Newquay Harbour 7, Cornwall
Burano Venice

Watercolour materials I use - Brushes, Paints and Paper

I'm often asked about what materials I use, so here's a summary of brushes, paints and paper.

Brushes

Tim_wilmot_watercolour_brushes

Brushes I use, from left 1) the largest brush, a mop size 18 'Aquario' from Escoda.  It's a natural brush and a great point.  I always use this for washes and painting large areas on 22" x 15" size paper.  2) Size 14 Mop, from Escoda.  Used in washes.  3) Smaller mob brush size 10 'ultimo' from Escoda.  Used for detail and washes over medium sized areas.  4) Large detail brush, synthetic size 12 Perla from Escoda.  5) Small detail size 8 Perla from Escoda.  6)  Nice Rigger brush, with a sort of reservoir in the lower section, again from Escoda.  7) A cheap Ox Hair brush, I think it only cost 10 pence, used for foliage.  I butchered the tip with a pair of nail scissors to give it a rough edge.  8) A small synthetic brush with a straight edge for painting peoples legs or masts/lamp posts.  9)  Very small detail brush, mainly used for white gouache highlights.  10) A Sword or dagger brush - great when fully loaded with paint for foreground foliage detail.

Paint

Tim_wilmot_watercolour_palette

I use a metal palette from Holbein.  Rarely cleaned and main pigments used - Lemon Yellow, Cad Orange, Cad Red, Light Red, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Turquoise, Viridain Green, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber and Neutral Tint.  Most paints come from Winsor and Newton.

Paper

I used to paint a few years ago with Bockingford rough paper, but now it's always Saunders Waterford Rough, cotton based 300 gms paper.  I paint in sizes 15" x 11" or 22" x 15", mainly.

 

Comments

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josé luis zorrilla campos

¡Curioso! Coincidimos en los pinceles. Esta mañana por ejemplo he pintado con el grupo local y he usado también 18 Aquario,14 Perla,10 Perla y 6 Ultimo con punta muy fina y reserva. Creo que con estos 4 pinceles de Escoda se pueden hacer grandes obras, como es tu caso.
En cuanto a la paleta, uso una de metal esmaltado, con 18 pocillos que relleno con Newton o Cotman.

Espero que con estos materiales, algún día pinte tan bien como tú.

JohnDaker

Tim,love your paintings,great composition,colour,contrast and feel,always enjoy your videos,please keep painting!

Tim Wilmot

Thanks John

Bryan Harrison

Tim your style of loose painting has given me great inspiration.so different to my own which always seem to have sharp edges and a deliberate flat look to them. I shall continue following your style to get it right.regards Bryan.

Paul Hampson

Tim,

I came across your video in youtube and have enjoyed watching you effortlessly achieve those fantastic watercolour results. In my experience, reaching a stage where a style of painting has such spontaneity in quickly rendered visual shorthand takes an age to master. Working in a tight and fidgety way is the easy and laboured way. Achieving such Looseness and freedom of expression takes a lot of doing. I'll keep watching and practicing!

Tim Wilmot

Thank you very much Bryan and good luck

Tim Wilmot

Thanks for watching Paul and good luck

Leila

Hi Tim.
I love your style of painting. I hope to emanate, I notice so far in your paintings its only men you paint, but I haven’t got around to seeing all of your paintings as yet.
Leila

Shawdian

Thank you for showing how Not to be afraid to let your brush & paints make their marks, but freely let them do their work. Your paintings have a feel of being very hot sunny days.
Dark against light, Very inspiring.

Tim Wilmot

You're right. I must get more women in the paintings!

Tim Wilmot

Thank you

Harinder singh

Tim,i have no words to thank you for your valuable tips.It's a pleasure to see your Turkey works. I can see them for hours and not get tired.If a work grips you and leaves you mesmerized, it's the best
compliment.And your work does that to me.

Tim Wilmot

Thank you Harinder

Patrizia

Thank you so much for the time and efforts spent to help us with this difficult technique! I like very much your style and paintings, therefore I follow your demos with great pleasure. However, I wasn’t able to find videos showing how to reproduce artificial light (ex. street lamps etc.) Is there any video on that subiect that I missed? Thank you again for your great help. Patrizia from Rome, Italy.

Tim Wilmot

That's a good idea for a future video and thank you for the suggestion.

Kateryna

Your videos have inspired met o paint again! Thank you!

Justin

Hey Tim, what size lead pencil do you use? Thanks love your work

Melisa Weekley

I am creating whimsical pieces on polymer clay pendants and need a very fine brush for the details. I bought some from dollar store not very good as the hairs fall off and just make a big mess. I am thinking about buying more professional brushes. What is a good brush? The paintings I am trying to create are very small flowers.

tim

Here are some good watercolor brush options for watercolor painting:

Synthetic brushes - Synthetic bristles like nylon are a good option for watercolor because they hold a lot of water and release it smoothly onto the paper. Good brands like Princeton and DaVinci make synthetic brushes in a variety of shapes and sizes. A #8 round is a versatile starting brush.
Kolinsky sable brushes - Made from the tails of the kolinsky sable, a weasel-like mammal, these brushes are prized for their ability to hold a fine point and snap back into shape. They are more expensive but many artists feel the expense is justified by their superior performance. A #10 or #12 round is a good starter sable brush.
Squirrel mop brushes - Softer squirrel hair makes excellent mop brushes capable of holding a lot of pigment and water. They produce juicy, diffuse strokes perfect for wet-in-wet painting. A #8 mop is a useful size. Popular brands include Escoda and DaVinci.
Riggers - These long, thin round brushes are ideal for painting fine lines and details. Sable or synthetic riggers with sizes like #0 or #2 are essential for watercolor.
Hake brushes - Wide, flat hake brushes made of goat hair excel at softening edges and grading washes. A 1/2" or 1" hake is handy to have.
Start with a few brushes in different shapes and see what works for your style. High quality brushes, while expensive, often last for years with proper care.

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