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For someone just starting out, quality paper is the most important thing followed by paint and brushes. I recommend shopping online as you'll pay 2-3x more locally (unless you have a Blick store nearby, they usually match their online prices) and you can set your girlfriend up nicely without breaking the bank. I'm not sure what you're looking to spend so I'll try to give you a decent range of options.

Paint

Cotman and Van Gogh are the student versions of professional brands (Winsor Newton & Rembrandt) and the most often suggested for beginners. They come in pans (dried paint blocks you swipe with a wet brush to reactivate) and tubes. Though these are student grade they're both used professionally and very high quality. They're lightfast (won't fade with exposure to sun), use the same pigments that the professional brands do (though with a smaller amount) and are both very reasonably priced. And if she enjoys painting and looks to upgrade in the future, she could pick up the Professional version with minimal relearning how the paint performs (All brands behave a little differently on paper).

Of the two I would suggest Van Gogh as they're extremely vibrant, the pans are very easy to rewet (Cotman pans are difficult to get pigment from in my experience, and for someone learning to paint having to scrub a pan with a brush will be frustrating. The tubes better.) and come in nice compact travel sets that have a built in palette for mixing. The Set of 12 Pans is plenty to start with, you can mix a wide variety of colors from that. The 18 pan + 2 tube set is a great option as well as it gives you a nice variety of warm and cool primaries as well as convenient greens and earth colors, it comes with a small brush and sponge, I'd go with that one. The larger sets of 30-48 aren't necessary as they're mostly colors that are mixed from the single pigment paints included in the smaller sets, but if you think she'd enjoy having a ton of colors available without having to mix those are something you can look at too.

If you wanna ball out a little bit and get her some professional paints, Da Vinci has a ton of pan and tube set options. The 12 Full Pan Set again has everything she'd need getting started. They're as good as any brand out there. The pans are also twice the size of the student brand options and will last a very long time.

There's a ton of great paints out there, I suggest these because they're great value as well as quality and don't include a lot of the weird and rarely used colors you find in a lot of sets. I'd go with pans because they're ready to go as soon as you open them, you don't have to wait for the tube paint to dry for a day or two before you can store it or take it with you, they're very attractive gifts that are nice to look at (if you look on youtube you'll see 100s of videos of people just opening them and showing them off) and you can refill them with your own tube paints later on once you know what you like and start building your own palette. This time of the year there's tons of deals out there so if you find a nice set of Winsor Newton or something on amazon that's a great snag as well. Just avoid "store" brands like Artist's Loft or Masters Touch, or the tons of really cheap chinese sets you'll find online.

Paper

100% Cotton is the way to go. It can handle any technique and can take a ton of water without buckling or falling apart. Even the nicest paint will appear dull on poor watercolor paper and they can't handle much water before they start to give out. It can be a little pricey but it's well worth it. Again there's tons of brands but Arches is the most used and it's excellent so I don't wanna bog you don't with a bunch of brands. You could also grab a 22x30 inch sheet of Arches and tear it into a variety of smaller sheets (this is the most common and frugal way). Cold press is medium textured, Hot Press is smooth and Rough is obvious. Cold press is the most versatile so I'd start there. I don't use sketchbooks but if you're looking for something like that I've heard these are good.

Brushes

Brushes are personal preference, some people only use one for everything and some people like a variety of size and hair types. If you wanna keep it simple a 10 or 12 Round is a good workhorse that can handle small detail and a larger wash. There's sets if you wanna get her a few to see what she likes. Synthetic or a blend is where I'd start as real sable or squirrel is pretty expensive. There's water brushes that aren't "traditional" but are popular for sketching or coloring ink art and are easy to use.

Hope this helps!

For $50 you can get her some nice starter paints, maybe some brushes (I know I'm personally REALLY picky about my brushes), some nice paper, and maybe a nice porcelain palette. If you don't have a local craft store, I suggest either amazon or dick blick for internet shopping fun!

If she'd like cake sets, this would be a good starter set, Winsor and Newton is a good brand.

Or you can add on some tube watercolors if you so choose. (again I went with this brand but you can look at others, I have had some of the cheaper ones go bad on me)

I'm not sure what size of paper she wants but here is some basic watercolor paper. Of course you can find more fancy cold press papers as well.

