Art supplies

[silenthunterstudios]

I'm getting back into drawing, and hopefully some painting and marker art. I've got some blank sketchbooks, and they're primarily Bienfang spirals, Canson and Strathmore hardcovers. I also have one blank fair size sketchbook that I bought on sale at Waldens bookstore. I also have a fair number of Berol art pens, pencils, markers, some paint, India Ink, and some large art pads, although they might have some mold. I have an airbrush, although I only used it once, I would like to learn some techniques, but I have no room to set it up. For now I'm just trying to get back into drawing and will hopefully fill up a couple sketchbooks getting back in the groove before I tackle anything expensive.

Are there any fellow artists on here that draw, paint etc? That goes out to the knife knuts, bastids, pirates and knife makers out there. What paper, pens, pencils do you use? Do you use the high dollar fiberboard and the expensive brushes? Do you use acrylics, watercolors, oils? Or do you make do with the clearance art set, which is what I started out with.

 

[mwerner]

I've been drawing and painting for years, everything from pen-ink, graphite, conte' crayons, colored pencil, watercolor, acrylics....All fun.

I use standard art pencils, prismacolor colored pencil, and mostly liqutex acrylics.

Though there's some complaint from certain traditionalists about "plastic" paint, I find modern acrylics to be excellent and extremely versatile. You can use them as watercolor, on canvas or board much the same as oils, and on nearly any surface that can take paint as well. They dry quickly (a little too quickly for some applications, but you can buy mediums..), have no problem with fumes or odors, and clean up with soap and water rather than potentially-hazardous solvents.

I generally use illustration board, a fairly "toothy" bristol for pencil and colored pencil, and commercial pre-stretched canvas or masonite board for painting.

 

[craigz]

The best advice I can give you is to think more about what you are drawing than what you are drawing it with.

 

[mwerner]

Amazing works of art have been made with the crudest available tools; the cave paintings at Lasceaux a good example.

Still, most folks find that having quality tools and materials simplifies things.

 

[Ebbtide]

Pentel sign pen & a ream of budget copy paper.
Draw, draw, draw.
Keep at it and repeat.

Sketchbooks are nice. It is fun to draw in places other than home too.
Another favorite of mine is a black prismacolor pencil.
Work on composition and design in B&W, when you feel good about that, then you can be distracted by color

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

I am an artist. I actually have been slacking at the sketchbooks lately . I have an art kit that contains everything I need to do most types of drawings. My painting supplies are kept seperate. I have graphite, Charcoal, compressed charcoal, soft pastels, oil pastels, prismacolor markers and pencils, conte, india Ink, watercolor pencils Sakura Micron pens, and a bunch of random stuff. I have mostly smaller and more portable sketchbooks, maybe 16x12 is the largest. I also have kneaded erasers and other types. I keep everything in a big Stanley toolbox. Even with all the stuff I have, I often find myself sketching with a plain cheapo pencil or bic pen. Anything works, the key is just doing it.:thumbup:

 

[mete]

Don't jump from one medium to another .There is a very big difference between water color and oil for example . They require very different thinking and different techniques ! Getting back into drawing is great to improve the basics . Then pick one color media and perfect that.

 

[mycroftt]

I'm a rank amateur with no real talent but I like to sketch with pencils and charcoals. I picked up a clearance drawing set a couple of years ago to start off and I can pick up replacement stuff at the local craft store. It works fine for me and nobody is ever going to look at my doodling anyway. It's strictly a personal thing.

My whittling is a different story. Everybody is required to look at it.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Craigz, I agree with you one hundred percent. I've been drawing with a paper pad and a bic pen at work recently, and have been drawing cartoons to animals to the cup sitting in front of me. I just wanted to generate some discussion about art supplies and what different people use. I basically wanted to see if there was anything better than what I've bought at the local art store or off of the internet.

 

[heathah]

I used to draw all the time. I even thought about becoming an architect to stay close to art simply because I was always told that "the only famous artists are the dead ones". People used to tell me I had great raw talent but I guess I was naive because I thought everyone could draw like I could simply because I just knew how to do it. I guess it's one of those God-given talents that you neglect over the years.

I got some new charcoal pencils and a new sketchbook for Christmas this year so I'm hoping I might have the time to start drawing and sketching again. I used to love drawing so much I'd do it everyday, sometimes for several hours. I'm not too sure what happened but I believe it's due to that nasty three letter word: job. Oh, how I wish I could be a kid again with no care in the world.

 

[Mike Hull]

I've been drawing and painting for years, everything from pen-ink, graphite, conte' crayons, colored pencil, watercolor, acrylics....All fun.

I use standard art pencils, prismacolor colored pencil, and mostly liqutex acrylics.

..........

Acrylic is really nice in somewhat damp or humid surroundings(especially bathrooms, etc.). It's not affected like most other mediums are.

 

[mwerner]

With proper use of the huge variety of acrylic paints and the associated mediums for them, you can achieve nearly any effect. They can be handled like watercolor (with the advantage that you can layer them indefinitely without getting "muddy)), use them like oils, build up thick textures, and even use them as adhesives in collage and three-dimensional works.

Oils have problems with long drying times and flammable/noxious solvents; so the artist confined to small spaces like myself (my kitchen is my studio) find them ideal.