Watercolor Supplies for Beginners - My Recommendations

Today I'm going to share with you some good materials for the beginners. The basic rule of thumb is to get a few, but good quality materials rather than many cheap ones.
After a few years of doing watercolor. I tried a good amount of materials and supplies. I haven't tried it all, but here are some I can recommend you to get!
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Materials I recommended in this video:
❗ Some of the brushes are out of stock in Jackson's art, they are still mostly available on Amazon, but Amazon is more expensive. You can see the list of the materials I use here:
cafewatercolor.com/materials

[@artisticallyofficial]

I think I've grown as an artist much because of artists like you Eric. Two, even a year and a half ago, I would have been terrified to even paint the subject you did in this video. But I have learned to simplify complicated scenery. Knowing somewhat on what to keep and what to get rid of. Thanks Eric again for your very insightful video.

[@Cafewatercolor]

Artistically 101 so glad to hear it! 😊

[@michaelmcewan432]

Yes please, do a tutorial on how to fix a buckled painting

[@Cafewatercolor]

The brush price lately has become quite expensive on Amazon (probably due to supply shortage) So if you can wait, get it from Jackson's Art (I have that on the link in the description, it will take you to my website and you can click "from Jackson's" button to order it) Also, sounded like I need to make a video about flatten buckling paper ;) I will be planning for that!

[@Jaysk5]

@Café Watercolor - Eric Yi Lin Hello Eric, i´ve been following you´re videos now for some time, but this one definitely had convinced me to sub. You are a wonderful artist who don´t hesitate to share your very helpful experience, skills and time. Thank you so much!

[@wonnang3926]

Hello. Should I buy short or long handle brushes?

[@MaTTheWish]

@@wonnang3926 typically, watercolorists prefer short brushes.

[@mikeb7526]

Hi Eric Another very good tutorial. I have been watching you for some time and although I have been working in oils I think I would like to try watercolor ,this is going to be very helpful, thanks again

[@BigDomski]

I really love how you've done this... a lot of watercolourists just tell you to limit your supplies, but they NEVER SHOW what they can do with it. You've used your limited range of colours and just a few brushes, on cheaper paper, and I love this. Thank you so much for inspiring me constantly, I get too caught up on the topic of supplies

[@Cafewatercolor]

Domo I need to show that it is possible ☺️ it’s not convincing if I just paint bunch of swatches 😛

[@BigDomski]

@@Cafewatercolor Lol that's my biggest criticism with other youtuber artists. I KNOW that they CAN paint almost anything with a limited range, but they don't show it. Even when they do, it's more of a time-lapse/speed painting than an actual process. Seeing your arm reach for the water bucket, picking up pigments and mixing on the pallette is very valuable to a beginner like me 😁 I can actually go back and rewatch your footage when I'm stuck.

[@MrJamlee88]

Your quick value study of the three cars in this video is one of the best beginner tutorials I’ve seen on-line!

[@elizabethhampton8906]

I am new to watercolor and have been devouring your videos, Eric! Thanks so much for all the great info. I had finally bought two small sets of tubes and was surprised to find myself quite overwhelmed and stuck. Looking forward to giving this exercise a try tomorrow!! Feels great to take the pressure off.

[@lindsaymitchell8899]

Yes please, all your input is so appreciated.

[@denisecassel3392]

You are a excellent teacher!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such a way that is easy to follow. You are opening a door for me!

[@deepthikambhampati828]

I love your concept of value study and practice using limited palette/ brushes. I'm gonna put all your wonderful tips to use. Thanks Eric!! 😊

[@pammcardle40]

You are magnificent! You always explain things well and have great tips. Thank you so much!

[@kennytowns3309]

I watched this even though i have been painting since i was 13 ..it was well taught and very informative for the beginner i agree with you value study and limited palette for beginners ..your speaking yor speaking voice is very controlled and relaxing.. ice job eric

[@felipecoelho1936]

Thank you sou much, Eric! I am learning a lot with your chanel!