As far as brushes, as I said I'm pretty picky, but you can start with a nice starter set. Something like this or this is similar to what I started out with. If you'd like to start her out with just one or two really good brushes let me know and I can get out my brushes and link you to ones I personally like. But really it all comes down to personal preference, as I've used hundreds of brushes over the years and brushes that I've liked aren't the same that say other artists like.

And if you still have some money left over I'd recommend a nice porcelain palette. Most sets come with plastic which is okay, but I find that porcelain is just much nicer to mix watercolor in, and of course lasts longer! This is the one I use but this is a nice one as well!

Hope that gives you some help!

Cute painting! I love elephants :) It looks like you're got a good grasp on how watercolors work, and to preserve whites of the paper. My biggest suggestion, as others said, would be to get some actual watercolor paper because you aren't going to get the lovely blooming, watery effect on canvas. I am not sure what paints you are using, but I would suggest a good quality paint too. Paper in this case would be more important! I do think changing up your supplies is going to give you that watercolor oomph you might be looking for.


I recommend in this order for paper:

• at least 140lb whatever you decide.
  
  
• Strathmore 400 series. This isn't "artist quality" but it's a pretty nice paper and afforable. For me, it handled better than the cheap "Canson XL watercolor" paper. You can get this at Michaels and probably Hobby Lobby.
  
  
• Arches. Expensive stuff. Highly praised but I got to admit it's not my faovrite. Seemed to warp more than others. This is at Michaels and HL but it's cheaper to buy online.
  
  
• Saunders Waterford. Also more expensive, harder to get in the US besides block style. The blocks annoy me though because it uses black glue on the edges which I found very hard to remove from the paper.
  
  
• Fabriano Artistico (the artist grade), this is so far my favorte paper.
  
  
  If you've not used real WC paper before it's going to behave differently than canvas; it's going to warp while you paint on it. You can tape it down to your desk to keep it workable (or a masonite panel really cheap on dickblick.com, or a gator board), and after your painting is done and dry - flip it over onto a clean DRY pillowcase, wet the pack with a sponge (lightly but covered), lay a thin pillowcase/sheet overtop and iron the paper flat. Can take 10-15 minutes of continuous ironing, make sure to keep it moving. Make SURE not to get the front side wet.
  
  
  Next, I would recommend at least 1 large round brush. I really like this one:
  
  
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00512C1VS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
  Then, for paints, I'd recommend if your budget is tight a Cotman set like this,
  
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Colour-Sketchers/dp/B00004THXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482286770&sr=8-1&keywords=cotman+watercolors
  
  
  You can get this at Michaels but it's...ridiculously more expensive.
  
  
  But if you can afford it, lines such as: Daniel Smith, M. Graham, Holbein. Remember that you don't have to just use one brand and pigments can vary from brand to brand! Check out:
  
  
  http://www.janeblundellart.com/building-your-palette-of-colours.html
  
  
  For color suggestions starting out.
  
  
  Lastlyyyy, check out dickblick.com, cheapjoes.com, jerrysartarama.com for supplies. Cross check it with Amazon. Usually the art supply sites are a few dollars cheaper and that really adds up on tubes of paint. jacksonsart.com ships brushes for free to the US, tend to be a good bit cheaper, but shipping can take a few weeks.

$100 will get you pretty far! obligatory ymmv, a lot of supplies depend on what and how you paint (do you paint large or small? do you paint outside a lot and need a travel kit? and so on), etc, etc, but here is how i would spend the money:

• paints
  
  kuretake gansai tanbi, 36 color set - the best set of watercolors i have used and relatively cheap, the colors are vibrant, mix well, and set beautifully.
  
  
  
• paper
  
  probably where most of the money should go after upgrading your paints. i like the strathmore 500 series and the canson papers for sketching and learning. other higher end brands that are recommended a lot are arches, bee paper, and fluid 100. definitely try out both hot press and cold press, people usually develop a preference but one is not necessarily better than the other.
  
  
• brushes
  
  honestly, brushes are not that important as long as they are not frayed or shedding. i've seen tons of professionals use and recommend this cheap set by grace art. i also like the princeton neptune brushes.
  
