Supplies List

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Primary Supplies (Most Essential)

• Paint

• Brushes

• Watercolor paper

• Palette

• Water dish

• Paper tablecloth or scrap paper to protect the table underneath your painting

Secondary Supplies (Optional/Add-ons)

• Squirt bottle

• Kneaded eraser

• White eraser

• Pencil

• Fine-tip felt pens

• Pens

• Gum arabic

• Salt
  
  
  
  Paint

• Adults: I use Opus Essential Watercolour (tubes) to refill the palettes in class.

• Adult Students: I recommend the Cotman 9 Colour Watercolour Set (available at Opus, approximately $30). It's the closest set I've found to what we use in class. The quality and brightness of the colours are very similar. The blues are slightly different, but it's an excellent place to start.

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• Kids: I recommend the Mont Marte Watercolour Set (available on Amazon, approximately $18.99). (Amazon link)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Brushes

• 8-pack Oriental Art Brushes by Color Factory (approximately $6), available at The Dollar Store with More.

• ¾" Flat Brush by Multicraft (approximately $2.50), also available at The Dollar Store with More.

• If you'd like a slightly higher-quality option, Opus also carries some excellent beginner brushes that work very well for watercolour.

• Bush Brush Tip:
  I take one of the medium brushes and paint the handle yellow so I know it's my bush brush. Then I scrunch up the bristles by pressing firmly and swirling them around to spread them out. Sometimes I'll also work a tiny bit of acrylic paint into the base of the bristles and only lightly rinse it out. Once it dries, it helps the brush naturally spread out, making it much better for creating foliage and bush textures.

 

 

Watercolour Paper

• I use Canson Watercolour Paper. It comes in a pack of 30 sheets (9" × 12") for approximately $15–16.

• You can purchase it from Opus or Amazon. (Amazon link)

• For class, I cut the sheets down to 8.5" × 11".

 

Palette

• Opus and Michaels carry a wide variety of palettes.

• Round palettes can also be found at the dollar store.

• Unfortunately, the palettes we use in class are no longer available for purchase.
  
  Water Dish

• I usually use empty yogurt containers in class.

• At home, I prefer a flat glass dish because it's more stable and harder to tip over.
  
  
  Paper Tablecloth or Scrap Paper

• Place paper underneath your painting to catch extra water and protect your table.

• At home, I usually use a white towel underneath. It absorbs extra water and gives me a handy place to dry my brush.
  
  
   

• Secondary Supplies (Optional Add-ons)
  
  Squirt Bottle

• Small squirt bottles from the dollar store work great.

• They help keep your paints from drying out too quickly while you're painting.
  
  Kneaded Eraser

• Recommended for lightening pencil lines without damaging the paper.

• It's also great for lifting graphite from tiny areas.

• Available at Michaels, Opus, Staples, or Amazon.
  
  White Eraser

• Handy to have if you've pressed too hard with your pencil. Sometimes a kneaded eraser won't remove darker pencil lines as easily.
  
  Pencil

• Any HB pencil will work.

• In class, we use the blue Staedtler pencils from London Drugs.

• At home, I'll often use a mechanical pencil because it's easier to draw with a lighter touch.
  
  Fine-tip Felt Pens

• Great for adding lines and small details after the painting is completely dry.

• Always make sure any pens you use are waterproof.

• I often use Sharpie Fine Point pens for black details.

• For white details, I use Posca Paint Pens (available at Opus).

• For tiny white dots in the eyes and other highlights, I use Gelly Roll pens (available at Opus).

• Gelly Roll pens also come in metallic colours, which we occasionally use in class.
  
  Gum Arabic

• Gum arabic slows the drying time of watercolour and reduces how quickly the paint spreads across the paper.

• It also helps colours lift or scrub off the paper more easily if you need to make adjustments.

• Available at Opus, Michaels, or Amazon.
  
  Salt

• Sprinkle salt onto wet paint to create beautiful textured effects.

• I usually use regular table salt, but it's fun to experiment with different grain sizes, such as pickling salt or coarse salt.
  
  Metallic Watercolours

• Great for adding shimmer and special effects.

• High-quality metallic watercolours are available at Opus.

• You can also sometimes find inexpensive metallic sets at the dollar store on the corner of Birch Avenue and Harvey Avenue (heading toward the lake). They're a fun, affordable option for experimenting with metallic effects.