|
Painting with watercolors is an easy pursuit and requires only a few simple supplies. The following paragraphs provide information to assist a beginner in selecting the basic equipment and materials:
Paints: Watercolor paints are available in either tubes or cake forms in several sizes. Tubes are more suitable if you intend to make a large painting; they produce less wear on brushes. Tubes also allow fresh color to be used for every new painting. On the other hand, pans are easily transportable and can be used if you want to paint at multiple places.
Brushes: A wide variety of brushes are available in the market. The differences among them are the cost, the amount of water they can hold and the capacity to maintain a tip. Select brushes made specifically for watercolor. Also, choose the size of brushes depending on the size of the paintings that you intend to make.
Palette: The only essential thing is that the palette you choose should be white, so that the colors are visible clearly.Moreover, the palette should preferably consist of flat rather than slanted wells. It is difficult to determine the intensity of colors in palettes that have slanted wells.
Pencil: A 2B pencil is most suitable for initial drawing on watercolor paper. Harder pencils can cause marks on the paper, while softer ones can leave smudges.
Eraser: The most suitable eraser for use on watercolor paper is a putty eraser. These erasers softly rub the paper without causing any damage. Conventional erasers can cause damage to the paper.
Water container: Anything that can hold water is suitable; however, a clear container helps you to see the dirtiness of the water. You can also go for two containers, one for washing brushes and the other for mixing colors.
Paper: Watercolor papers are typically made of three different types of surfaces. Choose a surface depending on the subject and the effects you intend to depict. The surface texture and absorbency may also vary between different types of papers.
Drawing board: A drawing board is a surface on which paper can be taped or stretched. Select an 8 mm or thicker medium density fiberboard variety of drawing board.
Tissue: Select facial tissue or kitchen roll rather than toilet tissue for dabbing off color and cleaning palettes.
With the above mentioned tips you can surely start collecting supplies for your first shot at watercolor painting.
|