  
• extras
  
  if you still have money left, i would suggest trying something cool like metallic and pearlescent paints if it interests you. or use the money towards other mediums if you want to branch out.

watercolors LINK

we starting to use it in art schools and continue to use them in art academy. they really are good. no need to dig deeper in more expensive, pro watercolors.

fancy watercolors (i personally love them, but really, basically fo fun, mixed media) LINK

watercolor pad LINK

that's my choice. would highly recommend this producer, really great absorption, thick paper, different formats available. anyway, it's really good.

brushes is really very personal choice, depends on technic and such. I like this one LINK great for miniature work. You can look for some squirrel hair brushes in local store orLINK , they are good for starters and for wet painting.

EDIT. fanart sample where all those stuff used at once :P

I just started about a month ago and I had the same questions! I did some research on here and youtube to see what others recommended, and I decided on these:

• Watercolors: Winsor & Newton Cotman
  
  • I've seen this recommended a lot, and I saw quite a few youtubers using it. I've been very happy with it, and it's been satisfying all my needs as just a casual hobbyist.
    
• Brush: Silver Black Velvet, Round, Size 8
  
  • Brush selection made the biggest difference for me. I initially started with the cheap brushes that come in a combo pack from Michael's but found that they didn't work too well for holding water and applying the pigment. This is now the only brush I use, and I love it. I think the size 8 is a good middle-of-the-road size because I can get some finer lines with it and also put down a decent wash. I haven't yet felt the need to get a separate wash brush, but I think that's what I'd get next.
    
• Paper: Canson Watercolor Pad
  
  • I think the general rule of thumb is to go with at least 300gsm weight paper. I like using a smaller pad since I'm still learning and painting small things, and the size isn't intimidating.
    
    Here's an album of some of the things I painted with the supplies I listed: https://imgur.com/gallery/cDXH13G
    
    As for tutorials, I'm a fan of Coco Bee Art, Makoccino, and The Mind of Watercolor on youtube.
    
    Hope that helps! And of course, these are just my own recommendations. Definitely go out and see what other people have to say.

I’m new as well but I’ve done lots (maybe too much) research. What is your budget? From what I understand Windsor & Newton Cotman paints are a good student/hobby grade paint. They sell them in nifty little 12 pan kits that pretty much provide all the colors you need to make good mixes.

Here is a travel set for about $13:
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketchers Pocket Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qq8Tzb8SY82G3

If you are willing to spend a little more on paint for artist grade I hear excellent things about these: St Petersburg White Nights Watercolour : NEW 12 Pan Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006FHNE3C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Gt8TzbT5PD01H

I’ve seen these really cool portable brushes: High-end art travel painting brush Synthetic Sable Round Hair Short Handle Brush for Acrylic Oil and watercolor painting 3Pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3VMDED/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5r8TzbVV97JR3

Or you can use a water brush: Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush Assorted Tips, Pack of 3 (FRHBFMBP3) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AX31TZO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Os8TzbN7TW9AQ

As for Paper, I really want one of these myself: Moleskine Watercolor Album Sketchbook - 5"x8" (Spanish Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/8883705629/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vz8TzbWWMHY1M


I hope this helps! :)

I personally prefer the paint that doesn't come dry, so if you're willing to buy something as pricey as the big paint set, I'd say [go with this set instead] (http://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Water-12-Tube/dp/B001S7K8X8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420662136&sr=8-1&keywords=windsor+newton+watercolor+set). You can get vibrancy in the colors better since you can use them with very little water, opposed to dry sets where you need to start off with a lot of water to break up the paint.

Also, I love cheap brush sets. I find that the synthetic ones work just fine, you get a good amount for your dollar, and you don't have to worry about brush care since they're so affordable. Might save the money on pricier brushes when you've decided you wanna stick with this and you've learned more about the medium.

Have fun! The bird woman is pretty good; I like the blend of colours!

Cotton is def. the best. Arches watercolor paper is really good but it’s also very pricey. I would hold off on buying that just yet and buy some more affordable paper to get started

The canson XL watercolor paper pads are a good start, strathmore also sells some packs of precut paper on amazon

Once you develop your technique and feel more comfortable splurge on the arches paper :)

Some people also like bee watercolor paper as practice paper. But I hate it lol it’s kind of thin and not my jam.


