Hi everybody! If you're like us here in Durham, NC, you're practicing "social distancing" and your school-age kiddos are out of school for a while. If you're not yet affected by this, go get a reasonable amount of supplies so you can beat the crowds. ;)
I decided I'd offer some FUN and kid-friendly watercolor tutorials to help get us through this. To kick things off, here's a video about supplies you'll want. I promise tutorial videos will be better lit than this ;) Links to purchase are below. And I'll be adding a second post with "if you wanna get the really nice supplies," too! I've listed the things you might need below.
WATERCOLOR PAPER
Whatever you do, don't use regular paper. It's not designed to hold all the moisture I really like the Canson XL 9x12 page and Strathmore 5x7 individual sheets.
BRUSHES
Paint brushes meant for watercolor are the way to go. I am loving this set right now, especially because it's inexpensive and there's a wide variety of sizes included. Plus, purple is fun! These Princeton ones are great, too -- I recommend getting a Six and a Two to start with.
PAINT
Any watercolor paint will do, but you're going to be happier with a slightly nicer set than the cheapest option you can find. Prangs are great student-quality paints (they're what I learned with when I was in middle school) and Prima and Jane Davenport are great, too! I like pans and tubes and will be using both -- but you could just pick a set and go for it, and you'll be able to paint everything I do! I'm a fan of BRIGHT colors, and these make me happy. Here are some of my favorites:
Prima pan sets in Classic and Tropical
Jane Davenport Brights
FINELINE MARKERS
These are optional, but you can add some really fun elements with them. I kind of have more pens than I could ever use in my entire life, so clearly I have a whole lot that I like, but I've chosen some based on cost.
Tombow TwinTone in Rainbow, Brights or Pastels. I seriously love these, and the Brights and Pastels are both at GREAT prices right now!
OTHER THINGS
You also need little jars for water (anything you have is fine!), paper towels and watercolor palettes if you're using tubes. Pan sets usually have an area you can mix on. The palette can be as simple as a white dinner plate, or you can buy one - I like this one and this one. You might want some watercolor pencils (you can blend them into your drawing instead of regular pencils, which can't be erased once you paint over them, I also prefer using pastel colors for this 'cause they're easy to blend in), and a gentle eraser, I like these.
The tutorials are free. If you're enjoying the content, I'd be grateful for tips to let me know you'd like me to make more, and I'll be using affiliate links when I can - the ones above are. But please know, if you need to just enjoy the tutorials, I'm really glad for you to just paint along, and show that you're loving them by sharing, liking my instagram and facebook, or favoriting my etsy shop! Also, I am taking requests for tutorials, so if you have one, let me know!