Watercolour is the most popular painting medium today. Artists are drawn by the
medium’s magical, if sometimes elusive qualities, its unexpected effects that can be
exasperating but also exciting – and by its capacity to adapt to the individual
responses of the individual artists.
If you are thinking of starting to paint in watercolour it is important that you consider
what materials and equipment you will need to help you on your way.
Paints
Paints can be bought in either pans or tubes, both have merits: Pans are easier to
carry around, but tubes are carried separately from your paintbox. I prefer tubes as you
can squeeze out in to your palette as much as you need and it is nice and moist to start
with. Tubes are also better for mixing larger amounts of paint when doing large washes.
Watercolour paints can be obtained in 2 grades’Artists’ Quality and Student
Quality. The former contains good, finely ground pigments and represent the best
available. Student’s Quality is cheaper and compromises are made during
manufacturing. Cheaper pigments are often substituted for expensive ones and the quality
of the pigment may be reduced to be replaced by fillers and extenders. You should only
purchase these paints if you cannot afford the better quality.
Colours
It is surprising how many colours can be mixed from a small number of pigments; with no
more than 10 or 12 it is possible to match nearly all of the colours seen in nature. The
basic palette should consist of a warm and a cool shade of each of the primaries and then
additional colours can be bought as required.
Palettes
There are many palettes available on the market I prefer a large plastic palette which
opens like a box and has plenty of spaces for squeezed out paint and large mixing
areas as well. These are also ideal for taking on location as there is no mess when
transporting and they are light and easy to carry.
Brushes
There are 3 main shapes of watercolour brush; rounds, flats and mops. All are made in a
range of sizes usually identified by their number but sometimes by their actual size (e.g.
½ inch). In most lines the biggest brush is No.12 or No 16 and the smallest is No.1. No.0
or even No.00. Brushes are made from a variety of materials the cheapest being synthetic
and the most expensive from Kolinsky Sable which are the best. Some very good brushes are
made from a mixture of synthetic and natural hair, which are perfectly adequate especially
for beginners. Another very useful brush is a rigger, which is very long and fine. It was
used initially for painting the rigging of ships in nautical paintings. It is very useful
for very fine lines when painting branches and twigs etc. The most useful brushes when
starting to paint in watercolour are: -
Round No’s. 6 and 12 ½ inch flat
Rigger No.1
Large mop brush for large washes
Paper
Watercolours are almost always painted on white paper, which reflects back through the
thin layers of paint, giving them their distinctive luminous quality. The finest quality
watercolour paper is made by hand from pure linen rag. These papers are expensive, and as
a beginner you won’t need them.
The papers found in your local art shop are machine-made, and although there are many
different brands, all with slight variations, they can be divided into three groups; hot
pressed, cold pressed and rough.
The other variation is in the thickness, or weight, of the papers. This is important,
because it dictates whether or not you will have to stretch them. The weight of paper is
usually expressed pounds (lbs). Referring to the weight of a ream (500 sheets). Not to
each individual sheet. As a general rule, any paper heavier than around 200lbs need not be
stretched. The paper used in most watercolour pads is 140lb. Which is a ‘borderline
case’. If you’re working on a small sheet you can get away without stretching,
but for a big painting, or one where you want to use a lot of wet washes, it’s best
to use stretched paper.
To stretch paper you wet it thoroughly an both sides and then tape it to a large board
with gummed tape and leave it to dry. It will take at least 2 hours but it is best-left
overnight to ensure that it is properly dry.
