For Begin with Billy, I’ll be keeping your materials deliberately simple.
You’ll begin with just six artist-quality watercolours, four versatile brushes and a good-quality watercolour paper. This gives you time to really understand colour mixing, brush control and the basics of watercolour before introducing a larger range of materials.
You don’t need an enormous art kit to get started — just a few carefully chosen essentials.
For the first part of the course I’ll be using a set of six Sennelier artist-quality watercolours — two reds, two blues and two yellows.
Keeping the palette small will help you learn how colours behave and how to mix confidently, rather than relying on lots of ready-made colours.
The six colours are:
I recommend artist-quality paints because they have better colour strength, smoother handling and generally make it easier to achieve good results.
Looking after your paints
If your palette is open to the air, store it inside a plastic bag to keep out dust and fluff.
Before painting, place a piece of wet kitchen towel over the paints for a minute or so to soften them and make them ready to use.
I recommend my set of four synthetic brushes, in sizes:
They all have a fine point and are wonderfully versatile for the projects we’ll be working through.
I also use my mixing brush, although an old flat brush that you don’t mind using quite vigorously is a perfectly good alternative.
The Eradicator Brush
You’ll occasionally see me use an Eradicator Brush. It’s very useful for softening or correcting edges, removing small splodges and creating texture once it becomes worn.
It’s a useful brush to have, but you don’t need one to get started.
Looking after your brushes
Once your new brushes arrive, remove the protective plastic tubes and discard them — replacing the tubes can damage the brush tips.
Store brushes upright in a jar with the bristles pointing upwards, or keep them safely in a bamboo brush roll.
If a brush tip becomes misshapen, Billy recommends dipping it into boiling water for around 3–4 seconds, then into cold water, gently reshaping the point and allowing it to dry.
I’ll predominantly be using:
Saunders Waterford Cold Pressed CP (NOT) watercolour paper
I use a block because it keeps the paper flat while you work, although you don’t have to buy your paper in block form.
Watercolour paper can be expensive, so use as much of each sheet as you can. Treat the paper as practice space — work across the sheet rather than placing every exercise directly in the centre. If one small study turns out beautifully, you can always cut it out afterwards and keep it.
Looking after your paper
Keep your watercolour paper away from strong sunlight, heaters and damp conditions, as these can damage the sizing in the paper.
A simple way to protect it is to keep your block or loose sheets inside a sealed plastic bag in your art bag or drawer.
You’ll also find these useful:
If your budget allows, an A4 or A3 acid-free display folder is also a lovely way to keep your exercises and finished paintings protected.
Once you have these basic materials, you’ll have everything you need for the early Begin with Billy lessons.
Start with a small, good-quality set and build your materials gradually as your skills and confidence grow.
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