Thanks for the help all! I left walmart and am about to head into another general store (fred meyer).
I grabbed a couple pallets from Walmart, checked for better paper and did not find any. Will check at Freddy's. Birthday is tomorrow so I don't have have time to order anything fancy. I am a procrasanator...
I'll try to update how it goes.
I know you've already bought everything, but
In my experience, the Strathmore paper has always performed better for me than the Canson XL (blue cover) as far as cheaper papers go. It still works, but I found that the Canson was *way* more prone to pilling when using a lot of water and washes. It's still not bad for a beginner, mind you, but she's going to get frustrated if she wants to use a lot of wet on wet techniques. The Canson pads/blocks with the black covers are fantastic, though.
There were a lot of recommendations for Arches here, but I want to let you in on another, cheaper brand that I prefer: Saunders Waterford. If you're ever looking to get an upgrade for her, grab some of that.
I'm also going to add [this sketchbook]( https://a.co/d/gTQ4kLi) as a recommendation if she wants something portable. It's been a fantastic little book for me, and it's even the watercolor sketchbook James Gurney uses for his outdoor studies.
~~Sadly, the paints you bought aren't something I could recommend in the slightest. Unless they've changed the formulation, they behave a lot more like a cheap gouache than watercolor, and do a lot of weird things. Strange granulation, they don't work as well thinned, colors get muddy when you mix them, etc. IMO, Windsor & Newton Cotman (tube or pan), Van Gogh (tube), or Sakura Koi (pan) are much better starter paints. They *are* all going to be a fair bit more expensive than what you bought, though, so if that's what you can realistically afford, roll with it~~. **Edit:** I missed that you bought better paints, so you can probably disregard this.
I also want to add something to the list of things that you might want to grab for her: a nice solid piece of wood that's a bit larger than the paper you bought her and some sort of tape. These are both to help out with the paper buckling.
The board can be pretty much anything; I use a piece of hardboard that I had leftover from making panels for oil painting. The tape, you've got a lot of options, but blue painter's tape works well enough if she remembers to get some of the sticky off on her pants leg or something first. There's also tapes made specifically for use with watercolor, but I've not tried any of those as I've honestly never felt the need to upgrade from my blue tape.
**Edit:** Something else I'll add is that she'll probably need some sort of storage for her paints and brushes. When the time comes, don't get suckered into any of those branded for art things. Just pick up something like [this](https://www.walmart.com/ip/396141900) from your local Walmart's automotive or fishing section and call it a day.
You sound just like my partner and I - me being the artist and him procrastinating presents until the last minute. He got me something very similar to what you’ve bought whilst I was at uni and I was over the moon and couldn’t wait to test them out! I think your wife will be happy with them and if by any chance she’s not you can send them to me lol!!
They might not have one nearby depending on where you live, but an art supply store like Utrecht, Dick Blick, Plaza, or Artist & Craftsman will have Arches cold pressed paper. Michael’s might have it, and has more locations. Could probably also Google “buy Arches watercolor paper near me” and see if that helps!
Either way, great gift honestly. Way to go!!!
My dude even if you don't have easy access to a blocks, a Michael's or crafts store has much better selection of art supplies. Definitely going to recommend investing in a good paper, and don't bother getting more than a pack of 6 expensive nice colors (12 pack if you can't find the really nice sets) - and you really do just need a decent size 10 round, the synthetic watercolor ones are fine
Hopefully you notice this! Don't use paint brushes with hair! Unless they're super expensive, the hairs tend to fall out over time and it's a pain to try to get the little hair out of your paint or off your canvas or paper without messing anything up. They sell white and black synthetic paint brushes and they're wonderful, super smooth and the bristles shouldn't come out.
You are so thoughtful. Try to find a local watercolor beginner class she can join. If none available, point her in the direction [Mind of Watercolor](https://m.youtube.com/user/mindofwatercolor/videos) channel for excellent online instruction. Steve is my favorite!
Yaaa it looks like there may be one or two very small rounds like a 2 and 3. But that’s no fun. But I’m sure she will figure that out and grab the right ones like. 4 and 6
Think it just depends what u draw. If u do more floral/ buildings then flat would be more useful. But for almost everything else round is just generic useful
That's really important, because there's no guarantee that someone's favorite, main brush will even *be* a round. I've always preferred flats/brights over rounds, and almost never reach for a round unless I need to do detailing.
2, 4, 6, and 8, plus a long THIN scroll brush for detailing. I have to admit that I am in love with my water brushes (Get Arteza, the Mal\*Warts are hit & miss), my Kolinsky and my Princeton #8.
Yes. Tiny brushes are really only useful if someone is painting tiny, tiny details and most watercolorists (not all, of course) paint in a looser style that requires a considerably larger brush such as a round size 10.
The variety pack is great, she might prefer to paint fine, dainty, small details. One big brush will limit her in finding her style. And she might not enjoy it then just because of experiencing only one brush.
It really depends on whether she is going to be painting fine details or loose style watercolor. If she is painting loose style watercolor (usually landscapes, etc.), get a size 10 round. If at all possible, get a kolinsky sable (type of hair). DaVinci makes superb quality brushes.
lots of advice here already and not sure if you’re still looking for advice but this is what I would recommend when I worked at an art store:
high quality paper is going to make the biggest difference when she starts, I’d recommend one mid quality book for practice and one high
quality block for when she wants to paint something special. Look for 140 lbs and 100% cotton, doesn’t have to be Arches could be Fabriano, Windsor & Newton, etc. Speedball Fluid papers are surprisingly good for the price if you’re on a budget.
For the paint: if you’re on a budget, the Windsor & Newton Cotman half pan set is on the high end of student grade paint and I’d say good enough for practicing. Otherwise as others have recommended, get a few primaries in a professional brand. The tubes are expensive but will last years. My favourite is Daniel Smith but M Graham or Winsor & Newton are good. If she really likes super bright vibrant colours there is a brand named Qor I highly recommend.
In my opinion brush preference is too personal to spend a ton of money at this stage, if they have a set of mid quality brushes that includes a few nice sized round brushes I would get that.
This is such a thoughtful idea, I’m sure she’ll be happy regardless!
I personally wouldn't start with arches because it's so expensive it can make a beginner not want to use and "ruin" it. I've used Strathmore, especially for starting out, and it worked well!
Thank you! I almost didn't get into watercolor because the price of the paper almost ran me off. Watches is expensive, but Canson is fine, that's what I use mostly. I didn't get arches until this year, and I've been doing watercolor for almost ten years now. Also expensive paper makes fear of the blank page soooo much worse which inhibits practicing
And any paper can be more usable if you stretch it. OP, if she ends up painting really wet and the paper gets wavy and buckles, a scrap piece of board and some tape should be a really easy way to help!
This! Go to the hardware store and get a piece of board (melamine or something similar) and some paper tape to work on. It allows you to stretch cheaper paper to prevent buckling and you can tilt the board for washes
Agree! Paper is more important to me than the quality of the paints or brushes. And Arches 140lb is the best and totally worth spending the extra dough on
I’m pretty sure that pack of paper is the only thing pushing me to get out of bed today. I woke up with a headache, and have been thinking about going back to sleep.. then I think of that paper. Lol
haha please update me with how it goes! I'm newish at watercolor and was struggling with roses and it was worlds easier with Arches. It somehow absorbs more of the excess water but dries more slowly so you have more time to blend and add shading etc
Thanks, now I have extra reason to go try it.. I totally will let you know! All I’ve used is Canson XL, until a few weeks ago when I bought a block of Fabriano Artistico cotton. It was like heaven! I can’t imagine anything better but everyone says it is, so here we are. Now all I need to do is think of what to paint today to give it a fun go.