[@helenpernicone8994]

I just found you and I am sooo glad I did! You are very informative and I am beginning watercolor so I believe you are just what I need ! I’m looking forward to growing my skills. Thank you!!

[@flatswhisperer]

Eric, Great video!! It really helps us beginners. Your videos are awesome. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Keep them coming. Thanks.

[@marionbik2022]

I really appreciate your suggestions and approach to watercolour painting. I learn something new every time I watch one of your you tube videos. I’m a beginner and I was beating myself up for painting on 5 x 7 paper. I have tried a couple of larger paintings and it was quite stressful and I lost that fun element of learning new things and it was a bit overwhelming. Trying to run before I can walk. 😂 Thank you once again I love your paintings! ✨🎨

[@busyfish6353]

I enjoy your tutorial. You are making painting very easy and fun. I can tell you are not only good at art, but also good at speech - your tone and volume of your speech are clear and warm; presentation - very clear and well structured; screen - you are good at these modern methods: the screen arrangements, zoom-in and out, light, etc... perfect... will follow. Thank you for your hard work as well.

[@robertusrobert3760]

Hi Eric, thank you so much for sharing about that LED light. Yesterday I just got mine, it’s really good, even brightness and right light color for painting.

[@KS-ov7yg]

I found my new teacher!! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I'll make sure to follow your suggestions this time 😊

[@oart2472]

You are very good at lectures, and the presentations and demonstrations are also great, 👍!

[@esthers5876]

I'm going to start doing value studies now. I see how much it helps. Thanks for the great video, Eric!

[@kashivishwanath7603]

Dear Eric. This is a great tutorial. I have made all the mistakes that you indicated in tutorial, many brushes, 24 colour paint, 300 gsm, no value study and horrible paintings. I should start over all again, would follow your instructions. Yes, pease tell us through a separate tutorial, on how to make the paper flat. Great video. Thank you.

[@Sidweddingphotos07]

Great video Eric. Beautifully done.

[@amancay2024]

Thank you Erick, really enjoy seeing your videos.

[@shiraleeana]

Thank you for this video. It is so helpful having your suggestions for a beginner but then to see you put what you said into practice with the two studies was amazing!! 😊🎉

[@mikparker4518]

Beautiful little study. Helps tremendously. Thank you

[@del7920]

Your videos give me peace ✌🏽 I love your music and your voice and you advice

[@karenhealy1260]

Thank you so much for your generosity!

[@RobertHopkinsArt]

I forgot! I saw your wife's painting in Watercolor Artist magazine. Congrats for being included in that issue!

[@denisecassel3392]

I find your teaching method so easy to understand. Thank you much for sharing 😊❤️

[@danielcormos7496]

thank you, Eric, for your usefull advices!

[@annabiing2570]

If a person not scared of cutting paper, id recommend buying Arches in a roll (114cm by 900cm): 300gsm for painting and 185 for sketches/values. If you cut it 38cmx30cm, which is very close to A3, you'd get 90 pages. It's $3 a page for 300GSM and $2 for 185GSM, which is for me in Australia chipper to buy than WInsor&Newton from Amazon or BaoHong from Ali ($4 per A3 page in a block). I straiten it with a medium Iron with steam covering with clean white cotton fabric on both sides, just spray it with water fist.

[@ujjainimukherjee2267]

I watched this video 10times to understand what I like best..... After watching still unsure, what a brilliant artist.... The painting seemed to glow from within ..... Love❤️ from India

[@ElwoodPDowd-nz2si]

I am starting to paint again after taking a 20 year break. I have misplaced my Robert Simmons brushes that I used to enjoy. They were middle of the line but I really liked them.

[@kennarsolonart8815]

FIRST TO COMMENT ❤️❤️❤️ I always love your content Eric 😍😍

[@gunther744]

Thank you! Tank you! Thank you! Very precious suggestions!

[@donna5659]

Thank you for the supply links! So helpful .

[@gardener5857]

Thank you very much. You are a very good teacher.

[@2ancient2define97]

You have inspired me this morning. 🙏🏾 thank you for sharing.

[@laurav.8806]

I appreciate your videos, and have learned a lot. Thank you for sharing them!

