Watercolor Toolbox: Basic Essentials for Artists

CLASS MATERIALS LIST:

Registration includes a $16 materials fee to cover consumable materials provided in class, including additional tools, additives, tape, and a sampler pack of Yupo and mulberry paper. Students will need to supply additional materials of their own, including:

• Watercolors** – Students are encouraged to bring sets they may already have. You will need a warm and cool hue for each major color. This includes:  
  • Lemon yellow
  • Cadmium yellow medium (can also be Gamboge Yellow)
  • Ultramarine blue
  • Prussian blue
  • Cadmium Red Medium (can also be Grumbacher Red or Windsor Red)
  • Alizarin Crimson (or Quinacridone Red)

Also recommended:

• • Viridian Green
  • Burnt Sienna
  • Yellow ochre
  • Payne’s Grey
  • White artists gouache (not Acryla)

** These can be in tubes or pans. (Hues of a color are acceptable, but won’t be as strong in pigmentation) if purchasing pans, please make sure you also buy a container for them.  Altoid tins or plastic pencil boxes can sometimes work for this.

**Recommended brands are (Windsor and Newton, Van Gogh, Daniel Smith, Utrecht professional, Grumbacher Artist Colors, Maimeri, Holbein, Sennelier, Schmincke, and Old Holland. 

If buying new, here are some great starter sets: Cotman Sketcher’s Pocket Watercolor Set; Cotman Customizable Travel Tin Watercolor Set; Van Gogh Pocketbox Watercolor Set.  These will be sufficient to get you through class.

• Watercolor brushes: 2 rounds (#2 & #8), at least one flat (#4 and/or #10), #8 Mop/wide flat for washes. If purchasing new, some good starter sets include: Kolinsky 8 pcs Sable Brush Set and Rembrandt Series I Travel Set of 6 both have a nice variety of brush sizes.
• Watercolor palette
(keep in mind portability) that has a lid that can also be used for mixing.  Here’s one example; and another that’s set-up for pans
• 1 small Watercolor Paper Block, 100% cotton – recommended sampler pack with three textures
• 1 Canson XL Watercolor Pad, 9”x12” 
• Watercolor masking fluid: bottle with brush  or pen version
• Rubber cement eraser
• Artist Tape, .5” roll
• Fillable water brush, at least one medium or larger. Here’s a great set with a variety of tips
• Natural sponge (avoid any that may have dyes in them)
• Spray bottle or water mister – can be a handheld bottle. But it must be water-use only (no other liquids) or brand new.

The following materials are Optional for this course:

• Tackle box for organizing and transporting paints and brushes
• Painting smock
or apron (we’ll have extras)
• Personal hair dryer (to speed up drying times)
• An old (cleaned!) or new, inexpensive toothbrush
• Any sheets of watercolor paper in hot or cold press, 140 lb or higher, from your personal stash you’d like to use
• Drawing board or other hard surface for stretching and propping watercolor paper
• Recommended reading: A Complete Guide to Watercolor by Ray Smith and Elizabeth Jane Lloyd. Published by DK Publishing, 2002 ed.  ISBN-10: 0789487985, ISBN-13: 978-0789487988
• (for Day 3) Any project you’d like to work on in class to help troubleshoot and receive advice on. This could be a painting in progress, a new work, a print you’d like to add color too, etc.