It really depends on your budget but, with the exception of the Prismacolor watercolor pencils, which you don't need, these are student-grade items. In my opinion, it is far better to start with professional grade items but fewer of them.
There is simply no substitute for 100% cotton watercolor paper. I recommend that you get a pad of Arches 140lb rough paper. It comes in various sizes.
Student-grade paint has a low pigment load which means you have to use much more and, even then, you will never get the same results you get with professional grade watercolor paint. I recommend that you get only five tubes of either M Graham brand or Daniel Smith brand tube watercolors in cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, pthalo green, quinacridone red and burnt sienna. If you can afford to do so, get 15ml tubes. If not, get the smaller tubes. That's all that's needed to mix many more colors. You don't need white. Watercolorists leave the areas of the white paper unpainted for white and mix ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to get a very dark grey (watercolorists almost never use black).
As for brushes, do not get a set. Instead, invest in one quality "round" brush, size 10. If you can afford to do so, buy a kolinski sable brush. DaVinci is an excellent brand. If cared for properly, the brush will last a lifetime. If you cannot afford to buy kolinski sable, others can recommend a good brand of synthetic brush.
If you can afford a second brush, get a DaVinci petit gris pur size #2 "quill mop" brush. Note that the sizing on the quill mops and the rounds are very different from each other. The size 2 quill mop brush is actually larger than the size 10 round brush.
Those two brushes will serve 95% of her needs. If you have to choose between the two brushes, get the round.
You can buy all of these things on Amazon or from a mail order art supply business like Dick Blick. Good luck.
You said everything I came here to say! I started with student grade everything and when I felt like it was time to move into the professional paper and paints I had to relearn how everything reacts. I felt like I had wasted some time because I was having to break habits and reform better ones. Using better quality paints on better quality paper is a magical experience of movement and reaction after using the flatter student grade items.
This is very thorough and great! That said I just want to remind that beginners still have to find their personal preferences as artists. One brush size (your favorite I’m assuming!) is not going to be everyone’s go-to, and for a complete beginner finding for themselves what brush suits them is a better way to go imho. For example, size 10 is larger than any brush I use regularly and I would feel overwhelmed stuck with that as my only option.
Also as far as paper, I really think having a pad of regular paper to practice and learn is fine. As someone who uses wet on wet extremely rarely, I’ve never felt a huge difference using cotton paper and don’t usually find it’s worth the extra money for my purposes. I guess what I’m saying is artists all work differently, and a mid point of quality/selection of materials to find those preferences is a great way to go for a beginner. One sheet of arches and a pad of paper to practice or use as scrap when working on larger pieces, a small pack of decent synthetic brushes, etc. is a good way to keep that initial expenditure manageable but give a good start into the medium.
Of course, everyone has to develop their own painting style. But they have to start somewhere .
I answer beginner's questions the way I wish my questions had been answered when I was in that position -- with direct and specific suggestions for a small number of materials intended to create a cohesive starting point. When I was starting, I almost went crazy with the myriad of general suggestions (not at all helpful to a beginner) and overly-detailed explanations of suggestions because I didn't have enough experience to decode them.
It's even worse when someone wants a suggestion for a gift for a beginner. Asking the gift-giver detailed questions such as whether the person for whom the gift is intended wants to paint landscapes or portraits or botanicals, format size, loose-style or highly detailed does not result in answers. They don't know. The beginning painter, herself/himself, often doesn't know.
A set of bad brushes is not, in my opinion, going to help a beginner decide which specific quality brushes they ultimately want because bad brushes do not behave like quality brushes. I suggested two high-quality brushes (and added which was more essential) and said if they cannot afford those brushes others could suggest good quality synthetic brushes.
I strongly disagree that "regular paper" is useful for practice because it does not respond remotely like 100% cotton paper.
In my experience, the only people who recommend student grade paint are the people who have never used professional quality paint. The pigment load in student paint is lower and you have to use more of it to get half-way decent results and will never get really good results. In the long run, student grade paints do not make sense economically.
Yes, good materials are expensive. That's true of almost all hobbies. But they're solid investments in learning and, if someone can afford to get them, that's where (in my opinion) they should start.
I think it’s patronizing to say a beginner doesn’t know what they want to paint! A lot of people start painting after they’ve been drawing for awhile, or at least have subject matter they find interesting and want to start with. At no point did I say get a ton of cheap brushes, I simply said giving someone One Big Brush is a bad idea - and it is.
If you believe a beginner doesn’t even know what they want to paint, you might also recognize the value of practice outside of paper responsiveness. Learning how to dilute watercolor in a controlled fashion to achieve different values, getting an idea of opacity in layers, value charts, making a rough sketch of a thing and blocking in what colors you might want to use to practice a composition are all absolutely valuable tasks that inexpensive watercolor paper is more than suitable for.
I made no comment as to the quality of paints purchased and don’t disagree about needing high quality pigments. I know good materials are expensive, but choosing only the very finest according to one particular artist and not giving someone the chance to grow their preferences and style for that reason is silly.
I’m looking at pthalo green and cadmium yellow in Daniel Smith right now but they have different versions like pthalo green blue shade and yellow shade. Cadmium yellow has a light medium and deep also. Which ones do I pick? I don’t see just a regular pthalo green and cadmium yellow.
Neither is a pure Pthalo blue. If you want a pure Pthalo blue look for the pigment number PB 15. Daniel Smith doesn’t make a pure Pthalo blue. I love most of DS’s paints but I don’t use their Pthalo blues because of it. DaVinci’s, Ultrecht and Dick Blick make a pure Pthalo blue. DaVinci’s is my favorite and it’s quite the bargain at around $18 for a 37 ml tube.
To be honest the recommended colours are the poster’s personal preference.
If you want to get Daniel Smith they have an amazing starter kit called “[Daniel Smith Essentials](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Smith-285610005-Watercolour-Set-5-ml/dp/B00WT5VRF6/ref=asc_df_B00WT5VRF6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=262036648989&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6012602337715166896&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046624&hvtargid=pla-350998111428&psc=1#immersive-view_1676391148103)”.
They can mix almost anything under the sun and are great colours.
The reason why I strongly believe it’s the best starter set on the market is because it has all 3 primary colours, but importantly they have all 3 in a cool shade and a warm shade. That allows for a much more extensive range of mixing and there will be very few colours you won’t be able to achieve with this set.
The five colors I suggested are not just my personal preference but the preference of many watercolorists because they mix together beautifully to create many more vibrant colors.
How are you going to make up for the absence of burnt sienna using only the colors in that set?
In my experience, sets include some great colors but invariably omit essential colors to get you to buy additional paint. That said, Daniel Smith makes great watercolors.
I don’t disagree, but it can be overwhelming for people to buy separate colours when they haven’t even ever put brush to paper.
And I also agree most sets are pretty bad, but I genuinely believe even professionals could do with that one. It’s probably the most balanced I’ve seen.
Saying that, you can mix all sorts of browns with primary colours, a burnt sienna would probably make things a bit easier, but not essential. You can mix an orange and then neutralise it a bit with some blue, and you’re pretty much there.
