Watercolour for Beginners: What You Actually Need (No Fluff)
- China Jordan
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
Starting watercolours for beginners can feel a bit overwhelming.
You do a quick search and suddenly it looks like you need 24 paints, 10 brushes, three palettes, and paper that costs more than your weekly shop. It’s a lot—and honestly, it puts people off before they’ve even started.
So let’s strip it right back. If you were coming to one of my classes tomorrow, here’s what I’d actually want you to have. Nothing more, nothing unnecessary—just what works.
🎨 You Don’t Need Expensive… But Don’t Go Too Cheap
This is where most beginners get caught out.
You don’t need the top-of-the-range, professional materials when you’re starting. In fact, they can feel a bit intimidating—like you’re too scared to use them in case you “waste” them.
But going too cheap causes a different problem entirely. Low-quality paints don’t behave properly. Colours look flat, blending becomes harder, and suddenly you’re thinking, “I’m just not good at this.”
In reality, it’s often the materials.
What you’re aiming for is that middle ground—affordable, but still good quality.
A set like this is a great example:
It’s reliable, a nice size, and even comes with a travel brush so you can get started straight away without overthinking it.
🖌️ Brushes: You Only Need Two (Honestly)
This is one of those areas where people tend to overbuy.
You’ll see big sets with loads of different shapes and sizes, but in reality, you’ll keep reaching for the same one or two brushes again and again.
If you’re starting out, keep it simple:
* A round brush (size 6) for most of your painting
* A larger brush (round or flat) for bigger areas and washes
That’s genuinely enough to get going. Once you know how these behave, you can always add more—but you don’t need them on day one.
📄 Paper: This Is the One That Really Matters
If there’s one thing I’m a bit strict about, it’s this.
Please don’t use normal paper.
It might seem like a small detail, but it makes a huge difference. Regular paper just can’t cope with water—it buckles, it tears, and it stops the paint from doing what it’s meant to do.
Instead, look for watercolour paper that’s at least 190gsm (or higher if you can). Most sketch pads are 300gsm It will hold the water properly, allow colours to move, and make the whole process feel a lot smoother.
Honestly, if something feels frustrating early on, it’s often the paper.
Try something like this, it's not too big and has a great thickness to it.
🎨 Paints: Start with Pans - Perfect To Learn Watercolours For Beginners
There’s always a bit of confusion here—pans or tubes?
For beginners, I always recommend pan paints.
They’re simple, controlled, and they encourage you to use water properly. You build colour gradually, which is exactly what you want when you’re learning.
Tubes came later and are great in their own way, but they can tempt you into using watercolour like acrylic paint—which usually leads to heavy, overworked pieces.
Get comfortable with pans first. You can always experiment later.
🧰 The Extras (Keep It Minimal)
The rest of your setup doesn’t need to be complicated.
You’ll just need:
* A water jar
* An old rag or some tissue
* A pencil and eraser
And that’s about it.
You might think you need a palette as well, but the lid of your paint set usually works perfectly. It’s one of those things you can upgrade later if you really get into it.
🚫 A Quick Word on What to Avoid
It’s tempting to grab the cheapest set online, especially when you’re just trying something new.
But very low-cost, unbranded paints can be frustrating to work with. The pigment isn’t great, and they don’t respond the way proper watercolours should.
If you’re unsure, these brands are a safe place to start:
* Derwent
* Daler Rowney
* Winsor & Newton
* Sennelier
You don’t need their top ranges—just something reliable.
💸 So… How Much Should You Spend?
Less than you probably think.
A realistic starting point would be:
* Around £20 for paints
* About £10 for brushes
* £8–£10 for a watercolour sketchbook
So roughly £35–£40 all in.
That’s enough to get you set up properly without feeling like you’ve made a big investment. And that’s important—because when materials feel “too nice,” people often hold back instead of just enjoying the process.
😬 What Beginners Actually Struggle With
Here’s something I see all the time in my classes.
It’s not just the painting that trips people up—it’s:
* The drawing underneath
* And understanding how colour works
If your drawing feels a bit off, the painting will too. That’s why building some basic drawing confidence alongside your painting makes a huge difference.
Then there’s the water itself.
Watercolour is all about learning how it behaves:
* How wet your brush is
* How wet the paper is
* How quickly things dry
You’ll hear terms like *wet-on-wet* and *wet-on-dry*, but really it just comes down to control and timing.
Sometimes you want soft, blended edges.
Sometimes you want crisp, sharp lines.
And learning that balance is where things start to click.
🌧️ A Perfect Creative Escape (Whatever the Weather)
One of the nicest things about watercolour is how easy it is to pick up.
It’s something you can do on a quiet, rainy afternoon, but it’s just as nice to take outside on a sunny day. You can do it on your own, with friends, or as a way to switch off after work.
It’s playful, a bit unpredictable, and really rewarding once you get into it.
🎨 Want a Bit of Guidance?
A lot of people walk into my classes thinking, “There’s no way I’ll be able to do this.”
And then they do.
I focus on breaking things down into simple steps so you can get results quickly, without feeling overwhelmed. Most beginners end up surprising themselves, which is always the best part to watch.
If you’d like a bit of support while you’re getting started, you can take a look at my classes here:
Or likewise, you can cehck out my free watercolour content on Patreon
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