Recommended Materials Watercolour
Below are my recommendations for a beginner’s watercolor setup.
I’ve included links to purchase online at Musgrave Art Supplies (a local Gold Coast store that posts domestically), but always recommend visiting in-person to your local store so you can get a feel for the different materials.
I also host weekly watercolour sessions at the RQAS in Broadbeach on Wednesday afternoons, and open to all levels
RECOMMENDED ART STORES:
Gold Coast
Musgrave Art, Southport
Brisbane
The Art Shed, West End
REFERENCE IMAGES:
Attached is a printable PDF of watercolour flower paintings
PAINTS:
Micador Brilliant set of 24 available here at Musgrave
These paints are affordable, vibrant and for a disc set of paints have a good level of pigment
BRUSHES:
- Round No. 16, 12 and No. 8 here at Musgrave
These watercolour brushes are entry-level, but still last really well. Start with 2-3 different-sized watercolour brushes in the above sizes (or thereabouts), and build on from there. I’ve had the same 3 watercolour brushes for the last 6 years and find I dont need much more.
PAPER:
A4 or A3 pad in 185gsm (cold or hot pressed) Available here at Musgrave
Alternatively,
A1 sheets of watercolour paper in the following cut into smaller pieces
- 190gsm Hot-pressed
- 190gsm Cold-pressed
Pick up only - Available here at Musgrave
You can either purchase watercolour paper in A3 and A4 pads, or it’s slightly more affordable to purchase the large A1 sheets from your local art store and trim them down into A4 pages. I would start with this option as it’s more affordable to experiment with different papers in the beginning
Regardless of whether you choose a pad or the large sheets, go for a lower gsm paper of 180gsm-195gsm as it’s more affordable while you’re still practising. Eventually, move up to a 300gsm or 400gsm paper.
*read more about the difference between hot and cold press below
EXTRAS:
Paper Towel
Water jars
2B and 6B pencil + kneadable eraser
Sketch paper (any cheap paper to sketch studies on)
Different Watercolour Paper
GSM (weight)
Watercolour paper can be the most expensive element as it is an ongoing cost. In the beginning, your best to purchase lower GSM paper (which more or less refers to how thick the paper is). Start with a 180gsm paper as it is the thinnest and most affordable, and eventually test out a 300gsm or 450gsm (which do feel much better to paint on)
Once you’ve decided on the gsm then you can either choose hot-pressed paper or cold-pressed paper
Cold-pressed watercolour paper has a much rougher texture and soaks up the paint, providing a much more matte finish for your paints - this is generally my preference and you can purchase it in rough or smooth (grab one of each)
Hot-pressed watercolour paper is much smoother and with comparatively minimal texture which doesn’t soak up the paint as fast. This means you have more variance, puddles and wet marks in your paintings which can make the finished piece look very luminous.
Hot Press
Cold Press
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