Cheap Joe Miller's List of Watercolor Painting Supplies

“I was a practicing pharmacist in my mid-40s when I took up watercolor. All I wanted to do was paint nice little landscapes, local scenes, barns, homes, the mountains, etc. It didn’t take me long to come to the conclusion that I couldn’t draw a straight line and had no talent. I failed time and time again, partly because I didn’t have good materials. I had dime store paint and paper and I was frustrated. An art professor at our local university helped me. He gave me a list of things I would need telling me, “You’ll never learn watercolor if you don’t have good paper, quality paint, and brushes." The list of things I would need included 100 sheets of watercolor paper. He said if you buy a sheet or two, you will never learn watercolor because you will be afraid you will ruin your paper." -Joe Miller

The genesis of Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff began with pharmacist Joe Miller’s love for watercolor as a complete beginner. Cheap Joe’s developed and grew alongside Joe’s art, and he eventually became a teacher himself. For his students, he created a list of the best watercolor painting supplies for beginners, which we want to share with you.

Joe’s mission was to offer artists the best quality art supplies at affordable prices so they wouldn’t be prohibited from reaching their potential by poor materials. The materials he recommended for his classes are ones he developed with that goal in mind. For example, American Journey is a professional quality watercolor paint that comes in larger, more economical 37ml tubes so artists don’t feel they have to be stingy about learning through experimentation.

Below, we share Joe’s palette color list and a watercolor supply list that we've adapted from information that he created for his students and others. Joe taught his last watercolor class in 2018, and if you were ever lucky enough to take a workshop with Joe Miller, you know his generosity of spirit and his contagious enthusiasm for art, learning, experimentation, and fun.

Joe's recommendations are always designed for beginner and experienced watercolorists alike and were developed from his years of experience through trial and error. Try building a palette Joe's way to see what you think and if it helps, and we hope you enjoy his suggestions!

WATERCOLOR PAINT

"I use American Journey Professional Watercolors, but another great brand is Da Vinci. Both of these brands are professional-grade paints. Listed below are five color groups. Chose at least one color from each group. If you have the colors in your current art supplies, great! And feel free to [add] any other colors that you use." -Joe Miller

YELLOW

• Joe’s Yellow
• New Gamboge
• Raw Sienna
  

DARK BLUE

• Joe's Blue
• Ultramarine Blue
• Indanthrone Blue
  

RED / ROSE

• Joe's Red
  
• Cadmium Red
• Permanent Rose
• Rich Opera (aka Wild Fuchsia)
• Quinacridone Red Rose Deep (aka Rambling Rose)

BROWN / BLACK

• Burnt Sienna
• Burnt Umber
  
• Transparent Oxide Brown
• Lamp Black

LIGHT BLUE

• Cobalt Blue
• Sky Blue
• Cerulean Blue
• Andrew's Turquoise

“The 15 ml size is adequate for starters. However, if you really want to make a rock-solid commitment to yourself that you will learn watercolor then buy the 37 ml size and 25 sheets of watercolor paper… [My palette] changes. I add a color. I take out a color. There are 100’s of colors and you can add them to your palette as you travel this wonderful journey." -Joe Miller

We're happy to share an image of Joe's color list and palette layout above. Joe was very generous, and we know he'd love for you to have a copy. But please note that several of the colors that Joe used have since been discontinued.

PALETTE

“You will need a watercolor palette. My all time favorite is the American Journey Cavalcade, a heavy duty porcelain palette that will outlast us all. However, any plastic palette with a lid will do and they are less expensive. Be sure you get one that has at least sixteen or more wells and two mixing areas." -Joe Miller

Joe always recommend any palette that has a good fitting lid such as the American Journey Porcelain Cavalcade. Joe liked to fill his palette with warm colors to cool colors, and you can view a video of Joe's original instructions on how to set up a watercolor palette at the link.

BRUSHES

“Use the largest brush you can until you can’t stand it any longer, then a smaller one. Save smallest for detail." -Joe Miller

Any good quality natural or synthetic brush will do. Among Joe's favorites were the American Journey Interlocked brushes, and the essentials for his classes were:

• Rounds- size 8 or 10
• Flats- size 1/2" and 1"
• Rigger- size 1 or 2
• OPTIONAL- 1 1/2" or 2" Golden Fleece Flat Wash
• old toothbrush

WATERCOLOR PAPER

“The essential item is watercolor paper. You MUST buy good paper. Don’t even think about using cheap wood fiber papers. They will frustrate you and you really will be discouraged. The investment in good, high quality cotton paper will pay big dividends." -Joe Miller

Joe recommended only professional 100% cotton rag papers like Arches or Kilimanjaro when painting and encouraged his students to avoid many student-grade papers. Thankfully, quality student-grade papers (like those found in most sketchbooks) have become much more widely available since Joe's teaching days. And student-grade papers are also much more affordable than cotton rag papesr. However, high quality papers and tools can make watercolor painting easier and often more enjoyable, especially for beginners!

We hope you have found Joe's supply list helpful. The tools that Joe used are timeless, just like "Cheap" Joe Miller himself!