As a self taught watercolor artist the hardest part of starting was knowing what supplies I needed. At the time the only watercolor paint I knew of was Crayola and I had no idea that you were supposed to use specific paper designed for watercolor.
So over the years I learned through trial and error and after trying so many different products I found what I loved! The one important thing I learned was the PAPER MATTERS! Quality watercolor paper will make a significant difference in how your watercolor paintings will turn out. But quality paper can get expensive! So what is a beginner watercolor artist to do? I do love the more expensive brand of papers for my more serious projects, but as a beginner I would have hated to spend all that money on good paper and only use it to practice.
Luckily for you I have compiled a list of more affordable supplies that have similar quality to the more expensive brands so that you can get the same satisfying effects of watercolor to avoid frustrating and save you money while you are in your beginner phase.