artist Bevin Marie's favourite watercolour supply list, including paints, brushes, and paper

Why I Love Watercolour (and How to Begin)

The Beauty of Watercolour

I wanted to write this for the curious and the beginner — for anyone who’s been thinking about picking up a brush but isn’t quite sure where or how to start.

Watercolour has been my favourite medium for years, long before I began painting seriously. There’s something magical about letting go of control and watching the paint do what it will. I love seeing the pigments bloom, bleed, and separate into granules. That organic unpredictability has brought me so much peace — not just because creating is inherently calming, but because watercolour has gently helped me move past my fear of making mistakes.

Painting with watercolour feels like a quiet collaboration between painter and paint. It’s a process of exploration — sometimes we take wrong turns, but we always learn something beautiful along the way.

 

My Favourite Tools

Right now, I reach for a few go-to brushes again and again:

  • Raphael SoftAqua Imitation Squirrel in size 2 (and one well-loved brish whose size label has long since worn off!),
  • Winsor & Newton Series 7 Sable Brushes in sizes 1 and 5.

Of them all, my smaller Raphael brush is my constant companion. It holds water beautifully and gives me effortless control for both loose washes and fine detail.

For paper, I’ve recently fallen in love with Arches 140lb cold press 100% cotton. It’s lush, holds water beautifully, and gives me time to blend and play before anything dries. I also use Fabriano 1264 Cold Press, especially for sketching or drafting ideas — it has a lovely tooth, and I don’t feel pressure to create anything polished on it. I keep scraps of my Arches paper nearby for testing colours and how they behave on cotton.

Another favourite is the Fluid Easy Block (4x6"), perfect for handmade birthday cards and quick sketches. I always keep a block or two on hand.

When it comes to paint, my two favourites are Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton Professional. They’re rich in pigment, blend beautifully, and last a long time.
My most-used colours include:

  • WN Payne's Grey
  • DS Buff Titatnium
  • DS Burnt Umber
  • DS Shadow Violet
  • WN Olive Green
  • WN Yellow Ochre
  • DS Undersea Green
  • DS Cascade Green

Honourable mention: Schmincke’s Horadam Aquarell in Glacier Brown — stunning, but less accessible. I also love working with Winsor & Newton Ink in Nut Brown and Ecoline Liquid Watercolours for vibrant washes.

 

What I’d Recommend for Beginners

Starting with watercolour can feel overwhelming — so many supplies, so many opinions. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. I create fairly simply and mostly use a limited palette.

Because I often scan and digitize my work for surface design, I tend to paint with just one colour per motif and recolour digitally. But even when creating originals or prints, I naturally gravitate toward earthy tones, especially when painting wild flora and fauna.

Here’s what I’d suggest:

  • Start with a student-grade palette like Winsor & Newton Cotman or Artist Loft From Michaels. They give you range to explore without pressure.
  • Then add one or two tubes of professional-grade paint in colours you love. My #1 recommendation? Payne's Grey. It's incredibly versatile and elevates any palette.
  • If you're drawn to greens (like me), pair them with a pro-grade red like DS Alizarin Crimson to help you mix and mute tones (this applies to any colour your drawn to: pair it with one tube of it's opposite colour to mix with to stretch your range).
  • If you already know some colour theory, start with a pro-grade Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, and of course, Payne's Grey.

As for brushes:

Skip the 12-for-$15 multipack and invest in a single high-quality round brush like the Raphael SoftAqua. You’ll be amazed by the difference in water retention and control. If you paint detailed work, add a fine tip brush like Winsor & Newton’s Size 2.

Paper matters more than you think.

Even if you don’t feel “ready” for 100% cotton paper, try a small block just to feel the difference. I didn’t understand the hype at first either — it felt exclusive, and I didn’t want to invest in supplies I wasn’t “good enough” to use. But the truth is, student-grade paper doesn’t behave the same way. It doesn’t hold water or pigment well, and that can lead to frustration that isn’t your fault — it’s the tools.

So my advice? Start with what you can afford, then upgrade slowly and intentionally. You absolutely can learn with what you have — but when you're ready, investing in better tools will bring more ease and joy to your practice.

 

A Final Word of Encouragement

Starting a new medium can feel intimidating. I resisted investing in high-quality supplies for a long time — but once I did, everything changed. My tools now help me bring my ideas to life with less frustration and more joy.

So if you’re just beginning: start small, stay curious, and be kind to yourself. Watercolour is a beautiful medium to grow alongside. There’s space for every brushstroke — even the imperfect ones.

 

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