Reddit reviews Canson (100510941) XL Series Watercolor Pad, 9" x 12", Fold-Over Cover, 30 Sheets

Aww thanks! I had no experience, completely self-taught. I just bought a cheapo watercolor set, some round brushes, and watercolor paper, then watched a few Youtube/Instagram tutorials. It's easy to pick up, I would recommend it!

Shiney? Firefly is on the list, maybe I'll start them when I finish Mass Effect.

I used Canson Cold Press 140lb Water Color Paper - the local brick and mortar art supply place had them on clearance (something like $5.00 for 30 9"x12" sheets).

So I actually picked up this today, though it's not what I used for the Calvin & Hobbes one. I'm assuming the paper weight is in the lower left (140lbs/300g). I don't know how much I'll need for school, so I'm a little hesitant to use too much of it right off the bat.

When you say stretching the paper by getting it wet, do you mean lightly with a paintbrush, or soaking it and letting it dry? I've literally never used wed medium (other than ink for calligraphy), so I don't really know how this all works.

$100 will get you pretty far! obligatory ymmv, a lot of supplies depend on what and how you paint (do you paint large or small? do you paint outside a lot and need a travel kit? and so on), etc, etc, but here is how i would spend the money:

• paints
  
  kuretake gansai tanbi, 36 color set - the best set of watercolors i have used and relatively cheap, the colors are vibrant, mix well, and set beautifully.
  
  
  
• paper
  
  probably where most of the money should go after upgrading your paints. i like the strathmore 500 series and the canson papers for sketching and learning. other higher end brands that are recommended a lot are arches, bee paper, and fluid 100. definitely try out both hot press and cold press, people usually develop a preference but one is not necessarily better than the other.
  
  
• brushes
  
  honestly, brushes are not that important as long as they are not frayed or shedding. i've seen tons of professionals use and recommend this cheap set by grace art. i also like the princeton neptune brushes.
  
  
• extras
  
  if you still have money left, i would suggest trying something cool like metallic and pearlescent paints if it interests you. or use the money towards other mediums if you want to branch out.

Cotton is def. the best. Arches watercolor paper is really good but it’s also very pricey. I would hold off on buying that just yet and buy some more affordable paper to get started

The canson XL watercolor paper pads are a good start, strathmore also sells some packs of precut paper on amazon

Once you develop your technique and feel more comfortable splurge on the arches paper :)

Some people also like bee watercolor paper as practice paper. But I hate it lol it’s kind of thin and not my jam.


Edit: I have to add. If you live in the US. I’ve actually had good luck and my local Ross stores. I’ve found strathmore watercolor pads for $2.99

If you're not working large scale, acrylic's pretty cheap to work with. That being said, I'll speak mostly for watercolours since that's what I do. Winsor and Newton has a line of student grade watercolours (Cotman) that are pretty good for just starting out. They're decently priced here in Canada (a small tube will last you a long time, I've had mine for about three years of regular use and still have the majority left) but I don't remember the exchange rate for Australia. The thing about watercolours is that the paper is going to make a big difference. There are some cheaper watercolour paper stacks that you can get which would probably last you as you work with it. I use this for a lot of my stuff because it's decently cheap, works pretty well, and is a pretty big pad of paper.

Also, remember brushes. I personally like this line because they are't too expensive and I'm a student on a budget.

How much are you willing to spend?
I am a beginner as well and use a travel kit here
I also bought my brushes and paper (it was 3 dollars less when I bought it, you can get this one at Walmart for around 5-6$) on Amazon, I also use an ink manga pen to outline stuff as I like the look of thick black lines on certain things. I bought a watercolor book also that gives a good amount of tips as well but Youtube tutorials and online guides are just as good.

https://www.amazon.com/Canson-Watercolor-Textured-Charcoal-100510941/dp/B004M59O4C/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2K9R1XAH6SP9K&keywords=canson+xl+watercolor+paper&qid=1571544728&sprefix=canson+xl+%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-2

Are you using watercolour paper? It looks like the paper is really not handling the water well. Aside from that, you've done a good job varying your values - especially using a limited palette that's so important to make sure that everything reads (not that it's any less important when using full colour!).

Try getting some watercolour paper, stuff like this isn't great but it's not awful and it's inexpensive, especially when you've just started learning.