The Best Watercolor Supplies To Buy On Amazon
Amazon has made a lot of things available at just the push of a button and while it can be dangerous for the wallet, it means access to many art supplies at affordable prices. Not to mention, miscellaneous tools and supplies that I find myself using quite a lot.
Today, I’m going to share with you what I think are the best watercolor supplies you can get on Amazon.com.
Before we get into it, you should know that I am one one of those people that will shop around for the best prices. Most of the time, I wait until I need enough supplies to qualify for free shipping at Blick (www.dickblick.com) because I think their prices are competitive.
However, there are still supplies that I have bought off Amazon for the following reasons:
Convenience
Fast shipping
Competitive pricing
I can't get it anywhere else!
I know some of you may not have access to sites like Blick, which makes Amazon a great option.
I’ve organized the supplies by category and included a description of my experience with these products and why I recommend them.
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I recommend these products because I know they are useful resources. Please don't spend your money on these products unless you feel like you need them and will be useful for you.
Paints
Daniel Smith Watercolor Sets
I was first introduced to Daniel Smith because I was gifted the Primatek set of tube watercolors and I have never looked back. The Essentials set is such a great value for a core set of warm and cool primary colors to start with.
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Sets
When I revisited watercolors for the first time after more than 10 years, I bought Winsor & Newton Cotman tube watercolors (after trying to use cheap old paints…not fun!)
The Cotman line is considered student grade, but I thought (and still think) it’s a really great value for the quality of color you get. The colors may not be quite as dynamic and pigmented as an artist grade paint (like Daniel Smith) but it's pretty darn close. I also love that they come in so many different sets!
If you want something compact and convenient, definitely try out the palette sets. I have an old travel palette set that I still love for it’s size and portability.
Liquid Watercolor Sets
I don’t use liquid watercolor as much as I used to but these are so fun to play with. The colors are vibrant and all you need is to add a little water (or not) and you’re ready to paint. Some people prefer using liquid watercolors for their saturation and convenience. I personally prefer them for calligraphy and lettering than actual watercolor painting.
I’ve used both of the popular brands Dr. Ph Martin's Hydrus and Royal Talens Ecoline, here are some thoughts on both:
Dr. Ph, Martins Hydrus Liquid Watercolors
More colors for your money
Each bottle has its own dropper so it’s easy to transfer from bottle to palette
Likely needs diluting with water (quite concentrated)
Ecoline Liquid Watercolors
More expensive per bottle than Hydrus
Wide mouth allows you to dip straight into the container (but also could mean mistakenly mis-dipping and cross-contaminating your colors over time)
Can be used straight from the container (but you may want to get droppers or pipettes to transfer out color to a palette)
Coliro Metallic Watercolors
I know this as the Finetec gold palette, but they have since rebranded to a new name, Coliro. This set of gold metallic watercolors is beautiful. Great for adding sparkle to your paintings or for calligraphy and brush lettering. Keep in mind that it is watercolor so you need a concentrated amount to get a more opaque finish. It also comes in many more colors.
Paper
Arches Coldpress 140lb
My favorite paper - although you can find a better deal as well as more formats and sizes on an art supply website like Blick. But if you’re wanting to try out this out, getting it from Amazon is not a bad option either.
Bee Paper Coldpress 140lb
A great 100% cotton paper that is not going to break the bank. I like providing this paper for my local watercolor workshops. Note that only the loose sheets and pre-cut 6x9 size are 100% cotton (not the pad format.)
Canson XL Watercolor 140lb
This is a reliable beginner paper pad. It’s very cost-efficient and does the job. I do think that using “better” paper (for example, 100% cotton like Bee Paper & Arches) is going to give you better results and makes watercolor more enjoyable. However, this paper allows you to paint without worrying so much about “wasting” expensive paper.
Strathmore 300 Series Coldpress 140lb
Just recently tried a sample of this paper sent to me by a friend and I was pleasantly surprised! It’s available on Amazon and thought I’d include it in my list here since I’m planning on purchasing this one in the future to try it out again.
