My first experience with watercolor paints was probably a lot like yours. I think it was in kindergarten? The paints were in thin, plastic trays, dried out with cracks all over. Of course we used the bristly plastic brush that came with the set which didn't help. I remember that the paper we used warped as soon as my first stroke was down and was sopping wet by the end. The paint was a lot lighter on the paper than it looked in the pan so I remember using as much paint as I could to try and get the right colors. I created something my mom was probably proud of but I wasn't wowed.

Fast forward to about 30 later years when I started looking for art materials for my own family's nature art journals. I did quite a bit of online research and ordered some of the materials that other seasoned nature artists suggested. We tried them out and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I was addicted! Since then, I have found even more tools that have only enhanced my watercolor experience and have given me so much joy. In fact, I would say that for me, finding the right materials has been life changing.

I'm excited to share with you some of these favorites. I chose carefully with budget in mind. For the sake of simplicity, I always try to use the same set of supplies for each of my watercolor courses to make it easier for you to gather what you need. You can always find a list of the specific supplies needed for each course, but only a few additional items are needed for specific courses beyond the standard set of supplies.

Below is a link to the list of all of the supplies used for all of the Watercolor School courses, as well as a few extra supplies needed for some of the courses. Everything is linked back to Amazon for your convenience, but you can also find these supplies in local art/craft stores as well.

Click here to go to the Watercolor School Supply List with photos and links of all our supplies

If you are looking for more information on the differences between different types of supplies as you begin to explore more about watercolors, check out this article I wrote. In this post, I talk about the differences of types of watercolor paint, papers, brushes, and other supplies watercolor artists use. https://www.lilyandthistle.com/watercolor-basics-a-quick-supply-guide-for-beginners/

Changes to the blues in the Winsor & Newton paint palette

Our favorite Winsor & Newton pocket sketchbook palette has seen some changes over the years. Below is a video related to the changes in our favorite blues.

You might find that Intense Blue has been changed to Cerulean Blue. Hannah shows you in the video below how to use the new blue color as well as tips on how to purchase the Intense Blue to use it in your projects. Links to the items mentioned are in our Supplies Guide linked above.

We highly recommends using the Intense Blue for the Intro to Landscapes course.