I get asked about my supplies constantly — in Instagram DMs, at shows, in commission conversations. People want to know what paints make those colors, what paper I use, what brushes create those loose, flowing marks. Here’s the honest, complete answer.
I want to be upfront: supplies are tools, not magic. The most expensive paint in the world won’t make you a better painter. But good materials do make a real difference in how the paint handles, how the colors look, and how long the finished painting lasts. Here’s what I’ve landed on after years of experimentation.
Paint
I work primarily with Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors. They’re artist-grade pigments with exceptional color intensity, beautiful granulation characteristics, and excellent lightfastness ratings. The color range is enormous — Daniel Smith offers over 250 colors, including some unique mineral pigments you won’t find from other manufacturers.
My core palette is relatively small. I mix most of my colors from about 12 to 15 tubes. The colors I reach for most often are: Quinacridone Rose and Opera Pink for warm pinks and florals. Cadmium Yellow and New Gamboge for warm yellows. Pyrrol Scarlet and Cadmium Red for intense reds. Cerulean Blue and Ultramarine Blue for my two primary blues — one warm-leaning, one cool. Phthalo Green and Sap Green for greens. Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna for warm earth tones. Burnt Umber for deep darks and tree bark. Payne’s Gray for shadows and atmospheric darks.
I also use Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolors for certain colors — their Winsor Violet and Permanent Rose are particularly beautiful. And I occasionally reach for Holbein for their Opera, which is a fluorescent pink that’s unmatched for certain floral subjects.
For gouache, I use Holbein Artists’ Gouache — it has a creamy, buttery consistency and outstanding opacity.
Paper
Paper matters as much as paint — maybe more. I use Arches 140lb Cold Press as my everyday workhorse. It’s made from 100% cotton, has a beautiful, slightly textured surface, takes water beautifully, and allows for excellent wet-on-wet effects. Arches is the most widely used professional watercolor paper in the world for good reason — it’s consistently high quality from sheet to sheet.
For larger, more ambitious pieces, I use Arches 300lb Cold Press, which is thick enough that it doesn’t need to be stretched before painting. The heavier weight handles aggressive water application without buckling.
For gouache work and pieces that require finer detail, I sometimes use Arches 140lb Hot Press, which has a smooth surface that’s ideal for detailed brushwork and ink line.
I buy paper in full sheets (22×30 inches) and cut or tear them to size for each painting. It’s more economical than buying pre-cut blocks, and I like the flexibility of choosing my own proportions.
Brushes
I’m less precious about brushes than about paint and paper. My collection is a mix of brands and styles, and I replace them when they lose their point or spring rather than treating them as investments.
That said, my most-used brushes are: Round brushes in sizes 6, 10, and 14 — these do about 80% of the work. A large round loaded with pigment can lay down a broad wash, and the pointed tip can create fine lines and details. I use both natural sable (Kolinsky) and high-quality synthetic rounds. A large wash brush (1.5 to 2 inches) for laying in big initial washes across the full sheet. A rigger brush (size 0 or 1) for fine lines — tree branches, grasses, architectural details, signatures. A flat brush (about 3/4 inch) for sharp-edged marks and geometric shapes.
I use Princeton Neptune synthetic brushes as my everyday workhorses — they hold water well, have a responsive tip, and are affordable enough that I don’t stress about them. For finer work, I use Escoda Kolinsky sable rounds, which have an extraordinary snap and point.
Other Essentials
Palette: I use a large porcelain palette with deep wells for mixing. Porcelain doesn’t stain the way plastic does, and the white surface lets me see color accurately. I also keep a smaller folding travel palette for plein air work.
Water containers: Two jars — one for clean water (for mixing and applying clean washes), one for rinsing brushes. Keeping your rinse water separate from your mixing water is one of the simplest things you can do to keep your colors clean and vibrant.
Pencils: I sketch lightly on the paper before painting using a 4H or 6H pencil — hard enough that the lines are barely visible and won’t smudge into wet paint.
Masking fluid: For preserving white areas in complex compositions. I use it sparingly — I prefer to paint around whites when possible, but masking fluid is invaluable for detailed subjects like splashing water or fine white branches against a dark sky.
Paper towels and a spray bottle: For blotting brushes, lifting pigment, and keeping the paper damp. Essential tools that don’t cost anything but make every painting session smoother.
The Honest Truth About Supplies
You don’t need everything I’ve listed here to make beautiful watercolors. If you’re starting out, get one good set of artist-grade paints (12 colors is plenty), one pad of 140lb cold press cotton paper, three brushes (small, medium, large rounds), and two water containers. That’s it. The rest you’ll add over time as you discover what your personal practice needs.
The biggest upgrade most people can make is switching from student-grade to artist-grade paint and from wood-pulp paper to cotton paper. The difference in how the paint behaves — how it flows, how it layers, how the colors interact — is dramatic and immediate.