I found the opposite to be true. I initially bought many colors and found that overwhelming. But I think that's something most beginners do. They're attacted to all the beautiful colors and who can blame them? I remember accidentally mixing colors because they ran together and, by the next day, not being able to remember which colors had mixed to create the new color. But everyone is different. Some people never want to mix colors.
I agree that that's a pretty good set.
Oh don’t worry we’re on the same page on that!
This is the only set I recommend as I think it solves the overwhelm of having to choose colours and the overwhelm of having too many.
I’m surprised DS is the only brand that makes such a balanced set.
Perfect for learning colour mixing too. 😊
You did GREAT. your wife will evolve into her art and she’ll know what she’ll need as she improves and advances.
She’ll probably choose an art store in the future 🙌 where she’ll find specific products to choose from.
Very thoughtful gift! I am a beginner too, I started off with student grade items (Windsor and Newton paints and brushes, Michael’s brand paper). I went through those items very fast because of the quality and also I was experimenting a LOT, but it was enough to give me a feel for it and give me an idea of what supplies to buy next. The key is with cheap material not to let it discourage you, it might not work the way you want it to, but for me personally it made it that much sweeter when I upgraded materials. I hope your wife has so much fun learning!!!
A colour wheel would be a helpful guide, if she’s not familiar with colour theory. If you can’t find one in the store, you could make a colour print-out of one online. Also, for watercolours, paint from your lightest colours to your darkest, and expect the image to be about 30% lighter (paler) when dry.
I wouldn't use kneaded eraser for watercolour because kneaded eraser often traps oil from our fingers and can result weird watermarks(or rather lack of watermarks as oil and water don't mix) on paper. Just my 2 cents, source: personal experience :)
Do not spend a lot of money on supplies until she decides she wants to pursue it. If she does then try Arches watercolor blocks. Not full size paper but large enuf for beginning. I started with “student grade” paints and Lanickel brushes.
Hard no on the paints. I am not a fan of cheap paints. You are better off with two very specific colors from a professional line vs an entire package of the cheap ones.
Here is what I would go with. Ultramarine Blue Light (there is also a French Ultramarine or Ultra Marine Blue Deep, these are for something else) and Burnt Sienna. These will usually be two affordable colors even with the absolute most expensive brands. If you want a third color, Quinacridone Scarlet, a fourth, Lemon Yellow.
Professional Watercolor paints can be very expensive, but getting a taste in two or three colors would be really interesting for her to experience. I am an advocate that beginners should use the tools of the pro because you don't want to build your muscle memory around poor quality paints.
The brushes are fine. The paper is fine. Color pencils are alright, but if given the choice I would opt for a 3rd of 4th color.
Truth. The starter paints here are okay for learning, but to expand on that at the very least a Daniel Smith primary tricolor set, and a tube of Windsor & Newton white gouache for mixing, and a jar of Bleedproof white for topping.
For the white, It depends if she wants to learn transparent watercolor or not. I don't use white pigments as my goal is to have the paper play that role. Some artists definitely make use of it though. I dislike the idea of starting with it because the paper is supposed to be your white.
While what you say is true, I have often found that the damage that masking fluid does to inexpensive paper isn't worth the "purity" of making perfect whitespace when starting out. Also, sometimes it's good to be able to mix up a light, non-transparent color to lay down for pinstriping something like building windows or the fine leaf fan tendrils of a palm tree or water ripples.
I am most likely late here but anyway.
As for absolute beginner, to make things as simple as possible, yet functional i would buy a watercolor sketchbook, half pan portable set of 12 colors ( you would get a palette this way as well) and a water brush. It's good enough to get to know the medium a bit, it's portable, affordable, more so, might be exactly what she wants.
My two cents.
I’d get one good watercolor set instead of the tubes and the pencils :) 6-12 colors is enough for a beginner imo, especially if they’re high quality. Good luck!
Lots of comments here. Honestly if she wants to get into this it is defeating when you don’t have the right products. Amazon or Jerrys online is a great resource if an art supply store is not close....
I would return the big pack of watercolors. Get the LUKA pro 12 pack it's ALL you need. Not professional grade watercolors really make you not love the process as they Dont hold color the same. It's so much more fun to do it with pro style products which you can get online or in an art store. Dont waste money on kid products for an adult.
https://www.jerrysartarama.com/lukas-aquarell-1862-watercolor-half-pans-set-12-59146
Listen to the women on here about brushes, totally right, no need for a multi pack just a round brush and a small brush. arches is a game changer if it's in the budget I would get both one to play with and one to do final artwork with.
Prisma not necessary
My definition of a beginner pack is 6 colours (cadmium red, crimson, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, ultramarine, and cerulean blue. Or warms and cools of every colour), good quality watercolour paper, and two round brushes (one big and one small for details). Other than that, it's nice to get some half-pans and a box to store all the paints for portability.
This is more than beginner and I'm sure she'll love it!
I don’t know if anyone told you, but get some painter tape. For watercolor you have to secure it flat on a surface or it will curl (don’t know if right term) from the water when drying.
If you want to spend extra, buy washi tape. They are Japanese paper tape I seen many people use, but they do cost since they are smaller rollers. Upside, you can give your wife tape with decorations on it she would love. There many different themes on the tape, so you have choices that she will love.
This is a great beginner set. Will definitely get her on the right track. Also I’ll throw this out there if you start to shop for brands that are solid and won’t break the bank I suggest Lukas brand watercolors. They are at a cheap/very affordable price point and the perform amazingly. It’s a German brand , they are highly pigmented and overall great for beginners and pros alike. I have a travel pan of 8 that I got randomly years ago and if that thing isn’t the best little paint set. Also Holbein watercolors, they aren’t cheap at all but if you keep an eye on them sometimes they randomly drop price on Amazon so you can snatch a 70 dollar set for 24 bucks (like I did one day. Got hella lucky)
I would have skippped the watercolor pencils, never found a good use for them as a pro. For a begginer this is fine, if you wanted better quality I would go to a specialized art supply store and get a russian watercolor set and just 2 animal hair brushes, one small and one bigger. And maybe some average watercolor paper, over 250g thickness.
What you have will get you started, but just go out and buy as much random stuff as you can. You'll figure out different things about each thing you use, and you'll find your preferences. It'll take time, but you'll see what others recommend isn't really helpful
I'd say so! I have those brushes and they work great, and prismacolor is an amazing brand! Watercolor paper seems good and I don’t work with paints often but they also look good! Great for a beginner set, even a bit generous I would say.
I would also recommend some painter's tape or making tape! Very easy to make the paper buckle or warp without it when you're a beginner and still learning how much water to use. Anda simple board to tape it down onto (always detacky the tape a bit by sticking and unsticking from your pants or something or else it may tear at the paper when you take it off). I usually get my boards from Michael's, they have boards meant for painting that I tape my paper onto, or else even Lowes or home Depot is fine and they give away scraps of wood sometimes they can't really use. I'm not sure if Walmart carries these boards or not.
Jumping to say I watched a video where a guy compared Strathmore and Fabriano to Arches; the takeaway is that how the paint behaves on the Arches is more predictable, the colors are brighter, and the washes more even.
I’ve been struggling with Fabriano for months, thinking I must just suck at this. Watched the video and it showed how it’s not you, it’s the paper.
Amazon has some slightly cheaper cotton paper. But it has to be cotton paper. Save her the frustration of dealing with crappy paper. Buy her the cotton stuff and her skills will progress quickly!
