The Essential Resource Guide
The Essential Resource Guide is a handpicked collection of trusted websites, tools, and learning platforms designed to support artists on their creative journey. Whether you’re a watercolor enthusiast, a professional illustrator, or a creative entrepreneur, this guide connects you to valuable online resources that can help expand your knowledge and refine your skills.
From technical deep-dives on pigment science and color theory to supply shops and creative business tools, this guide offers something for every artist looking to grow. Each recommendation has been selected for its quality, reliability, and relevance to the modern creative process, so you can spend less time searching—and more time creating.
Curated List of Arts-Related Tools, Programs, & Websites for Watercolor Artists
Here you’ll find a handpicked selection of trusted resources, tools, and websites to help you along your watercolor journey. These links reflect my personal recommendations for artists looking to expand their skills, find inspiration, and stay organized.
How to Use the Essential Resource Guide
Simply click on the buttons and links in this page to visit the available resources in the guide.
For artists who want to go beyond technique and explore the science behind watercolor materials, these resources provide deep technical insight.
Resource Guide: Art Supplies & Materials
Not all art supply retailers are created equal. In this section, you’ll discover trustworthy shops that offer high-quality paints, papers, brushes, and specialty tools. These stores not only stock essential materials but often provide helpful educational content, making them a great resource for product reviews and artist insights.
Whether you’re sourcing professional-grade pigments or trying new watercolor papers, these are suppliers that I personally recommend for reliability, variety, and customer service.
MEEDEN Art*
See the Ultimate Watercolor Product Guide to receive an Exclusive Discount of up to 12% off supplies when shopping with MEEDEN!
Amazon*
A large selection of art equipment, materials, supplies & tools avaiable from all over the world for every budget!
RESOURCES FOR WATERCOLORISTS
Every artist benefits from continued learning, and the watercolor resources listed here offer deep insights and practical knowledge to help you level up your work. From technical breakdowns of watercolor materials to expert advice on techniques like washes, layering, and color mixing, these platforms are excellent companions for both beginners and advanced artists.
In this section, you’ll find educational blogs, long-form technical articles, and expert websites that go beyond surface-level tips—designed to help you truly understand the medium and develop your skills with intention.
Handprint.com
A deep-dive resource for watercolorists, covering everything from pigment properties and brush techniques to color theory and visual perception.
Color.Nerd LinkTree
A fun and informative hub exploring color theory, perception, and how colors interact, with resources tailored for creatives and designers.
Colour Index
A trusted resource for understanding pigments, their chemical makeup, and color index numbers used by artists and manufacturers worldwide.
Raw Materials Data & Pigments Handbook
A trusted resource for understanding pigments, their chemical makeup, and color index numbers used by artists and manufacturers worldwide.
ArtistPigments.Org
A trusted resource for understanding pigments, their chemical makeup, and color index numbers used by artists and manufacturers worldwide.
ArtisCreation
A deep-dive resource for artists and pigment enthusiasts, offering detailed pigment information, color charts, and insights into historical and contemporary color usage.
INNOVATIVE BUSINESS TOOLS
For artists running a studio, freelance practice, or creative business, staying organized is key. This section includes recommended platforms for improving your workflows—whether that’s streamlining social media, automating repetitive tasks, or designing professional marketing materials.
I’ve included some of the same tools I use for Mandakyns, making it easier for you to manage your art practice while freeing up more time for creative work.
IFTTT
If This Then That is an automation platform that connects your favorite apps, devices, and services—making it easy for artists and entrepreneurs to streamline tasks like sharing new blog posts, posting across social media, or organizing files without lifting a finger.
LinkTree
A simple, customizable landing page tool that lets you share multiple links through one URL—perfect for artists who want to showcase their website, shop, social profiles, and resources all in one convenient place.
INNOVATIVE BUSINESS TOOLS
Coolors.co
A fast, intuitive color scheme generator that helps artists and designers create, explore, and export perfectly matched palettes for any project.
CIELab Color
A web-based color conversion and visualization tool that allows artists and designers to explore, compare, and convert colors across multiple color spaces—including LAB, RGB, CMYK, and more—making it ideal for precise color management and study.
