<p>When I first started painting with watercolours, I bought everything. Every brush type, every brand, every size of paper. Within a month I had a studio full of equipment I didn't understand and a bank account that looked like I'd been robbed.</p>
<p>Years later, my setup is simpler — and the work is better. Here's what you actually need to get started.</p>
<h2>Start with student paints, not artist grade</h2> <p>Artist-grade watercolours are beautiful, but they're expensive. As a beginner, you're learning technique — not exploiting pigment depth. A set of 12–24 student colours (Winsor & Newton Cotman, or Royal Talens Van Gogh) will give you everything you need to learn mixing, layering and wet-on-wet.</p> <p>The one exception: buy at least one tube of a good artist-grade transparent yellow and a deep blue. These give the greens and purples that student mixes struggle to hit.</p>
<h2>Brushes: you need fewer than you think</h2> <p>You can do almost everything with three brushes:</p> <ul> <li><strong>A size 12 round</strong> — for washes and large areas</li> <li><strong>A size 6 round</strong> — for mid-detail work</li> <li><strong>A size 2 or liner brush</strong> — for fine details and signatures</li> </ul> <p>I use Princeton Neptune and Winsor & Newton Professional brushes. They're not cheap, but they hold water well and keep a good point — which makes all the difference when you're trying to control a wash.</p>
<h2>Paper is where you should spend your budget</h2> <p>Cheap paper is the single biggest thing that will hold you back. It buckles, it pills when you lift paint, and it dries differently depending on humidity.</p> <p>The minimum I'd recommend: <strong>Fabriano Artistico 300gsm cotton rag</strong> or <strong>Bockingford 300gsm</strong>. If budget is tight, buy a single sheet and cut it into quarters — that's four practice sheets from one piece.</p> <p>Avoid anything labelled "sketching paper" or "mixed media" for watercolour — it's a false economy.</p>
<h2>What else you need</h2> <ul> <li>Two jars of water (one for rinsing, one clean for mixing)</li> <li>A white ceramic palette or old plate for mixing</li> <li>A roll of masking tape to stretch paper to a board</li> <li>Good natural light — or a daylight bulb</li> </ul>
<h2>What you can skip for now</h2> <ul> <li>Masking fluid (frustrating until you understand your paints)</li> <li>Watercolour pencils (a different skill set)</li> <li>Expensive easels — a simple wooden board propped at an angle is fine</li> <li>More than 12–24 colours (you can mix almost anything from 6 good pigments)</li> </ul>
<h2>How I'd spend £50 starting out</h2> <p>If someone handed me £50 and said "start from scratch," here's what I'd buy:</p> <ul> <li>Winsor & Newton Cotman 12-colour set — £12</li> <li>A set of 3 Princeton Neptune rounds — £15</li> <li>4 sheets of Fabriano Artistico 300gsm — £8</li> <li>White ceramic palette — £5</li> <li>Masking tape, jars, pencil — £5</li> </ul> <p>That leaves you £5 for your first big splurge: a tube of artist-grade Winsor Blue (green shade). Worth every penny.</p>
<h2>The most important thing</h2> <p>No supply will make you a better painter. Practice will. Buy enough to start, learn the basics of water control and mixing, then upgrade when you know what you actually want from your materials.</p> <p>I still use the same ceramic plate I started with. Some things don't need to change.</p>