Edit: I have to add. If you live in the US. I’ve actually had good luck and my local Ross stores. I’ve found strathmore watercolor pads for $2.99

The palettes I ordered are a Meeden 24 half-pan travel palette, and a Whiskey Painters 8 half-pan flask palette(which I have in my hands right now, actually.). As far as palettes go, I also have a 33-well plastic Master's Touch airtight palette that I use for my home-palette for paintings. I wanted something that I could take with me very easily, that was small, and ideally something light, but most importantly durable. I also wanted the choice between having a lot of colors(hence the Meeden) to choose from, and something that limited my colors and could fit in my pocket(the Whiskey Painters). My plan is to stock the Meeden with a full selection including convenience colors, and have the Whiskey Painter stocked with a Primaries Only palette(both CMY and RYB) so I have to mix my own intermediates and such since I need practice with color mixing.

​

Is the Schmincke ultramarine non-granulating? I haven't heard anything about their paints... I heard that Holbein has a really nice non-granulating Ultramarine I've been looking into.

​

Also, by 'technical' I didn't really mean stuff like architectural or really mathematically technical illustrations. I don't really know the word for the kind of illustration I do, but I like to try and put as much depth and texture in my illustrations as I can, but I prefer to use contrast and light values to create it, rather than relying on the paint to do it for me. Most of what I learned about how to handle watercolors I've learned through trial and error, practicing Sumi-e, a single book on Fantasy painting, and watching every single Bob Ross "Joy Of Painting" video and trying to translate what that video had over to watercolor from oil.

​

Edited to add a few details that I skipped out on. Still new to Reddit.

Oh boy! Watercolor is beautiful and relatively easy to get started with, but the medium has a unique character that people find difficult to master. I find that instead of learning to control watercolor, I learn to work with it.

This book is one of my favorites, and youtube has a lot of excellent videos which will show you how to approach painting. Just search for 'Watercolor Speed Painting' or 'Watercolor Tutorials'.

If you have no experience with them, start with a cheap set of tube paints, and any heavy paper. Get a set of real-hair watercolor brushes, or a couple decent synthetic ones. Bigger is better! Get at least an 8 and a 12. If you want to buy better individual paints, start with a minimal palette like one of the two mentioned here.

Practice, practice, practice, and keep asking questions :) Good luck!

Assuming you're from the US, here are a few recs from Amazon. But also check out other art supply sellers as they often have sales that beat Amazon prices (Cheap Joes, Dick Blick's, Jerry's Artorama, Art Supply Warehouse).

Bee Paper is a good, affordable alternative to the expensive (but fantastic) Arches. Whatever paper you get, it should be cotton (not wood pulp) or "rag", 140 pound, and cold pressed.

Robert Simmons makes some great synthetic brushes, but Amazon doesn't sell sets really. Princeton Neptunes are pretty good, and are on Amazon. Good brushes for a starter kit are a #8 and 12 round, 1" flat wash and maybe a #4 for detail work.

A lot of people here like the Koi Travel Set but I don't do plein art, and like tube paint, so I haven't tried it yet.

[edit-a word]

Thanks for the compliment and taking the time to peak! Here's what I do to get the most intensity/luminosity:

• Try to use transparent colors
  
• Make sure paint colors on your palette are clean before you begin or squeeze out fresh paint esp the yellows
  
• Try beginning with an under painting of transparent warm yellow (eg indian yellow or perm yellow deep, PY110) as it glows through the greens and oranges of this frog.
  
• Staining colors like phthalo blue or green, can get hung up in your brush and can sometimes make yellows dull quickly. If the yellow looks dirty, I wash my brush again in clean water and take more fresh yellow. (kinda washing my brush with yellow!)
  
• Try not to mix with the complementary or near complementary colors, as this can dull the glazes, so I try to layer with the same color family,
  
• Try not to "over touch" the wet-in-wet glazes.
  