Brushes
I usually get my brushes on Blick because of the wide selection and prices, but I wanted to add a few here that I know are good quality and available on Amazon for reasonable prices.
Loew-Cornell 7020 Series Ultra Round
I absolutely love the size 6 I have for this brush. The point is sharp and it maintains its shape well while painting. These brushes are more expensive on Amazon than Blick so you may want to check around before buying.
Silver Black Velvet 3000S
This brush is a blend of natural squirrel hair and synthetic hair. I have a size 10 and can appreciate how much water it holds and how it maintains a nice sharp point. It’s not personally a go-to brush for me because I like brushes with more snap (full synthetic brushes). But like I mentioned, it is definitely a fan favorite.
The 3 brush round set available on Amazon is a good deal - the price is comparable to the cost of purchasing the same brushes on a few other art supply sites I checked.
Travel Brushes
Even though this is a no-name brand, it turns out it’s really a great brush! Very sharp point and good snap. I also love that it’s a travel brush and can be capped to keep the bristles safe.
I was sent this no-brand travel brush in size 12 by my good friend Jisun of Everleaf Designs. She has a knack for finding great quality products so I pretty much trust anything she recommends!
Palettes
Loew-Cornell Folding Palette
This is my favorite palette. I know, it's not expensive! But I like the size, the finish of the plastic and the fact that it closes up if I want to take it with me. Surprisingly, I have only been able to find this on Amazon and at Walmart.
Medeen Travel Size Watercolor Palette
This palette comes with empty pans you fill yourself with tube watercolos. I bought the 12 half-pan set (pictured) and use this as a travel palette. I like the compact size and the fact that I can customize the colors I want in my palette.
Watercolor Sketchbooks
Pentalic Aqua Journal
After using this journal for a while I realized that it does better for watercoloring that is not super-wet. So if you like to paint with a lot of water and wet-on-wet action, you might want to check out the Moleskine. Otherwise it holds up well for watercolors and has a handy holder on top for a brush or pen.
Moleskine Watercolor Journal
This watercolor journal performs beautifully when painting wet for a journal (nothing compares to using *actual* watercolor paper). After using both, I prefer this over the previously listed Pentalic Aqua Journal.
Stillman & Bern Beta Mixed Media Journal
This journal seems to be popular so I purchased it but I haven’t actually used it yet. It’s not terribly expensive for the number of sheets that it comes with, so I decided to purchase it. I also like that it has a soft cover, I feel like it makes it a little lighter weight.
Miscellaneous Supplies
Fountain Pen - Waterproof Ink
If you plan to draw or sketch with ink and then watercolor, I really love this fountain pen. This is another one of those supplies that was sent to me by my friend Jisun. And again, another winner. It has a nice, thin point, the ink flows well and doesn’t budge at all under watercolor washes. I used this to draw up my swatch cards in this post.
Bone Folder
I had a bone folder in my art supply box from college and I’m glad I kept it. This has been useful when folding/creasing large watercolor sheets for hand-tearing and also to slip in between sheets when peeling them from watercolor blocks.
Westcott Transparent Protractor Ruler
I use this ruler a lot! I love that it’s transparent, has a guide guide to keep lines straight and spaced evenly. The protractor is really helpful when dividing up angles for color wheels. I also use this when drawing up my swatch cards.
The Masters Brush Cleaner
For the occasional deep clean that you might want to do for your watercolor brushes, I like this cleaner. Watercolor paint is an easy medium to work with and most of the time I just rinse my brushes in water and allow them to dry. However, sometimes it’s nice to give them a deep clean to really take care of them!
That was a longer list than I anticipated! If you’re looking for the whole list (plus some additional supplies) you can find them on on my Amazon Page. I hope that you found this post helpful!
Let me know in the comments if you have any great watercolor finds from Amazon that I should check out!
