THE WATERCOLOUR MATERIALS I USE

SKETCHING AND DRAWING

I always use a classic metal-bodied Caran D’Ache 2mm clutch pencil for all my sketching, with a soft 6B lead. Many years ago, I watched a demonstration by an accomplished pencil artist who advocated clutch pencils for their balance and flexibility: you can use the lead long or short to suit your requirements, and the pencil’s weight remains consistent. Over time, this consistency allows you to become extremely familiar with the pencil. This recommendation has always stuck with me.

I also like that the lead sharpener is built into the cap, so I never have to worry about carrying a separate pencil sharpener! For the inevitable errors, I’m rarely far away from a kneadable putty rubber of some description.

PAPER

A sheet of Saunders Waterford rough (top) and a sheet of Arches rough.

I choose papers and paints with permanence in mind, ensuring that the finished works remain stable and lightfast over time. One constant with my paper, however, is that I always paint on rough paper, which I find most sympathetic to my painting style and the range of textures I employ — from smooth graduated washes to energetic broken dry-brush marks. My paper journey has taken in Bockingford, Saunders Waterford and Arches.

However, my favourite paper for many years now is Saunders Waterford High White rough, 140lb/300 gsm. I mainly paint on half imperial or quarter imperial sheets of paper for size.

PAINTS

There are so many different watercolour brands from which to choose, but I favour professional-grade paints for their pigment strength and lightfastness! Each brand offers such a bewildering array of enticing colours that it can be hard to know where to start. Some early advice I received was to start with a relatively modest choice of colours, and, many years on, that’s pretty much where I still am.

My earliest influences, Edward Seago and Edward Wesson used a similar range of colours, particularly suited to the English landscape. Their preferences seemed like as good a starting point as any for me. Both favoured Winsor and Newton paints, and I’ve followed in their footsteps. Based on this foundation, then, my current palette features the following colours from the Winsor and Newton Professional Range:

• Winsor Yellow
• Yellow Ochre
• Burnt Sienna
• Light Red
• Alizarin Crimson
• Burnt Umber
• Cobalt Blue
• French Ultramarine Blue
• Winsor Blue

I’ve found this to be an incredible palette of colours – (and one that I think is especially suited to the more muted colours of the English landscape!). This limited palette is capable of  producing a remarkably wide range of colours. Another advantage is that because you have to mix to get all your greens, for instance, you get to know your palette better.

As I’ve developed and moved on to some more urban scenes, I’ve added the following colours to this basic palette:

• Cerulean Blue
• Neutral Tint
• Cadmium Red (traffic lights etc.)
• Titanium White (only ever used sparingly for the odd sunlit highlight)
• Sepia

I do try out other colours – I recently bought a Winsor Violet to play with – but the ones listed above are my staples.

While this palette forms the core of my work, I continue to experiment and refine my colour choices as my practice evolves.

BRUSHES

I tend to favour high-quality synthetic and natural mop brushes for larger washes, supported by riggers and rounds for finer work. The following ranges are among my current favourites:

• Escoda Ultimo synthetic mop brushes
• Escoda Aquario Mop brushes
• Escoda Aquario Gold Joseph Zbukvic brushes
• Escoda sable watercolour brushes
• Escoda Versatil synthetic rigger brushes
• Escoda Reservoir rigger brush
• Escoda Round Toray synthetic brushes

• Da Vinci Casaneo synthetic mop brushes
• Neef Alvaro Castagnet brushes
• Prolene synthetic sword liner

When choosing which brushes to buy, a general rule to keep your paintings feeling fresh and bold is to paint with a larger brush than you think the job requires!

Palettes

Again, I’ve tried lots of different palettes. For a long time, my favourites were from the Holbein range of enamelled palettes: the Holbein 1000 and the smaller Holbein 500. Both have ample room to be generous with mixes and washes.

In 2018, though, and after considerable research, I invested in a Binning Monro Palette from The Little Brass Box Company. 

For small sketches and for travelling with, my favourite palette is my beloved Frazer Price Palette Box. It isn’t the best palette in the world by any means. Still, I love the history and heritage of these palettes – plus, I’ve been able to customise them to better suit my style of painting – and I appreciate the opportunity to personalise my equipment to suit my working method. 

EASEL

I prefer to paint standing, so I use an easel for most of my work. I use a lightweight camera tripod and have a selection of painting boards fitted with camera tripod adaptors such as this one from Ken Bromley.

My favourite easel set up is an old aluminium Winsor and Newton oil painters’ box that I’ve customised to suit my needs. It’s not lightweight but fully loaded with paints and brushes, etc. It’s roughly the weight of many large wooden easels favoured by oil painters. Here are some photos of it in action!

STUDIO ESSENTIALS 

• • Bucket of water
  • Water spray
  • Kitchen towel
  • Sponge
  • Tool for scraping

I hope this may be of interest and even of some assistance to others.

While materials are important, they are ultimately only the starting point. You can see how they come together in my Landscape, Cityscape and Interior Watercolour Paintings.