• Working on good quality paper, if affordable-but I think the paper is an important factor (100% cotton, esp Arches bright white paper helps with luminosity. https://www.amazon.com/Arches-Cold-Press-Watercolor-Pad/dp/B008N0BC2Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1504475720&sr=1-1&keywords=arches+watercolor+paper (cheaper from art suppliers eg Dick Blick, Cheap Joes etc, but they have a minimum for free shipping)
  I hope this helps! Good luck!

Hi! I got started with watercolor using Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Sketcher Pocket Box http://amzn.to/2gepCLr , it is a good starter with all the basic colors. Right now I really love tube paints mainly because I can choose which colors I want. But they are more of an investment, and I would only recommend doing that once you figure out which colors and brands you like.

For paper, I would recommend using watercolor paper. Any brand will be good to start with. Also, one thing to remember is that watercolor paper comes in two paper textures - Hot press (smooth texture, like regular paper) and Cold Press (textured). For me personally, I love Cold Press. I enjoy having that little bit of texture show through, but it is all about preference.

For brushes, I would make sure you choose ones that are for watercolor, because they are designed to hold water. Don't get the really cheap ones, because those will fall apart. But you really don't need the super expensive kinds either. I would always buy mine when they were on sale. Also, you only really need one or two to start out with. I have several brushes, but I only really use about two or three of them.

Also, like the other person said, youtube is amazing for tutorials, and also product reviews.

between those two, i support the cotman.

HOWEVER, please consider the white nights set. i dont have this myself but it's a palette i've had on my list for several months now. it's the same price but the white nights is artist-grade (professional) paint. also, this Schpirr Farben set is also artist-grade. i also don't have this myself but is on my list. you can find reviews on youtube.

PM me if you're interested in my in depth review of the cotman pocket box set. i have this one.


EDIT: i'd like to add some pros and cons. the white nights set is very well known and has been around for a long time. many artists will vouch for it. however, the pans aren't of 'standard' size. as for the schpirr farben, that one is quite new i believe but it has great reviews. also, the metal box it comes with is versatile.

also note that these two sets i mentioned, both don't have the colour white. so you get 'more' colour which is very good in my opinion.

I've used Rembrandt (meh) and Derwent pencils - the Derwents are nice on the go, but my favourite so far is this:

https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Colour-Sketchers/dp/B00004THXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491486681&sr=8-1&keywords=winsor+and+newton+watercolor

The Cotman sketchers kit. I have three tubes added to it - Payne's Grey, Ultramarine Violet and Leaf Green. There's three mixing spaces in the top, I just leave a bit of each colour squeezed in the top because it dries between uses, and I find it to be a good 'complete' colour kit.

If you want the 24 pan set, it's here: https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Water-Color-Metal/dp/B001M6VMTY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491486681&sr=8-2&keywords=winsor+and+newton+watercolor

I like the half pans for sketching, but if I'm doing professional illustrations in my studio, I usually use tubes (Holbein or Winsor and Newton are my faves). I do keep going back to the red in the Cotman pans though!

Good luck!

Ah cool! Well I make Paint Sets for my etsy shop with Daniel smith and M Graham tube paints squeezed and then dried into little travel palettes. As I have all of the supplies, I've made sets for my kids that are around the same age. They are learning from an early age how to handle professional quality materials right off the bat, and the art of color mixing, which I think is important. So if you go for those tubes, I'd recommend getting her a little palette that she can squeeze a little bit of the tubes into and then allow to dry. I've been really happy with this palette . She would have room to slowly expand her colors -(future present ideas ;) That way the tubes won't get used up in a months time. I don't however give them my arches paper. They get the strathmore 400 :) so you could buy the palette and a pack of strathmore (50% off coupon at Michaels!) for about the same price as an arches pad. Boom, done! ;)

If you didn't want the tubes, and you wanted her to have more color choices, I'd go for the Windsor Newton cotman set at Michaels with a 50% off coupon. It'll cost about $15-20 that way.

