I thought I’d switch it up a bit since I’ve been so heavily concentrated on the mental side of my artwork and focus more on the nuts and bolts of my creative process. So I’m going to start a series of posts about various art supplies and their uses. I’m not going to dictate what you should use, I’m going to simply offer up what has worked for me and what I like or dislike about certain tools.
When it comes to most things, especially my artwork, I’ve always considered myself a student, never a professional artist. So when I would shop for supplies, I always steered clear of the professional grade paints and pencils, thinking those are for professionals only. But I’m learning that quality counts a great deal more than I realized and perhaps that’s what kept me in “student” mode for so long.
For example, one of my first classes that I taught to children I purchased student grade acrylic paints. I felt terrible when I saw that the paints were watery and dull. For many of these children it was their first experience painting on canvas. They didn’t know any better, but I did. They enjoyed the experience and were pleased with their paintings, but I felt disappointed because they could have had even better results with better paints.
After this experience, I started studying the various acrylic paint brands and came to realize there is a vast range of quality. Differences in added ingredients, pigment and consistency were obvious. The same held true for watercolor, colored pencil and pastels.
I’ve spent countless hours researching different brands and more time experimenting with them in my studio. The quality of these brands make creating art a true pleasure or a frustrating mess. Below are some products that I’ve used successfully. They are reliable in consistency and easy to use. I’m sure there are others, but these are the ones that I enjoy. (I do not receive any incentives or payment for promoting these products.)
Colored Pencils – Faber-Castell Polychromos (oil based), Caran d’Ache (wax based)
Pastel Pencils – Stabilo CarbOthello
Ink – Dr. Ph. Martin, Ziller
Pens – Tombow Fudenosuke, Sakura Pigma Micron
Brush Pens – Tombow Dual
The most expensive option is not always the best option, nor is the cheapest, but somewhere in the middle where budget meets quality is a great place to start. Even children should have good quality materials for learning. It makes creating more enjoyable and may even spark the heart of a future creative. It also encourages them to care for their materials in a mindful way, as tools not toys.
If you are serious about creating quality artwork even as a beginner, please do yourself a favor, save the frustration and start with superior grade supplies. It will make the learning process easier, more enjoyable and the results will be more satisfying. If budget is a limitation, opt for fewer professional grade colors rather than skimp on quality with a larger range of poor grade colors. All colors can be made from a basic pallet, but it’s challenging to make beautiful artwork with low quality supplies. And in the long run you may spend more in time and effort than it would have cost to start with better supplies in the beginning.
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