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supplies for watercolorTo work with watercolor paint, you need very few things. A few colors of paint, a couple of brushes, paper, and water. However, the possibilities that watercolor paint offers are vast. In the past, watercolor paint was mainly used for making studies. Nowadays, artworks in watercolor paint are fortunately highly appreciated.

watercolor pencilsWatercolor paint consists of pigment, finely ground and preferably not opaque, often of plant origin. This is mixed with a binder, gum arabic. The quality of the pigment and the amount of additives to the pigment determine the price of the paint.
Some well-known types of watercolor paints are Rembrandt (Talens), Van Gogh (Talens), Artist (Winsor & Newton), and Horadam (Schminke).

The binder in watercolor paint is gum arabic. Gum arabic is resin from the acacia tree. This resin is soluble in water. To obtain the resin, the acacia trees are incised. The resin comes out through the incisions. After collecting, the resin is further purified. Afterward, it is ready for use.
Watercolor paint is available in tubes and pans. Pans are blocks in which the pigment is dried with gum arabic. By moistening the pans, the gum arabic with the pigment dissolves, and it can be worked with. For large paintings and flat fills, it is more convenient to use tubes, while pans are more practical for details or outdoor work. In addition to tubes and pans, there are also watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons. These can achieve various beautiful effects. Pans, tubes, pencils, and crayons can all be used together.

aquarel pans and round brushesFor working with watercolor paint, mainly round brushes are used. These brushes absorb a lot of moisture, and thanks to the pointed tip, even large brushes can be used for small details. A beginner usually needs only 3 brushes: a large one, approximately size 12, for large areas; a medium-sized one, approximately size 6, for regular work; and a very small one, size 2, for details. For making large washes, flat brushes are often used. A flat brush about 1 cm wide is sufficient for this purpose. Whether you use brushes made of real hair or synthetic ones is a matter of taste and budget. Genuine marten or squirrel hair brushes are very expensive. Many of today's synthetic brushes, however, are also of good quality. Various types of sponges are also used to apply the paint.

supports for aquarelverfWatercolor paint is used on various types of supports. This can be parchment, fabric, or paper. Usually, white or light-toned linen rag paper of good quality is used. The paper is available as loose sheets but also as blocks. The loose sheets are moistened and attached to a board with special tape. After drying, the paper is taut and suitable for watercolor painting. During work, the paper may become slightly wrinkled, but this smooths out as the paint dries. The bond between the paint and the paper is achieved because the paint is absorbed, settles, and adheres to the fiber structure of the somewhat porous paper.
Doll in aquarelWhen watercoloring, the color white is hardly used. White is achieved by not painting certain areas. This doesn't always work. Chinese white, an opaque white paint, is used to make previously painted areas white again.

In theory, you could get by with just 3 colors of paint: the primary colors red, yellow, and blue. By mixing, any other color can be created. However, this doesn't always work in practice. A basic palette generally consists of at least 2 shades of red, 2 shades of yellow, and 2 shades of blue. In slightly more extensive sets, this is often supplemented with several greens, browns, and blacks. Over time, most painters develop their own preferences for certain colors, resulting in a personal palette.
mediums for watercolorThere are several materials that are very useful in combination with watercolor paint.
  • Gum arabic, to give the paint a deep glow.
  • Ox gall, to make the paint flow better.
  • Wax or masking fluid, to cover parts that need to remain white.