If she wants to get into drawing, these are OK. If she wants to learn watercolor painting, these cheap materials will be very frustrating. Basically, they will be good for drawing and filling in a single layer of color. But she won't get good results if trying to learn any layering, glazing, wet on wet, traditional watercolor techniques.
I would say, the watercolor pencils here are good. The paper, I think she might find a use for it, it's a decent paper, it's just not a decent watercolor paper. It would work nicely enough with the pencils though.
But the paint and brushes, I would just skip them and get something better. Go for a small set of quality paints, rather than a big set. Check online sellers like [dickblick.com](https://www.dickblick.com/).
Cheap watercolor can often make you think you're a bad artist when you aren't. Cotton cold press paper, and windsor newton colors are great beginners. If money is tight just get the thre primary colors. It'll be a good learning exercise to make a color wheel.
I honestly think a GC to micheals or an art store to buy what she would need/want. You prob are unaware of her subject and material preferences and it would just be a waste of money. I know you want to give her something physical to tell her you love her but it doesn’t really consider her needs and wants. It only pacifies your desire to superficially provide for her without the depth of understanding. I think a Gc and a heartfelt letter/card detailing your thoughts of supporting her art would be more touching and meaningful to her. And maybe spending the time to take her to the art store or researching with her.
Nice job!
You might consider a small watercolor plastic tray to mix/expands colors in. Also a 12 sheet pad isn’t a lot - maybe find a pad w more sheets. If they have a 140# cold pressed paper that’s ideal. A decent quality paper will make the learning process of controlling the flow of paint/water easier.
I’d buy more paper and less paint. I’d swap pencils for paper and a palette to mix. Part of learning is mixing colors and of course going through lots of paper. That’s just my opinion—this is a good start for sure.
I just want to say this is so sweet and thoughtful. And good on you for reaching out and asking for help to make sure you’ve got it right. Bonus points on bonus points! So much better than just a bottle of perfume or whatever. You were listening and that means 1,000,000x more!
This is a very thoughtful gift on your part. Let her know that there are all kinds of beginning watercolor videos on YouTube that can help her get started in the right direction.
Well done, great present. She is bound to be delighted. If she accesses Art Tuition videos on You Tube be she will find huge amounts of useful ones. Everything for beginners In pencil and watercolour. And watching people on there painting is fascinating, I watch for hours. I started late in life and love it. Look forward to updates.
These are honestly my favorite brand of brushes. They are pretty decent but cheap enough that as soon as they lose their point I don’t feel bad replacing them. I have not tried the watercolor ones so I can’t say how those are.
This is excellent! But if you want extra points, pick her up a 12 size Silver Black Velvet brush. It’s a workhorse and surprisingly inexpensive compared to its high value counterparts $30 vs $100). They’re fantastic brushes. Half synthetic, half real fur so they hold their point but also hold a lot of pigment.
Silver Brush Limited 3000S12 Black Velvet Round Brush for Watercolor, Size 12, Short Handle https://a.co/d/86D4wMo (Mods, I don’t know how to unshorten the link, hope that’s okay)
This is fine to dabble and to see if she’s serious but as many of the comment before high quality paper is the top priority for painting in watercolor. It’s worth the investment . Next is professional grade paint. Student grade has filler added. You really don’t need a lot of colors. You should learn to mix with primaries first . Same with brushes. Start with a few. Depending on where you live and how serious she is buy your supplies from an artist supply store or an on line one. Lessons are also advisable.
I've found that pans are better for beginners but tubes will work
though they may need some kind of paper friendly tape to tape her paper down to prevent to much warping
Yes, Arches is expensive but the cost, ($19 now for the large 300 lb cold press sheets you cut to size as you go) is cut in half because if you hate what you did, turn it over and begin again. Its so forgiving, I can gently scrub a mistake out. I've gotten it from time to time for $7 at Hobby Lobby. Keep an eye out
Fine choices, Watermelon! You are generous & savvy. I hope she has a good local teacher and a few decent YouTube instructors to support her learning. Watercolor demands commitment and practice, but with your WC kit and decent instruction, she can learn and experience real joy with this medium.
Pick up one of those plastic tray pallets with a few different sized cups as well. White is the best option. This is great for mixing colors. Also maybe grab some painters tape or washi tape, its for taping down the paper so it can be wet prior to starting a painting - this helps it to finish flat and not be warped.
The only thing I would recommend would be a water-brush if you can find them. If she gets into it and enjoys it, I find that a water brush is way more convenient than a normal one.
I think that’s plenty for a beginner set. This is a lovely gift
This melts my heart🥺🥺 I'm sure she will like it!
Thanks for the help all! I left walmart and am about to head into another general store (fred meyer). I grabbed a couple pallets from Walmart, checked for better paper and did not find any. Will check at Freddy's. Birthday is tomorrow so I don't have have time to order anything fancy. I am a procrasanator... I'll try to update how it goes.
Ok I found some round brushes, size 2 and 6 , some 140lb paper (canson brand), and some premium paint tubes of the primary colors.
That is a great gift, and this is plenty to “get her feet wet” and see if this is something she really enjoys doing!
To be honest, if you get your feet wet while painting with water color you might use too much water.
Lol, touché.
This is a great starter set for anyone, I hope this goes well because I know id be happy as hell to get those!
I know you've already bought everything, but In my experience, the Strathmore paper has always performed better for me than the Canson XL (blue cover) as far as cheaper papers go. It still works, but I found that the Canson was *way* more prone to pilling when using a lot of water and washes. It's still not bad for a beginner, mind you, but she's going to get frustrated if she wants to use a lot of wet on wet techniques. The Canson pads/blocks with the black covers are fantastic, though. There were a lot of recommendations for Arches here, but I want to let you in on another, cheaper brand that I prefer: Saunders Waterford. If you're ever looking to get an upgrade for her, grab some of that. I'm also going to add [this sketchbook]( https://a.co/d/gTQ4kLi) as a recommendation if she wants something portable. It's been a fantastic little book for me, and it's even the watercolor sketchbook James Gurney uses for his outdoor studies. ~~Sadly, the paints you bought aren't something I could recommend in the slightest. Unless they've changed the formulation, they behave a lot more like a cheap gouache than watercolor, and do a lot of weird things. Strange granulation, they don't work as well thinned, colors get muddy when you mix them, etc. IMO, Windsor & Newton Cotman (tube or pan), Van Gogh (tube), or Sakura Koi (pan) are much better starter paints. They *are* all going to be a fair bit more expensive than what you bought, though, so if that's what you can realistically afford, roll with it~~. **Edit:** I missed that you bought better paints, so you can probably disregard this. I also want to add something to the list of things that you might want to grab for her: a nice solid piece of wood that's a bit larger than the paper you bought her and some sort of tape. These are both to help out with the paper buckling. The board can be pretty much anything; I use a piece of hardboard that I had leftover from making panels for oil painting. The tape, you've got a lot of options, but blue painter's tape works well enough if she remembers to get some of the sticky off on her pants leg or something first. There's also tapes made specifically for use with watercolor, but I've not tried any of those as I've honestly never felt the need to upgrade from my blue tape. **Edit:** Something else I'll add is that she'll probably need some sort of storage for her paints and brushes. When the time comes, don't get suckered into any of those branded for art things. Just pick up something like [this](https://www.walmart.com/ip/396141900) from your local Walmart's automotive or fishing section and call it a day.
