I'm frequently asked about the supplies I use for drafting and painting, especially during my classes. Every artist has their own style and preferences, so here is a comprehensive list of all the supplies I use and love, or have tried and tested. I will update this page regularly as I discover new products and tools.
Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, i.e. I would earn a small commission if you choose to purchase anything via this website, at no extra cost to you.
For painting supplies, see below
W A T E R C O L O U R
P A I N T S
Roman Szmal Aquarius Watercolours
Aquarius Watercolours were launched by Polish artist Roman Szmal in 2018, and I was able to acquire a selection of colours from a friend in Poland when they were introduced. I've been hooked since then, and fortunately they are now easily available on Jackson's. They are lush, superb value for money, and a massive range of single-pigment paints and unique mixes.
My recommendations for a starter set:
14 full pans should fit in this metal box
MIXING CHART FEATURING THIS PALETTE
Recommended Bonus/Special colours
REDS
BLUES
You can fit 16 whole pans in this Frank Herring plastic palette
and 28 whole pans in this Large metal box or 35, without the insert
Roman Szmal Aquarius Labels
Roman Szmal Aquarius Swatches
My current palette: 35 Roman Szmal Aquarius pans in extra large watercolour enamel box
Schmincke Horadam Watercolours
Schmincke Horadam are incredible paints and undoubtedly one of the BEST watercolour brands worldwide.
Their consistency and vibrancy is just incomparable.
I would highly recommend purchasing this sample card first, to try the full range of colours.
Schmincke has also come out with a limited edition 'Super Granulation' series.
These are special effects colours; they separate beautifully and create gorgeous textures in paintings.
You can find them in sets here.
Winsor and Newton Professional Watercolours
Winsor and Newton's version of Cobalt Turquoise Light and Cobalt Green (sadly this is discontinued) are my favourites.
This was my first ever professional set. Note that some key colours are missing here, and need to be purchased separately.
For example, Aureolin*, Chinese White and Ivory Black that are included are not very useful – so I'd recommend replacing them with:
*Aureolin is not a lightfast pigment.
Colour mixing chart using Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolours
M. Graham Watercolours
M. Graham is a small US-based sustainable paintmaker and their artist's gouache the one of the best I've tried. Their watercolours are also excellent.
In most environments, these paints will not dry to solid due to the addition of honey. This makes them less portable than other watercolour brands, so they are better suited for studio use.
My favourite Neutral Tint by M. Graham is made using only two pigments (most brands use three)
Swatch cards with Daniel Smith PrimaTek and M. Graham Watercolours
Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors
Due to their huge range of colours, I highly recommend investing in the dot card above first. Always better to try out all the shades before making any purchases.
I also strongly recommend other brands over Daniel Smith paints. They have been misleading their customers for several years over their PrimaTek paints – a premium range that is allegedly made from minerals and gemstones. However, this was always a marketing gimmick. Some of these PrimaTek paints were recently analysed by geologists and pigment experts (check out their findings here) on Instagram @worldpigmentday, and the was revealed that very little of the labelled stone or pigment was in the paint itself.
While there is no problem with using synthetic pigments to enhance a 'mineral', they have never handled the customer enquiries well regarding this subject. They maintained (despite the evidence) that these paints are made with pure stones and this is pretty unethical. It also casts a doubt over the lightfastness rating of the paint.
With that caveat, some of the colours are unique that I could recommend. Do note that some of the PrimaTek paints are weak (Lapis, Sugelite) and extremely gummy and difficult to paint with (Bronzite, Mayan Blue)
Selected pigments in the Daniel Smith range that I could recommend for their special effects and overall uniqueness:
Three of the above PrimaTek colours can also be found in THIS SET of six
NOTE: Do also check out Schmincke Horadam's limited edition Super Granulation range. They are also special effects paints similar to PrimaTeks, but made using known pigments and mixes.
P A P E R
Sketchbooks – for practice and swatches
Jackson's Spiral Bound Watercolour Sketchbook 280 gsm
Jackson's Acid-free Wood Pulp Watercolour Blocks 300 gsm in a wide range of sizes
Fabriano 50% Cotton Spiral Bound Sketchbook 300 gsm
Fabriano 25% Cotton Spiral Bound Sketchbook 300 gsm
Jackson's Watercolour Blocks (vegan)
Using watercolour on blocks is a special experience, as you can enjoy the freedom of the medium without worrying about the buckling of paper (too much). I love these Jackson's blocks for smaller paintings.
