What's in the Beginner's Watercolour Painting Kit and why?
I've hand picked every item that goes into the Beginner's Watercolour Painting Kit to ensure the very best quality supplies for the price. When you begin to learn a new medium it can be quite hit and miss finding the right supplies and tools. Stumble upon the wrong materials and it may effect your whole experience of the medium and you may not even continue!
This is exactly what I kept seeing when teaching my workshops and online courses. My students were splashing out on new art supplies and being disappointed with the results. So I decided to put this kit together, the ideal starting place for the budding watercolour artist. It's the perfect balance of performance vs cost effectiveness as I understand not all of us want to become the next watercolour maestro.
So many teachers insist you set yourself up with the best quality of brushes, paints and papers when you get started. And I do get it, the professional quality stuff does deliver the best results. However, the problem with this is that we've just spent a fortune ($500+!) and we tend to then not even want to paint as we don't want to ruin the "good paper" or waste the "good paint". This kit is your happy medium (arty pun intended!)
Your kit arrives in a handy reusable box, great for storing all your new materials and creations!
The products included are the very best entry level materials. I searched, trialled, painted, dabbled and researched until I was happy with what was in the box. I use these same materials in my workshops as well. The best news? It's only $99.
Micador Brilliant 24 Colour Disc Set
These paints have sensational vibrancy, flow beautifully on the page and are compact! They also stack up neatly when you're done! There's nothing else on the market quite like them. Depending on where you are sometimes they go by Micador Brilliant (Australia) elsewhere they could be Koh-I-Noor Brilliant or Anilinky Brilliant.
In Australia they come in a set of 4 white plastic discs. Try not to be fooled by the black-based version. It can be tempting as they are cheaper and visually they look brighter, however these are a far inferior student/kids style paint set with very washy dissatisfying colours. The white-based set has super-saturated, highly-pigmented colours (although they look duller dry in the paint pans).
The cost of the whole 24 colour set is about the equivalent of just one tube of watercolour paint. When I have about 15 colours of tube paint in my palette - you do the maths!
I've included the 24 colour set in the Beginner's Watercolour Painting Kit as this covers a fantastic range of colours and has everything you need. These disc sets are also available in 12, 36 and 48 colours as well as seasonal colours too.
If you end up bundling your Beginner's Watercolour Painting Kit with my beginners course Welcome to Watercolour, we go through each of the discs and paint out all the colours too.
Roymac Achiever Series Brush Set
This little trio of brushes is the perfect set to kick off your watercolour journey. They are inexpensive so you don't have to stress about ruining them, but with a bit of care they will last you a long time.
The set consists of two synthetic round brushes, a size 4 and 12 as well as a flat brush in a size 6 (1/2 inch)
In the online courses I primarily use the size 12 (in the materials listings I recommend a 10 or 12) and often switch down to a 4 - so it's the perfect combo really!
I tend to encourage students to upgrade their brushes if they are painting regularly and are in good habits with their brushes - keeping them clean and dry, not leaving them in water etc. Otherwise it's just a waste of money!
Canson Montval 300gsm A4 Pad of Paper
This is the most reliable student quality paper I have found. It's resilient but also features a lovely medium texture to paint on. It is cellulose based paper (made from trees) making it a far more cost effective option over cotton paper.
I found paper to be the hardest thing to get right in this kit as there as so many poor options in the student quality price range. This one beat the rest hands down. It's also readily available, I see it at most art stores in person and online so when you need to replenish your stocks it's easy to come by.
Pencil and Eraser
I can never find a pencil when I need one! Or an eraser for that matter. Two very handy little tools to have close by when you have your creative hat on.
Printed Templates
Each painting kit comes with two printed templates. They are printed on the Canson Montval 300gsm paper as per above. I wanted to include something in there for you to have a go at straight away. The line work can really take the pressue off if you are just wanting to have a dabble with your new paints.
Online Course Information Brochure
If you have bundled you kit with one of my online courses your kit will also arrive with some information on that course for you. Handy links, intructions on how to log in. Everything you need to know.
Before I get started, do I need anything else?
There's two things you'll need to grab from home. A glass jar or cup to rinse your brushes and an old white plate or tile for a palette.
I really didn't want to include a cheapo plastic palette that I don't even like in the painting kit, so I decided to not include one. Plastic is flimsy and it stains. An old plate/tile is actually ideal as it never stains and you can always reconstitute your colours on it.
Palettes are a surprisingly personal journey too - everyone mixes differently. I like a vast mixing area, some people like a very neat and compact space. It's something fun to explore on your creative journey. I wrote a bit more about palettes over on my materials post.
But, this isn't what you use yourself?
I actually still use these paints still occasionally, I love their intense colour. I predominantly use professional quality watercolour tube paints and more expensive brushes and paper. I've put together my preferences of what I like to use in this article here.
Shop the Beginner's Watercolour Painting Kit here.
