Brushes

I do not have a large collection of brushes and I use one brush almost exclusively: a #10 round da Vinci Maestro kolinsky sable series 35. I  love this brush because it carries a lot of water and has an excellent sharp point. I use it for almost everything!  I also use a do have a #6 Isabey Petit Gris mop which I use for skies and large washes. My newest brush is a da Vinci #8 inlaid liner which has a full belly to hold paint and a thin, liner tip.  As I have always tended to paint too tightly, I strive to use the largest brush I can.  My next brush purchase should be a #12 round.

Paint

I first started trying watercolor I bought a small Winsor and Newton half-pan set and ran into what every other beginner runs into: not able to pick up enough paint from the cake pan and using too much water which ends up being a watery, muddy mess on the paper. 

As I graduated up to tube paints I bought Holbein tube paints and found their transparency and re-wetting capabilities to be perfect for me. I have stuck with Holbein and I have concentrated on learning the qualities of my paints rather than bouncing around and always trying something new.  

The hues in my palette of 16 are (almost) directly based on what one of my favorite artists, Joseph Stoddard uses: Opera Rose, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, Permanent Yellow Orange, Auerolin , New Gamboge, Greenish Yellow, Sap Green, Cobalt Turquoise Light, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Deep, Raw Sienna. Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Prussian Blue

Paper

I love watercolor paper because after a lot of work in sketchbooks, real 100% cotton watercolor paper is a joy to use.  When I started painting, I tried Arches and Fabriano and used Fabriano for a long time because of the simple fact that all the artists that I admire recommend it.  But I recently re-tried Arches cold press blocks after reading Joyce Hick's book and I was amazed at how well it worked for me and how enjoyable it is to use.  I also have long used Arches hot press blocks for my annual pen & wash calendar because HP is nicer to use with fountain pens. 

Palette

Like sketchbooks, there are many palettes out there too and I've tried several.  I am right handed and I like to paint holding the palette in my left hand using a thumb-hole.  Holding the palette has become second nature to me and so I have never tried a large desk palette. I had always used Holbein metal palettes but about 2 years ago I ordered a handmade brass palette from Little Brass Box Company in England and I love it!  It took about a year to get after ordering.  It is the "Binning Monro" type with 16 spaces and a thumb hole.  I feel strongly that the paint behaves in a wonderful different manner on the surface of my enameled brass palette. Having this piece is an enormous luxury because of it's expense, but it also something that makes me love watercolor painting.  

Sketchbooks

The painting surface is so important to my results and I like sketchbooks because they are so easy to toss into a handbag for travel and are an effective way of collecting and looking back on my work.  There are so many watercolor sketchbook types to buy and I've tried many!  Unfortunately, this is one area of art supplies that I have bounced around with too much and the fact that they are (with some exceptions) not cotton rag makes them sometimes frustrating to get great results.  But I seem to have settled on either Seawhite of Brighton books which are well-made, nice to hold, easy to find, and not too expensive compared to similar types. 

Other Stuff

Lead Holders

To keep sketching loose and flowing, I also use 2.0mm lead holders and my favorite is a Caran d'Ache which has a handy sharpener in the base.  

Sharpeners

Speaking of sharpeners, for Christmas one of my daughters gave me a DUX adjustable sharpener with changeable blades.  It's a perfect device to sharpen pencils such as the Faber Castells.  The DUX is also made in Germany.