100% Cotton Paper – for final artwork
Cotton paper can be expensive, but it is economical when bought as a full size imperial sheet – which is 22" x 30" or 56x76cm – either single sheet or as packs of five or ten.
Jackson's offers a free cutting service if you buy a pack of sheets, and you can ask them in your order comments to cut the sheets x2 or x4.
For example, if you buy a pack of five sheets of Arches Cold Press paper, which is £22.50, that will give you 20 quarter imperial size sheets of 15" x 11" size (slightly smaller than A3), whereas the Arches block of 16"x12" of 20 sheets is £37
Arches (animal gelatin)
Sheets all options
Pack of 5, Cold Press 300 gsm
(This paper is available in Doha at Cassart)
Saunders Waterford is supposed to be excellent, but I haven't tried it myself.
B R U S H E S
Jackson's Studio Synthetic
Good brushes for swatching and general use
Set of 3 with flat brush (Flat brush useful for swatching)
Escoda Versatil
This is a 100% synthetic sable hair, and the best imitation of Kolinsky sable in my opinion. They are the closest in control, texture and usability to my natural sable hair brushes that I own. I do recommend them highly.
I have this version in size 6 and 10 which is a travel brush:
Jackson's Brush Storage
Handover Brush Case
P A L E T T E S A N D S T O R A G E
If you purchase tube watercolours, it's necessary to find a way to store the squeezed out colour. For this we generally have two options
– buy individual pans and slot them into a box
– squeeze them directly into a divided palette.
Pans are convenient as you can move them around and rearrange as you like. Divided palettes tend to have sloping sections where the paint is stored, which is typically better for your brushes (compared to half pans which can be small for Round brush sizes 6 and up)
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Jackson's Empty plastic pans
Metal Watercolour Boxes
FP = full or whole pans, HP = half pans
Mijello
Blue Airtight Palette for 18 tube colours
Frank Herring
Mixing Palettes
Plastic 12 well mixing palette (useful for colour theory)
Plastic Mega mixing palette (with lid)
Ceramic or porcelain is the best mixing surface for watercolour. I personally use a mix of the aforementioned palettes, ceramic tiles, and dinner plates.
Sushi and condiment dishes make amazing palettes for ink, gouache and watercolour.
M I S C E L L A N E O U S
Jackson's Masking Fluid and Applicator set
Jackson's Empty Masking Fluid Applicator (can be used with any masking fluid)
Schmincke Masking Fluid/Liquid Frisket
Jakar Ruling Pen
Yellow Owl Workshop Archival Ink Pad (for stamps)
Dr. Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White (opaque white ink for details or fixing mistakes)
M E T A L L I C S
Coliro Finetec – Moon gold, Blue silver and Copper Pearl (shimmer)
The best metallic paints I've tried are by Coliro Colors, better known as Finetec. They are available as sets, but you can also buy individual colours and make your own palette.
To make your own set, the plastic palette box is recommended if you live in a humid area, as my metal one has rusted over time due to humidity.
My recommendations for individual colours:
Metals:
Colours:
These are the colours I have tried myself, but their entire range is beautiful and highly recommended.
Note: Some colours are best used on darker paper, and these are called 'shimmer' colours. They will be almost invisible on white paper.
I also like the collection of colours in these sets:
I N K
Using Liquitex Ink (Deep Violet, Transparent Burnt Umber and Turquoise Deep)
Using Dr. Ph Martins Bombay Ink
Liquitex Acrylic Ink
Lightfast, pigment-based, acrylic binder
CMYK Primaries
Secondaries
Bonus + neutral mixing colours:
Turquoise Deep (used in painting above)
Deep Violet (also used in painting above)
Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay India Ink
Lightfast, pigment-based, shellac binder.
The 30 ml set is better value than the 15ml set.
First set of 12 (Primaries + secondaries)
Second set of 12 (Neutrals + expanded primaries)
Palettes for Ink
Ink is better used in small quantities as it cannot be reused once dry. Plastic palettes are easy to stain, so ceramic or metal is a better option when using ink.
Small wells in these ceramic palettes are perfect for inks.
G O U A C H E
I would always recommend an artist grade gouache over the 'designers' range. These are three brands that make super pigmented, chalk-free, artist's gouache.
Holbein Artist Gouache
CMYK Starter set 15ml
CMYK Starer set 5ml
Schmincke Horadam Gouache
Whites
Schmincke Zinc White (mixing)
Schmincke Titanium White (opaque)
CMYK Primaries
Secondaries + Bonus
M. Graham Gouache
M Graham has the best gouache texture I've ever tried due to their honey-based formula.
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