HEY ARTISTS!
So…if you’re anything like me…I like to know what other artists and creatives are using to create their own artworks, and masterpieces!
I find that trying out new things from time to time, helps me narrow down the products and techniques I align with the most.
If you’re a bit nosey like me, then here is a list of some of the products I use on a day to day basis for acrylic painting, watercolour painting, and my business!
Happy creating!
Jem
Acrylic Painting
Prepping your canvas
You’ve had an idea or inspiration as to what artwork you want to create next. For me personally, I always want to start painting straight away…but, arguably the most important step shouldn't be missed… the prepping stage. When I first started painting, this stage didn’t seem that important to me, however, understanding that prepping your canvas protects it from natural corrosion, definitely opened my eyes to the necessity of this step.
To prep my canvases, I like to use the PEBEO Acrylics Studio 1 Litre Gesso in white along with the Royal & Langnickel Golden Taklon Paint Brushes. As a primarily acrylic painter, this Gesso in my opinion has great coverage, dries quickly, and is great value for money.
I like to do 3 coats of Gesso on a pre-prepped canvas with 3-4 hours in-between coats. This is to make sure my canvas is fully coated, therefore making it less absorbent for when it comes to painting.
Some artists like to sand their canvas down in-between coats, however, I personally don’t do this, as I like the extra texture the Gesso leaves on my canvas!
Acrylic Painting
Painting Tools and Equipment
Yay! Your canvas is all prepped and ready to go! Now, what sized canvas have you chosen to work on? I personally have three different easels (by no means is this necessary, but it has allowed me to have more options in what sized canvases I can work on).
I started painting on smaller canvases, so, if you’d like a smaller table easel, I recommend the Daler-Rowney Simply Table Wood Easel. Even though I have started venturing into the bigger canvases, I still use this easel for my smaller projects, especially if i’m working on a practice piece in my sketchbook!
For a medium sized easel, I recommend the STANDNEE Artist Easel Stand. This is a great medium sized canvas option! I have used this easel the most so far, as I typically paint on medium sized canvases more often.
Now, my recommendation for a larger sized canvas easel is what I personally use, but, there are lots of more budget friendly options out there. However, the Artristic Studio Easel is fantastic, and also very innovative!
So…
Easels out of the way, let’s talk brushes! I have never been a branded brush user, as I think you can find lot’s of great options out there, without the high price tag.
For general painting I recommend the TyrKuiy Paint Brushes for Acrylic Painting. There are lots of different brushes in this kit! Plus, it’s great value for money.
For the finer details (my personal favourite part of painting) I use these Fine Detail Brushes. The fine tips of these paint brushes are perfect for those tiny details.
Ahh yes, the part that some artists may be a bit nervous about with acrylic paints… blending! I have come to love the anxiety that acrylic paints can arise within me, but to make things easier (which we all love) I use blending brushes. Personally, I have only just bought my first artist blending brush, as I only needed one. Typically, I have always used these Makeup Blending Brushes 10Pcs. Makeup brushes you might think? I thought this was painting? Well, yes, it is, and i’ve found that on a budget, there isn’t that much of a difference between makeup blending brushes, and artist blending brushes… apart from the price tag. So, why not give it a go and let me know what you think! Drop a comment on my TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram!
To help me with the blending process, I also like to use a spray bottle! This keeps the acrylic from drying too quickly, allowing me to blend easier and slower. Here is a spray bottle that I recommend: Kitsch Spray Bottle.
A quick summary of some of the brushes, tools, and equipment can be found below!
Brushes, Tools and Equipment- Acrylic
Were you ever the kid who loved collecting stationery or different artistic tools? Well, I was, and I'm here to say that nothing has changed!
A trip to the art store or an art supply delivery is always a time that I look forward to! So, let’s get down to business.
Brushes
There are so many different types of brushes and brush brands out there, but, here are a few that I recommend:
-TyrKuiy Paint Brushes for Acrylic Painting
-Makeup Blending Brushes 10Pcs (Yes, I use makeup brushes to blend my paint, and they work great!)
-Royal & Langnickel Golden Taklon Paint Brushes (For laying down that Gesso!)
Tools
Here are a few different tools I use to help me with my artwork creations:
-Soft sponge (I like to use a soft sponge to varnish my paintings!)
-Kitsch Spray Bottle (Acrylic painters know the struggle of paint drying too quickly… here’s the solution…and it’s stylish?!)
-MEEDEN Painting Palette Knife 5 Pieces
Equipment
These are some pieces of equipment that I use to paint and record my videos!
-Mobile Phone Tripod Stand & Selfie Stick (To easily get those shots for my videos on Arianwens Arts’ TikTok!)
-Daler-Rowney Simply Table Wood Easel (For my smaller projects)
-STANDNEE Artist Easel Stand (For my medium sized projects)
-Artiristic Studio Easel (For my larger projects)
Watercolour Painting
Papers and Paints
Hello fellow watercolour lovers! I have recently started taking watercolour painting seriously, and I have to say… I LOVE IT! Finding good quality papers and paints for my watercolour paintings has been very important to me. I don’t often see many recommendations for good watercolour paper. I personally use one type of cold press paper in 4 different sizes:
STATIONERY ISLAND Watercolour Postcards A6
STATIONERY ISLAND Watercolour Paper A5 Pad
Winsor and Newton Watercolour Paper Pad A4
Winsor and Newton Watercolour Paper Pad A3
I paint watercolour solely for commissions currently, click here if you’d like to learn more about Arianwens Art Commissions!
Now…
Onto paints! There are many different paint options for watercolours. You could prefer using watercolours out of tubes, pencils, palettes, pens… or them all! Personally, I mainly use palette watercolours, pencils for extra detail, and a potted colour for highlights. So! Let’s dive in.
Palette Watercolours
I have tried many different watercolour palettes, and currently I have landed on the Major Brushes 36 Colour Palette. With its variety of colours and their vibrancy, this is a great all rounder palette!
Watercolour Pencils
Watercolour pencils help me to add texture and finer details that using paint brushes can’t always achieve. Here are some of the watercolour pencils I recommend:
Winsor & Newton Studio Collection Water Colour Pencils
Watercolour Pencils for Artists, 96 Professional Colouring Pencils
Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Albrecht Dürer Watercolour Pencil
Highlights
Adding those final highlights to a watercolour painting is one of the highlights (…I sincerely apologise for the dad joke) of the whole process! After some extensive research, I came across Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White. This pigment is buildable, and great for adding those finer highlight details like whiskers or reflections!
Business supplies
Let’s get down to business…
Starting any business is scary. The extensive research, the doubts, the uncertainty, and the long list of items that you might need to buy to make your dream possible…
Here are a few of the supplies I use within my business, that are necessary or help to make things a lot easier:
A4 C4 Manilla Hard Board Backed Envelopes
OliveBird 1000 Black Thank You Stickers
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