Weeks, Art – Watercolor Foundations

Suggested Materials List 

  • Paper: 140 lb. Arches cold press; 12” x12” bound pad or any size. Watercolor blocks (sealed on all edges at perimeter) are acceptable but these will be more expensive. Individual sheets that are cut into smaller sizes 9” x 12” or 11” x 14” will also work.
  • Paints: Tube paints (not dry cakes) are recommended. Winsor Newton paints are good quality and reasonably priced. For lower priced alternatives Utrecht and Grumbacher paints work as well. Daniel Smith is a very good brand but much more expensive. Colors recommended: Cadmium Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Ultramarine Blue (Green Shade), Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Phalo Blue, Burnt Siena, Hookers Green, Sap Green, Indian Red, any Orange, any Turquoise Green, and Paynes Gray. Prussian Blue, if available, would be good to have as well.

Brushes:

  • 1” wide or 1-1/2” wide flat, Richeson or Winsor Newton quality.
  • Rigger brush (aka liner brush), Winsor Newton quality, no more than ¾” long.
  • Silver Black Velvet brushes #10 (round 3000s) and #8 (3000s). While these are more expensive they are high quality and can be very versatile depending on how they are used.

Mixing Tray: Small recommended with fold out mixing wells or a circular tray having 12 wells. A folding Jack Richeson Watercolor Palette is recommended but there are many brands available on line or available at Dick Blick and Wet Paint. Plastic is reasonably priced. A ceramic palette is not necessary for introductory classes.

Backer Board: 9” x 12” or 11” x 14” in size, but no larger than 12” x 16”. Use when painting on individual sheets that are taped around the edges. Tape is not required when the backside of the paper is wetted down first. Because of this, recommended backer board should be water resistant such as plastic, hard acrylic or Plexiglas (also known as Lexan via trade name).

Black Acco Clips: Use 3-4 for clipping free edges down when painting on single bound pads.

Tape: Use Masking Tape or Blue Edging Tape when painting using free and loose paper.

Accessories: Spray water bottle. Roll of paper towels. 1 dull razor blade (One edge side blunted for holding), carefully stored. Scrap paper for test strips.