Color and Light by James Gurney has a great section on understanding the importance of color theory with some very nice examples and it is easy to read/understand, as well as a lot of information on how to understand light/shadows. Not exclusive to watercolor but I think it is still a great resource. I haven't found a watercolor technique book I love yet, usually my go to for that is YouTube.

http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453174518&sr=8-1&keywords=james+gurney

Hi! the notebook is this global arts materials one and the water brush is just the free one from my Sakura watercolor set! They're both pretty cheap materials - I have my eye set on a few higher end things, but I'm a firm believer that good art doesn't necessarily require quality supplies ;)

EDIT (forgot to respond to your second question): Oh, and I like the brush! I find the water barrel convenient when I'm sketching outdoors, although I do keep a jar for paint water when I'm painting at home still. It's very functional both ways :)

Thank you so much for such a complete, thorough, and well thought out response! Never did I dream you would respond with such a wealth of information! Which is why I must apologize for my tardy reply. My health is not the best and when the nephropathy kicks into high-gear I come to a complete stop with the pain.

Still, I am blown away with everything you posted and if anything, makes me want to pick your brain even more! I have read your response several times and kept wondering where to start with my response. So I think I will start where you finished.

"...I don't have anyone to geek out about watercolor with. Sorry for the wall of text!" PLEASE! No apology necessary! If anything, I owe you a WALL OF THANKS!

I totally get what you mean about not having anyone to "anyone to geek out about watercolor with." It really does make a difference in ones life, quality of life, when we can spend time immersing ourselves in the things we enjoy doing with others who also enjoy the same thing. I call those things the anti-toxins of daily life. The energies we derive from spending time with others enjoying the things that jazz up our lives and get our motors racing. I, too, have no one around here that can or will, "geek out" about watercolor or art in general.

Looking at your early work, thank you u/peekabook for such a GREAT question!, I think I am about where you were a few years ago. And, like you, I too have been watching Anna Mason, Steve Mitchel (Mind of Watercolor), and Louise de Masi. So, it is nice to know I am following your lead there.

As far as materials, I recently began transiting to Daniel Smith pigments and ordered the "DANIEL SMITH 285610005 Extra Fine Essentials Introductory Watercolor, 6 Tubes, 5ml "

I seem to be 'stuck' at the level you were at a few years ago. I have been painting/studying watercolor casually for about 2.5 years. Albeit, casually and sporadically because of my medical problems.

So, if you don't mind, can we 'geek out' about "Practice"?

Specifically, WHAT and HOW do you, did you, practice to get over that hump from the level you were at 2 years ago, to the level you are now that made me say, O!M!G!??

I have been thinking I need to find projects, subjects, ideas, that I can learn and practice on a small scale, due to my medical problems, and then transition what I have learned to a larger scale painting.

It is hard to describe but often I just do not have the energy, or the pain is so high I can not focus or sit for extended periods of time to paint or practice. So, any ideas on WHAT I can practice and or HOW to practice, so I can join you on the other side of this hump?

Thank again. And in case you are not yet sure, I absolutely LOVE your work! And definitely volunteer to be your watercolor net geek to geek out with!

I got the 24-set last year after reading lots of positive reviews on amazon.

Good stuff: it's portable, has a lot of colors, and they are vivid.

Bad stuff: they are super chalky and therefore difficult to work with, and the set-up feels clumsy to use.

My review is probably skewed because my usual pallet is artist quality tube paints, but I tried the Koi set once and never wanted to use it again. I should probably give it a second chance, and someone used to student paints will probably enjoy it.

After trying a few set-ups, this is my favorite travel kit. I did replace the pans with my prefered tube colors, and use a waterbrush.

Hmm, it sort of varies with a lot of stuff, but Prima is pretty portable, as is White Nights. Sennelier makes good stuff as well.

Water in my experience is a lot trickier. Again, you've got a great start by using thinner lines on the stems to show they're behind a transparent object. Since the thickness of the stems is similar below and above the water level, you could make the line even thinner (like, super thin implied baby lines) when it's underwater. Or, you could forego linework completely and rely on colour to show the form (which I think looks super cool with watercolours).

I think using a thin line for the water surface worked well. A way to push the depth further would be to use perspective. Continue the water line around the back of the vase to show the surface of the water as a flat circle, instead of a curved 2D line - image searching 'cylinder in perspective' can show I mean. If you do this, it's best to be consistent and do the same with the vase as well, otherwise it looks kinda weird.

Another theory about line weight applies to objects in perspective - the further an object is from the viewer, the less detail the viewer sees, so the line work should be thinner as the object moves back.

