Blog

February 19, 2023

Hello and welcome! I thought I would start this blog series by discussing why I love to paint and what I have learned through the process. My parents do not practice the arts so I did not exactly pick it up from them. I do, however, have fond memories of my parents bribing me with shiny new art supplies so that I would finally talk in my Kindergarten class (I was a delightful combination of absurdly shy and stubborn). My parents' siblings, my mom's sister and my dad's brother, were both trained in the fine arts. In fact, my uncle was my aunt's fine art professor! They practiced the bulk of their artwork in Pakistan, so sadly I did not grow up "witnessing" art come to life. Still, I like to think that I inherited my creative side from them. 

I've always wanted to paint, but I could not afford to do it in my earlier years. With watercolor, you really want to make sure you are using high quality materials or else you will be working against yourself- and a genuine interest can quickly turn into a frustrating process.  

Let me list some items I started with that I do NOT recommend using if you are earnestly trying to succeed with watercolor painting:

Paper: Canson- XL Watercolor Paper Pad

• Why? In the U.S, you will find this paper in almost all major craft stores. While very cost effective, Canson XL is very low grade, made from wood pulp, and does not have proper cotton fibers that are conducive to watercolor painting. Ideally, even as a beginner, you want to work on any paper that is 100% cotton and cold-pressed. Otherwise, painting layers will be very challenging and your paper will endlessly buckle when water is applied to the surface. 

Paint: Artist's Loft Fundamental Watercolor Pan Set

• The cheaper $10 watercolor pan sets are indeed priced too good to be true. The paint is just too chalky and opaque to work with. If you want to work with a portable student grade pan set, try Winsor and Newton Cotman or Van Gogh. 

Brush: Princeton Synthetic Round Watercolor Brush (size 6)

• This was the lowest-grade watercolor brush produced by Princeton brushes, which is an otherwise decent brand. I'm not sure they even make this brush anymore! Their Aqua Elite line may bear the closest resemblance, but I have heard good things about them. My initial brush did not hold much water and had sparse bristles that could not retain much paint. The brush lacked the signature "round belly" that is so critical to watercolor painting. With a good brush, you want to press the "belly" of the brush into the paper and drag it across the paper. As you do so, paint should evenly spread through the stroke. If it is not- you are either not using enough paint/water, or your brush is not dense enough for painting.

Here is a list of items I do recommend for beginners on a budget:

Paper: Arches Paper Pad, Cold Pressed, 140 lb. (a 9x12 pad with 12 sheets costs about $17-$20)

• This will be the most costly purchase as you will go through a lot of paper if you paint regularly. But don't compromise on paper quality! You can get away with using cheaper paints and brushes, but if your paper isn't cotton based as opposed to cellulose, it will not respond well to washes and layering. This paper tolerates multiple washes, scrubbing, and lifting. It will change your entire painting journey and I promise it is worth it! I learned the hard way ;) You might opt to purchase single 22x30 sheets of Arches and cut it into smaller sheets to save a bit of money. Sheets are also higher quality than the paper pads. 

Paint: Winsor and Newton Cotman Watercolors (preferably tubes- $3-$5 for each 8 ml tube)

• Many professional watercolor artists use this student-grade paint. Successful artists like the late Ron Ranson happily used student grade paints as they preferred to use paint fresh out of the tube every time. That's difficult to do if you use expensive paints (unless cost is not a factor). These paints are from a renowned watercolor company, Winsor and Newton, who also carry more concentrated, artist quality paints. I recommend tubes over pans, as you can fill a cheap palette with tube paints and get way paint more for your money. It is also easier to dip the belly of your brush into re-wetted tube paint rather than scrub it against the small pan sizes to pick up color- and it is much safer for your brush, too. I have heard great things about Van Gogh student-grade paints as well, but I have not used them myself. Try to keep a limited palette in the beginning. This will not only save you money, but it will get you into the *very important* habit of color mixing! I recommend buying a cool and warm tone of each primary color and investing in a gray and neutral tint as well. I'll make a separate blog post about paint color recommendations soon.

Brushes: Silver Brush Black Velvet Brush (script liner/rigger: size 1- [$12], round brush: sizes 4 [$12] and 10 [$24]); large mop brush such as Princeton Neptune Synthetic Squirrel Brush (quill: size 8 [$30-$40]); and one large wash brush such as a 1-inch hake [$2-$5] or any brand flat brush.

• I wish I had not purchased a range of brushes early on in my watercolor painting journey. Like many other aspiring artists, I delved right in and thought I would need all kinds of brushes for my paintings. Now, I have over 20+ brushes and I find myself reaching for the same 4-6 brushes every single time. It is ideal to have a size 10 round (or larger if you can afford it) to paint 8x10 or larger sized paintings. A rigger is a must have tool for finer details. Either that, or a small inexpensive calligraphy brush. A mop brush is helpful for adding a quantity of water and paint to paper- I use one for painting skies. And a wash brush is excellent for quickly wetting the paper for wet-in-wet painting and easily covering the larger foreground. If money is no object, I recommend investing in a few kolinsky sable brushes. The bristles are natural and sourced from a species of Siberian weasel (using hair from the tails, and I believe it is done ethically). These brushes retain water incredibly well and maintain a fine point. Because they are handmade by specialists, they are expensive, but last much longer than synthetic brushes. I will note that the Silver Brush Black Velvet brushes come very close to that natural brush feel as they are composed of a mixture of squirrel and synthetic filaments. They are bit softer and less snappy than kolinsky sable brushes, but they still maintain a fabulous point. 

I hope these recommendations are helpful! I'll be thrilled if they ease anyone into watercolor painting. The initial investment in professional paper, student-grade paint, and synthetic brushes can cost just under $150. It might seem like a lot, but you can spend hours and hours painting away so it is certainly worth it. It is a relaxing, beautiful hobby that should be FUN. Try to invest in decent materials so you can avoid stressful and difficult painting sessions. Take care and happy painting! 

-- Rohma 

above:  a collage of my late uncle's various works of art.