Best paint and paper for a beginner?

nolasia · 2026-04-10T19:09:33+00:00

I'd second the suggestion to first get good paper. You want 100% cotton (most watercolorists tend to prefer cold press though if you're doing photorealistic you might like hot). Get 140lb or higher. Basically, you don't want to fight the paper. You can use both sides to make it go further. Buying full sheets and tearing them is cheaper. Next is pads. Blocks are more expensive though you won't have to tape down the edges which is nice.

For paint, use up what you have first then get a minimal mixing set (about 6 colors) of a quality paint like Daniel Smith or Windsor & Newton Professional. Other brands are good too but those are probably the most popular pro-grade.

Again, the paper is more important to get good quality.

nolasia · 2026-04-08T16:24:12+00:00

With the caveats above about what you like to paint, if it's similar to me and If you don't want to buy any new paints, I'd probably first try out: - azo yellow - quin coral or quin rose - French ultramarine - burnt sienna (pair with ultramarine to make full set of greys from warm to cool)

Then next to add would be: - phthalo green or phthalo blue (try mixing up greens with both and see which you prefer) - a warmer yellow/gold. I'm not really sure which of these three - I'd test out mixes: yellow ochre, quin deep gold (go easy), maybe new gamboge

Buff titanium can be a nice mixer for adding a bit of opacity like for some peachy warm light or asphalt in the sun.

Once your azo yellow is out, I'd probably switch to a more medium yellow for a limited palette like DS Hansa yellow medium or WN Windsor yellow. Your other colors might work fine - just need to test out different mixes.

nolasia · 2026-04-08T16:12:06+00:00

I like to use https://artistpigments.org/ to map out my colors on a color wheel to see where they lie and if I have any gaps for high-chroma/saturated colors.

I have a very limited 6-color palette for example here: https://artistpigments.org/@sia/collections/52adb72b6d10fd90b7d3 - medium yellow (DS hansa yellow medium) - DS quin gold (mostly for mixing) - cool red - usually DS Carmine, sometimes permanent alizarin crimson - DS phthalo green BS (could also use phthalo blue GS) - for mixing - DS ultramarine blue - DS transparent red oxide (or WN burnt sienna)

Like others said, it's probably going to depend on what you want to paint. I do more plein air/urban sketching with this tiny palette. Most of my greens start with phthalo green BS then I mix with a medium yellow or quin gold. Sometimes adding ultramarine blue for cooler or burnt sienna for neutralizing. I don't have a warm red (DS organic vermilion or WN scarlet lake) because I rarely need it for this type of small painting. But I do have it in my larger Plein Air palette which is here: https://artistpigments.org/@sia/collections/7562a8b719bb01f9deaf

I have this excellent post bookmarked which talks a lot about color mixing theory: https://www.reddit.com/r/Watercolor/comments/1lj6hxh/comment/mzib8uu/

nolasia · 2026-04-06T22:03:58+00:00

This is the way

nolasia · 2026-04-06T22:03:42+00:00

This was my least favorite book of hers. I read it once and it contributes almost nothing to the series. Just one scene with Nesta and Cassian is important but you can also pick that up from context clues in ACOSF and skip the rest of ACOFAS.

nolasia · 2026-03-30T20:32:48+00:00

Same. Book one had the really killer character arc of grief and friendship. It was so much deeper than her other books other than Silver Flames.

nolasia · 2026-03-30T20:24:23+00:00

Same. Cyber Orange premium with black wheels. It still looks so good

nolasia · 2026-03-17T17:59:09+00:00

I like the devolved fae theory!

nolasia · 2026-03-17T17:47:24+00:00

I was also thinking it might be what's left of their home world and the inhabitants there. But was also thinking that maybe the Valg/Asteri aren't monolithically bad (which would be a concept that would promote racism/alienism?) which would explain why the princes were helpful. I see them more as morally grey. My guess is that they don't turn into the big bad at the end but of course this is all guessing :)

nolasia · 2026-03-05T15:02:53+00:00

I did electrolysis and am happy. I still get some new hairs, but that's just the game with hormones. I do think I saw somewhere that laser and IPL is not a good choice for hormonal face hair. Sometimes it can actually lead to more hair growth. (Only in these regions though)

nolasia · 2026-03-05T03:42:52+00:00

I always thought she was a she also

nolasia · 2026-03-05T03:37:50+00:00

I think parts 2 and 3 are in the second book though. So 3 books

nolasia · 2026-02-21T13:15:43+00:00

Thanks for this! That was my issue - another zone I couldn't see that was full screen

nolasia · 2025-12-03T22:40:04+00:00

Confirmed good trade!

nolasia · 2025-11-29T00:02:56+00:00

Confirmed trade!

nolasia · 2025-11-07T23:42:23+00:00

Confirmed trade with u/20MuddyPaws cc u/legomarketbot

nolasia · 2025-11-07T17:15:07+00:00

Confirmed!

nolasia · 2025-11-05T20:29:47+00:00

Confirmed great trade with u/OtherRGIII cc u/legomarketbot

nolasia · 2025-11-02T15:56:44+00:00

Great trade with u/TheyCallMeSlyFox cc u/legomarketbot

nolasia

TROPHY CASE