If I Started Over as a Watercolor Beginner, I’d Buy These Supplies First

[@patriciabanell7409]

All these same products, except brushes, is how my w/c instructor started us out and it has made me a better painter to have materials that are reliable and predictable. Loved your video, Jackie. I was delighted to find we both picked the same new palette brand! Please keep bringing us wonderful w/c videos.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

That’ great! Reliability and predictability are so important. Thanks for watching 😊

[@pennycandyys]

Awesome, thank for recommending 100% cotton paper for beginners! You never know when your first masterpiece will be, and cotton has no acid, so you never have to worry about it the way you have to worry about ‘acid-free’ which is made from wood pulp. 👏👏

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

That is so true! Thanks for commenting.

[@barbaram.6220]

Great video! I wish I heard these suggestions 8 years ago when I first started with watercolor. I was so frustrated with low quality paper and paint even though other KZbin artists encouraged using them. I've learned everything you just said, the hard way, but it's nice to hear it from you. Thank you!❤

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

The same happened to me! I started with Canson XL paper and could not get wet-on-wet techniques to work. Once I switched to 100% cotton everything changed.

[@margohill3149]

Your suggestions are absolutely right on! I learned the hard way, 100% cotton does some of the work for you, Cold pressed does some of the work for you, and arches rough paper is great for landscapes as well as other things. The pallet you showed is also my favorite.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

So true! I have yet to try rough paper, but I want to. Would you recommend it for doing cloud studies? I’ve been dreaming about painting skies for while 😊 We have so many great cloud formations in Texas.

[@margohill3149]

@@JackieHernandezWatercolor I think cloud studies would be great on rough paper. I love it for skies and sunsets. Have fun!

[@aesea57804]

I agree with everything! These are the things I use-even though I’ve bought tons of other stuff. 😂 One exception-for round brushes I like Princeton VelvetTouch round LONGs best. For me, they keep a sharp point longer.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

I recently got a size 4 Velvet-touch for detail work. I like it so far.

[@gerrycook7566]

Love Daniel Smith paints, and Princeton brushes

[@rebeccapage4411]

Thank you! I so enjoy seeing other artists' essentials.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

You’re welcome! I love it when artists share their essentials too.

[@tabithasavage4625]

thanks for your video. I am not a painter at ALL and it's overwhelming to try and learn something new on your own. I'm planning to pick up a few watercolor workbooks- You're the first video I've seen that didn't have the pan setup and that's interesting! I'll check it out.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Have fun learning watercolor! I have other palettes with pans but I don’t like refilling them. I love the ease of squeezing paint into this palette.

[@tabithasavage4625]

@@JackieHernandezWatercolor I did it- I purchased! I'll certainly be checking out your other videos as I learn. thank you!

[@ciannacoleman5125]

I agree with the premise here though if you are looking for quality supplies at a lower price tag I recommend Simple Simon brushes (Michaels brand) Da Vinci paint (Grumbacher Academy is what I used for may years but Da Vinci is a minor price bump for exceptionally better paint) and the best paper you can afford: whether it is Strathmore, Boahong, or Arches (but for the love of god do not get Canson XL or Grumbacher). You can get a great start and with these supplies and “level up” by trying out new brushes, paint, and paper as able. Also if you don’t have a light board you can use a window, your computer screen, or go buy inexpensive graphite paper that will last ages. I have used all those methods for 20yrs and still do not have a light board, it is low on my priority list when there is new paint, paper, and brushes to discover.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Thanks for adding your recommendations for alternate brands. I agree to avoid Canson XL paper at all costs.

[@greenjewel8652]

Great beginner video. Wish i would of saw this when I started.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Me too. I hope it helps others that are just starting out or frustrated with their current supplies.

[@Katavi22]

I love your videos. You have stoked the fire to make want to try watercolor again. Thank you so much.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

I’m so happy to hear that!

[@CindyC71]

This was so helpful, thank you! I bought literally everything you suggested (although the sketchbook was out of stock), I'm a complete beginner so i'm excited 🤩

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

I'm so glad! Hopefully they’ll have the sketchbook in stock again soon…I need more 😊

[@dianeo]

Great list! Thank you. The only thing I'd add is paper towels and/or old towel, and two water containers.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Sorry I should have mentioned those. I use recycled or repurposed items for water containers and towels.

