Below you will find links to options that will work for my classes – I suggest picking something from each category.
While I am providing links to product pages below (note, I have linked these as affiliate commission links), by all means feel free to buy these or similar from your local store.
I find Blick Art Materials at the corner of Mayfield and Coventry in Cleveland Heights has a better selection than Michaels or Hobby Lobby.
Please do not buy the store brand of paints such as Artist’s Loft or Master’s Touch, you will be sadly disappointed!
Materials:
Pencil
If using a watercolor pad, bring tape (blue or artists’ tape) and a board to tape it to. I personally prefer the watercolor blocks. Either Cold Press (rough) or Hot Press (smooth) is fine.
Kneaded eraser
Drawing frisket/gum/masking fluid
Watercolors – either tubes (and palette) or pan.
Watercolor pencils if desired.
Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleedproof White if desired.
Watercolor brushes – variety of sizes.
Water cup
Colors I like:
A range of colors is desired, so a set of common colors is a good idea, but in addition, below are some colors I especially like to have on my palette:
Carbazole Violet, Organic Vermillion, Aussie Red-Gold, Payne’s Gray, Indigo, Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Turquoise, Phthalo Yellow Green, Quinacridone Deep Gold, Quinacridone Magenta, Quinacridone Rose
Caution: The economy brands of paper or paint are NOT recommended – they present more of a challenge to work with and may lead to disappointment!
Below are links to acceptable products, or feel free to visit your local art supply store.
| Paints – Tube paints or pan paints are fine, although most students seem to prefer tube paint. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Holbein Watercolors Set of 24 (Amazon) | Sennelier Watercolors Set of 12 (Amazon) | Cotman Watercolors Set of 12 (Amazon) |
| Winsor Newton Watercolors Set of 12 (Amazon) Winsor Newton Watercolors Set of 12 (Blick) | Daniel Smith Watercolors (Blick) – Daniel Smith is my go-to brand of watercolor paint. | Utrecht Cadmium-Free Watercolors (Blick) |
| Sennelier Set of 18 Tin (Amazon) | Cotman Watercolors 20 tubes (Amazon) |
| Brushes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ooku 14 Pc Brush Set (Amazon) – I have been using this set for watercolors and liked it so much I bought 2! |
| Paper – I prefer blocks, but you can get a pad of watercolor paper and use tape to attach it to a board. 100% cotton is recommended. Either Cold Press (rough) or Hot Press (smooth) is fine. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arches Cold Press 9×12 Block (Amazon) | Bockingford Block Cold Press 9×12 (Amazon) – a good balance between quality and price, this is what I’m currently using. | Arches Watercolor Paper (Blick) |
| Arches 9×12 Watercolor Pad (Amazon) | Canson Watercolor Pad 11×15 (Amazon) – This is not the best, but it will work for practices and demos. You will need tape and a board. | Hahnemuhle 9×12 Block Cold Pressed (Amazon) |
| Palettes – your palette should have a large enough open area (or two) for mixing. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Meeden Palette 33 Wells (Amazon) – this is the palette I currently use. |
| Extras | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pebeo Drawing Gum (Amazon) – also called Masking fluid or frisket, this is a latex-based fluid for blocking out white areas. | Bleedproof White (Amazon) – This is the most opaque white I’ve found. | Blue Painters Washi Tape (Amazon) If you have gotten a paper pad (not a block) you will need tape and a board to tape your paper down. |
| Watercolor Pencils | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prismacolor 36 Watercolor Pencils (Amazon) | Derwent 12 Watercolor Pencils (Amazon) | |
| Books I like | ||
|---|---|---|
| Imaginative Realism – How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist – James Gurney (Amazon) | Color and Light – James Gurney (Amazon) |
| Watercolor Sample Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Winsor Newton Dot Sample Card (Amazon) | Daniel Smith Dot Sample Card (Amazon) | |
| Watercolor for the Fraidy Cat with Linda Pearce (Beginner) Join artist Linda Merchant Pearce as we explore the medium of watercolor! We will experiment with different types of techniques to get a variety of textures and effects that then can be implemented in the paintings we complete in the class. This class is designed for the beginning adult watercolor student. Materials: Pencil If using a watercolor pad, bring tape (blue or artists’ tape) and a board to tape it to. I personally prefer the watercolor blocks. Either Cold Press (rough) or Hot Press (smooth) is fine. Kneaded eraser Drawing frisket/gum/masking fluid Watercolors – either tubes (and palette) or pan. Watercolor pencils if desired. Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleedproof White if desired. Watercolor brushes – variety of sizes. Water cup Caution: The economy brands of paper or paint are NOT recommended – they present more of a challenge to work with and may lead to disappointment! |
| Intermediate to Advanced Watercolor Open Studio (Intermediate/Advanced) If you are a watercolor artist who has developed some skills and are looking to grow and continue on your journey to create your own personal style than this open studio format class is for you. Instructor Linda Pearce will be there to offer input to keep you on the road to your creative adventure. Create paintings in class from a still life, sketchbook, or work from photos you have taken. |
| Watercolor for Intermediate to Advanced Students (Intermediate/Advanced) This is for those of you who have mastered some of the techniques and want to develop your own personal style. We will be working through the elements and principles of design. Learn the importance of your sketch book in working through your compositions. Demos and critiques will be part of this class. |
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