, then I have included a link to one below. They can also be useful when doing outdoor painting.
Details: Small, collapsible water container, costs about $5.
Link to Dickblick: https://www.dickblick.com/items/03323-1001/
Rag / Cloth
Details: Sometimes I use old clothes, towels and bed sheets.
Tissue
Detail: Don’t skimp on the tissue because it’s super useful for wiping out mistakes quickly, cleaning the edges of your paper and to wipe your hands when you get globs of paint on them or on your brush handles – it happens.
Table cover
Detail: I made a permanent mark in the kitchen table which even went green because I used no cover. Watercolor is easy to wipe up but if you keep your materials out all the time like I do or use the same work surface then it could be getting wet a lot and over time it might damage the surface.
Spray bottle
Detail: At first I wanted to say optional but fun. But really it is essential. For instance, if you are in a super dry climate or room then you will need to spray above your work to keep it workable. If the paint on your paper gets too dry then you can’t continue working on it because you will get those unwanted marks that we call cauliflowers.
PDF checklist
I can this the 5 brush materials checklist because it includes just 5 brushes. You will be amazed how much you can paint with these 5 brushes and just 6 colors.