[@susiemejia7917]

Wish I saw this when I started. Oh well I’ll use what I have and come back .

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

I hope it’s helpful when you need to replace some of your supplies.

[@jgtutors]

Very helpful video, thank you for narrowing the choices!

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jenniferarted3652]

I use the Bee sketchbooks all the time. There was definitely a learning curve for this paper, it’s very thirsty and even though it’s 100% cotton, it acts drastically different than other 100% cottons. My fav paper is Baohong, I prefer it over Arches, less texture and much cheaper.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

That is true. The paint definitely absorbs quicker on the Bee Paper. I think it must be the sizing. I think it’s also why masking fluid doesn’t work well on the Bee Paper. I’m really enjoying the Baohong paper so far. I’ve only tried the academy-grade, but plan to try the artist-grade soon.

[@rayneehurd8745]

wow I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY..i rarely do with young artist on you tube. i have been painting WC since the early 80s with Winsor Newton , D'Arches (as we callled it then) and kolinsky and red sable brushes ...most by Winsor Newton. but my reccomendations agree with you ...i discovered all the same items in my " collecting" habits. i do see limits to Bee sketchbooks eventually for these aetist but like the Baouhing academy ) but they are a great place to start. My fav brushes are still the size 8 winsor newton red sable pointed round ..but other pointed round synthetics are quite good . i do agree about the Daniel Smith mixing set ..but wont paint with out winsor newton's French ultramarine and cobalt blue. Kudo's to you hon. by the way i have quite fun playing with triangular shaped brushes lately and another favorite is Cheap Joes art supply loose goise brushes .they are long haired striping brushes good for swishing around for interesting linear effects...but not needed for beginners at all ..

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Thank you for sharing ❤️ I have a couple dagger brushes I like to experiment with for unexpected results 😊

[@julierolph4757]

Another awesome video🎉 Thx Jackie

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Thank you 😀

[@ILoveFountainPensCdn]

Great tips! I really wish that I knew about that water tight palette when I began. The first time I used my palette, I thought that everything was dry, as I left the cover ajar for a day, in order for the paints to dry without getting dust on them. However when I went to go use them later on, the water and subsequently the paint made a mess everywhere!

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Oh no! When I refill the wells, I do leave it open to dry out for a day. I usually do that after I paint too, but with the airtight palette it’s nice that you don’t have to do that if you’re traveling. I just wipe up any mixing puddles with my towel before I close the palette.

[@melindaavila498]

I wish I had seen a tutorial like this 4 years ago! I trapped my self into buying many things that was used in other tutorials!

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Same here. I discovered real fast I appreciated the teachers that used the same supplies again and again. Especially paint colors! It felt easier to follow along without always needing new supplies.

[@marlenaamalfitano1558]

I only use synthetic brushes. Neptune are excellent brushes. I love my lightbox. For $20 it is wonderful

[@wesmcclaskie3442]

Awesome Video, yes I'm very new to water color painting Tried my first water color painting It was terrible. Almost Decided to give up wish I would've known about the 100% water color paper,That I didn't paint on lol and some of the other tips you explained in this video Maybe I'll give it another try, by the way what size paper do you normally use for your paintings? thanks.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

I hope you will give it another try. The paper makes a huge difference. If your results aren’t matching what you see in a tutorial or class, the paper is probably the culprit. Even student-grade paints work better on 100% cotton paper. I usually paint in sizes like 5x7, 8x10, and 9x12. And I am loving that new 8x8” sketchbook 😊

[@kimlindseyOH]

Great advice! I like Princeton's Aqua Elite brushes a little better than the Neptunes, but it depends on the project, really. Thanks for posting!

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Thanks for sharing. I only have one aqua elite brush, but I've heard great things. I think Princeton has so many great brush ranges.

[@DawnRoberts-e4s]

Yes you did thank-you so much...

[@CherylJ-vw8yo]

I loved this video. Thank you for an easy to understand description of the basic supplies that will last forever. One question. The set of brushes you recommend - are the handles short enough for travel. If not which of the Princeton travel brushes would you recommend? Are they of similar or better quality than Rosemary and Co?