[@anilsalvi5257]

I am so much thankfull to you for valuable guidance on water colour painting

[@christinecampbell5446]

I can't thank you enough for recommending Baohong watercolor paper. I first tried it at the beginning of the year, and it took 2 months to get here bc of COVID restrictions and imports. I teach watercolor and needed a paper that was durable and could accept all kinds of techniques, and I was really pleased with it. Now that Arches and some other brands have become more difficult to get...and more expensive...I've been recommending Baohong instead. AND I got it on Amazon Prime in one day. You saved me. Thanks.

[@Cafewatercolor]

I am so glad! Yes I almost only use Bao Hong righ tnow, such a quality paper with affordable pricing. :)

[@psoik]

I love your videos....thank you so much for doing them!

[@lindathaxton1994]

Excellent - keep giving lessons! It is helpful &. much appreciated

[@ernes103]

This was really helpful, thank you so much

[@aamannatabassumbani278]

Thank you Eric! Your videos are very helpful

[@marshallfarrier4732]

Thank you, Eric, for your helpful tips. I got some of the MozArt paper and am preferring it to Canson XL and even to the more expensive Strathmore 400 series. The Kilimanjaro I ordered hasn't arrived yet. Your videos are great!

[@SVNopq]

Great information! Thank you!

[@ArtistYellow]

Nice video. I like the instruction in both grayscale and color.

[@norasuen9083]

Thank you is a good introduction for beginners.

[@lindan1416]

Excellent video. Thank you!!!

[@brigittebenson6166]

another paper that I found I use it for my watercolor journal is the Arteza Sprial Bound 5.5in X 8.5 which if you turn it so the spiral is on the top it doesn't get in the way. The pages are perforated so you can remove them easily. it is the Expert 140 lb. cold presses I like it because you get two in a package with 30 pages each one side of the sheet is smooth the other is textured. It isn't 100% cotton but it is a good paper to learn to control your water with. Above all it's cheap. Had to share you share so much with us.

[@togetvj]

Love your videos, Eric. I'm a total amateur but, as such, I would recommend buying the best quality, heaviest weight paper an amateur can afford. And I love BLOCK which cuts out all that stretching, strapping down, and faffing around. I became so disillusioned with water-colouring through paper buckling no matter how well I stretched it and taped it down. So much paper wasted, so much time and paint wasted. Enough already! It's at least 140lb, 300lb, and I even have large sheets of Arches CP 400lb which I can cut to whatever size I want. Also, I LOVE the Escoda Versatil and despite have many brush types, I use those the most. Art without cruelty.

[@neilcanta1302]

Finally!!!! ❤️

[@happyshades_artstudio_542]

Thank you Eric , learning a lot from you

[@del7920]

This man is a legend

[@naseememan]

What a big tutoreals, Thank you ... i Will have to work hard to start ,

[@hlk01]

Great content as usual. I made all those beginner mistakes but am gradually pulling it back. I also sometimes get Baohong from ebay but hard to get bigger sizes. 10 x 7 is all I have so far. Good enough to practice. For cheaper paper I like the Bockingford.

[@pranjalshelar3830]

So much to learn from you.... Awesome

[@az10821]

Thank you very much for sharing, Eric. I wish I could’ve found this video earlier, have learnt a lot from your channel 👍. Thank you 🙏🏻😊

[@redparrot53]

Thank you, your videos sre SO very helpful!!!

[@yamunalingaraj1011]

Sir....I have signed up & downloaded PDF 45 page Fast track water color Guide..its very interesting & impressing....let me practice as per ur guidance & update u. Thanks a ton for being so helpful & really appreciate ur dedication & easily reachable to the budding artists like me...😊 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@edzejandehaan9265]

I just started and thought a lot about what to buy. I decided to go for a student grade set of 24 colors, sonnet. Yes, most likelely those are way more colors I will need. To start with I took the most interesting 18 to experiment with, and will no doubt reduce that further. My plan is to buy artist grade paints when I have some experience and know what paints I will actually like and use. The sonnet paint may not be top of the range, but they are not bad. I got lucky with my paper order, instead of the 25% cotton student grade they send me the 100% cotton artist grade, accompanied by a very polite note "Sorry but the paper you ordered was sold out, we send you a better grade instead, we hope this is satisfactory". The send paper retails for thrice the price!