You've got the right idea about using colours to show some reflection on the surface of the water. I think by using perspective to turn it into a flat plane instead of a line, it'll also make it easier for you to visualize when you try to add those reflections.

As for colouring underwater, that's... something I'm still learning myself lol

There's lots of information out there on the internet about perspective and colour theory that goes into way more depth (hah) than I can, but if you're looking for books check out Color and Light by James Gurney and Perspective Made Easy by Ernest Norling.

When I started I got a set of Winsor and Newton Cotman colours...

Something like this

The Cotman sets are student quality rather than artists quality but they gave me a really good grounding in how to use watercolour. After about a year I moved on to W&N Artist Quality. The set I've linked comes with a small palette and a brush. In addition to that I'd get a flat brush and maybe one other round brush a bit bigger that the one supplied. The only other thing you need is water and some kitchen towel.

I hope this helps!

Those are pretty cool, and you can do some decent illustrations with them, but I wouldn't say you could 'paint' with them. What you want is a water brush and a small portable watercolor set, or small folding palette.

It's more functional, and you will be happier if you want to paint.

I have to second the good paper recommendation and/or a nice watercolor book. I love these hard cover Moleskine books. My bf got me one for Valentine’s Day this year and I’m almost finished with my second one.

Linkamazon link

The Moleskine watercolor albumare a good starter notebook. I have also started to use the Stillman & Birn - Beta Series and I really like the paper in that sketch book and prefer the soft cover. Stillman & Birn has more choices when it comes to different papers and binding options in their different Series. Hope this helps!

You may want to consider the Portable Painter

Or get a Cotman’s Pocket Box and put whatever half pans you want in that

Otherwise as far as I know that Whiskey Painters palette linked in a comment earlier is the only one with the set up you like.

Edit: after looking a little on Etsy under “vintage watercolor tin” I found this and I’m so sure you could clean it up and fill it with your favorites!

thanks! I feel using 100% cotton paper is one of the most important things for watercolor, the first time I used it was like an epiphany. Like, "Oh.. THAT is why I've been having so much trouble with xyz technique" most techniques are now substantially easier.

this is the one i use: https://amzn.com/B008N0BC2Y

usually its only like $13 but for some reason its $15 now, usually almost $30 in the stores around my house though

winsor newton is a great brand here is a link to a small set http://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Colour-Sketchers/dp/B00004THXI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451194532&sr=8-1&keywords=winsor+newton+set hope this helps

I use Arches 100% cotton paper. To stretch the paper I soak it in a water bath for about 10 minutes then place it on a board and tape the edges down using butchers tape (some masking tapes seem to work ok as well). I use staples for larger papers. Let it dry then remove it when you are ready to paint. The stretching helps with absorption and reduces buckling when using a lot of water.

You can also get paper in a block that has the sheets glued on all four sides. This prevents the need for stretching as the paper is held down onto the block. Sheets are more versatile and easier to work with IMO.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketchers Pocket Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_584.Ab298Z73K

I bought this one a year ago and it is still going strong! Totally recommended it.

haha yes! this set actually has a really nice dinky little brush but if I am to get beyond A5 pieces I am going to have to get a bigger one!

This was the set I bought, btw.

The best way I know how is to start by masking the trees with a masking fluid like this one and then painting the background first (you can drag your horizon line all the way over the dry masking fluid so it looks more continuous). Then you take up the masking fluid with something like a rubber pick-up block like this. And then paint in your trees at the end. I also prefer this way so that if I'm trying to do a flat or gradient in the sky or ground, I can assure that the gradient or flat wash is the same all the way across the paper easier.

Otherwise, the way you've done it works fine if you've got a steady hand and good pencil guides. You could also potentially start with the background and just leave the tree spots empty to start (requiring a good pre-sketch) but you can run into the same troubles with wonky, not quite lining up horizon lines.

I don't think your piece looks all that silly. I like the color scheme you've got going.
One thing I just thought of, if you continue to do without masking fluid for now, consider a bit of the principles of atmospheric perspective and that things farther away from the viewer generally get lighter and lower contrast. Part of what draws the eye to the horizon line so much and highlights the fact that it doesn't match up quite right is that it's one of the areas of highest contrast. Either make that blue lighter as you get closer to the horizon line, or the purple sky darker as you move towards it to draw the attention to other parts of the scene instead.

