What art supplies have you bought recently?

[txomsy]

Not bought. Went to one of my custom physical shops to get a Roman Szmal Aquarius watercolor starter set (the one with five full godets, love it for pocket carry) but they were sold out. Thankfully I still have some left. Not much saved anyway (runs for 10-15€).

 

[txomsy]

By the way, they had a gorgeous tin pocket set by Roman Szmal with integrated water bottle, palette, etc. similar to those of Winsor and Newton or Horadam; pricewise too, which saved me from getting one, it was so neat, so tempting, so pretty, so handy... my mouth's still watering. Must be a recent new offer in their lineup, because I don't seem to be able to find any info on the Net.

Anyway, I got the impression it carried half-pans instead of full pans, though the salesman said they were full pans. Worth knowing it is out there.

 

[Marksmomagain]

I found some good deals:

16 Pan Pastels for $2ea. Some are shattered.
60 CarbOthello pastel pencils for $35. No packaging.
A 12x15 pad of Grey Pastelmat paper for $25. Slight damage on one corner and no cover.
Four packs of Sofftool knives and covers, along with three each blending sponges for $5ea. Slightly used for demos.
A beautiful fabric Vera Bradley laptop organizer for $3. I have a couple of these and I sometimes use them for a tray of Pan Pastels, paper and other Plein Aire supplies if I'm traveling very light...plus they're girly and match my favorite plein aire sundress...

 

[Marksmomagain]

I bought a new kayak recently for plein aire. On sale of course...Took it out on a small reservoir nearby. I saw someone else in a kayak who was sketching, which was really cool...

 

[Jade]

I'm getting back into art and am surprised how much some supplies cost! The posts about thrift store finds is encouraging tho. I'm going to stick to sketching and maybe watercolour to start with. Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[Rich53]

I'm getting back into art and am surprised how much some supplies cost! The posts about thrift store finds is encouraging tho. I'm going to stick to sketching and maybe watercolour to start with. Has anyone else had this issue?

All the time! Fortunately, my art is done for my pleasure, so I can get away with using student-grade supplies.

 

[Jade]

All the time! Fortunately, my art is done for my pleasure, so I can get away with using student-grade supplies.

Good to know it's not just me! Mines for fun too and I'm going to get some basic stuff for sketching. Do you stick to certain methods to keep the cost down too?

 

[txomsy]

There are many art supplies that are not so expensive... unless you start hoarding them or want to go fancy.

Graphite, Conté crayons, charcoal, color pencils, watercolor pencils, Derwent Inktense, pastel (oil or chalk), watercolor, gouache, acrylics...

You can aim for artist-grade supplies for the above if you take care to search for brands that offer high quality and are not top-known brands. Also, is you do not mind mixing colors yourself, you can narrow down your demands and even aim for some top brands. And finally -but do your research carefully- there are many less-known brands with very good quality products at significantly lower prices.

For instance, I find the Roman Szmal watercolor starter set (5 full pans of watercolor --RGBY+caput mortuum) great value at about 10-15 €/$, if you do not mind mixing (I don't); Lefranc & Bourgeois has many more products than the famed Linel oils, some at great prices; you can find Koh-i-Noor or Cretacolor artist-grade supplies at very competitive prices (lead-holders, brushes, pencils, crayons, pastels...); I find Fuumuui brushes (Kolinsky and squirrel) acceptably good at affordable prices; and if you stay alert, you'll find online sales of top brands like Winsor & Newton or Sennelier that beat lower-quality prices.

You'll need to check what is available in your region or local arts supplier and at what prices (not everything is easy to find everywhere, but close).

Anyway, likely the most expensive is good paper to work on. Most supplies mentioned will run for about the same as one or two good paper pads, so I wouldn't worry that much about supplies (they will outlast any paper pad).

 

[Jade]

Appreciate that info, txomsy ! I'll check out the brands you mentioned. I' heard of Koh-i-Noor and seen some watercolour sets at a reasonable price. And yes, paper...! Thanks again.

