Watercolor Painting

You don't need professional paints to start. A solid student-grade set lets you learn color mixing without the cost. 24 colors covers warm/cool primaries plus earth tones.

The paper matters more than the paint at this stage. Regular paper buckles and ruins the painting. 140 lb cold press holds water. Buy this before anything else.

Three brush sizes cover almost every technique you'll learn. Synthetic bristles are fine for this level. Get a set rather than individual brushes.

Gordon MacKenzie's reference guide. Covers wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, lifting, glazing — the actual techniques, explained clearly. This is the geeking-out resource.