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Water color suppliesWhen you're just starting with watercolor painting, you have a plethora of materials to choose from. There's a lot of variation in price and quality. And although the costs can be significant when you're just starting out, investing in better paint, a good brush, and suitable paper is definitely worth it. Paint, brushes, and paper of better quality are more enjoyable to work with and often yield a better result.

Pans and tubesThere are numerous colors of watercolor paint available. You don't need all of them. Over time, you'll develop your own palette of colors. In this article, you'll find a basic set of colors with which you can make a beautiful start.

Watercolor paint is available in pans and tubes. You can use both interchangeably. Which one you choose is a matter of personal preference. Try both to see which you prefer.
The colors mentioned in the basic palette are from the Talens-Rembrandt Artists Watercolour range. This is a fine quality paint, but more expensive than the Van Gogh range from Talens. If you have a limited budget, a replacement color from the Van Gogh range is listed next to the mentioned color. Of course, you can also use comparable colors from another brand for your basic palette.
The basic palette consists of 2 yellows, 2 reds, and 2 blues. If you want to know exactly why, also read the article on color theory. The colors you see may differ from the actual colors. This is partly due to your screen settings. If you're unsure about what you want to paint or if you have no preference, then it's best to choose a general color palette.

For a general color palette, you need the following colors:

cadmium yellow lemon 207 - Cadmium lemon yellow, a cool greenish yellow
(254 - Permanent lemon yellow)
cadmium yellow light208 - Cadmium yellow light, a warm orange yellow
(268 - Azogeel Licht)
If you want more variation in color compared to cadmium lemon yellow, you could also choose a Medium or Dark Cadmium yellow.
Alizarine crimson 331 - Alizarin crimson, a cool violet red
(331 - Alizarin crimson)
Cadmium red 314 - Cadmium red, a warm orange red
(370 - Permanent red light)
Cerulean blue 534 - Cerulean blue, a cool greenish blue
(535 - Cerulean blue phthalo)
Ultramarine deep 506 - Ultramarine deep, a warm violet blue
(506 - Ultramarine deep)


Supplement 1: Not necessary but very useful to have are:

Burnt umberBurnt Umber Burnt SiennaBurnt Sienna
Payne's greyPayne's Gray  


Supplement 2: Later you can expand it with:

Yellow ochreYellow Ochre Raw siennaRaw Sienna
ViridianHookers green dark / Viridian Sap greenSap Green
Cobalt blueCobalt blue Prussian bluePrussian blue
This is the recommended basic palette with supplements. If you're not sure if you enjoy watercolor painting, start with the smallest package. Make sure to use paint from a good brand. In this case, you can start with both the cheaper student quality and the more expensive artist quality. Do not start with cheap, unbranded paint. These contain a lot of filler. Fillers are very cheap and allow the paint to be sold at a low price. The disadvantage of fillers is that the colors become dull and muddy when mixed. The cheap paints are only nice in color when unmixed.

You can expand your color palette depending on the genre you want to paint. If you like painting flowers, you'll need a completely different color palette than someone who paints buildings or portraits.




Recommended color palette for painting flowers:

cadmium yellow lemonCadmium yellow lemon (basic palette) cadmium yellow darkCadmium yellow dark
cadmium orange Cadmium orange dark yellow ochreYellow ochre (supplement 2)
napels yellow reddishNaples yellow (reddish) cadmium red lightCadmium red light
alizarin crimsonAlizarin crimson (basic palette) CarmineCarmine
venetian redEnglish/Venetian red cobalt violetPurple/Cobalt violet
quinaceridone roseQuinacridone rose mauveMauvé
burnt umberBurnt umber (supplement 1) cerulean blueCerulean blue (basic palette)
cobalt blueCobalt blue (supplement 2) ultramarine blueUltramarine blue (basic palette)
prussian bluePrussian blue (supplement 2) sap greenSap green (supplement 2)
chrome oxid greenChrome oxide green Olive greenOlive green
payne's greyPayne's gray (supplement 1) indigo Indigo

Recommended color palette for painting landscapes:

cadmium yellow lightCadmium yellow (basic palette) aureolin Aureolin
Yellow ochreYellow ochre (supplement 2) golden ochreGolden ochre
raw siennaRaw sienna (supplement 2) cadmium redCadmium red
alizarin crimsonAlizarin crimson (basic palette) indian redIndian red
burnt siennaBurnt sienna (supplement 1) burnt umberBurnt umber (supplement 1)
van dyke brownVan Dyke brown sepia Sepia
payne's greyPayne's gray (supplement 1) Iindigo ndigo
cerulean blueCerulean blue (basic palette) cobalt blueCobalt blue (supplement 2)
ultramarine blueUltramarine blue (basic palette) sap greenSap green (supplement 2)
terra verteTerra verte viridianViridian/Hooker's green (supplement 2)
Of course, you may need to supplement your palette occasionally, but with this palette, you'll go a long way.

For painting portraits, you can use the following palette:

cadmium yellow lemonCadmium yellow lemon (basic palette) cadmium yellowCadmium yellow (basic palette)
naples yellowNaples yellow naples yellow reddishNaples yellow reddish
yellow ochreYellow ochre (supplement 2) cadmium redCadmium red (basic palette)
venetian redEnglish/Venetian red alizarine crimsonAlizarin crimson (basic palette)
burnt umberBurnt umber (supplement 1) sepiaSepia
cobalt blueCobalt blue (supplement 2) ultramarine blueUltramarine blue (basic palette)
sap greenSap green (supplement 2) payne's greyPayne's gray (supplement 1)
With these colors, you can create many types of skin tones. Here are a few examples:

MFor someone with fair skin and blond hair, mix the following:

  • Skin: Cadmium red, Cadmium yellow, Cobalt blue
  • Shadows and mouth: Cadmium red, Cadmium yellow, Cobalt blue, Sepia
  • Hair: Burnt umber, Naples yellow, Sepia

For someone with tinted skin and dark blond hair, mix the following:

  • Skin: Lemon yellow, Yellow ochre, Burnt sienna
  • Shadows and mouth: Lemon yellow, Yellow ochre, Burnt sienna, Payne's gray
  • Hair: Burnt umber, Cadmium red, Payne's gray

MFor someone with dark skin and black hair, mix the following:

  • Skin: Venetian red, Yellow ochre, Sap green
  • Shadows and mouth: Venetian red, Yellow ochre, Sap green, Sepia
  • Hair: Alizarin crimson, Ultramarine blue, Sepia
These are just examples. Experiment until you're satisfied. Try to avoid flat tones and don't use black for black hair. Keep in mind that colors from different suppliers may vary. Also, not every manufacturer produces every color. If in doubt, ask for advice at a good art supply store. They will undoubtedly be happy to help you. They can also inform you if you prefer to work with a different color palette.