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School of Botanical Art – What you’ll need

Here’s a simple guide to the equipment and materials I use throughout the School of Botanical Art tutorials. You don’t need to buy everything at once, and where possible I’ll suggest alternatives so you can build your kit gradually.

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Paints

You don’t need every colour to begin. These are the Sennelier colours I use most often in my tutorials, and you can gradually add to your palette as you work through different subjects.

To help those of you who use Winsor & Newton I have created a conversion chart, which you can download below.

My Sennelier paint colours

  • Sennelier Lemon Yellow 501 (inc. in basic and 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Yellow Deep 579 (inc. in basic and 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Red 636 (inc. in basic and 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Rose Madder Lake 690 (inc. in basic and 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier French Ultramarine 314 (inc. in basic and 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Phthalocyanine Blue 326 (inc. in basic and 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Red Orange 640 (inc. in 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Helios Purple 671 (inc. in 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Dioxazine Purple 917 (inc. in 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Quinacridone Gold 599 (inc. in 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Alizarin Crimson 695 (inc. in 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Cobalt Blue 307 (inc. in 12 tube set)
  • Sennelier Quinacridone Red 679 (inc. in extra set)
  • Sennelier Indigo 308 (inc. in extra set)
  • Sennelier Permanent Magenta 680 (inc. in extra set)

NEW to my list

  • Rose Dore Madder Lake 691

Extra colours that I use occasionally 

  • Sennelier Blue Violet 903
  • Sennelier Bright Red 619
  • Sennelier Titanium White 116
  • Winsor and Newton Opera Rose 448
  • Shin Han Bright Violet 652
Download Billy's W&N paint colour conversion chart

Brushes

A small selection of good-quality pointed brushes will cover most of what you need. The key is to choose brushes that hold plenty of water while still coming to a fine point for detail.

  • The Billy Showell Fine Tipped Brush No. 1
  • The Billy Showell Fine Tipped Brush No. 2
  • The Billy Showell Fine Tipped Brush No. 4
  • The Billy Showell Fine Tipped Brush No. 6
  • The Billy Showell Spotter Brush
  • The Billy Showell Eradicator Brush
  • The Billy Showell Fine Liner Brush
  • The Billy Showell Mixing Brush
  • The Billy Showell Divine Wash Brush

Paper

I mainly use hot pressed, 100% cotton watercolour paper, as it has the resilience needed for detailed botanical painting.

My preferred paper is Saunders Waterford Hot Pressed, High White. I use full sheets in 300gsm, 425gsm and 640gsm weights, as well as 300gsm blocks.

I also occasionally use Fabriano Artistico Extra White, Enhanced Quality. If you are buying this paper, look for the sticker and the watermark, which runs around one corner of the sheet.

If you are new to botanical painting, Saunders Waterford is a very good paper to start with.

When buying sheets, always choose 100% cotton paper where possible. Rather than buying a large pad straight away, try purchasing one sheet at a time from your local art shop. Make a note of the brand, weight and surface finish, and if you enjoy working on it, you will know exactly what to buy next time. If it does not suit you, you can simply try another paper. This is a good way to experiment without wasting money.

Keep any offcuts and scraps, as they are very useful for practising techniques, testing colours and matching washes.

Additional equipment:

  • Two large water pots.
  • A damp dab pad, such as an old flannel or cotton cloth, for removing excess water from your brush.
  • A ceramic palette or white plate for mixing colours.
  • White kitchen towel.
  • HB, F and H pencils — a small set is useful.
  • A Mars Plastic eraser, plus a putty rubber or blue/white tack. I personally prefer the latter.
  • Masking fluid, such as Talens Grey, and/or a Solo Goya Masking Marker.
  • A deckle edge ruler.

Ready to start painting?

Once you have the basic materials above, you have everything you need to begin exploring Billy’s botanical tutorials. Start with the School Techniques lessons to build confidence with colour mixing, brush control and washes, then move on to a subject that inspires you.

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