[@lindahess8295]

Thank you for your suggestions. Very helpful. Which aluminum palette did you purchase? Thank you!

[@vickylaw659]

👏👏👏👏👏thanks for teaching 💐

[@annangel4828]

Thanks for this, Eric! Appreciate your advice about a limited palette. Very surprised about 3 brushes (2 relatively large). I sure could use one with a fine tip. I'm attempting cityscapes and those dang automobiles are still a challenge! Gee E, you make it so effortless!! Appreciate you sharing your talent. I'm all in...newly subscribed. May we have more cityscapes, please? Thanks again. .

[@narsimhachary5056]

Thank you very much sir....Am very happy to see you are video ... So many doubts are clear... Thank you...😊

[@xueleizhuhailanhu4658]

Thank you for sharing such good tips! I would like to know how to flatten the paper after done with painting, and remove the buckles along the edges. Many thanks!

[@cindyblackman2275]

Thanks for the tips. I gots some Grumbacher brushes and love them. Do you use them at all?

[@nadinb1014]

This was a wonderful and very helpful video Thaaank you 🌹

[@Anitar70]

I love your videos! I used to paint watercolor years ago, so I had this thought that I wasn't a beginner.. well, I discovered I am.. I'm resetting everything now to learn it all again from scratch, and it's so much fun! Thank you so much for your great tips, inspiration and calm way of teaching.

[@anita2777]

Amazing!

[@mskhartwatercolourwithmisu8598]

Wow. Lots of good information here. Yes I would like to see how to stretch watercolor paper after it has been warped. For the beginner, MontMarte watercolor paper is cheap and good absolvan paper too(It's just like the good cotton paper.The paper color is not that pretty white that's on down part but if anybody want to practice on W/W style, this is the good practice paper.). Thank you for sharing your information. New subscriber here.

[@thokchomjayshree8089]

Great video. Thank you.

[@adbeelkarin]

I LOVE BAOHONG... GREAT PAPER SUGGESTION NYO!!!

[@watrgrl2]

Hello from Oregon. I’m new to your channel. Great advice ! Very freeing actually!

[@mimitovar7335]

I should have come to your channel first before investing a lot of money on cheap watercolor materials. For future reference, can you please list the materials you've mentioned on your videos down in the description box with the store's weblink that you buy them from? That would be super helpful so that I know that Amazon isn't the only place to buy art materials. Also great videos! Looking forward to viewing all your tutorial videos ^_^, you've inspired me to try watercolor again!

[@Cafewatercolor]

You can find the list here cafewatercolor.com/materials I find it easier to put them in a single page :)

[@didly3529]

I got escoda vesitail and ultimo after watching your last supply video. really like your idea that try to use synthetic brushes.

[@Brembelia]

Wow. That was excellent. Thank you for this video. I think I'm going to do some small sketchbook value studies with 3 pencils first while I wait for my tubes and paper to come in. I ordered a roll of Baohong, which should last a good while. I clicked the thumb and subscribed. I'm looking forward to more of your videos. Shay-shay. :)

[@snulsim7245]

BaoHong watercolor paper has 2 grades, student and artist (BaoHong Academy & BaoHong Artists). The one you showed is the student grade, which is obviously cheaper than the artist grade. In Asia, BaoHong is the cheapest quality watercolor paper, and I really love it for that. I don't really know the difference of the artist grade and student grade tho. I've only used the student grade, will try out the artist grade soon. The student grade aka BaoHong academy had problems with its sizing (internal or external), and so far that's the only complaint I've heard. I don't really have much to say, but the fact that it's cheap and better than others is good enough for me. Overall, I love all your recommendations and I definitely approve.