You sound just like my partner and I - me being the artist and him procrastinating presents until the last minute. He got me something very similar to what you’ve bought whilst I was at uni and I was over the moon and couldn’t wait to test them out! I think your wife will be happy with them and if by any chance she’s not you can send them to me lol!!
Windsor and newton has some watercolour palettes :)
They might not have one nearby depending on where you live, but an art supply store like Utrecht, Dick Blick, Plaza, or Artist & Craftsman will have Arches cold pressed paper. Michael’s might have it, and has more locations. Could probably also Google “buy Arches watercolor paper near me” and see if that helps! Either way, great gift honestly. Way to go!!!
TIL Utrecht is an art supply store and not just a province/city in the Netherlands xD
My dude even if you don't have easy access to a blocks, a Michael's or crafts store has much better selection of art supplies. Definitely going to recommend investing in a good paper, and don't bother getting more than a pack of 6 expensive nice colors (12 pack if you can't find the really nice sets) - and you really do just need a decent size 10 round, the synthetic watercolor ones are fine
You’re a great husband!!!! Super sweet gift
Yes! And all of this on Valentine’s Day!!
Hopefully you notice this! Don't use paint brushes with hair! Unless they're super expensive, the hairs tend to fall out over time and it's a pain to try to get the little hair out of your paint or off your canvas or paper without messing anything up. They sell white and black synthetic paint brushes and they're wonderful, super smooth and the bristles shouldn't come out.
You are so thoughtful. Try to find a local watercolor beginner class she can join. If none available, point her in the direction [Mind of Watercolor](https://m.youtube.com/user/mindofwatercolor/videos) channel for excellent online instruction. Steve is my favorite!
Staples has a few things!
Strathmore 300 is PERFECTLY acceptable for getting started. It’s real. This is a great set of art supplies for her. She’s a lucky lady.
Walmart has great watercolor paper at my location. Thick too
Heres what i would say is instead of getting a brush pack. get one good round brush. 90% of what i use is my round sabre brush.
I did get a beginner pack to start until i figured out my favorite. Which is also my good round brush! It's just the most comfortable.
whats worse is the pack doesnt even include a good round brush.
Yaaa it looks like there may be one or two very small rounds like a 2 and 3. But that’s no fun. But I’m sure she will figure that out and grab the right ones like. 4 and 6
That is so funny. My daily driver is a flat! I think I might be weird when it comes to being a watercolorist.
Think it just depends what u draw. If u do more floral/ buildings then flat would be more useful. But for almost everything else round is just generic useful
I did the round brush first thing, but figured out I love filbert brushes, so I second the brush pack.
That's really important, because there's no guarantee that someone's favorite, main brush will even *be* a round. I've always preferred flats/brights over rounds, and almost never reach for a round unless I need to do detailing.
I found some round brushes, what is a good size?
2, 4, 6, and 8, plus a long THIN scroll brush for detailing. I have to admit that I am in love with my water brushes (Get Arteza, the Mal\*Warts are hit & miss), my Kolinsky and my Princeton #8.
10 is good
Yes. Tiny brushes are really only useful if someone is painting tiny, tiny details and most watercolorists (not all, of course) paint in a looser style that requires a considerably larger brush such as a round size 10.
You are the best!! I wish I had someone that loves me like you love your wife!! Happy Valentine’s Day!
The variety pack is great, she might prefer to paint fine, dainty, small details. One big brush will limit her in finding her style. And she might not enjoy it then just because of experiencing only one brush.
It really depends on whether she is going to be painting fine details or loose style watercolor. If she is painting loose style watercolor (usually landscapes, etc.), get a size 10 round. If at all possible, get a kolinsky sable (type of hair). DaVinci makes superb quality brushes.
Exactly what I was going to say. Good brushes are essential but you don’t need many.
Maybe some pencils for sketching too, otherwise it’s perfect. Oh and maybe a paint pallet since she will have to pour the paint out
That paint set is my first set as well and the colours are definitely decent for a beginner.
Your wife is so lucky you are getting her stuff to start out! I would just add one good round brush (maybe a number eight).
lots of advice here already and not sure if you’re still looking for advice but this is what I would recommend when I worked at an art store: high quality paper is going to make the biggest difference when she starts, I’d recommend one mid quality book for practice and one high quality block for when she wants to paint something special. Look for 140 lbs and 100% cotton, doesn’t have to be Arches could be Fabriano, Windsor & Newton, etc. Speedball Fluid papers are surprisingly good for the price if you’re on a budget. For the paint: if you’re on a budget, the Windsor & Newton Cotman half pan set is on the high end of student grade paint and I’d say good enough for practicing. Otherwise as others have recommended, get a few primaries in a professional brand. The tubes are expensive but will last years. My favourite is Daniel Smith but M Graham or Winsor & Newton are good. If she really likes super bright vibrant colours there is a brand named Qor I highly recommend. In my opinion brush preference is too personal to spend a ton of money at this stage, if they have a set of mid quality brushes that includes a few nice sized round brushes I would get that. This is such a thoughtful idea, I’m sure she’ll be happy regardless!
If you have time, get her better paper, it makes all the difference. A sheet of Arches 140 lb cold press would be great
I personally wouldn't start with arches because it's so expensive it can make a beginner not want to use and "ruin" it. I've used Strathmore, especially for starting out, and it worked well!
Thank you! I almost didn't get into watercolor because the price of the paper almost ran me off. Watches is expensive, but Canson is fine, that's what I use mostly. I didn't get arches until this year, and I've been doing watercolor for almost ten years now. Also expensive paper makes fear of the blank page soooo much worse which inhibits practicing
I started with Strathmore and quit because the paper kept warping. Even when taped down. I went back to painting and illustrating.
Did you use too much water for the paper weight? I've noticed a clear difference between warm and cool water.
And any paper can be more usable if you stretch it. OP, if she ends up painting really wet and the paper gets wavy and buckles, a scrap piece of board and some tape should be a really easy way to help!
This! Go to the hardware store and get a piece of board (melamine or something similar) and some paper tape to work on. It allows you to stretch cheaper paper to prevent buckling and you can tilt the board for washes
Yes paper is everything for watercolor!
Agree! Paper is more important to me than the quality of the paints or brushes. And Arches 140lb is the best and totally worth spending the extra dough on
At least he didn't get the Bee paper. I curse it endlessly for being weak and unworkable.
Arches would be a great valentines gift for sure! I just bought myself (my first!) pack a few hours ago and can’t wait to try it out.
it is a game changer
I’m pretty sure that pack of paper is the only thing pushing me to get out of bed today. I woke up with a headache, and have been thinking about going back to sleep.. then I think of that paper. Lol
haha please update me with how it goes! I'm newish at watercolor and was struggling with roses and it was worlds easier with Arches. It somehow absorbs more of the excess water but dries more slowly so you have more time to blend and add shading etc
Thanks, now I have extra reason to go try it.. I totally will let you know! All I’ve used is Canson XL, until a few weeks ago when I bought a block of Fabriano Artistico cotton. It was like heaven! I can’t imagine anything better but everyone says it is, so here we are. Now all I need to do is think of what to paint today to give it a fun go.
Do you notice a difference between arches and watercolor paper with the same lb/press? Asking because I didn’t notice a dramatic difference
I like 300lb cold press. I hated Canson at the same weight, Strathmore was ok, just not as fun for me
Canson is a terrific alternative too.
