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Art For Sale - Saint Michael Miniature Pen and Ink Drawings
including:
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Our Lady of Guadalupe, stippled ink on genuine sheep skin, a (finished) Work In Progress |
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including:
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Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Inc.
The Society of Tempera Painters
Marians Of The Immaculate Conception
Basic Watercolor Supplies
Purple Coneflower
copyright laeom
Watercolor painting is at least for me, something that needs to be researched a little before just jumping in, and there are many good books on the basics of the medium. I will list what I think are the basic, least expensive supplies to start with. As the artist determines whether or not they want to pursue this medium, they can explore the more expensive papers and paints. I have found that as I progressed to the point where I was happy with my initial paintings, the added expense of the finer rag papers and expensive pigments is worth the difference in my work, but I suggest that the following are really good quality materials to begin with.
Papers
Cotman paper by Winsor and Newton is a very good
quality paper to start with. I found it is one of the better "student
grades" and I still use it for quick sketches and paintings. Other names
are Strathmore, Waterford, Canson, Fabriano and even some generic papers will
work well. They come in different surfaces - Cold press, Hot Press, Soft press,
etc, and in different weights. The best thing to do may be to buy a
"sampler" by a manufacturer and then decide which works for you.
Bristol board is okay for design work, but does not take heavy washes very well.
The finer papers are also made by those same manufacturers as well as the paper
mill Arches. Arches is a standard and is widely used by professionals. I
personally prefer Winsor and Newton Hot Press 140 lb. paper as I like the
surface of their hot press over Arches. Again, experimentation for what the
artist prefers is best, and sampler sets are a good way to try different papers.
Pigments
I started with Cotman paints, and they are okay to begin
with. I find them a little chalky, but that may just be me. I have also tried Holbein,
Winsor and Newton Artist's Watercolors, Daler-Rowney and Sennelier. I now use
Daniel Smith professional watercolors. Daniel Smith is a US West Coast company
that makes their own paints. I initially tried them when doing antique looking
manuscript parchments as they were able to offer some authentic historic
pigments such as lapis lazuli, malachite, and pink-color. These are colors used
for centuries.
Brushes
A few of the companies listed above make brushes - Winsor
and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Brushes are widely considered the best
brushes in the world, and their prices reflect that reputation. However, for the
beginner, there are many different types to try. There are other companies that
make Kolinsky sable brushes, and then sable brushes are the next
"down" the line. There are also squirrel hair, camel hair and hair
blends. There are also many synthetic blends that simulate the qualities of the
sables. The artist will have to try the different types to get the
"feel" of what they like. I have a set of Dick Blick Masterstroke
Kolinsky Sable Brushes - I use these for paintings I know I want the most
control over the paint. Sable and Kolinsky in particular holds paint very well,
and will still keep a point. However, for my general watercolor work, I have a
set of Robert Simmons synthetic brushes. These are almost as good at keeping a
point, but I found they hold slightly less paint. They are also less expensive
and when I work in ink, I do not have to worry about possibly staining or
ruining a brush if I use synthetic.
Brushes come in different thickness’ and shapes: round, flat, filbert, wash,
detail, etc. and sizes 6 x 0 (thinnest) to size 12 or larger. At the beginning I
bought a six brush set of synthetic brushes in sizes 1,2,4,6,8, (rounds) and
12(filbert) and a large (2") wash brush. I think this is a well-rounded set
to begin with.
The only items other than paper, brushes and pigments are a good drawing pencil
and a few creative thoughts. I would say you need an eraser, but I find it is
better to draw lightly, leave the extra lines, and let the creativity flow
without worrying about a few light pencil marks. If you prefer to use an
eraser, use one of the types made for watercolor paper, usually a white vinyl
eraser.
I have listed some books for reference on the page
Recommended
Books - Art.
These few items will open a whole new world to watercolor painting.