Materials and Supplies

Watercolor Brushes

Princeton Neptune Round Brushes · My brushes of choice for most watercolor work. They hold water beautifully and simplify the painting process for me. I also appreciate their soft, slightly velvety wooden handles. Set of size 2, 6, 10 and ¾ wash brush

Princeton Neptune Quill Brushes · Similar to the Neptune Rounds, but especially useful for washes and larger paintings. I often prefer these to flat brushes for laying in backgrounds. I recommend Size 4 and Size 8 unless you are working on very large paper.

Princeton Snap Brushes · An excellent option for beginners. When I first started painting in watercolor, I struggled to get the medium to behave the way I expected. Eventually I realized that a slightly stiffer brush gave me more control during those early stages. Size 0 for fine detail, Size 4 or 6 for most things, Size 10 or 12 for larger.

Watercolor Paper

Arches Cold-Pressed Watercolor Paper (140 lb) · This is a high-quality paper with a nice finish and comes in many shapes and sizes. I think 9 × 12 is a good basic size unless you are painting something large.

Hahnemuhle Collection Watercolor 300 Block Cold Pressed 9x12 300gsm, 9-x-12-Inch, White · This paper has really been growing on me. Similar to Arches above. I used this to paint Summer Nasturtiums and the egret in my Birds and Pollinators Gallery.

Specific Paints I Adore

Kingman Turquoise Watercolor Paint by Daniel Smith· A beautiful granulating paint made from one of my favorite stones. The color shifts and separates in fascinating ways as it dries and was central to my painting Maple Leaves with Kingman Turquoise.

Aureolin W239 Watercolor Paint by Holbein · I learned about this color when I attended a workshop by Margie Samuels. It’s a beautiful glowing yellow that tends to push away other colors (at least the paints I use). I used this plus Quinacridone Gold by Daniel Smith for the background on my Summer Nasturtiumswatercolor painting.

Cyanotyping Supplies

Jacquard Cyanotype Kit - If you are just starting, this kit has everything you need to begin experimenting. You will not need to buy the supplies below unless you want to continue with cyanotype. I did not try it for fabric, only for cyanotyping with paper.

Hahnemhle Platinum Rag Fine Art Paper (8 x 10", 25 Sheets) - I use this with both wet and standard cyanotype processing. This particular size (8 × 10”) is perfect in you want to continue using the glass and background that come with the Jacquard starter kit above. This is a place where you probably want to be careful and use a good paper to avoid warping if you are working with a wet process, but this paper works for me. I used this for my Japanese Anemone in Wet Cyanotype.

Jacquard cyanotype sensitizer set · You can buy these individually as needed or as a set. You will only need these if you decide to continue with cyanotype. If not, the starter kid above will have enough for you to do your initial experimenting.

Drawing Supplies

Strathmore 200 Series Sketch pad · This 9 × 12” pad is a staple for me. It’s great for working on ideas, practicing and mock-up. I use it a lot—almost every watercolor painting begins on this paper—I personally would not use it for a finished drawing. For that, see suggestions below.

Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Paper Pad, Smooth, 9x12 inches, 20 Sheets (100lb/270g) - This is an artist paper with nice tooth. I like it very much for finished work (e.g., Skipper Butterfly on Key).

Derwent Graphite Drawing Pencils in Metal Tin · This is a great basic set. I’ve used mine for many years, and I still like them. The tin is convenient for keeping them organized and I really like the hexagonal barrel. They don’t roll away when you are moving supplies or if they get pumped when you are drawing on a small table. This set has a range of hardnesses so that you can vary the degree of softness or sharpness by changing the pencil. That lets you flex for crude lines, shadows, mid-tones, This set contains 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H and 4H. I use them for drawing like my Wren, Dogwood, Chickadee, etc.

STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph HB Graphite Art Drawing Pencil, 6 Pencils · You could probably get by with one or two, but chances are you’ll lose them here and there. These are my favorite pencils for preparing rough drawings on the Strathmore 200 pad. They are hexagonal and don’t roll away.

Caran d’Ache Luminance colored pencils · These are the colored pencils I use. They have a beautiful wooden exterior and such a nice range of complex colors. I bought a large set (set of 100). I won’t say I regret doing that, but I really think you could get by with a lot less. I love the large set, but I find that I haven’t used a number of the pencils. Therefore, I lam inking my set of 100 plus the smaller set of 40 in case you’re not ready to commit to the large or you know yourself well enough in advance to know that you won’t use the full range in the large set.

STAEDTLER Double-Hole Tub Pencil Sharpener: Dual Size Manual Sharpener for Standard Graphite & Colored Pencils · This is probably the best pencil sharpener I’ve ever owned. It fits my graphite pencils and colored pencils and sharpen both without breaking the led. (In case you didn’t know this, you typically can’t sharpen colored pencils in a regular pencil sharpener.) It’s also use to open and clean. Highly recommended.

Lyra Drawing Art Kneading Erasers with Case - Gray, Artist Drawing, Art Eraser, Charcoal Pastels, Moldable Putty Rubber Sketching Supplies · These work well with all of the graphite pencils on all of the papers I use. I even use them to stamp lines off of watercolor paper after I’ve transferred a drawing ahead of painting. I like that the case keeps them in good shape, but I recommend the pack of 6 in case you forget where you put your eraser or dropping them in a bag and taking them on the go.

Pentel Super Hi-Polymer Eraser, Large, Nonabrasive, White · I still love a good, basic eraser, especially when I’m just doing planning work. This eraser is great because it’s white and doesn’t leave discoloration.

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