What art supplies have you bought recently?

This isnt an art supply, but because its going on the wall above my art desk, i thougt i would share it here
I got a really pretty small and old ( gouache?) painting from a flea market.
It was only 5 €
 
I found some nice books:

"Keeping A Nature Journal" by Clare Walker Leslie & Charles E. Roth for $4. I have her "Nature Drawing A Tool for Learning", one of the first ever books I purchased, dog-eared and very cherished.
"Colored Pencil Painting Bible" by Alyona Nicholson $4.
"Colored Pencil Secrets for Success" by Anne Kullberg $4.
"Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner" by Bet Borgeson $4.
"The Encyclopedia of Colored Pencil Techniques" by Judy Martin free (Buy Four/Get One).

I already have all these CP titles, so these "new" ones will go in the gift bin for Christmas, etc.

A very nice olive green canvas World Wildlife Fund Panda messenger bag (to be a field kit) $4.

Six nice wooden frames, four of which contain a print, nice clean mat and good glass, professionally done. Two are 11x14 empty for $5ea., one is 12x24 complete for $8, one is 16x20 complete for $8 and two are 9x12 complete for $5ea.
 
Recently I have purchased the following from my favorite thrift store:

"Pastel: A Comprehensive Guide to Pastel Painting" by Daniel Greene for $4
"Plein Aire Painting in Pastel" by Richard McDaniel for $4

Four 8"x8" wood-framed ceramic tiles for $3ea. I think they are hot plates, they have little rubber pads on the bottoms. I'm going to paint them and hang them in my kitchen.

A nurse's white scrub jacket for $6. This will be perfect for a painting jacket.
 
Today I found a some Logan products on clearance and I purchased:
A 24" Adapt-A-Rule for $7
A Logan 4000 pull-style Mat Cutter for $11.
Four 50ct packs of blades to fit the above mat cutter $3.50ea.
 
I ordered the Faber-Castell Try It box. Not sure if the offer is still available, but with the coupon code, you get the $30 box for $1 plus shipping and tax, so I paid about $11. (US dollars) I feel like I got my money's worth. An assortment of Polychromos pencils, Albrecht Durer WC pencils, papers, Pitt pens, paper samples, etc. The boxes vary, but it seems like everyone gets a good assortment.

And I ordered small scrubber brushes to use for blending oil pastels - two have arrived, and I have one more on the way. Couldn't find these at bargain prices. I've been looking for a couple of months and finally just decided to pay up.
 
I ordered the Faber-Castell Try It box. Not sure if the offer is still available, but with the coupon code, you get the $30 box for $1 plus shipping and tax, so I paid about $11. (US dollars) I feel like I got my money's worth. An assortment of Polychromos pencils, Albrecht Durer WC pencils, papers, Pitt pens, paper samples, etc. The boxes vary, but it seems like everyone gets a good assortment.

And I ordered small scrubber brushes to use for blending oil pastels - two have arrived, and I have one more on the way. Couldn't find these at bargain prices. I've been looking for a couple of months and finally just decided to pay up.
Hi Amo ~

Since you are investing in yourself and your art ... just a few suggestions ...

1- "I can't think of AI art without thinking of commercial art, something to sell. So these are all products. Frankly, I try to "recycle" almost all the art I make for sale somewhere, just because I need the income."
* think about licensing ~

2- "I also never went to art school. Had art in high school, with a decidedly mixed experience. Learned from trial and error, books, and online. I think art school would have forced me to make a lot more work a lot earlier, and I would have learned more simply with more "mileage," but I'm not sure..."

* Mary Englebreit - did not go to art school ~

3- "I'm not an experienced digital artist, though. Just fumbling my way through."
* This means you'll go far - because you are a 'self-starter.'

Best regards
 
This is a wonderful thread. So many people just like me. (y)

I especially identified with the pastel squashed on the shoe. :ROFLMAO: I go barefoot in the house and for me it was a full pan of English Red watercolor stuck to my bare toe. They're not kidding when they say some watercolors don't ever completely dry. I have neuropathy in my lower legs and feet so I didn't notice the pan with my toe stuck in it till I happened to notice it looked like something had been murdered on my legs. I sit in a cross-legged position most of the time (lotus I think it's called), so doing that and the fact that it was summertime and quite warm weather further melted the paint. What a mess!