CREATIVE DESIGN TOOLS
Artist’s Helper
A versatile online tool designed to assist artists with visualizing proportions, values, and compositions. It includes features like grid overlays, value filters, and image flipping to help streamline the drawing and painting process from reference images.
Canva*
A user-friendly online design platform that allows artists and creatives to easily create graphics, presentations, social media posts, and more using customizable templates—perfect for promoting artwork or building a professional brand without needing advanced design skills.
GIMP
A free, open-source image editor that offers powerful tools for photo retouching, digital painting, and graphic design—making it a versatile alternative to paid software like Photoshop
Affinity Designer
A powerful vector and raster graphic design tool perfect for creating illustrations, branding, patterns, and UI elements with precision and flexibility—ideal for artists and designers who want total control over their visuals.
Affinity Photo
A robust image editing program that rivals Photoshop, offering advanced retouching, compositing, and color correction tools—excellent for artists working with digital painting, photo references, or mixed media workflows.
Affinity Publisher
A professional desktop publishing software that allows you to design books, magazines, portfolios, and promotional materials with advanced layout tools—perfect for artists looking to self-publish or create polished presentations.
Procreate
A powerful and intuitive digital illustration app designed for iPad, offering artists a professional-grade drawing experience with brushes, layers, animation tools, and pressure-sensitive stylus support. It’s especially popular among illustrators, painters, and designers for its natural feel and seamless workflow.
Da Vinci Eye
An augmented reality (AR) app that helps artists transfer reference images onto paper by overlaying them through your phone’s camera—perfect for practicing proportions, sketching complex subjects, or tracing efficiently without a projector or lightbox.
APPS TO SEE VALUE
Notanizer
A mobile app that helps artists break down images into simplified light and dark shapes (Notan), making it easier to plan strong compositions and understand value structure before starting a piece.
Value Study
Allows artists to analyze the lightness and darkness in an image, helping to establish depth, contrast, and focus in a composition—crucial for effective planning and painting
CREATIVE COMMONS & PUBLIC DOMAIN
Creative Commons
A nonprofit organization that provides free, standardized copyright licenses allowing creators to share their work while retaining specific rights. For artists, it’s a valuable resource for finding legally shareable images, references, and assets—or for licensing your own work in a way that encourages reuse with proper attribution.
Library of Congress
Offers a vast digital archive of historical images, artworks, maps, and documents that are often in the public domain—making it a goldmine for artists seeking authentic reference material, inspiration, or royalty-free content for creative projects.
FREE STOCK PHOTOS WEBSITES
Pexels
A nonprofit organization that provides free, standardized copyright licenses allowing creators to share their work while retaining specific rights. For artists, it’s a valuable resource for finding legally shareable images, references, and assets—or for licensing your own work in a way that encourages reuse with proper attribution.
Pixabay
Offers a vast digital archive of historical images, artworks, maps, and documents that are often in the public domain—making it a goldmine for artists seeking authentic reference material, inspiration, or royalty-free content for creative projects.
Unsplash
Offers a vast digital archive of historical images, artworks, maps, and documents that are often in the public domain—making it a goldmine for artists seeking authentic reference material, inspiration, or royalty-free content for creative projects.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Copyright Office
A nonprofit organization that provides free, standardized copyright licenses allowing creators to share their work while retaining specific rights. For artists, it’s a valuable resource for finding legally shareable images, references, and assets—or for licensing your own work in a way that encourages reuse with proper attribution.
Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990
Offers a vast digital archive of historical images, artworks, maps, and documents that are often in the public domain—making it a goldmine for artists seeking authentic reference material, inspiration, or royalty-free content for creative projects.
US Patent & Trademark Office
Offers a vast digital archive of historical images, artworks, maps, and documents that are often in the public domain—making it a goldmine for artists seeking authentic reference material, inspiration, or royalty-free content for creative projects.
TRUSTED CREATIVE RESOURCES
As both an artist and an educator, I know firsthand how valuable it is to have a trusted source of information at your fingertips. My goal with this resource guide is to take the guesswork out of finding the best websites, suppliers, and learning platforms—so you can spend less time researching and more time creating.
Bookmark this guide and revisit often, as I will continue updating it with new resources as I discover them.
Looking for downloadable materials like sketches and practice sheets?
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