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

The Neptune brushes are short-handled. In this video, I showed how a couple of them fit inside the Mijello palette. If your travel set up is smaller, I think the travel brushes would be better. I haven’t tried the Rosemary & Co brushes.

[@elizabethfield6526]

Great info. Im just staring to get back into watercolor. Great tip on the paper. It can be so expensive. Btw, where did you get those drawers/cubes that are behind you? They look amazing, good organizing

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Thank you. They’re the IKEA Moppe Mini Storage chests. I flipped the drawers around and added the label pulls. Other than paper, I keep all my supplies (brushes, paints, scissors, etc) in those. I wanted them to look nice because this is the corner of my dining room 😊

[@elizabethfield6526]

Very creative. Thank you. ​@@JackieHernandezWatercolor

[@PhyllisPerrigoue]

Hi, Jackie~ Am wondering about two things~ One= Do you use “Procreate Pocket”? Procreate 5? And two = I have an” i-Pad Air 3”~ Do I have enough memory, etc., to run Procreate or Procrate 5 smoothly?

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Here’s the recommended specs from Procreate: help.procreate.com/articles/dbgjal-procreate-faq Hope that helps!

[@janetschlicht6984]

Thank you!

[@suziescorse7732]

Thank you much !

[@caroles5258]

I don't know what your budget is but Daniel Smith is one of the most expensive paints you can use. Holbein is bright and much cheaper and Rembrandt will do as well. Baohong paper has recently skyrocketed in price. Meeden is putting out the same paper at a much cheaper price. If you take an old towel or flannel sheet and cut it up it works great as a better alternative to paper towels.

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Thanks for the tips. For the paint, my point in this video is starting with a split primary mixing set (which all the major brands offer) is a more affordable way to start painting.

[@Kyomiibrown]

It depends where you live as per price.

[@cazkiwinz4300]

And beginners like me are far too cheap to ever buy Arches/100% cotton paper despite hearing we’re going to be frustrated… I’m not paying $60 my money for only like 10-12 A4 pieces of bliming paper!

[@leinonibishop9480]

@@cazkiwinz4300obviously there are cheaper papers you can start with (she shows some in this video), but watercolor is one hobby where the quality of your supplies really has an affect on the end result and your ability to use traditional watercolor techniques.

[@rayneehurd8745]

but neither are as well made or researched and they dont sell six mixing colors in sets...a good or decent warm and cool version of each primary. With better paints..a little goes much farther. Rembrandts are not artist grade..neither are sennelier even their pro grades and holbein tends to be more opague. meeden is ok...i have tried it but she suggested Bee didnt she...unfortunately cotton grows very slowly which makes it costly and any paoer is heavy. In the current economy and since covid, with shipping costs high due to fuel costs and goiging from demand, paper is expensive to ship...and buy. And everything is made far away now... i like Winsor newton, Dan Smith, Maimieri, M. Graham, Qor, Schminke there are other acceptable brands incl. holbein but rembrandt is not one of them...i have been painting for 4 decades plus

[@Linda-pg3so]

I recently purchased the palette. I love it. Great size👍. Great tips for beginners. 🎨🖌

[@JackieHernandezWatercolor]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@eileengoldenberg270]

Learn to draw instead of racing. Urban sketchers go out on location. I love Daniel smith paints!

[@leinonibishop9480]

She said she uses the light box to transfer drawings to her watercolor paper not in place of drawing.

[@ralphanderson2603]

dont tape, just wet the back!

[@lauriewestlake6277]

❤

[@Katarina_B]

If I followed your advice I would have never started with watercolour. What do you mean with beginner budget? What is beginner budget in your mind? I calculated all what you advised and it’s over 100 dollars. I wonder how many people you discouraged with this advice. I’m not saying your advice is wrong, but a bit detached with reality and that most people won’t be able to afford it. For those people with less money, you should not be discouraged by this garbage. - You don’t need Daniel Smith paints, as long as you use student watercolours you are gonna be ok. If you just want to try - use pans not tubes, as they are cheaper. - Brushes can be cheaper you don’t need anything super fancy and overall it’s personal preference. No artist will able to tell you what exact brush is the best for you. - And watercolour card stock, Canson XL or other cellulose paper is always better than nothing. You just need to be careful not to use too much water. If you are scared of touching expensive supplies use cheap watercolour card stock for practice and sketching out and do your final painting on the expensive paper.

