Watercolour - What do I need to get Started? - Part1 - Paper

I get a lot of requests regularly for practical information on what is needed to get started in watercolour painting.

Let me start off by giving you some good news... you don’t need much at all!! Paper, paint, paint-brush, pencil/pen and passion; and that’s all. Or maybe Passion needs to come first on the list...

And now for the next piece of news - none of it comes cheap! Art seems to be an expensive hobby or occupation, and while there are many opinions towards the same, I do believe that one should invest in the best that one can afford. These are the tools of your trade, an extension of you, and watercolours provide enough challenging excitement by themselves - you don’t really want to add to the challenges by using inferior tools! I’ve known a lot of students to give up this amazing medium even before they start on this adventure, simply because their tools did not allow them to express what they wanted.

Having said that, a beginner doesn’t need much, or the most expensive, to get good encouraging results; and other tools can be added as and when the “need” (what artists say when they actually mean “desire for a fancy new toy”) arises. ;) The main thing is not to get too precious with art materials - it should not feel wasteful to experiment, and allow yourself to have fun and make mistakes, especially in the beginning.

The following write - up is geared towards the above thought process. Moreover, since I am writing mostly for the beginner artist, I’m going to try and simplify explanations. And the materials mentioned here are are easily available on Amazon India.

Paper

We have a variety of brands available here - the very expensive Canson or Fabriano Artistico; the more reasonable but still pricey Strathmore or Arches (both great and I use them a lot); and the most reasonable Brustro, Canson Montval, Campap Arto or Daler Rowney (I would recommend these for the beginner). My favourite sketchbook brand is Stillman and Birn, Strathmore or Moleskine - I’m in love with all three! Any number of cheap sketchbooks or pads are available with local shops too, and I find those great for practise and making notes.

1. Texture - While one can watercolour on pretty much most paper types - and one should, for the fun of it! - there are three basic types of watercolour paper - Hot Press meaning smooth, Cold Press or Not (yes, sometimes it’s called that) meaning slightly textured, or Rough meaning very textured. The smoother the paper, the more the paint seems to slip around on it, so control is difficult. But it is easier for pen-line work that some artists favour. So most artists prefer Cold Press, and that would be a good place to start, before experimenting and finding a personal favourite.

2. Thickness - Paper comes in different Weight / Thickness; the heavier the paper, the more colour washes it can take without buckling. While heavier paper is available, and fun to work with, 300gsm (grams per meter) or 140 lbs is great for most cases. I personally don’t like lighter than 200gsm/180gsm for watercolour, even in sketchbooks, and use it only for experiments or making notes. But it is cheaper, and would be great to start off with.

3. Cotton content - Paper is made with either 100% cotton fibre or cellulose (in which case it will be cheaper.) The difference is that more cotton In the paper tends to absorb the paint and water. So one, it stays wet longer, paint gets more diluted and looks less bright, and two, the paint doesn’t lift off the paper easily (some watercolour techniques require this) because it gets absorbed instead of just sitting on the surface. While these might seem like reasons to use Non-cotton paper, and they are! - the more experienced artist normally prefers all-cotton paper for serious art-works because of their ability to take on multiple and complex colour washes. I would advise starting with the mixed/cellulose variety, before advancing to, and investing in 100% cotton paper.

In other words, a good option for most beginners/middlers in India, as I write this blog, would be Brustro, Daler Rowney or suchlike brands in 200gsm / 300gsm thickness and Cold Press texture, and sizes A4 or A5. I believe a mixed-texture value pack is also available with Brustro, in 100% cotton as well as 25% cotton or cellulose. Do try!

"Blue Delphiniums" - original ink and w/c A5 size, hot press, Brustro 100% cotton paper

I think that is enough information for now, don't you? :) Shall continue with brushes and paints in my next blog... see you there!!