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My favourite watercolours are Winsor & Newton, they have a Cotman (student) range, but also Professional. The colours are very accurate on the colour charts too. As much as I would like to have a range of M. Graham or Daniel Smith, unfortunately both are very expensive over the pond here. I have one or two precious DS colours and have to remind myself that they are no good in the tube. Just purchased the Winsor & Newton Field box. Super small for travel sketches and paintings, but it manages to contain 12 pans. I’ve also managed to sneak in two extra pans in the space for the small sponge it came with, (as I often use kitchen tissue I have discarded the sponge) – there’s a small brush plus a water container with pot…amazing how it all fits neatly together.
I’ve lusted after those Field boxes but I have so many palettes and travel kits already and haven’t managed to justify buying one yet. I probably will one of these days. Discipline is not my forte when it comes to art supplies, lol.
I’ve been reading a lot of the comments in this thread, and I also have a range of brands that I use…I have a few Daniel Smith tubes that I’ve gotten as gifts or picked up at a close-out sale. I like them, but I have to say, the colors that I have aren’t as versatile as cheaper ones that I use. It could be that I’m just used to using the Grumbachers or Artist W&Ns or Da Vincis and that they’re more affordable, but I do end up using them more.
My all-time favorite color is Grumbacher Red–at $3 a tube, nothing’s been able to beat it for me. It creates the most beautiful range of reds and pinks and everything in between. I also love Da Vinci’s cadmium yellow.
I have a set of Dr. Ph. Martin’s liquid watercolors that I love, too. They’re very vivid and water compatible, but they do not work in the same way as watercolor pigments from tubes, so beware.
As for brushes, I have a range too, but Princeton’s brushes have always held up for me, and that’s saying something because I put a lot of hours into each painting.
As for paper, nothing beats Arches cold-press (or hot-press, for that matter), and I always go for the blocks at Dick Blick’s…they also have ROLLS–so maybe when I start attempting giant paintings, I’ll invest in one of those. Their illustration board is very good too; you can get them in 16x20s, and I’m doing a forest/horse scene on one of those right now!
Erin, I do think that even cheaper art supplies can be used for amazing things if you learn to use them for what they are. You have certainly done that!
I agree, Sandra! And I must admit, I do really love the metallic Daniel Smiths I have, when I have the perfect project to use them for…:) And thank you!
My sketch kit consists of:
1. Stillman and Birn 8×10 Softcover Sketchbook (I vary between papers, right now I am using a Zeta)
2. Pad of Tomoe River Paper … I am working on my novel on this paper and I like to tape raw writing into my sketchbook … looking into drawing or painting over the writing which is a big thing I am exploring now.
3. 24 pan Kremer Pigments tin with 31 colors shoved in there. It’s a bit much, but several of those are grays and neutrals I am experimenting with at the moment. My paints are mostly Daniel Smith, with a few DaVinci and M. Graham in the mix.
4. Four Pentel Aquash brush pens. I have some nice brushes I would prefer to use but these are convenient
5. I keep a pencil case full with a combination of colored pencils (for line work), watercolor pencils (line and wash … and experimenting with drawing with them in watercolor washes), Pitt Artist Pens (S nibs and a Black B nib), A Platinum Carbon Pen, Pilot Penmanship Pen with Noodler’s Lexington Gray, and a Pilot Metropolitan in Fine that I use for writing or if I want to draw with watersoluable ink.
6. Faber Castell Tri Sharpener
7. Faber Castell Kneaded Eraser
8. MUJI Black eraser
9. Koh-I-Noor Magic Pencil
10. Uni Signo White Gel Pen
11. Two small rags.
This all fits in a tote bag and goes with me everywhere.
I love your kit. I have a 48 half-pan tin palette that has roughly around 30+ colours around it but I find it heavy to carry around with me when sketching and painting outside. I’m curious what kind of tote bag do you use?
You just reminded me of a meme: “I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies.”
Janessa,
I have a tote bag my boyfriend was gifted from an arts organization. It’s a wide bag though.
After a disaster with a bottle set-up that had a near needle point to send masking fluid through, then a needle to keep it from clogging, it clogged because the needle was not long enough, and then me squeezing sent the cap off, you get the picture.
I love these pens now, wish there was one even smaller than 2mm.
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