My Must-Have Watercolor Paints and Gouache Paints

I love all my art supplies, but I really, really love my watercolor paints. Of all the different mediums available to us artists, I find myself most comfortable using watercolors with a little colored pencil work on top. Why is this? Probably because I’ve spent the most time with this medium (not including making digital art) AND it allows me to work in a detailed manner. When I try to paint something with acrylic or oils, I can’t seem to get the same level of fineness. Having said that, I appreciate a variety of mediums for their individuality and what they give to the art equation. Sure, within a given medium we can convey tight to loose strokes, but the consistency, flow, hard or softness, and pigment depth does affect our art. We artists have the desire and responsibility to visually communicate a thought or idea or emotion, and selecting a particular medium with certain characteristics helps us do just that.

PALETTES

Before we talk about paint you will need to find a palette for your paints. You can choose from plastic ones which are available at your local Walmart (for US shoppers), ceramic, and glass. I use several different types. Because I like to leave my paint on the palette when I’m not finished with my piece of art and need to go do something else, I keep a handful of palettes in a drawer - one for each current project. That way I can come back to the palette and the mixed colors are still there.

There are palettes which have lids to seal the paint - in my experience they don’t keep watercolors wet (they work best with oils), but they are still nice if you have pets around who love to lick your stuff! One of my favorite palettes is a porcelain one I bought from a thrift shop when I was in college. Watercolor paint doesn’t stain ceramic or porcelain, and only a few times has it messed up my plastic palette - and that was because i didn’t wash it for a year! I prefer white because I want to see the exact color I am mixing. I’ve seen some beautiful pottery ones that I would love to own just for the aesthetic, but I would probably put cookies on it!

BRUSHES

Ok, so this might be a bit of a letdown. I’m not picky about what brand I buy for watercolors and gouache, but I am extremely picky about having a bunch of tiny brushes - think 000 and 00 width! I know that most watercolorists insist upon using a large round brush to move their paint around and layer wash upon wash, but let’s be honest…that’s just not me. I love what other people do, but my internal narrative is to work on the details - not overly so, but just enough. Smile. You do you, and I’ll do me, okay?!

So, let’s dive into what types of watercolor paints I like to use.

WATERCOLOR PAINTS

There are two ways to paint with watercolors -straight from the tube and from half-pans. Although I like the wetness of squeezing my paint straight from the tube, I usually end up getting too much paint on the tip of my brush and can’t seem to wipe it off. I don’t work on large projects, so the paint I need at one single time isn’t much. For those who work big, you probably just squeeze the paint straight from the tube onto your palette.

You can buy empty palettes from art supply stores online and create your own special palette of colors that appeal to you. One tip is to swatch your colors and put the strip in your palette so you can see what you are using. I used to swatch and put the name of the color on the swatch, but I don’t always have space to do this. I’ve also created a few travel sized palettes for on the go from game or mint tins. I love creating palettes.

DANIEL SMITH

Hands down, my absolute favorite watercolor paint to use is Daniel Smith. Why? Because it comes in a huge variety of colors, many are gradating which I find gorgeous, the pigment depth is rich, and it paints smoothly I’ve collected many colors over the years. I could go on and on about how gorgeous the colors are - I’ve spent a lot of time pondering which shades to buy, but you just need to try them out for yourself! You won’t be wasting your money!

ART PHILOSOPHY

My next favorite paints are called Watercolor Confections by Art Philosophy. They come in small travel sized metal palettes and contain curated themed colors with cute names like Tropical, Odyssey, Terrain, and Woodlands. The neat thing about these paints is that they have some awesome lighter shades like pinks and aquas, which are kind of hard to find. Of course you can mix your own pastels, but having a ready-to-use half-pan is so convenient - plus it is great for keeping your color consistent when you don’t want any variation.

WINSOR & NEWTON

Although I have gifted 2 of these palettes to people I have never owned an entire set of W&N. I do have several help-pans that I bought at Boesner in Frankfurt, and I have a Naples Yellow tube that is one of my favs. The colors are clear, bright, and full pigmented. Winsor & Newton also carry a medium that enhances granulation.

KURETAKE KOI

I bought this beautiful set of Japanese watercolors in a tiny art store in Strasbourg, France. I had never seen them before and didn't realize I could have bought them at home online. The colors wet well and are very rich and clear, and are a joy to use - they seem to last and last! Because I use a lot of water to wet them, they crack when they dry, which doesn’t affect performance at all. When I visited Tokyo this fall I saw that Kuretake makes many other colors in the same size box and smaller sets as well. They are really beautiful!

SCHMINKE

The other kind of watercolors I have bought are by Schminke. I only have a handful of half-pans, but they had specific colors that I was looking for - particularly reds and yellows - and I love how pigmented they are. I would totally recommend investing in a set of these if they are sold near you.

There are so many other brands out there like Sennelier, Van Gogh, M. Graham, Grumbacher, Lucas, and more - that are probably wonderful, I just haven’t tried them so I can’t speak to their loveliness. As for cheap student grade watercolors, I don’t recommend buying them. Most don’t have enough pigment added, they don’t stay mixed in the tube, and they don’t paint smoothly. I have tried out Turner paints when there was a huge sale, and to my surprise I liked a few colors and would buy them again. But most shades were low-pigment and came out of the tube with a clear glob of binding agent followed by some pasty paint. So it’s hit or miss with Turner.

PIGMENT

This post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Pigment, the gorgeous store in Tokyo which displays hundreds of bottles of pigments on the wall. Located in Shinagawa, artists select whichever ground pigments they want, which are then measured and weighed by the gram. Artists can then make whatever they want - whether watercolors, gouache, oils, or pastel sticks. I purchased 6 colors and plan on making watercolors when I buy a glass plate and muller.

