My Art Supplies
Right! I’m gonna get straight into this. But let me say one thing first which is very important, especially if you’re thinking of re-sparking an old hobby or starting from scratch with painting or any other creative outlet.
“It matters not what you use, as long as you’re using it. ”
Sounds a bit Yoda-esque but seriously, don’t get caught up thinking you have to have the best of the best equipment and everything has to be in place before you even get started. This is just procrastination based on fear of getting stuck in. I know because I used to use this as an excuse all the time. Use what you’ve got or what you can afford right now, and don’t ever let it be a barrier to you getting started with your creativity.
Now that’s out of the way, here’s a list of the stuff that I work with (it’s a bit text-heavy this one, but I’ve popped lots of links in to help you get some visuals):
Paper
At the moment I’m using Daler Rowney cold-pressed watercolour paper 300gsm, which I buy from my local art shop in Belfast, Bradbury Art. I’ve heard that Cass Art do a really good own-brand paper that’s also cheaper than the well-known brands like Daler Rowney and Windsor & Newton. Worth a try too I’d say!
Pencils
At the moment I’m using Derwent pencils only because I started using some that my partner David bought years ago, so I’ve just been replacing them as I’ve used them up. But any pencil brand is fine! For preliminary line drawings, I use H for small pieces or HB for slightly larger. If I’m drawing something without intending to paint it, I use 2B and 4B pencils. They’re a lot softer and way more expressive and forgiving.
Paint
I’m still loving my Windsor and Newton Cotman Watercolour Studio Set which I’ve been using for a few years now. I did wonder before I got into watercolour if I should go for painting pans or tubes. Here’s a little summary for you on the pros and cons of both.
Watercolour in Pans
Pro: Easy to move and carry around so handy for plein air painting (aka painting in the great outdoors).
Pro: They last for years!
Pro: All are immediately accessible (no need to squirt out first onto a painting palette)
Con: More time consuming in wetting the paint adequately to the desired consistency.
Watercolour in Tubes
Pro: Provides a concentrated amount of colour - the colour will instantly be more vivid.
Pro: More economical for those who paint big and have more surface area to cover.
Pro: Can be used straight away and don’t need to be rehydrated.
Con: if you don’t screw the lid back on firmly, your paint can dry out/clog-up in the tube.
Personally, I prefer working with pans because I like how easily accessible all my colours are. Though for some, this can actually be a negative as they prefer to limit their colour palette from the offset in order to achieve a certain aesthetic. That makes sense too.
The most important thing to understand is that when it comes to quality, watercolours sold in tubes are no different from watercolours sold in pans. So pick whichever you think will work best for you. And hey, y’know what? You can use both if you like.
Brushes
Currently my most used brushes are from the ProArte Prolene series 101 in sizes 3/0 and 4/0. For covering larger areas my go-to is the ProArte Prolene Plus Series 007 round brush in size 3. I love this paintbrush. It’s excellent quality, feels lovely to use and with its gold-plated ferrule and teak handle…it’s a bit sexy. Sometimes I could definitely geek-out about brushes in the same way Ollivander does about wands. I think I’ll buy the smaller sizes in this series once my other brushes need replacing. I buy all my brushes from my local art shop, mostly because I like to see them and touch them before I buy. “The wand chooses the wizard Mr Potter.”
Lighting
For my birthday a few years ago, David bought me a natural light task lamp and it’s one of the best presents I’ve ever received! Mainly because it’s so practical, and I use it every time I paint. I don’t think they make the exact model I have anymore, but this one on their website is pretty similar. I definitely underestimated the power of good lighting before this beauty came along. The LEDs give an adjustable, powerful daylight type of light. I thought I’d only use it in the evenings but turns out it’s just as useful during the day. The area where I work doesn’t get a huge amount of sunlight so this really helps me see what I’m doing whilst not affecting how colours appear (because it’s neither a yellow or blue-tinted light). I’d highly recommend investing in a task lamp, especially if natural light isn’t plentiful where you work. I actually use it very little past 7pm in the evening. I find if I paint past this time, I’m setting myself up for a night of very little sleep.
Easel
My easel of choice is the Daler-Rowney Artsphere A3 Easel. Alongside my task lamp, it’s another piece of equipment I would really miss if I didn’t have it. Sitting at your desk for any great length of time isn’t good for your body, especially if you’re hunched over looking down for hours. I recently worked on a piece without it (because I was working in my sketchbook and I thought I’d try without) and, I’m not kiddin’, my lower back was in agony for two days afterwards. Maybe I’m just getting old, but this desk easel with its ball and socket joint enables me to stay sitting up straight and makes painting so much more comfortable.
Phone Holder
Definitely a non-essential item; handy though for capturing a bit of time-lapse footage for Instagram if the mood strikes. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this but also didn’t want to get something so cheap it wasn’t fit for purpose. In the end I got the Avantree CP901 Gooseneck Clamp. It grips the edge of my desk with an adjustable clamp and its bendy neck and phone clasp works well in that it holds my phone nice and securely. I don’t like doing this too much because I find it distracts me, something about a phone on a stick hovering over my shoulder. But if I can stick with it (pardon the pun) it’s kinda fun to see the end result.
So that’s it for now!
I hope you found it somewhat useful? If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email or a direct message on Instagram. I’m friendly!