Hey just was thinking if you're learning

http://www.amazon.ca/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719

Is a fantastic book!

edit: fixed link that was posted on my phone

Winsor and Newton is one of the most reputable brands, used by many professionals. I highly recommend their starting pallet, it's what I first used and is very affordable.

Amazon Link:
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketchers Pocket Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wkokzb8B7G5BC

I went with a mijello 24 that I'm happy with

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KJEWMY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can purchase it at most hobby/art stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Here's a link to what I use on Amazon. If you read the reviews, some of the reviewers posted pics of how they used it in some of their art pieces. https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Masking-Fluid-75ml/dp/B005P1ROEY/ref=sr_1_3?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1503581563&sr=1-3&keywords=masking+fluid

Thanks! I use this Winsor & Newton set. (I use barely half of them!)

I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Masking-Fluid-75ml/dp/B005P1ROEY

Some artists suggest that you split the difference of the bottle once you own one so that you can save half for later and avoid drying out the whole bottle as it tends to react to air very poorly, speeding up the drying process of the contents inside when uncapped during use.

i have the same set, its the "sketchers compact set" in the link i believe. https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Colour-Compact/dp/B00004THXI?th=1

Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Paint Sketchers' Pocket Box, Half Pans, 14-Pieces https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004THXI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JclDCbHYP1FCD

I think that I found it!

https://www.amazon.com/MEEDEN-Heavy-Duty-Watercolor-Palette-Friendly/dp/B07NR8WR26

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004THXI/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At this moment I'm using Kuretake 36 colour set. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001MPA6W4/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_W0EBCb4TNW996

https://www.amazon.com/Canson-Watercolor-Textured-Charcoal-100510941/dp/B004M59O4C/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2K9R1XAH6SP9K&keywords=canson+xl+watercolor+paper&qid=1571544728&sprefix=canson+xl+%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-2

Masking fluid is this stuff that you paint over parts of your watercolor that you don't want to get painted. You rub it off your painting when you're done. I just started using it myself.

So I actually picked up this today, though it's not what I used for the Calvin & Hobbes one. I'm assuming the paper weight is in the lower left (140lbs/300g). I don't know how much I'll need for school, so I'm a little hesitant to use too much of it right off the bat.

When you say stretching the paper by getting it wet, do you mean lightly with a paintbrush, or soaking it and letting it dry? I've literally never used wed medium (other than ink for calligraphy), so I don't really know how this all works.

Oooh this is a fun game:

https://www.amazon.com/MEEDEN-Empty-Watercolor-Palette-Paint/dp/B01MRYR1VI/ref=sr_1_40?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303405&sr=8-40&keywords=watercolor

https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Cotman-Water-Studio/dp/B000XYHYI4/ref=sr_1_43?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303405&sr=8-43&keywords=watercolor

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Artist-Watercolor-Journal-Hardbound/dp/B075ZN6XT3/ref=sr_1_66_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303688&sr=8-66-spons&keywords=watercolor&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Artify-Watercolor-Miniature-Carrying-Flannelette/dp/B078SQT3NW/ref=sr_1_72?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303688&sr=8-72&keywords=watercolor

https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Smith-285610005-Essentials-Introductory/dp/B00WT5VRF6/ref=sr_1_94?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303776&sr=8-94&keywords=watercolor

https://www.amazon.com/Moleskine-Watercolor-Album-Sketchbook-Spanish/dp/8883705629/ref=sr_1_107?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303816&sr=8-107&keywords=watercolor

https://www.amazon.com/Paint-Brush-Brushes-Watercolor-Painting/dp/B00ZO90S1I/ref=sr_1_114_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303816&sr=8-114-spons&keywords=watercolor&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Watercolor-Block-Cold-Press-X12/dp/B0007XDHGO/ref=sr_1_115?ie=UTF8&qid=1526303859&sr=8-115&keywords=watercolor

https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Ph-Martins-400262-XXX-Watercolor/dp/B005TFSDF0/ref=sr_1_147?ie=UTF8&qid=1526304003&sr=8-147&keywords=watercolor

sorry for stupid long links