Anne Davnes (Elser) - Bodoni Variations - Oct 1 - Nov 19, 2025

 

PAPER----------------------------
Get at least one of these and if you're feeling frisky, all. Any Hot Press (smooth) watercolor paper will perform very well. Below are brands I've used and liked. You'll want to have at least ten 8.5 x 11 sheets of any of these. If you already have a watercolor paper you love or have, please don't feel obligated to purchase any of the below. 
-Arches or Fabriano Artistico 140 lb Hot Press Watercolor Paper cut down to 8.5 x 11 or smaller. (PS42, PS115)
-Crane's Lettra by Crane & Co. Fine Cotton 100% Rag. 32 lb.
-Writing in Pearl White. This comes in a 250 sheet ream and is WONDERFUL to draw and paint on, also luxurious to fold into envelopes. However, it's terrible for pointed pen.
-Southworth Resume paper. 100% cotton, 32 lb. in white or ivory. This is made by Neenah paper and is sold in reams of 100. Pointed Pen works well on this stock as well as watercolor, etc. Great for envelopes, too.

 

PENCILS-------------------------
Watercolor Pencils: I use 3 brands for different purposes. Please note that you DO NOT HAVE TO BUY ALL OF THESE. If you take a look at the swatch samples I have, you can see some colors that are quite similar. One or the other will do just fine. You can also rely on your watercolor palette to provide and change colors you may not have in the pencil versions. 
-Derwent Graphitint Watercolor Pencils: These are soft and creamy neutrals. Get the whole set if you can. Colors I use most frequently are: Port (01) Steel Blue (06) Aubergine (03) Ivy (11) Autumn Brown (17) Cool Brown (15) Chestnut (13) Dark Indigo (04) Meadow (10) Other colors nice to have and that come in the complete full set: Green Grey (09) Sage (12) Slate Green (08) Shadow (05) Ocean Blue (07) Steele Blue (06) Russet (14) Cocoa (16) Storm (18) Mtn. Grey (21) Cloud Grey (22) Cool Grey (23) Juniper (02) Warm Grey (19)
-Faber-Castell Albrect Durer Watercolor Pencils. These are a harder and waxier pencil that I like because they make crisp, sharp detailed strokes. They keep a finer point and have a really gorgeous selection vivid colors. Refer to the swatches I built so you can choose between colors you find similar. Get the whole set if you can, but below are my recommendations: Colors I use frequently: Dark Naples Ochre (184) Light Magenta (119) Rose Carmine (124) Dark Red (225) Manganese Violet (160) Burnt Umber (280) Venetian Red (190) Deep Scarlet Red (219) Light Phthalo Blue (145) Juniper Green (165) Chrome Oxide Green Fiery (276) Raw Umber (180) Pine Green (267) Phthalo Green (161) Cream (102) Dark Cadmium Yellow (108) Walnut Brown (177) Blue Violet (137) Indanthrene Blue (247) Fuchsia (123) Madder (142) Middle Cadmium Red (217) Deep Red (223) Light Cadmium Red (117) Salmon (130) Ivory (103) Cadmium Yellow Lemon (205) Earth Green (172) Beige Red (132) Permnt Green Olive (167) May Green (170) Olive Green Yellowish (173) Light Red Violet (135) Dark Cadm Orange (115) Rose Carmine (124) Coral (131).
-Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils These babies are INTENSE, soft, and V I B R A N T. You don't HAVE to buy the whole set, but these are colors I've enjoyed using. Again - please refer to the swatches I built so you can choose between colors you find similar. Spring Green (1550) Felt Green (1530) Light Olive (1540) Fern (1560) Leaf Green (1600) Ionian Green (1320) Violet (800) Mauve (740) Thistle (720) Fuchsia (700) Red Violet (610) Carmine Pink (520) Sicilian Yellow (220) Mustard (1700) Amber (1710) Tan (1720) Willow (1900) Sienna Gold (240) Tangerine (300) Mid Vermillion (310) Scarlet Pink (320) Poppy Red (400) Hot Red (410) Chili Red (500) Cherry (510) Crimson (530) Shiraz (600) Deep Rose (710) Dusky Purple (730) Deep Violet (760) Iron Blue (840) Navy Blue (830) Iris Blue (900) Dark Aquamarine (1210) Green Aquamarine (1220) Teal Green (1300) Iron Green (1310) Field Green (1500) Hooker's Green (1520) Oak (1730) Saddle Brown (1740) Baked Earth (1800) Madder Brown (1920) Neutral Grey (2120) Ink Black (2200)

