When I discovered watercolour art, a whole world of experimentation, learning and opportunity appeared to me almost by magic. It brought an incredible freedom to my artistic process and great opportunity of experimentation. All of a sudden, static art became portable, free to leave the art studio and see the wold outside.
Exploring art in this new manner remains my preferred method, and it continues to be my approach. Through practice and experience, I have been able to identify my favorite and most frequently used art materials. While these preferences may evolve over time, influenced by various factors such as emotions and seasons (for instance, color palettes often mirror the world around us), the supplies I am about to mention are always readily available to me.
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PAPER:
Let's discuss paper. I understand that it may not be as trendy or thrilling as colours or technical art materials, but as I gained more experience, my enthusiasm and attention to detail regarding paper also increased.
My absolute favourite paper of choice is Arches 300 gms rough cotton paper.
Even though this paper has a luxurious texture and a ton of character, it is made entirely from cotton fibers, which allows water to pool on the surface and stay there for an extended period. This provides me with ample opportunity and time to experiment with colours on the page, preventing any premature drying, and enabling to achieve flawless, consistent washes.
While Arches blocks can be costly, I discovered that purchasing large flat sheets and cutting them to your desired size is a cost-efficient method to use this exquisite paper. The only drawback to this approach (aside from the cutting process) is that you might have to visit a local art supplies store instead of making an online purchase.
BRUSHES:
There's nothing more exciting, and terrifying than talking about brushes. Exiting because, let's face it, everyone loves a delicious brush. At the end of the day this is the tool that extends your brain through your hand, and makes your art come to life.
The terrifying point is the price.
I am always on a budget when it comes to art supplies, so I had to invest a bit of research on the subject before finding a good compromise between quality and affordability.
As we speak, my favourite sets of brushes (and the one that I use everyday, and even travel with) is the ESCODA Travel Brushes Blue Set. You can easily find it on Amazon for about 70 Euros.
The set includes three round brushes of varying sizes, providing a wide range of brush strokes and techniques, suitable for thin lining (ideal for inking) as well as large washes.
Each of the three brushes is crafted using premium synthetic fibers, essential for those who, similar to me, prioritise both environmental consciousness and tool quality.
DRAWING TOOLS:
After much research and an enormous amount of trial and error I came to the conclusion that I only need two drawing tools in my everyday-carry pencil case. One pencil and one pen.
First of all the pencil: nothing fancy here, just what I am more comfortable with, an all purpose pencil which is reliable and sturdy. My latest choice is a Mitsubishi Unistar with a B lead.
You can find them on Amazon in a bundle of 20 for about one Euro each.
In my experience, the B lead is ideal for creating deep, dark lines with a bit of hand pressure, as well as light, smooth marks, making it suitable for everyday use.
Pen. Believe me, I experimented with various options. From different fineliners and fountain pens to ballpoint pens...but I ultimately settled on a fantastic and affordable fude nib pen. My current love is the Sailor Fude nib pen (the green one).
If you are not familiar with this pen, give it a try, it will amaze you. The bent nib acts like a brush, allowing an array of different lines that you could hardly achieve with any other tool.
Being a fountain pen, it can work with cartridges and as well with a converter, giving you the chance to experiment with different inks, and perhaps save a penny on the cost of the inks too.
WATERCOLOUR SET:
As per the drawing tools, I have been trying a lot of watercolour sets of different brands and qualities. The options are endless, ranging from prices and compositions to a wide array of colours.
I am not going to describe here every single colour pan in my set (this, if you are interested, may be the topic for a further blog).
Through this excruciating research I found myself brought back and back again to the Sennelier watercolour set. They are not the cheapest but their properties are absolutely unique.
There is a hint of honey in the composition of the watercolour, making it flow beautifully on the paper. Their rich pigmentation as well allows you to achieve so much surface coverage with the tiniest bit of colour, creating beautiful and always perfectly smooth washes.
Although you may find a lot of ready made sets, ranging from set of 10ml tubes to half pans, I ended up building my own set by buying one by one each of the colours that I find myself using more in my palette.
As I mentioned in the beginning, the composition of my palette changes quite often, based on the season we are in, the colour of the environment, the place or the subject I am painting etc.
If I have a suggestion for you is to try them, see what works best and enjoy the process!
I sincerely hope that you found this brief article helpful. Feel free to let me if any of these tools are also your favourites for work!
