The Basic Equipment You Need to Start Watercolour Painting
- Sep 4, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 19
Watercolour Starter Kit: The Basic Equipment You Really Need
Are you keen to start painting with watercolours but feel overwhelmed by all the brushes, paints, and papers on the shelves? You’re not alone — there’s so much choice, it can feel confusing at first.
The good news is that you don’t need loads of fancy materials to begin. In watercolour, less is more. With just a few high-quality essentials, you can create beautiful, luminous paintings and start learning with confidence.
This guide covers everything you need to get started:
Watercolour Paper: The Foundation of a Good Painting
Paper is the single most important material in watercolour. It affects how paint behaves, how colours glow, and how easy it is to control water.
Types of Watercolour Paper
Watercolour paper is made from wood pulp or cotton, and produced in three ways: handmade, mould-made, or machine-made. It also comes in three surface textures:
Hot Pressed (Smooth) – Perfect for fine detail or botanical painting.
Cold Pressed (NOT) – Lightly textured and versatile. This is what I recommend for beginners.
Rough – Heavily textured, great for expressive work, best for when you’re more experienced.
Recommended Paper Weight
To start, choose a 10x14" cold-pressed 140lb (300gsm) pad. Reliable brands include Saunders Waterford, Bockingford, Winsor & Newton, Langton (Daler Rowney) and Fabriano.
Experiment with a few brands and, once you find one you love, stick with it — you’ll get to know how it behaves with your painting style.
My personal favourites:
Saunders Waterford 200lb or Arches 200lb cold pressed (Arches has been made in the same French village since 1492!)
For practice and testing colours: any cheap watercolour paper or backs of old paintings
In workshops we use: 140lb watercolour paper (A4), or Bockingford (1/4 imperial) for main paintings and Belle Vous A3 for warm-ups and practice.
Stretching Your Paper
If you’re using high-quality 140lb paper or heavier, you may not need to stretch it. You can also buy gummed blocks of pre-stretched paper. For lighter papers or larger formats, here’s how to stretch it yourself:
You’ll need:
A sink large enough for your paper
Gummed brown paper tape
A sturdy board
Soak your paper in water for about 30 seconds, place it on the board, then tape down all four sides. Leave it to dry completely before painting — this prevents buckling when you apply washes.
Paint: Choose Quality Over Quantity
Watercolour paints come in pans or tubes. Pans are tidy and portable, perfect for painting outdoors; tubes tend to give stronger colour.
Winsor & Newton Cotman and Daler Rowney Aquafine are excellent student-grade paints — affordable, good quality, and ideal for beginners. Artist-grade options include Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, and Sennelier (these are more expensive but incredibly vibrant). In my own paintings, I mostly use Winsor & Newton with some Schminke, Daniel Smith and Sennelier.
Suggested Beginner Palette
The variety of colours available can feel overwhelming. Start with just a few core colours — a warm and cool version of each primary plus some earthy colours, then you can expand from there.
Cadmium Yellow (warm)
Cadmium Yellow Pale (cool)
Permanent Rose (cool)
Cadmium Red (warm)
Winsor Blue (Green Shade) or Phthalo Blue (cool)
Ultramarine Blue (warm)
Burnt Sienna (warm brown - great for mixing greens with Viridian)
Viridian Green (cool, vibrant)
Sap Green (cool)
Indigo (warm)
Yellow ochre (warm)
Brushes: Keep It Simple
A few well-chosen brushes will do almost everything you need.
For beginners, Daler Rowney Graduate brushes are great value and widely available at Hobbycraft or from Jackson's Art Supplies. As you progress, invest in higher-quality natural or synthetic sable or squirrel hair brushes for better water control.
Recommended starter set:
Round No. 12 – your main brush for most work
Rigger (No. 3) – for fine lines and details
½” Flat Brush – for lifting and edges
Old Toothbrush – perfect for spattering texture
Optional extras: 2” flat brush, palette knife, old credit card, twigs, or pipette — experiment and have fun!
Other Useful Watercolour Equipment
Palette: Choose one with a generous mixing area, or use a white plate.
Water Pots: Always have two — one for rinsing brushes and one for clean water.
Water Spray: A small mister or recycled cleaning spray works well.
Drawing Board: An A3 board from Hobbycraft (around £5) is perfect for beginners.
Masking Tape: Cheap, low-tack tape works best — de-stick it on your clothes first to avoid tearing paper.
Masking Fluid: Use to preserve white areas. Apply with a palette knife or twig (not a brush), then remove gently once dry.
Your Essential Beginner Kit
To sum up, here’s what you really need to get started:
✅ A 10x14” cold-pressed 140lb watercolour pad
✅ A small set of Cotman watercolour paints (tubes or pans)
✅ Three brushes: No. 12 round, No. 1–2 rigger, ½” flat
✅ Palette, A3 board, masking tape, water pots, water spray, old toothbrush
That’s it — simple, affordable, and everything you need to start painting today!
Art Suppliers
Online and in-store:
Online only:
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a huge kit or expensive materials to start painting — just a few good basics, curiosity, and a willingness to play. Experiment, make a mess, enjoy the process, and most of all — let the paint flow!
If you are interested to explore in person workshops that are suitable for beginners, have a look at my currently available workshops and retreats here. I am also developing self-guided watercolour tutorials that you can follow on your own. These can be found here - more will be added soon.
Ione Harrison is a landscape artist and teacher working mainly in watercolour. For details of current watercolour workshops, please see here. For work available to purchase, please see here.
