When it comes to art materials I love to experiment and usually try a wide variety of different mediums. Since I am often asked what brands I use I decided to spend some time and compile an accurate list of the ones I use every day, love and would recommend for their quality results and versatility:
Watercolours
My very best creative allies when it comes to watercolours are Kuratake and Sennelier (links below). They are bright and brilliant colours with a very high pigmentation making them last very long and therefore strongly recommended especially for beginners. If you would like to add some special shine and brilliance to your paintings you can also opt for the Kuretake metallic golden shades. They are fantastic!
On the lower range I also use Windsor & Newton Cotman Watercolours in tube or travel set. They are not as rich in pigments as Kuratake or Sennelier and would produce less desired quality results but they would be a good budget choice when just starting to experiment with watercolours.
Gouache
Gouache is an opaque medium and so versatile and enjoyable to work with! My favourite brand which I use on a daily basis is Windsor & Newton :
I enjoy blending and creating my own colours. If you are a beginner and know how to blend colours you can just use a set of primary colours and blend all other colours from these ones.
Watercolour pencils
When sketching fast and on the go without carrying watercolour sets with me or simply to render in a different technique I love using my watercolour pencils. A very good brand I use and would recommend is Caran D'Ache.
Pastels
When working with pastels what's important is quality of pigmentation that would deeply affect the outcome of my artwork. A brand which has great pigmentation and which I use often is Faber Castell
Brushes
I normally use flat, round and fan brushes for watercolours and gouache. Usually I would recommend Windsor & Newton or Pro Arte as synthetic brushes for studying and practicing or Pro Arte sable brushes for maximum quality and durability.
Another fun option that I constantly use because so practical are the water brushes especially good when going and sketching around with no need to carry water with you. Pentel is the brand I use and can strongly recommend.
Pencils
I love using different pencils but the one I always carry with me is my mechanical Pilot super grip pencil. Its very practical and allows me to change led
Inks and Ink brushes
I often use black inks in the form of ink tank brushes and ink bottle and brush. below are some of the items I love and would recommend:
Paper
Paper is very important for the outcome of my work. I tend to use a wide variety of different papers depending on what kind of project I am working on and what technique I am using. For every day studies and practice I have my mixed media Canson paper. Other paper pads I use and love are listed below:
Great for practising and with a smooth surface. So good for watercolour, gouache and inks.
These two above are a good compromise between low and high quality papers with a gently textured surface.
This is a higher quality watercolour paper with a fine texture in 100% cotton
This is a beige tinted paper
Eraser
I hope this list helps you to orient yourself around the vast field of art supplies. The list is updated regularly as I get to use, test and work with new materials.
(Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. However I only link companies I trust and use on a regular basis)
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