 

[Artyczar]

I have only purchased oil paint, one tube at a time, lately because of prices. I used to get the 150 ml tubes, always, but I have been buying the smaller tubes because things are tight. I also need a lot of supplies right now. When I am able to get them, I will celebrate.

 

[Jade]

I have only purchased oil paint, one tube at a time, lately because of prices. I used to get the 150 ml tubes, always, but I have been buying the smaller tubes because things are tight. I also need a lot of supplies right now. When I am able to get them, I will celebrate.

Yeh. It's a bit difficult Ayin. I'm going to keep an eye in charity / thrift shops too.

 

[txomsy]

Yeah, it is getting ever more difficult, what with the continued turmoil affecting prices, wars, taxes and trade wars, supply chain disruptions... Wish you the best of lucks

 

[Jade]

Thanks txomsy - I looked up Koh-i-Noor on eBay again after your message and found some good prices (better than some cheaper brands) so I think I'm getting there with it. Just focusing on sketching and watercolour for now as venturing to other paints / canvas etc seems like another ballgame price wise.

 

[txomsy]

I agree, sketching and water media are great. Learning the nuances of watercolor transparency is lots of fun and sketching by itself can quickly lead to photorealistic drawing without you noticing (if tthat is your taste). At any rate, drawing is at the heart of all painting, and often ma be enough by itself. Just saw a picture in CNN from the war in Ukraine and couldn't help but remember Goya's series on the disasters of war.

For me, color is often a plus, something to add character to a nice drawing, and oddly, as often as well, I find that a light wash works better than detailed painting. Go figure! I must have something broken in my head Not to say I do not enjoy a-painting too.

 

[Jade]

I agree, sketching and water media are great. Learning the nuances of watercolor transparency is lots of fun and sketching by itself can quickly lead to photorealistic drawing without you noticing (if tthat is your taste). At any rate, drawing is at the heart of all painting, and often ma be enough by itself. Just saw a picture in CNN from the war in Ukraine and couldn't help but remember Goya's series on the disasters of war.

For me, color is often a plus, something to add character to a nice drawing, and oddly, as often as well, I find that a light wash works better than detailed painting. Go figure! I must have something broken in my head Not to say I do not enjoy a-painting too.

Yeh, I'm enjoying practicing and am currently trying (fairly!) realistic animals so I think watercolour will work nicely and I haven't used it before. I like using fineliners as well so that should work too and all be within budget. I like that light wash look too.

I think I'll get started with all this and in the long term if I want to play with more and can afford it then, I will. I think they're probably worth it by the sounds of it, but it was the price of prisma coloured pencils and copic markers that have me a shock!

Thanks for chatting it through. Not having access to too much now is making me focus on practising anyway...

 

[Jade]

I discovered Kirsty Partridge Art on YT today and appreciated her advice on colour pencils for newbies / not selling your work "prismacolor premium" .. look much more in my budget but also "good enough"!

 

[Jade]

Ok, I've bought my first art supplies so I can use more than my "paw patrol" pencil when drawing!

I got a pentel graph gear 500 mechanical pencil, 12 graded graphite pencils, precision eraser and a tortillon. I'll practice with those and get some "colour" supplies at Xmas all being well. Exciting!

 

[KreativeK]

Just bought a set of two Winsor Newton 0.3 pens with grey and sepia colors. Nice for sketching or for line and wash.

 

[TK H-H]

Kirsty has a great channel. I used to watch her videos.

If you want some cheaper watercolors to play with, that are also decent quality... Winsor and Newton's Cotman line are pretty good. They're inexpensive for a set, and are pretty decent quality in my opinion for being considered student grade.

 

[Jade]

Kirsty has a great channel. I used to watch her videos.

If you want some cheaper watercolors to play with, that are also decent quality... Winsor and Newton's Cotman line are pretty good. They're inexpensive for a set, and are pretty decent quality in my opinion for being considered student grade.

Yeh I like her! I've just found Ali Hader this great too. Ooh thanks for the tip.