I started to use watercolor as a medium four years ago (2015) and there's no single day I wouldn't hold my brush and dip it into a half full jar of water to create these pieces.
Marie's was the first brand I used and I was clearly amazed by it's property. I am not aware of any brand that time, they told me to use Prang for students grade and Daniel Smith or Winsor and Newton for an artist grade experience. I have no source of income at that time, I was reviewing for the engineering licensure board examination and depended on my parents for living.
Until now I use Marie's but I do have other brands. I love them so much. I also read some articles about the papers to be used. When they say art is an expensive hobby, I totally agree with that, especially when you want to use artist grade materials and medium. But you could also try to experiment on cheaper things :) and still enjoy painting.
Ps. The thing about artist grade materials are their lightfastness. This means that your artwork can survive a hundred years! So if you wanted to preserve your paintings and wanted your grandchildren to see it, then go for it
And about the cheaper medium , you could use it for practice and experiments!
I believe that art is fun, so just enjoy your craft .