The Smart Watercolor Beginner's Supply List

There’s no shortage of advice on what you “need” to start watercolor painting—different paper types and weights, spiral pads versus blocks, tubes versus pans, and an endless array of brushes in mysterious sizes. It’s enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed, whether you’re just starting out or picking the craft back up again. So what do you actually need as a beginner?

The honest answer is: it depends. Your goals as a painter matter far more than any universal supply list. Are you just dipping a toe in, or are you ready to dive deeper? Do you want a small, portable kit for travel, or are you building a regular creative practice at home? The “best” supplies aren’t the most expensive or the most recommended—they’re the ones that meet you where you are right now, not where you think you should be.

With that in mind, this guide is for beginners who want to invest in real tools that will support their growth. If your goal is simply to relax and enjoy putting color on paper, then by all means, grab whatever kit brings you joy and start painting. But if you’re interested in learning the fundamentals and developing your skills, having the right materials makes a meaningful difference. Think of this as a foundation you can build on as your confidence and ability grow.

In this post, I’ll walk through smart starter supplies for beginner watercolor painters, with both quick recommendations and more detailed explanations. If you’re just looking for a straightforward list, you can jump to my picks below or check out the shopping list: here. But if you’re curious about why these supplies matter and how to choose what’s right for you, keep reading.

Links in this post will take you directly to the products I'm recommending, and if you purchase the item, I will get a tiny percentage of that sale at no cost to you. These links are affiliate links. Thanks for helping me keep the lights on!

Watercolor Beginner Supply List

• Water-tight palette with a lid and room for at least 12 colors

• Spiral-bound watercolor sketchbook (140lb/300gsm)

• Quill mop watercolor brushes made with synthetic squirrel in sizes #4 and #8

• Round synthetic squirrel watercolor brush #6

• Cup for water

  
  

• Watercolor TUBE paint colors to start with:

  • Lemon Yellow

  • Medium Yellow

  • Viridian green

  • Sap green

  • Payne’s grey

  • Cerulean blue

  • Ultramarine blue

  • Pyrrole red

  • Alizarin Crimson

    
    

• 2B pencil and kneaded eraser

• Ruler

• White artist tape (similar but not the same as masking tape)

• White paper towels

Why these supplies? And what brands?

Water-tight palette with a lid and room for at least 12 colors - if you ever plan to take your palette out, you don't want wet paint leaking out in transit. Get yourself an inexpensive locking sealed one like this.

Spiral-bound watercolor sketchbook (140lb/300gsm) Bad paper is one of the most frustrating supplies that newbies encounter, so do yourself the favor of getting real watercolor paper that is heavy enough to not buckle a lot. I like these cheap ones from hobby lobby and these from amazon. And spiral-bound is nice because it's flexible and keeps your work protected in a book. If you're painting something for someone else, you'll want loose sheets from a pad or block. And make sure it's 100% cotton paper - the other stuff is mixed with fast-disintegrating wood pulp.

Quill mop watercolor brushes made with synthetic squirrel in size #8 or #10 - There are a lot of mop brushes out there, but you need a quill mop (comes to a point) made with fake squirrel hair to get the effects and consistency you need when painting in watercolor. Pay attention so you get both of those in one brush - quill and squirrel - like this one. These from Meeden will work for beginners too.

Round synthetic squirrel watercolor brush size #6 - this is your workhorse, so it's worth getting a least one good one like this to make your regular painting easier. There are a lot of cheap brushes from Asia available on Amazon, but read the fine print carefully to make sure you're getting the soft synthetic squirrel or sable fibers you want for watercolor work. There are real squirrel brushes available, but the synthetic ones available nowadays feel the same and hold almost the same amount of water, so don't bother with the pricey (and a little sad) real fur.

Cup for water - use clear glass. Plastic can stain and doesn't allow you to see how dirty your water is becoming or whether you've cleaned all the pigment out of a brush. A heavy bottomed jam jar works great, plus this stuff is delicious.

Watercolor TUBE paint - watercolor paints come in two main formats: tube and pan. Pans are great for portability, but otherwise I'd recommend tube paints. Think of it like the difference between a fresh espresso and instant coffee: both get the job done, but one offers more. Even when I use pans for painting "in the wild," they are tube paint squeezed into empty pans and allowed to dry. They are often easier to re-wet than factory-made pans because they haven't been compressed as tightly. It saves your brush tips too when you don't have to scrub much. My favorite brands are Daniel Smith, Holbein, and ShinHan

The colors to start with:

• Lemon Yellow (sub: Hansa Yellow Light)

• Medium Yellow

• Viridian green

• Sap green (sub: Hookers Green, Olive Green)

• Payne’s grey (sub: indigo)

• Cerulean blue

• Ultramarine blue

• Pyrrole red (sub: Cadmium Red Light, Vermilion)

• Alizarin Crimson (Quinacridone Rose, Carmine, Permanent Rose)

Why these colors? This list gives you your primary colors in in both cool and warm, some helpful greens, and one neutral (Payne's). With these you can mix any other color.

And why so few? Having more colors in your palette as a newbie is not an advantage and can actually make learning watercolor painting more challenging. Limiting your palette forces you to master color theory and moisture control without the "decision paralysis" or muddy results caused by too many pre-mixed options. By learning how a few core pigments interact, you achieve a professional sense of color harmony that a big rainbow of paint colors simply can’t provide.

2B pencil and kneaded eraser - a light sketch helps you develop compositions and plan where to preserve your highlights. Even if you "can't draw," having a few marks down to guide your brush strokes will give you confidence as you develop your painting. The kneaded eraser is easer on your watercolor paper and doesn't remove the gelatin sizing on the surface as easily as a normal eraser.

White artist tape (similar but not the same as masking tape) - don't use masking tape (too sticky) or painters tape (too colorful); do yourself the favor of buying actual white artist's tape to protect your painting edges, or hold down your page, and protect sections of your painting. (like a horizon line) Nothing makes amateur work look professional and finished as easily as clean, taped edges.

White paper towels - High-quality white paper towels serve as a vital diagnostic tool, allowing you to confirm your brush is truly clean, gauge the exact saturation of a mix before committing to the page, and instantly "lift" mistakes to take advantage of watercolor's erasable nature while wet. Get you some Kirkland's Best from Costco or "the quicker picker upper."

Jumping into a new hobby is always exciting, but figuring out how to get started can be the tricky part. I hope this post has helped you feel more confident about choosing smart watercolor supplies that fit your needs and goals.

Looking for more on this topic? I go into detail about each of the main supplies listed above in these posts about paper, brushes, paint, palettes, and more. And if you want to be really smart, check out this post about what to NOT start with as a beginner watercolor painter.

Happy painting! - Em