The paperweights to look for are400lb, 300lb, 140lb, and 90lb. Remember that the lighter the paperweight, the less resistant it will be to layering and moisture. Another aspect to keep in mind is color variety. Opt for smaller sets with primary colors: you don’t need the entire rainbow to get started! Managing fewer hues will also help you grasp color theory, which plays a big role in this creative hobby. Photo via Stephanie Bento (Tiny Workshops) Remember that the paints you use are down to personal preference. I see many people recommending that watercolour beginners buy good supplies, and the reason makes sense. If you buy cheap supplies and get bad results, you’ll get frustrated and discouraged and soon stop painting. And it wasn’t you that was bad – it was the supplies! Watercolours can be unforgiving and unpredictable at times but benefits of watercolour certainly outweigh the negatives once you get the hang of them. Besides, “happy accidents” can sometimes be spectacular!

Link copied to clipboard This beginner’s guide to watercolours will equip you with everything you need to help you on your way, from what brush to buy to which techniques to try This set includes one Sennelier watercolor brush and 12 Sennelier L’Aquarelle Watercolor 10ml tubes in a handy metal container with two fold-out palettes.In addition, I advise using a standard paintbrush vs. a water brush pen. The latter is more likely to carry humidity in its bristles due to its built-in water reservoir. Blending Photo via Stephanie Bento (Tiny Workshops)

For an inspirational insight into using dry brush work, read Geoff Kersey’s article on how to paint coastal and countryside landscapes. No! Watercolor paint uses natural binders, while acrylic uses manmade acrylic resin binders. Acrylic is also more opaque, which makes it more suitable for different surfaces. Watercolour paper is usually available in three different textures. Completely smooth paper is known as Hot Press and allows for the finest lines and crisp details to show. Cold-pressed paper has a slight texture and is also known as NOT surface paper. It is the surface that most artists try to begin with. The texture is made with sheets of felt, so has an irregular, naturally dimpled quality. Rough paper has a more pronounced texture, which acutely changes the quality of brush strokes, often making them appear more broken and expressive than on smooth paper.As you’re probably aware, Castle arts is one of the more well known watercolor brands that create great watercolor paint, acrylic paints and more. This particular watercolor paint set is amazing to use and both professional watercolor artists and beginners can benefit from this. A simple, small spray bottle is invaluable when working with watercolors. A few sprays are all it takes to activate pans in your watercolor set or wet your paper for washes. Various sets have their own advantages and disadvantages – but which are which? Based on our own personal experience as well as the advice of other watercolor painters, we’ve compiled a list of the best watercolor sets for beginners for you to try. Next, your paint has begun to dry. See how different it looks? When painting wet-on-wet, we don’t have much control over how our paint reacts. This is a beautiful aspect of this technique; watercolor dries in mysterious ways. Generally speaking, watercolour comes into two different forms - pans and discs or tubes. Paint pans and discs are available in sets and individual colours and are a handy ready-to-go solution. Simply rub a paint pan with a wet brush to activate the colour. Paint tubes also come in sets and individual colour and keep paint creamy for extended periods of time. Paint tubes can be used to create your own custom colours and therefore may not be as crucial when you’re first starting out. Long-term, however, paint tubes do tend to be a bit more cost-effective.