Are You Crafty?

Ever wanted to learn how to paint? Well, watercolor painting is a great beginner. Many local colleges, community centers and your local YMCA will have introductory classes for watercolor. There you can learn the basic techniques used like flash washing, graded washing, and using a dry brush technique. Before you begin you class, you need a basic list of watercolor supplies. Here are some essential supplies.

Source: Delilah Smith

• Paint Brushes – There are many sizes and qualities of paint brushes to purchase. When you are starting, it’s best not to purchase a highly expensive brush. You can get buy with an average priced brush. When testing watercolor brushes make sure they can hold their tip so that they can hold their color and they can be used to add detail. Make sure to buy your brushes for what you need them. For example, for larger pictures purchase larger brushes.
• Watercolor Paints – Get watercolor paints in a tub so that you can easily squeeze them into your palette. When you go to the art store, look around and pick the colors you see yourself using the most. Experiment a little and choose different brands of watercolor paints. Over time you can find one that you like the most.
• Watercolor Paper – It might be best, in the beginning, to purchase a heavy type paper such as a 300 lb watercolor paper. You can fix mistakes better and it can stand a lot of abuse. When choosing your paper you can get a hot pressed which looks smooth or a cold pressed which is a rough texture. Buy a piece of each and work with it to see which style you like better.
• Water Containers – You can keep your water in many containers but the best are probably yogurt containers or milk jugs. With the milk jugs, cut a large enough hole for your brushes. It can hold a lot of water and it’s clear so you can see with your water starts to get dirty.
• Miscellaneous Extras – Water coloring can be a bit messy so it’s best to have paper towels handy. It’s also handy to have a blow dryer so that you can quickly dry parts of your painting. Also get some painters tape to add depth to your painting. Finally, a pencil to draw your outline and a pencil sharpener to keep your pencils sharp.