Watercolor Supplies Recommendations
Watercolor Paper
I like Arches cold pressed watercolor paper best, just the right texture to grab the paint. Start with the inexpensive 'student grade' paper, then buy nicer quality paper to work with as you mature your watercolor techniques.
Watercolor Tube Paints
Finding your favorite watercolor paints is a very personal choice... I recommend starting with the student grade Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolors as a beginner. I like using Winsor & Newton Professional, Daniel Smith and DaVinci brands the best, it depends on the color or effect you are going for, but I still use a few Winsor & Newton Cotman colors on occasion. The watercolor paper that you prefer is also a factor in choosing paint brands, the best way to arrive at your favorites is to experiment with different brands and colors as your watercolor painting skills mature.
Watercolor Brushes
Finding your favorite watercolor brushes is an even more personal preference than paints... Once again, I recommend starting with the student grade brushes as a beginner. Long handle vs. short handle is also a matter of personal preference, dependent on your preferred approach to painting. Try different synthetic brushes before buying more expensive natural brushes. I use natural brushes for my small detail brushes, rigger brushes in particular, and good larger synthetics work just fine for me.
Watercolor Palettes
More personal choices... Again, start cheap and then invest in something more as you mature and get a palette that suits your approach to painting.
Additional Watercolor Essentials
These are additional, and some optional watercolor accessories that I recommend. A gator board is the best watercolor work surface, the board will stand up to years of use and to repeated soaking with water, the masking tape will stick & release to both the surface of the board and your paper. I use masking tape or staples on gator board to stretch my watercolor paper after a de-sizing soak. I often use a 2H pencil to sketch out a drawing composition before painting. Use the kneaded erasers to correct pencil mistakes or to clean smudges off your paintings, the kneaded eraser won't tear or rub the surface off your paper.