The latest thing I ordered was a set of Fuumuui real hair brushes and one of the ArtBin storage boxes. I shared some of my art supplies with my grand-daughter and gave her the storage box when I was sleeping on her couch to escape the forest fire so now I'll be ordering another one for myself. They're my favorite storage places for my brushes. I have three of the boxes now.

I don't know if anyone else has tried Fuumuui real hair brushes but I really like them. I wanted to try real hair but wouldn't spend the money for real Kolinsky but these brushes are really nice in my opinion. I'm quite pleased with them. Amazon has them and the price is certainly good. They're holding up well and I haven't had any shedding from them.

Another thing I bought in a little more distant past was some of these ceramic palettes. I don't have a lot of room for art supplies so these small, longish ones are perfect. They have generous mixing areas and are easy to fit on my folding tables. ceramic palette.jpg
 
I also get quite messy when doing art.
Once i was drawing and my black ink bottle fell off the table. Thankfully it was waterbased and it fell into my trashcan. Black ink was everwhere.
 
There's a good reason I had to stop drawing with ink and a dip pen! I find ink bottles too easy to knock over. I ruined a pair of jeans once and on another day got a massive drip down my living room wall (I don't even know how) and ended up having to re-paint it. I just use pens now.
 
There's a good reason I had to stop drawing with ink and a dip pen! I find ink bottles too easy to knock over. I ruined a pair of jeans once and on another day got a massive drip down my living room wall (I don't even know how) and ended up having to re-paint it. I just use pens now.
I never got so far as using my India ink to actually sketch with or anything. I made such a mess just opening the bottle that I knew doing anything else with it was going to be a disaster. I gave it to my daughter. lol I'll stick to my paints---or they'll stick to me like the English Red did.
 
Once i was drawing and my black ink bottle fell off the table.
There's a good reason I had to stop drawing with ink and a dip pen! I find ink bottles too easy to knock over.

I think a big and strong table makes ink safer. Unfortunately this isn't always affordable to non-professional artists.

I didn't use any ink in the last few years, nevertheless I did work a lot in the past. I did learn technical and architectural drawing, I worked 2 decades with them in my professional engineer's job (before all this went to the computers, drafting software and plotters). So, after a few accidents, I learned early to be careful with inks! This doesn't mean that there is no risk for accident, of course ;)

I looked for black indian ink and color inks late spring and early summer this year, however I did buy nothing till now. I told myself that it is better to stay on one medium or two for now. I can't practice for long times every week, and it would be better to stay there and learn more. I practice watercolors and bought recently some oil tubes (oils are completely new to me). So, I did delay inks for the next year or perhaps the year after.
 
Today, a beginners set of 24 alcohol markers by Brea Reese. From Staples office supplies, $30 USD. For the price, I know this is a beginners set, but I'm a beginner with these kinds of markers. Dual tip, chisel and fine point. Just tried them on a throwaway drawing, the colors seem to be good, as far as I know. Brea Reese is a new name to me, but they offer a lot of different art supplies.
 
38DBA37F-9F20-4B7E-B15A-F6BAB1830C7F.jpeg

Graphite colors set of 6, brand Gansai Tambi by Kuretake Japan. Soft subtle hues, deep tranquil with a matte texture and finish specific to graphite. If you polish them when dry you’ll get a metallic luster.
 
I always play with my Blick cart for a while before I pull the trigger and order stuff. Currently moving oil painting supplies in and out of my cart, along with Neocolor 2s, Neopastels, Derwent Drawing pencils, and a few other odds and ends. Have to figure out which things I need most, which things I'm most interested in, etc.
 
You'd think that as a paper sculptor, embossing tools would have been within my reach for years. Not the case. Just purchased these a month or so ago. Came in handy embossing the brickwork of my Montreal apartment house sculpture and, more recently, my T-Rex. Can't imagine working without them!
tools.JPG
 
Kay, I hope you enjoy those blocks--oh, are they pans? I've wanted a set of the Derwent blocks for years. Maybe I'll get me one soon. I wonder, can you pick those up and use as a block, like a crayon? They are less expensive than the Derwent.
Angela, what were the new neocolor II 's that you got? Are you enjoying them? I never did get more, but still think I want a few.
RW, your work is wonderful, even without the new tools, so these will allow further enhancement. Have fun!
 
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