Watercolour painting – what do you need to start?

Here is the list of watercolor materials that I recommend for beginners:

Paper:

For sketches and learning how to paint and use brushes i recommend very basic watercolor paper, you can buy  it in bulk in many art supplies shops, here is the link to  50 pack that would last for some time.  For working wet on wet, when you want to stretch you paper I recommend my favorite paper Arches Aquarelle Paper (300g/140lbs) Not – 22″x30″, it is important to buy 300g paper, CP (cold press) surface, which is sometimes called NOT. I do not recommend buying paper in pads or blocks, it tend to be more expensive and it has more use when travelling or sketching out and about.

Paints:

Using pigments from tubes guarantees moist paint and clean fresh colors with no need of soaking beforehand. I use Winsor & Newton Artists’ Watercolours in tubes. For  a start-up set i recommend buying Winsor & Newton Cotman series  or Daler Rowney Aquafine Watercolors.

• Ultramarine (Winsor & Newton Cotman 8ml Ultramarine)
• Raw Sienna (Winsor & Newton Cotman 8ml Raw Sienna ,Daler Rowney Aquafine 8ml Raw Sienna )
• Lemon Yellow (Winsor & Newton Cotman 8ml Lemon Yellow Hue, Daler Rowney Aquafine 8ml Lemon Yellow) or Gamboge (Yellow) (Daler Rowney Aquafine 8ml Ganboge Hue)
• Alizarin Crimson (Winsor & Newton Cotman 8ml Alizarin Crimson)
• Crimson Lake (Cool Red (Daler Rowney Aquafine 8ml Crimson Lake)
• Cerulean Blue (Daler Rowney Aquafine 8ml Coerulean Hue, Winsor & Newton Cotman 21ml Cerulean Blue Hue)

In addition to above you might want to buy dark gray and white:

• Chinese White (Winsor & Newton Cotman 8ml Chinese White)
• Payne’s Gray (Winsor & Newton Cotman 8ml Payne’s Gray)

Brushes:

• Good squirrel bush is very important and it is the one i use mostly. It is worth investing in good medium size(3-6) squirrel bush at the beginning to establish good painting habits.
• Another must-have brush I recommend is mop, used to paint big areas or wetting the paper. Best is natural hair (sable or goat) but you can compromise and buy mixed hair (sable or goat blend) . Synthetic mop brushes don’t hold enough water.
• Synthetic or sable rigger brush. Size 0-3

Also: 

• watercolour palette  – large with plenty mixing wells
• paper towels
• 2 containers for water
• hair dryer
• spongers
• sprayer
• gummed tape