PAINT----------------------------
White Ink: Titanium white watercolor or gouache. Put a little dab of this in the corners of your mixing palette to create soft buttery light versions of any of your darker more intense colors.
Watercolor Pan Set: (NOTE - IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE YOU LIKE, FEEL FREE TO USE IT INSTEAD OF ANY OF THE BELOW!)
-Winsor & Newton Professional OR Cotman (student-grade) Watercolors Compact Set with 14 half pans. There IS a price difference between professional ($75) and student grade ($20). I've been using the student grade just fine. I'll upgrade to professional in the near future. If you're thirsting for more watercolors, below are some I've loved and use. You don't need to get ANY of these, but I've listed them in case you want to expand your collection. (WNG1, WNG2, WNG3, WNG4)
-I've recently discovered ShinHan Extra Fine Watercolors. They come in tubes and are SUBLIME and rich - many of them are densely opaque like gouache. I purchase empty half pans from Amazon that come with little magnets you can stick to the bottom of them before filling - then arrange them any way you like in a metal pan. Colors I have and love are: Pyrrole Red (813) Bright Violet (948) Umber (973) Phthalo Blue (RedShade) (924) Payne's Grey (987) Cobalt Blue (922) Purple Grey (946) Lilac (944( Brilliant Pink (823) Jaune Brilliant (866) Davy's Grey (989) Turquoise Blue (904) Jaune Brilliant (865) Yellow Ochre (970) Permanent green (875) Horizon Blue (913) Green Pale (892) Cobalt Green (901) Shell Pink (825)
-Another beloved brand is Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors. I don't have very many of these, but I love the ones I have here. The two I use most are Buff Titanium and Duochrome Oceanic. Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet Quinacridone Deep Gold Jadeite Green Duochrome Oceanic Buff Titanium Sap Green Cobalt Turquoise Finetec metallic pans are also fab. Make sure youíve got a warm metallic (like a gold) and a cool metallic (like a silver.) The other color besides gold and silver I use frequently is the Blue Pearl - it shifts from a warm silver to an electric blue in different lighting. Neon Watercolors whether they come in pans or tubes, are (believe it or not) REALLY valuable to have. I like using them as a final touch to quietly layer dabs of the stuff on top of my work. Theyíre transparent and really do add a rich vibration that nothing else can. I find them most successful when used sparingly for a subtle glowing effect.

BRUSH----------------------------
-Pentel Aquash Water Brush - FINE. This is the cheapest and bestest most fabulous brush I have. I don't fill it with water, just love that it's sharp and snappy, keeps a point and can be protected by it's cap. GET the fine - it works best. And don't rely on other brands to do as good a job. This one really is the best.

MISCELLANEOUS---------------
-Mechanical pencil to line paper (PL21)
-Soft pencil that is dark enough to sketch without creasing paper and can be erased easily. My fave is a Blackwing 602 (PL11, PL38)
-White eraser (E13)
-Kneaded eraser (I buy 2 and smush them together.) (E09)
-Tombow Mono Sand and Rubber Eraser 510A (E2000)
-Ruler (S270)
-Water container (S1695)
-Paper towels or towel
-Washi Tape, bone folder, and postage stamps for envelopes (S1676)
-Pencil Sharpener (I have an electric Bostitch but it doesn't easily fit all of my pencils. Many students have expressed satisfaction with these two brands: Quiet Sharp Classroom Electric Pencil Sharpener and X-Acto School Pro or Teacher Pro Electric Pencil Sharpener)