Art Supplies

[Traveler]

Fairy ~

I would get some brushes and some tiny embroidery scissors and experiment and see if I could replicate the brushes that Mr. Smith has designed. I don't see how you couldn't do what he did even without his brushes. Artists create depth and texture by adding layers. You can add texture by experimenting with different stiffness of brushes too. You could try different types of brushes like toothbrushes. I've seen youtube videos of artists creating amazing things with toothbrushes and bundled q-tips.

[FairyCrystal]

Traveler, a bit weird to knock someone's joy when they're happy about treating themselves to something new and unusual.

[Redchic12]

Traveller. Yes I agree, because I was taught how to do that without using specialised brushes as well. Although maybe using these brushes that FC talks about can make it easier. Not sure cos I haven’t used them.

FairyC, In my opinion, I don’t feel Traveller was knocking your joy, I just think that perhaps the way he wrote his comments might have made it look that way to you.

I felt his comments were trying to show an alternative way of achieving the result you so desire.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by FairyCrystal

Traveler, a bit weird to knock someone's joy when they're happy about treating themselves to something new and unusual.

I'm not knocking anybody at all. I think you misread. I meant that you can certainly do what he did even without his brushes. I'm sorry I wasn't more clear and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. That was not my intent at all. I think you are very talented. Thank you for sharing your art with us.

[Anala]

It is funny, a friend loaned me a drawing book and I find evening drawing very relaxing. Pen and ink drawings, with watercolor washes over top…

I get what everyone is saying,… sometimes you can find and inexpensive work around, but sometimes the work around is a waste of money…like using cheap little ink pads on a linoleum print plate. It looked simple on YouTube, but do not work at all in reality, lol.

Or like cheap water colors,… they simply do not have the saturation of pigment and come up flat…

[FairyCrystal]

Originally Posted by Anala

but sometimes the work around is a waste of money…..

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Or like cheap water colors,… they simply do not have the saturation of pigment and come up flat…

So true! I have used very cheap canvas and oils. It is a solution when you have no means to invest in proper materials or when not sure whether or not you want to keep doing it.
But if you do wish to make more quality stuff you have to invest in better quality materials.

What you say about paints... I've always had studio quality as the expert is too expensive for me and the studio was already an upgrade at the time.
But I now have studio quality paint from a different brand and this would be on the very low spectrum of 'studio quality'. I didn't know when I bought it, found out by using them.
The studio Q brand I used to have was really good. Great colours, great pigments.
But now, the colour of sap green is really odd and doesn't mix into a natural green the way sap green is supposed to do.
It's just frustrating!
So my intention is to get expert quality for a few colours that I need a lot, like sap green. And not buy the studio quality of this brand anymore.
I found out the hard way that even among a certain quality there's a lot of difference, depending on the brand. The price truly seems to be a very good indication.

[AngelBlue]

Fairy crystal..
Have you received your new brushes yet?
Don't you think it's so exciting to try a new technique with different / new/ upgraded materials ?
Oh but I used to love watching Bob Ross back in the day but admit I have not heard of the other chap.
I have only ever done one painting as an adult and because it's me I adopted the approach of "go big or go home " so I went big
And recreated a lovely "olde worldly" British seaside scene from a small greeting card into a very large canvas.
It took me months and I'm very proud of it but never attempted anything else.
I used acrylics for that painting and I loved working with them.
I think the attraction for me was that they dry quickly given that I've no patience !!!!!!
I know exactly where you're coming from with the cheap discount store products like canvasses and brushes as I did that, bought the cheapest I could find as for me it was only an "experiment" . The canvas itself over time has bowed slightly but that's ok for what my needs were.
My son however, is an artist at distinction level and he would be horrified if I were to buy him artist things from a discount store as gifts, even though I know he would accept them gratefully but never use them !
I do fully appreciate how expensive the good quality products are and how much they may be beyond someone's budget.

You are indeed a very talented artist and I hope you get a lot of pleasure experimenting with your new products.

The only thing I would ask is this , all of your paintings that we have seen so far, were they done with the discounted canvas and brushes ?
If so , they were all pretty amazing ...

[FairyCrystal]

AngelBlue,
I switched to better quality canvas around 2012 I think. So as good as everything I've made since is done on solid quality canvas. The type that has a wider and thicker wooden frame so it won't bend.
Those were my two demands: better canvas as that's easier & nicer to paint on and solid frames that won't bend.
This year I have done a few smaller sized paintings on cheaper canvas but all the larger ones are the quality frames & canvas (30 x 40cm and 50x60cms)

Brushes... I only have 1" & 2" brushes from Bob Ross, also BR liner and fan brush.
I use those larger brushes sparingly as they were quite expensive. I also use cheap DIY 2" brushes as I usually only need those for background.
I use that type for varnishing as well as I can never get brushes cleaned after that so I chuck them. Not going to chuck a for instance E20 brush after 1 varnish session!
So I usually have some 4-5 cheap 2" brushes in stock in case the ones in use begin to shed or for varnishing.

As for painting itself I've found over the years that the cheap synthetic brushes worked best for me.
So now investing in expensive foliage brushes is quite the thing in that sense too :)

I have used the foliage brushes and the magic Merlin one a number of times now. They do quite a good job for all kinds of things that would've been impossible or very difficult without them.
I still need practice with them though and see if in the long run they're my type of brush or not.
It's like that with all brushes, I've found anyways. Like Bob Ross can do magic with a fan brush. I can do jack shizzel with 'em, hihi. He can even do a treetrunk with one. I've tried, disaster!!

Personally I have used oils for a long time as it's great since it doesn't dry so fast. I could do magic with it, especially the turp oils, because they blend and mix and merge like a dream!
When I switched to water soluble oils I had to really get used to it not working that way. It was like re-learning how to paint, just as you have to get used to acrylics.
Water soluble oils dry real fast compared to the turp version. Depending on temperature & humidity about 4-7 days. With the turps you had to wait at least a year before you could varnish it!
And with water sol. I no longer had the toxic vapours in my living room which was becoming a problem, not just for me but my family was growing annoyed with it as well.

But back to your question, I think about 90% is done on quality canvas & frame. Older work or this year's smaller ones weren't. Fact that they're smaller is almost a guarantee that they won't bend even though cheaper. I think you can get that problem from size 30cm x 40cm and up.

[Redchic12]

Well I gotta be honest folks I use cheapish brushes and only a few expensive ones for the fine detail. They both seem to work for me.

I never ever buy the expensive oil paint because I think they are a rip off (well they are in this country). I have found most of the cheaper oil paint are fine except a couple of them such as cobalt blue and purple which are rubbish.

Can’t comment on acrylics, watercolours or pastels as I never use them.