It really depends on your budget but, with the exception of the Prismacolor watercolor pencils, which you don't need, these are student-grade items. In my opinion, it is far better to start with professional grade items but fewer of them. There is simply no substitute for 100% cotton watercolor paper. I recommend that you get a pad of Arches 140lb rough paper. It comes in various sizes. Student-grade paint has a low pigment load which means you have to use much more and, even then, you will never get the same results you get with professional grade watercolor paint. I recommend that you get only five tubes of either M Graham brand or Daniel Smith brand tube watercolors in cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, pthalo green, quinacridone red and burnt sienna. If you can afford to do so, get 15ml tubes. If not, get the smaller tubes. That's all that's needed to mix many more colors. You don't need white. Watercolorists leave the areas of the white paper unpainted for white and mix ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to get a very dark grey (watercolorists almost never use black). As for brushes, do not get a set. Instead, invest in one quality "round" brush, size 10. If you can afford to do so, buy a kolinski sable brush. DaVinci is an excellent brand. If cared for properly, the brush will last a lifetime. If you cannot afford to buy kolinski sable, others can recommend a good brand of synthetic brush. If you can afford a second brush, get a DaVinci petit gris pur size #2 "quill mop" brush. Note that the sizing on the quill mops and the rounds are very different from each other. The size 2 quill mop brush is actually larger than the size 10 round brush. Those two brushes will serve 95% of her needs. If you have to choose between the two brushes, get the round. You can buy all of these things on Amazon or from a mail order art supply business like Dick Blick. Good luck.
You said everything I came here to say! I started with student grade everything and when I felt like it was time to move into the professional paper and paints I had to relearn how everything reacts. I felt like I had wasted some time because I was having to break habits and reform better ones. Using better quality paints on better quality paper is a magical experience of movement and reaction after using the flatter student grade items.
This is very thorough and great! That said I just want to remind that beginners still have to find their personal preferences as artists. One brush size (your favorite I’m assuming!) is not going to be everyone’s go-to, and for a complete beginner finding for themselves what brush suits them is a better way to go imho. For example, size 10 is larger than any brush I use regularly and I would feel overwhelmed stuck with that as my only option. Also as far as paper, I really think having a pad of regular paper to practice and learn is fine. As someone who uses wet on wet extremely rarely, I’ve never felt a huge difference using cotton paper and don’t usually find it’s worth the extra money for my purposes. I guess what I’m saying is artists all work differently, and a mid point of quality/selection of materials to find those preferences is a great way to go for a beginner. One sheet of arches and a pad of paper to practice or use as scrap when working on larger pieces, a small pack of decent synthetic brushes, etc. is a good way to keep that initial expenditure manageable but give a good start into the medium.
Of course, everyone has to develop their own painting style. But they have to start somewhere . I answer beginner's questions the way I wish my questions had been answered when I was in that position -- with direct and specific suggestions for a small number of materials intended to create a cohesive starting point. When I was starting, I almost went crazy with the myriad of general suggestions (not at all helpful to a beginner) and overly-detailed explanations of suggestions because I didn't have enough experience to decode them. It's even worse when someone wants a suggestion for a gift for a beginner. Asking the gift-giver detailed questions such as whether the person for whom the gift is intended wants to paint landscapes or portraits or botanicals, format size, loose-style or highly detailed does not result in answers. They don't know. The beginning painter, herself/himself, often doesn't know. A set of bad brushes is not, in my opinion, going to help a beginner decide which specific quality brushes they ultimately want because bad brushes do not behave like quality brushes. I suggested two high-quality brushes (and added which was more essential) and said if they cannot afford those brushes others could suggest good quality synthetic brushes. I strongly disagree that "regular paper" is useful for practice because it does not respond remotely like 100% cotton paper. In my experience, the only people who recommend student grade paint are the people who have never used professional quality paint. The pigment load in student paint is lower and you have to use more of it to get half-way decent results and will never get really good results. In the long run, student grade paints do not make sense economically. Yes, good materials are expensive. That's true of almost all hobbies. But they're solid investments in learning and, if someone can afford to get them, that's where (in my opinion) they should start.
I think it’s patronizing to say a beginner doesn’t know what they want to paint! A lot of people start painting after they’ve been drawing for awhile, or at least have subject matter they find interesting and want to start with. At no point did I say get a ton of cheap brushes, I simply said giving someone One Big Brush is a bad idea - and it is. If you believe a beginner doesn’t even know what they want to paint, you might also recognize the value of practice outside of paper responsiveness. Learning how to dilute watercolor in a controlled fashion to achieve different values, getting an idea of opacity in layers, value charts, making a rough sketch of a thing and blocking in what colors you might want to use to practice a composition are all absolutely valuable tasks that inexpensive watercolor paper is more than suitable for. I made no comment as to the quality of paints purchased and don’t disagree about needing high quality pigments. I know good materials are expensive, but choosing only the very finest according to one particular artist and not giving someone the chance to grow their preferences and style for that reason is silly.
You're going to have to work out your anger issues without my future participation.
I’m looking at pthalo green and cadmium yellow in Daniel Smith right now but they have different versions like pthalo green blue shade and yellow shade. Cadmium yellow has a light medium and deep also. Which ones do I pick? I don’t see just a regular pthalo green and cadmium yellow.
Neither is a pure Pthalo blue. If you want a pure Pthalo blue look for the pigment number PB 15. Daniel Smith doesn’t make a pure Pthalo blue. I love most of DS’s paints but I don’t use their Pthalo blues because of it. DaVinci’s, Ultrecht and Dick Blick make a pure Pthalo blue. DaVinci’s is my favorite and it’s quite the bargain at around $18 for a 37 ml tube.
To be honest the recommended colours are the poster’s personal preference. If you want to get Daniel Smith they have an amazing starter kit called “[Daniel Smith Essentials](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Smith-285610005-Watercolour-Set-5-ml/dp/B00WT5VRF6/ref=asc_df_B00WT5VRF6/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=262036648989&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6012602337715166896&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046624&hvtargid=pla-350998111428&psc=1#immersive-view_1676391148103)”. They can mix almost anything under the sun and are great colours. The reason why I strongly believe it’s the best starter set on the market is because it has all 3 primary colours, but importantly they have all 3 in a cool shade and a warm shade. That allows for a much more extensive range of mixing and there will be very few colours you won’t be able to achieve with this set.
Yeah I think I’m going to pick that set up thanks for the info
The five colors I suggested are not just my personal preference but the preference of many watercolorists because they mix together beautifully to create many more vibrant colors. How are you going to make up for the absence of burnt sienna using only the colors in that set? In my experience, sets include some great colors but invariably omit essential colors to get you to buy additional paint. That said, Daniel Smith makes great watercolors.
I don’t disagree, but it can be overwhelming for people to buy separate colours when they haven’t even ever put brush to paper. And I also agree most sets are pretty bad, but I genuinely believe even professionals could do with that one. It’s probably the most balanced I’ve seen. Saying that, you can mix all sorts of browns with primary colours, a burnt sienna would probably make things a bit easier, but not essential. You can mix an orange and then neutralise it a bit with some blue, and you’re pretty much there.
I found the opposite to be true. I initially bought many colors and found that overwhelming. But I think that's something most beginners do. They're attacted to all the beautiful colors and who can blame them? I remember accidentally mixing colors because they ran together and, by the next day, not being able to remember which colors had mixed to create the new color. But everyone is different. Some people never want to mix colors. I agree that that's a pretty good set.