[@JannekeVisser-h8c]

I think your comment is a bit harsh. This video can help people prevent to buy unnecessary items. If these items are not (all) in their budget, then using a white tile or plate is a good alternative for the palette. Buying a cheaper brand of paint that is still very decent helps too. Like Cotman or Van Gogh. I do not know enough about brushes to give very good information about alternatives, but I imagine Escoda maybe is an option, or Da Vinci. In part, this depends on what is available in your part of the world.

[@KijayUD]

Blame your current President for high inflation. All of their over spending is ruining everything for all of us!

[@kle1701]

I probably wasted more money on junk watercolor paper, supplies, and brushes than I would have if I had just purchased decent materials from the beginning. The cheap stuff is ok for playing around, but if you really want to get good results you need proper materials. I have a small fortune invested in lousy supplies I purchased as a beginner that are pretty much worthless and now I done even know what to do with them. I wanted to give up as a beginner. Struggled for two years until I finally discovered the magic of cotton paper, artist grade paints, and decent brushes. I calculated the basics she suggested of one set of paints, a sketchbook, and a round brush and it isn’t $100. Plus, you could get away with only 3 tubes of paint if needed. If a beginner wants to just play around, then by all means just go with whatever. But, just know that if you really want to advance you’ll probably be coming back for the good stuff later. Which means more money.

[@Katarina_B]

​@@kle1701 I'm talking about beginners who's budget is max 50 dollars. If you had the budget and you wasted money on cheap stuff that is your own fault. I never understood people who have the money and don't buy proper supplies. I never thought I wasted my money on cheaper supplies, because the most important part was that I started. There is way more people for whom even 50 dollars is too much. I just feel like they need to be encouraged to paint as well. And you won’t achieve it with this snobbery. There are a lot of good enough quality media you can use and then slowly built up your more expensive collection. A skilled artist can make much prettier pictures with student grade paint than an unskilled artist using the most expensive materials. The practice matters more than the materials. With watercolours the cotton card stock is needed for some techniques, but you just avoid them until you can afford it. You just need to adjust to your supplies. Where is the will there is a way. You either purchased really crappy kids supplies or were incapable of understanding them and adjusting your art accordingly. And btw. she did suggest 100+ dollar supplies - just click on her affiliate links in the description. 36 Paints + 17 Paper (different size than linked) + 10 Palette + Brushes 40

[@kle1701]

I suspect that a beginner will probably feel the positive intent behind this video even if they are unable to purchase exactly what she suggests right away. I definitely was not in a position to follow this sort of advice when I first started. But if I had been, it would have saved a lot of frustration that was experienced using the "crappy kids supplies" I started with (which was all I could afford) because I was "incapable of understanding them" to make them work effectively. I wish I had seen more videos like this back when I was starting. They are definitely enlightening. And rather than being discouraging, they should provide Encouragement in the way of giving some goals for supplies to save for if they are out of reach in the beginning. In case anyone is reading these comments without watching the video, Jackie never says "you HAVE to have EVERY ONE of the exact supplies on my list below to get started." She likely started with the same "crappy kids supplies" that we all tried. So, rather than her opinions being "snobbery" she is just giving recommendations based on her own experience of what she would do if she were "starting over". (Which is exactly what the title says.) Even a beginner realizes that, at the least, you only need a paintbrush, some paper, and some paint. From her suggestions, the smallest sketchbook, #8 round paintbrush, and basic set of Daniel Smith colors is $61.07. The paints are the biggest investment, so by all means, if they are out of reach, go for a student grade that is less expensive (even cheap "crappy kid supplies"), and save for the better ones later on down the road. The small sketchbook and the brush together are under $25. Use a white dish for a palette until you can afford to get a real one (the type that she recommends is now my favorite). Jackie never said it was a 'necessity', but does suggest that a lightbox will make your painting life easier. That is so, so true. But you could always make do with taping to a window and tracing until you can purchase one. If you are following her because you like her style of painting and instruction, consider it a blessing that she is making these recommendations. If you use them, even as a beginner you will be 'more likely' to reproduce the same results that she gets in her tutorials. I have used all the ones she is suggesting (except for some of the brushes) and they are all good. You'd have to be pretty skilled to get those same results with "crappy kid supplies".