GAMBINO
ARTIST & EDUCATOR
WATERCOLOR RESOURCES
This page is a companion to the classes I teach in-person and online. You won't find complete thoughts/lessons but it should help reinforce what you learn in class with me.
These are links I have put together with my personal philosophy and student needs in mind. You will find links to blogs that I have benefitted from, youtube videos, and suggestions about where to buy supplies. Although the highest quality items and best prices can often be found online, being able to pop into a big-box store can be very helpful.
Click the "download File button to get a PDF of these images to save to your computer for reference or print it. (It is nice to have them printed because I'll show you a transfer technique that will make starting a painting very easy!)
Suggested printer settings: print at 100% or "full size", choose "best" quality for the clearest image, color is best but black and white is still very useful.
NOTES
TECHNIQUES
1 - Wash on Dry
2 - Wash on Wet
3 - Glazes
4 - Blooms
5 - Graded Wash
6 - Brush Strokes on Wet
7 - Removal Techniques
8 - Dry Brush
9 - Brush Strokes, wet wash on top
BUYING SUPPLIES:
PHYSICAL STORES Support your local art supply store when possible!
Dick Blick- one of the best companies to buy supplies from, I've never been in one but I buy online often. You can trust that their prices are fair.
Michaels- Bigger focus on craft and seasonal decor
JoAnn Fabrics- Bigger focus on fabric
Hobby Lobby- Doesn't provide adequate healthcare to employees and profits fund anti LGBTQ+ organizations so I DO NOT SUPPORT THEM.
BUYING BRUSHES:
This is difficult! Not only is this incredibly personal, it is the most confusing part of buying watercolor supplies in my experience as an artist and for the students I've worked with. In my opinion, it is because the companies who make brushes seem to produce the entire range of quality, from junk to drool-worthy.
These resources are budget-minded for beginners who aren't ready to make a life-long investment.
Royal & Langnickel - makes a wide range of brushes under many different names. Good watercolor brushes can be found in their Menta and Zen lines.
I like the "Menta" line which can be found at JoAnns. (Their website is a mess, but here is one of the brushes I got in a set which I couldn't locate on their site today.)
When you're searching through this line of brushes, you will want ones that are listed as "medium soft" or listed as "ideal for watercolors." There is no consistency in how they're describing their brushes online, so you'll have to work to find the watercolor appropriate brushes, but they're a great value. In-store you should be able to see the suggested medium in the lower left hand corner.
The "Zen" line is fine but I like my Menta brushes better because they're softer.
Robert Simmons - Simply Simmons Watercolor brushes.
I have some of these from a set I bought at JoAnns. They're good enough for the money if you're buying them for them for the convenience of in-store shopping. The ones I have are very snappy. This is not the set I have but it looks useful.
Princeton - makes a wide range of brushes under many different names. Good watercolor brushes can be found in their Aqua Elite line, and excellent ones in their Neptune line.
(I've never hated a Princeton brush, but I don't know if I've loved any that weren't Neptune line.)
Princeton brushes can be found at Michaels, and maybe JoAnns too? Zen brushes are at both stores.