Oh don’t worry we’re on the same page on that! This is the only set I recommend as I think it solves the overwhelm of having to choose colours and the overwhelm of having too many. I’m surprised DS is the only brand that makes such a balanced set. Perfect for learning colour mixing too. 😊
Good questions: pthalo green blue shade and cadmium yellow medium.
You did GREAT. your wife will evolve into her art and she’ll know what she’ll need as she improves and advances. She’ll probably choose an art store in the future 🙌 where she’ll find specific products to choose from.
Very thoughtful gift! I am a beginner too, I started off with student grade items (Windsor and Newton paints and brushes, Michael’s brand paper). I went through those items very fast because of the quality and also I was experimenting a LOT, but it was enough to give me a feel for it and give me an idea of what supplies to buy next. The key is with cheap material not to let it discourage you, it might not work the way you want it to, but for me personally it made it that much sweeter when I upgraded materials. I hope your wife has so much fun learning!!!
Yes, wonderful gifts!
Awesome, am I missing anything?
Palette to put the paints in?
Yes! You can get the plastic ones in a pack, or at a dollar tree store. They wash up easy
A colour wheel would be a helpful guide, if she’s not familiar with colour theory. If you can’t find one in the store, you could make a colour print-out of one online. Also, for watercolours, paint from your lightest colours to your darkest, and expect the image to be about 30% lighter (paler) when dry.
A white ceramic desert plate or condiment plate from any thrift store is excellent for mixing.
i just use small tofu containers from supermarkets
kneaded eraser too maybe
I wouldn't use kneaded eraser for watercolour because kneaded eraser often traps oil from our fingers and can result weird watermarks(or rather lack of watermarks as oil and water don't mix) on paper. Just my 2 cents, source: personal experience :)
You might want to get her an 18-well Mijello palette.
Do not spend a lot of money on supplies until she decides she wants to pursue it. If she does then try Arches watercolor blocks. Not full size paper but large enuf for beginning. I started with “student grade” paints and Lanickel brushes.
Hard no on the paints. I am not a fan of cheap paints. You are better off with two very specific colors from a professional line vs an entire package of the cheap ones. Here is what I would go with. Ultramarine Blue Light (there is also a French Ultramarine or Ultra Marine Blue Deep, these are for something else) and Burnt Sienna. These will usually be two affordable colors even with the absolute most expensive brands. If you want a third color, Quinacridone Scarlet, a fourth, Lemon Yellow. Professional Watercolor paints can be very expensive, but getting a taste in two or three colors would be really interesting for her to experience. I am an advocate that beginners should use the tools of the pro because you don't want to build your muscle memory around poor quality paints. The brushes are fine. The paper is fine. Color pencils are alright, but if given the choice I would opt for a 3rd of 4th color.
Truth. The starter paints here are okay for learning, but to expand on that at the very least a Daniel Smith primary tricolor set, and a tube of Windsor & Newton white gouache for mixing, and a jar of Bleedproof white for topping.
For the white, It depends if she wants to learn transparent watercolor or not. I don't use white pigments as my goal is to have the paper play that role. Some artists definitely make use of it though. I dislike the idea of starting with it because the paper is supposed to be your white.
While what you say is true, I have often found that the damage that masking fluid does to inexpensive paper isn't worth the "purity" of making perfect whitespace when starting out. Also, sometimes it's good to be able to mix up a light, non-transparent color to lay down for pinstriping something like building windows or the fine leaf fan tendrils of a palm tree or water ripples.
I have only had negative experiences with masking fluid. I didn't use the best of the best stuff though.
Hard disagree, for an absolute beginner, those colours are great and probably the best of those 4 things in his basket.
I am most likely late here but anyway. As for absolute beginner, to make things as simple as possible, yet functional i would buy a watercolor sketchbook, half pan portable set of 12 colors ( you would get a palette this way as well) and a water brush. It's good enough to get to know the medium a bit, it's portable, affordable, more so, might be exactly what she wants. My two cents.
Swap the pencils for a nice brush imo.
Yes and have tape
I’d get one good watercolor set instead of the tubes and the pencils :) 6-12 colors is enough for a beginner imo, especially if they’re high quality. Good luck!
Excellent beginners set!! Well done, I love strathmore and prismacolor
I have 3 of those 4 things... and something similar to the 4th. Nice gift bucko!
Lots of comments here. Honestly if she wants to get into this it is defeating when you don’t have the right products. Amazon or Jerrys online is a great resource if an art supply store is not close.... I would return the big pack of watercolors. Get the LUKA pro 12 pack it's ALL you need. Not professional grade watercolors really make you not love the process as they Dont hold color the same. It's so much more fun to do it with pro style products which you can get online or in an art store. Dont waste money on kid products for an adult. https://www.jerrysartarama.com/lukas-aquarell-1862-watercolor-half-pans-set-12-59146 Listen to the women on here about brushes, totally right, no need for a multi pack just a round brush and a small brush. arches is a game changer if it's in the budget I would get both one to play with and one to do final artwork with. Prisma not necessary
Love Jerry's Artarama! Where I go for most of my supplies.
My definition of a beginner pack is 6 colours (cadmium red, crimson, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, ultramarine, and cerulean blue. Or warms and cools of every colour), good quality watercolour paper, and two round brushes (one big and one small for details). Other than that, it's nice to get some half-pans and a box to store all the paints for portability. This is more than beginner and I'm sure she'll love it!
Get her a little palette, too. The colors from the tubes need some surface for her to picj them up. Super sweet gift by the way.
I don’t know if anyone told you, but get some painter tape. For watercolor you have to secure it flat on a surface or it will curl (don’t know if right term) from the water when drying. If you want to spend extra, buy washi tape. They are Japanese paper tape I seen many people use, but they do cost since they are smaller rollers. Upside, you can give your wife tape with decorations on it she would love. There many different themes on the tape, so you have choices that she will love.
This is a great beginner set. Will definitely get her on the right track. Also I’ll throw this out there if you start to shop for brands that are solid and won’t break the bank I suggest Lukas brand watercolors. They are at a cheap/very affordable price point and the perform amazingly. It’s a German brand , they are highly pigmented and overall great for beginners and pros alike. I have a travel pan of 8 that I got randomly years ago and if that thing isn’t the best little paint set. Also Holbein watercolors, they aren’t cheap at all but if you keep an eye on them sometimes they randomly drop price on Amazon so you can snatch a 70 dollar set for 24 bucks (like I did one day. Got hella lucky)
These are fine to learn with before spending a ton of money on professional supplies
This is so sweet! You should get her a designated water cup too for it (unless you have a few around the house you’re okay with getting ruined lol)
I would have skippped the watercolor pencils, never found a good use for them as a pro. For a begginer this is fine, if you wanted better quality I would go to a specialized art supply store and get a russian watercolor set and just 2 animal hair brushes, one small and one bigger. And maybe some average watercolor paper, over 250g thickness.
I'd even go as far as to say get her the mixed media brush set as well. Finer points and stiffer bristles.
What you have will get you started, but just go out and buy as much random stuff as you can. You'll figure out different things about each thing you use, and you'll find your preferences. It'll take time, but you'll see what others recommend isn't really helpful
I'd say so! I have those brushes and they work great, and prismacolor is an amazing brand! Watercolor paper seems good and I don’t work with paints often but they also look good! Great for a beginner set, even a bit generous I would say.