GOUACHE PAINT

Gouache paint is defined as pigment mixed with a binding agent (often gum arabic), water, and sometimes honey. Illustrators used gouache for years for editorial work, comics, posters, textile design patterns and more. This medium is similar to watercolors in that they are water soluble and can be transparent but can also be opaque as it contains a high pigment load. This means you can paint on top of washes and it will entirely cover what’s below. Some people don’t like the chalky finish, but I think it lends a vintage feel. When the finished illustration dries and ages for a long while, it can sometimes crumble or flake off. I remember picking paint flakes off some pictures when I was a kid.'

HOLBEIN

Holbein makes two kinds of gouache - traditional and acryla. Holbein paints are made in Osaka, Japan, and are high quality and come in a multitude of fantastic colors. A little goes a long way if you are using them like watercolors, but more is needed if you will be doing opaque work.

‘Traditional’ gouache performs as I described earlier. If your palette dries, you can spritz it with water and with a little work, reconstitute it. If you leave a largish blob to dry, it may or may not reconstitute as smoothly as you would like, so keep this in mind. Gouache also comes in pans as seen in the Caran d’Ache set seen above. If you are thinking you’d like to try gouache out and not spend much money, please don’t buy the $5 set at your local craft store…it kinda paints like finger paint and you might not ever try it again! You are better off buying just 3 colors in a quality brand than the cheap kind.

Holbein Acryla gouache is really just like acrylic paints in my opinion, just not as rubbery. I love how smooth acryla gouache is, and love the colors it comes in. Just make sure to use a separate palette for your acryla when using both kinds, as acryla isn’t water soluble and once it’s dry, it’s dry!

I tried making my own gouache paints once by mixing gum arabic, a drop of glycerin, and honey water, but…. they worked well when wet but hardened so much that they are a little difficult to rewet. Better luck next time!

SCHMINKE

I have only a few select color tubes of Schminke gouache (you can see the tubes 2 pictures above), and let me tell you, I LOVE IT! It is a bit thicker than Holbein, so you will need to water it down a little, but I love the way it lays down, and when opaque it gives off a velvety feel depending on the type of paper you are using.

WHICH PAPERS TO USE?

In case you are wondering what kinds of papers work well with watercolors and gouache paints, there are two factors to keep in mind - paper weight and texture. Paper comes with an indication of the weight/density. Uncut paper in stacks of 500 are weighed and then cut down to smaller sizes - it is weighed before being cut and then marked appropriately. Lower weight papers like 64 lbs/95 gsm are lighter and similar to copy paper and will wrinkle when using wet media like paint. Heavier weight papers work best because of their ability to absorb more water before buckling. The heaviest weight paper available is 140 lbs./300 gsm.

Paper is sold in tablets, loose sheets, and rolls. Some tablets have gummed edges on all four sides while others have it only on one. If you use loose sheets it’s a good idea to tape your paper down to a backing board - gator board, plywood, mdf panels and even thick cardboard are all good options. You can use tape made specifically for this purpose - it’s a water-activated brown tape, or you can use Frog Tape/Painter’s tape, masking tape, or washi tape. The last one works well and is gentle on your paper, but you have to make sure to press down firmly so paint won’t seep under the edges.

As for texture, everyone has their favorite type. Paper comes in smooth - hot press (an easy way to remember is that it’s been ‘ironed’), and rough - cold press (rough because it hasn’t been ‘ironed’). Rough papers also are varied - you should look closely to see if you like the texture - some is fine and others are more spaced apart.

As for brands…Arches watercolor paper is the most famous and also the most expensive. It’s also one of the highest quality papers, if not the top one. I like it but honestly I don’t love it, so I’m happy to not feel the need to buy it. The texture is a little too large for my taste. It works great for many, and don’t let my opinion affect what you like. Strathmore and Canson make some inexpensive watercolor spiral-bound and blocks with a light texture that work well, especially when you are just starting out, or plan to scan your artwork into the computer and won’t be selling your original piece. When I was in college I almost exclusively used Strathmore’s Bristol board - which was very smooth. I loved it because I could paint details to my heart’s content, but I don’t care for it anymore - except for marker sketching.

I’m going to let you in on a secret… should I tell you? …I don’t want this paper to be sold out. My favorite watercolor paper is the Fabriano brand - soft press, to be exact. It only comes in large sheets which I cut down to size. They also have blocks which I like to use, but they only come in cold or hot press. Anything they make is great! Hahnemuhle is a brand that I’ve tried and really like, but it’s not sold locally where I live.

Another paper I adore is natural cotton rag paper in a heavy weight. It is usually handmade overseas and sold online from various sources. The paper has a gorgeous weave texture, and when you paint on it, it absorbs and feels amazing. Because it absorbs a lot of water, you won’t be able to paint details - this stuff encourages bleeding and blobbing, and the texture and absorption varies all over the paper, but I love it - particularly for opaque gouache. Don’t expect to make a perfect image on this - it’s best for images that can go outside the lines.

If you’d like a pdf of all my favorite art supplies, I’ve made it just for you! Just click on the button below to get your free copy! I did this because people are always asking for art supplies recommendations, and I believe in sharing the good news.

What about you, do you have a favorite brand of watercolors, gouache and papers that you like to use? Let me know down in the comments below - I’d love to hear about it!

Go Make Some Art Today!

For those of you who would like a hard copy of all this info, I’ve created a fantastic free pdf for you called “A Guide to the Best Art Supplies.” If you’d like it, just read further.