[@liubovagadzhanyan3027]

Thank you, Eric! Please please tell us how to straighten the paper! Baohong is really good and really affordable paper. I was lucky to get different formats HP and CP paper with good discount and now have full stocks for a long time I guess :) Highly recommend! Even 200 gsm paper good for practice.

[@stevekim5627]

Very helpful.

[@amandahe3442]

Thanks this is very helpful and I wish I could find the video much earlier 😜

[@rubyzhao5435]

Have you ever tried Winsor Newton 100%cotton paper? It's only half of the price of Arches but performs very similarly

[@dothaigiathuy]

hi ! my local art store doesn't have cobalt blue , which color should I replace it with !?? thank you for this really informative video!

[@kellyhalligan1328]

Love you!

[@zuheyr1]

Hi thank you. Can you detail how to prevent buckling? How near the edge is near? How to flatten a buckled page?

[@amancay2024]

So do you recommend to use this brush sizes for botanical painting as well? I like to paint very detail.

[@AnnetteZimmerman]

Thank you very much for this video! It's so helpful. Please do create a video on how to fix buckling. I found the tip on not taking the wash to the edges of the paper very helpful, but even when I tape 140lb Arches to my board all the way around the edges I'm getting some buckling (stretching took far too long for my liking) and would like to know how to fix it. And THANK YOU for recognizing that putting my beginner, unsuccessful paintings on expensive paper is stressful. It is! I can't stand tossing them for the fact that the paper cost so much (even though they're pretty ugly). They do, however, cut up into some interesting bookmarkers!

[@liubovagadzhanyan3027]

You can also tear your painting apart (hope it doesn’t sound too cruel) and practice composition by making a collage - it’s a good practice too! Wish you a lot of inspiration! :)

[@yeahgirl11]

@@liubovagadzhanyan3027 Good idea! I would also suggest using them in planners or creative journaling/journaling. That's what I do.

[@Kyuurei_]

I'm just now approaching painting for the first time in my life, this is of great help! Quick question: do you paint on a flat surface or inclined? Also, any suggestion for a cheap mechanical pencil? Cheers for the videos, keep up the good work!

[@lovelylily7418]

thanks, Eric. Tbh i never cared about brush. In my imagination it should be soft, never thought that I need the hard one with the tip so I can have better control on making lines

[@Clauds71]

Cool 👍💯

[@londonzhou418]

currently using baohong paper，its great and affordable🎉

[@szabojanos436]

Dear Eric! Can you tell me what’s the difference between the escoda olive oil brush soap, and the escoda cream soap and conditioner? Thanks🙂

[@donna5659]

Thank such useful information!!! Please do an episode on avoid paper Buckle!

[@samcitron1566]

Eric Please list the model numbers for the three brushes you recommend to zero in on them. Thank you for all of your kind insight for art instruction. You are a gift to watercolor students.

[@lir3379]

Thanks for this video & the effort behind its production. A note on the BaoHong Academy Paper for those that follow. In the U.S.A. search for MEEDEN - some places call it medium texture. Several of us have noticed, for a while now, that AliExpress has been canceling orders after about three days. Don't know why.

[@Cafewatercolor]

yes, it's a pain for sure.. order from TaoBao will be easier but it's all in Mandarin... I have been thinking if I can bulk order and help people in the US, but I'm not sure I want to take the responsibility and stress for everyone's order :|

[@yeahgirl11]

@@Cafewatercolor That's very kind of you to think like that. I agree with you though, don't put yourself through the stress and hassle of doing it. You're a painter, not an online store lol

[@vermiliontyrant6366]

What brush would you recommend to replace the Escoda : Ultimo : Tendo Synthetic : Series 1530 : # 14 ? As they are unavailable now.

[@susanjames9778]

Hi Eric. Thank you very much for the information. For the Escoda versatil brush, there are three series, 1542, 1541, 1540. Which one should we get?

[@Cafewatercolor]

1540

[@glendapaul8040]

That was g4eat help thanks 😃

[@nuddymick]

Goldline Studio Watercolour Pad 100 sheets 200gsm cold pressed - buckles easily but useful to practice on, use both sides.

[@Johan759192]

Thank you