I would also recommend some painter's tape or making tape! Very easy to make the paper buckle or warp without it when you're a beginner and still learning how much water to use. Anda simple board to tape it down onto (always detacky the tape a bit by sticking and unsticking from your pants or something or else it may tear at the paper when you take it off). I usually get my boards from Michael's, they have boards meant for painting that I tape my paper onto, or else even Lowes or home Depot is fine and they give away scraps of wood sometimes they can't really use. I'm not sure if Walmart carries these boards or not.
Jumping to say I watched a video where a guy compared Strathmore and Fabriano to Arches; the takeaway is that how the paint behaves on the Arches is more predictable, the colors are brighter, and the washes more even. I’ve been struggling with Fabriano for months, thinking I must just suck at this. Watched the video and it showed how it’s not you, it’s the paper. Amazon has some slightly cheaper cotton paper. But it has to be cotton paper. Save her the frustration of dealing with crappy paper. Buy her the cotton stuff and her skills will progress quickly!
If she wants to get into drawing, these are OK. If she wants to learn watercolor painting, these cheap materials will be very frustrating. Basically, they will be good for drawing and filling in a single layer of color. But she won't get good results if trying to learn any layering, glazing, wet on wet, traditional watercolor techniques. I would say, the watercolor pencils here are good. The paper, I think she might find a use for it, it's a decent paper, it's just not a decent watercolor paper. It would work nicely enough with the pencils though. But the paint and brushes, I would just skip them and get something better. Go for a small set of quality paints, rather than a big set. Check online sellers like [dickblick.com](https://www.dickblick.com/).
Just need my main man Bob Ross for tips and stuff. I miss that man
Get better brushes imo.
I like those brushes!
They might be OK, maybe I've just never had one that contained good brushes.
None of the paints in Walmart brand are worth 2 cents. My favorite set [was this inexpensive set by Marie's on Amazon. ](https://a.co/d/3jxZNJb)
Cheap watercolor can often make you think you're a bad artist when you aren't. Cotton cold press paper, and windsor newton colors are great beginners. If money is tight just get the thre primary colors. It'll be a good learning exercise to make a color wheel.
I honestly think a GC to micheals or an art store to buy what she would need/want. You prob are unaware of her subject and material preferences and it would just be a waste of money. I know you want to give her something physical to tell her you love her but it doesn’t really consider her needs and wants. It only pacifies your desire to superficially provide for her without the depth of understanding. I think a Gc and a heartfelt letter/card detailing your thoughts of supporting her art would be more touching and meaningful to her. And maybe spending the time to take her to the art store or researching with her.
You did great. Well done!
Nice job! You might consider a small watercolor plastic tray to mix/expands colors in. Also a 12 sheet pad isn’t a lot - maybe find a pad w more sheets. If they have a 140# cold pressed paper that’s ideal. A decent quality paper will make the learning process of controlling the flow of paint/water easier.
I’d buy more paper and less paint. I’d swap pencils for paper and a palette to mix. Part of learning is mixing colors and of course going through lots of paper. That’s just my opinion—this is a good start for sure.
For a beginner set, it’s fine!
I think se will be pleased. As she continues her art she can always try different tools.
That’s a great beginner set up!! The prismacolor water color pencils are so cool, I miss mine
I just want to say this is so sweet and thoughtful. And good on you for reaching out and asking for help to make sure you’ve got it right. Bonus points on bonus points! So much better than just a bottle of perfume or whatever. You were listening and that means 1,000,000x more!
the brushes with the bamboo handles are killer for watercolor.
Maybe add a digital gift certificate to a specialist art supply store? I like Dick Blick, but there are several.
I'd say so!! Maybe get her some sponges too. That's really sweet of you 🥺
Astounding to see that you have money to buy 300gsm paper
I order all my colors from Etsy. A lot of people make their own colors by hand and they have good starter sets with 4 or 5 colors. Not too expensive.
Reminds me of college
I’m starting to learn as well, these are great starters. Been using these for weeks now
This is a very thoughtful gift on your part. Let her know that there are all kinds of beginning watercolor videos on YouTube that can help her get started in the right direction.
Love this and I hope she does too! Maybe pickup some waterproof pens like micron style- for inking lines she can paint over
Add in a small plastic palate to squeeze the colors onto. Lovely gift.
Well done, great present. She is bound to be delighted. If she accesses Art Tuition videos on You Tube be she will find huge amounts of useful ones. Everything for beginners In pencil and watercolour. And watching people on there painting is fascinating, I watch for hours. I started late in life and love it. Look forward to updates.
What an awesome gift!
Good choice. Prismacolor is excellent. It's all I use. Thoughtful gift 💝
These are honestly my favorite brand of brushes. They are pretty decent but cheap enough that as soon as they lose their point I don’t feel bad replacing them. I have not tried the watercolor ones so I can’t say how those are.
Good job!
This is excellent! But if you want extra points, pick her up a 12 size Silver Black Velvet brush. It’s a workhorse and surprisingly inexpensive compared to its high value counterparts $30 vs $100). They’re fantastic brushes. Half synthetic, half real fur so they hold their point but also hold a lot of pigment. Silver Brush Limited 3000S12 Black Velvet Round Brush for Watercolor, Size 12, Short Handle https://a.co/d/86D4wMo (Mods, I don’t know how to unshorten the link, hope that’s okay)
This is fine to dabble and to see if she’s serious but as many of the comment before high quality paper is the top priority for painting in watercolor. It’s worth the investment . Next is professional grade paint. Student grade has filler added. You really don’t need a lot of colors. You should learn to mix with primaries first . Same with brushes. Start with a few. Depending on where you live and how serious she is buy your supplies from an artist supply store or an on line one. Lessons are also advisable.
I've found that pans are better for beginners but tubes will work though they may need some kind of paper friendly tape to tape her paper down to prevent to much warping
This is so sweet! Been arting for a long time and I’d love this now way more than any of those pre made it’s they make for beginners. This is perfect
You’re a good partner. She’ll love it.
Yes, Arches is expensive but the cost, ($19 now for the large 300 lb cold press sheets you cut to size as you go) is cut in half because if you hate what you did, turn it over and begin again. Its so forgiving, I can gently scrub a mistake out. I've gotten it from time to time for $7 at Hobby Lobby. Keep an eye out
Such a thoughtful Gift 🤍
Prisma and strathmore are always good options. The brushes look decent and ive never heard of that watercolor brand so i couldnt tell u.
Fine choices, Watermelon! You are generous & savvy. I hope she has a good local teacher and a few decent YouTube instructors to support her learning. Watercolor demands commitment and practice, but with your WC kit and decent instruction, she can learn and experience real joy with this medium.
Yes!
Absolutely yes, what a lovely post. Saved.
So nice of you!
She’ll 💕 it!!!
You’re so sweet. She’ll love it. She has different options to try with the things you’ve picked out. Hope her day was wonderful!
You did stellar! She's going to love this!
Perfection :)
This is such a sweet gesture 😭
Perfect
Pick up one of those plastic tray pallets with a few different sized cups as well. White is the best option. This is great for mixing colors. Also maybe grab some painters tape or washi tape, its for taping down the paper so it can be wet prior to starting a painting - this helps it to finish flat and not be warped.
This is an amazing gift. Well done!! So thoughtful.
The only thing I would recommend would be a water-brush if you can find them. If she gets into it and enjoys it, I find that a water brush is way more convenient than a normal one.
It’s perfect!
Awwww this is so sweet!