It's been said that watercolor is more difficult than oil; you can't erase your mistakes with a turpentine rag and start over. But really, watercolor is easy, if not easier than oil and it can be done at home, in a limited space, with no muss or smell.

Watercolor paint is a suspension of pigment (colored chemical) in a matrix of something that holds water and is slightly sticky or viscous. Some watercolors are mixed with honey, others with gum arabic and many have oxgall, a natural product that increases wetting. (For vegans, not all watercolor have honey or oxgall, so check the manufacturer.) The pigment is either a natural earth or a synthesized compound with a brilliant color. Watercolors can be brushed on full strength out of tubes or diluted with water. Some watercolors come in cakes of color, excellent for taking outdoors on painting trips.

The materials of watercolor are paints, a palette (either plastic or ceramic), paper, a brush or two and some extras such as masking fluid, a rubber cement that keeps paper untouched while you paint around it.

The best paints are "artist" grade. These have more pigment. Student grade paints are less expensive but are often duller and less intense. All you really need to start is a basic palette consisting of:

Yellow (lemon yellow and cadmium yellow0

Red (Permanent red or cadmium red)

Red-Violet (quinacridone violet)

Blue (Ultramarine and Phthalo blue)

Burnt umber, a brown, and raw sienna or quinacridone gold, a tan-brown.

You don't need black or white. Sometimes people add green such as Phthalo green.

A palette lets you squeeze out tube color and mix the paints on a white surface.

Paper is best made of rag; some brands are Arches, Fabriano and Strathmore. Paper is either smooth (hot press) or rough (cold press.)

The weight of the paper is given in pounds per 500 sheets; 140 lb is the best all around weight.

Brushes can be synthetic or made of sable or squirrel hair. The new synthetics are so good that a beginner can find some excellent brushes for reasonable sums. You need a 4, an 8 and maybe a 10 round, and a flat brush for washing across the paper. I like a large, 1 or 2 inch synthetic flat for this purpose.

You also need graphite pencils and good kneaded rubber or art erasers to transfer your drawing; graphite paper (like carbon paper) can be used to transfer a sketch to the watercolor paper or you can draw directly on the watercolor paper.

Once you sketch your drawing, paint is built up in layers of lighter to darker color, leaving the paper blank or white for your brightest, white highlights. Between layers, let the paint dry. There are a number of good books for the beginner and videos, too, that give you an idea how to proceed. The process is one that takes practice to get what you want, but once you grasp the principles of building up washes of color and leaving highlights, you will see how easy it can be. Get a good beginner book or video and find some supplies on Ebay. Many people sell the best paints and brushes at reasonable prices to get started.