I began sketching and painting four years ago, but to most water colorist and sketchers, I’m still a baby beginner. For the first couple of years, by far the biggest struggle I encountered was wading through the massive selection of art supplies to determine which ones worked best for me. Based on the number of emails, questions, and comments I receive on this topic, I suspect that many other budding watercolor artists and sketchers deal with the same struggle.

I’ve spent much of the last four years testing various sketching and watercolor supplies, and what a great learning experience it has been! These trials and tests have taught me much about why certain paints, papers, and best watercolor brushes behave the way they do, how I can use and combine various supplies and techniques to greater advantage, and the reasons why I prefer certain brands and materials over others