New Watercolor Paints And Brushes Send Me To Heaven.
Bliss isn't new shoes, clothes, or accessories for me, bliss is new art supplies. I was hoping to cash out some of my Steemit tokens but the price took a dip a couple weeks after I signed on. No worries though, my husband is so happy with my new found Steemit creativity and friendships he bought me supplies. He was the one who told me about Steemit and it may be a good fit for my creative hobbies. He loathes FB and I find it depressing. I've tried Wordpress and it's nice, I'm going to start blogging there after taking a year off after moving to Oklahoma to help family.
I've never had a full palette of professional paints, 20 years ago I spent a $100.00 and bought some red sable brushes. I still have them, Princeton Art & Brush Co. And I really work my brushes. I also take good care of them, I use mild shampoo and give them a good wash every month or so. I found shampooing too often will cause brittle hair and breakage though, that's why I only wash every so often.
Artist Loft paints are sold at Micheals And are cheap, I bought a bunch when they went on sale for my Grandkids. I do splurge on paints but only primary colors made by Winsor and Newton. You will find with student watercolor paints, they do not rewet very well, they crumble and are chalky with faded colors. The kids and I don't mind the issue with our projects. But I loathe bad paints when I'm working on my more serious projects. Artist Loft paints Colbalt Blue is awful but the paints are cheap so no complaints.
I've never tried Shinhan Professional watercolors, so far the colors are true and very intense. A little goes a long way. I have yet to see any problems with rewetting, the Japanese really know their watercolors! I'll update if they start crumbling and become chalky. I also bought a 37ml tube of designer gouache permanent white. This white is the most opaque of all the whites. Winsor and Newton have left me no complaints in quality and rewetting abilities. I never used white in watercolor for years so this is a new experience, I love white outlines!
I bought new detail brushes, quality is important when a brush only has a few hairs and starts dropping hair or splitting at the tip. So far not an issue with AIT brushes, but I can tell they are not up to the standard of my favorite brushes. A watercolor brush is like a lover, it needs to hold its shape, be responsive to pressure and angle, hold water without premature dribbling. I keep my favorite and have a hard time letting go, I am a one brush type of woman! If you split on me I am going to throw you in the fireplace and burn you up!
You can feel great happiness in your notes my great friend @reddust.
Congratulations on this great purchase
Now you know my real passion my friend ;-) thank you so much for stopping by and making your positive comments. They mean the world to me.
Nice to see you reddust! great hobby you have and you are very good at it. I find bliss in buying and collecting books mainly, old smelly scruffy ones. Best of luck with wordpress too, i think wordpress and steem blogging will go hand in hand and have been thinking about doing one also :)
@jonjon1 and nice to see you too! I have some very patient followers on the Wordpress platform and met some amazing researchers/writers. I think Steem and Worpress will be compatible.
"Expensive" professional brushes, paints, and paper are really more economical than student grade. In the case of pigments, they are more concentrated and you therefore use less paint. High quality brushes last longer, especially if taken care of: some of my watercolor brushes I've had since art school, 45 years ago! And don't forget the paper. Working on cheap paper is an uphill battle. I use Arches in 300# and 140# and it never lets me down. If you don't have it already, get Ralph Mayer's "The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques." IMHO this book should be in every artist's library. Hope this helps and good luck!
Thank you @chessmonster, I really need to surround myself with quality artist and you totally fit the bill! As you can tell with my latest projects we are working fast and cheap on mixed media paper. I'm impressed by its durability , the company that makes the paper is called Strathmore, I've never used their products before.
I use Arches too! I couldn't remember the name so I had to run and take a look in my paper drawer. My favorite is 300lb hot press for details. With 300lb I don't have to wet, stretch and staple. I've tried hand made paper as well, I have to let go and flow when working on handmade cotton paper from India, it's a challenge.
I have paper as old as my brushes. I didn't have to buy paper this time around. It's so expensive now, I wait for sales. Then I forget I am waiting for a sale and run out of paper. Now I have a sale app to help me ....haha
Edit...I found the book, just downloaded it, thank you...
You're welcome. Good for you! You'll find the Handbook indispensable and a wealth of information. Jerry's Artarama is an excellent source of quality art materials for reasonable prices, plus they have sales quite often and free shipping over a certain amount. I've been wanting to try Arches hot press myself but just haven't yet. I've stuck with cold press and rough in bright white for many years now. You can't go wrong with Arches, but stay away from the blocks...they buckle with all the edges sealed. Why they still make blocks I haven't a clue. Watercolor paper needs to expand and contract otherwise you get pools of water. I simply clip my paper to a sheet of 1/4" masonite with drawing board clips, and move them around as needed. As you mentioned, 300# doesn't have to be stretched, but neither does 140#. Not really. Especially using 1/2 sheets (15"x22") or 1/4 sheets (11"x15"). I've done full sheet watercolors on 140# without stretching and it does buckle when wet but dries more or less flat.
See I knew you would be a good friend @chessmonster! I will try 140lb without stretching it, I will be Christmas shopping for the grandkids and slip a few things into the shopping basket for me...you should try the big sheets of 300lb, I cut them to fit my project if need be. I really don't cut them, I fold the paper and wet the fold and rip, leaving a feather edge, it looks so pretty that way...if you like detail, the hot press is to die for!
That's just it, I guess...I'm not much for detail...I like a more painterly, loose look to my work. But still, really cool effects are possible on smooth paper and I'm really, really, really going to get a sheet sometime. I promise. 😎
Strathmore is an "OK" brand, IMHO, but can't hold a candle to Arches. To me, Arches paper is a work of art in itself. I'm spoiled rotten having used it for so many years. LOL
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