I know which art supplies I can’t live without because they are the ones I am constantly needing to replenish. So many gorgeous supplies live in my studio, boxes of pastels that look like Christmas candy, bottles of liquid colour, dreamy papers and charred wood filled with all the imaginings of all of time to name just a few but there are only a few which I would consider co-creators with my process because I turn to them again and again. I know this to be true as I’m always running out of them.
Of course experimenting and trying different things is crucial to finding your own way, your own creative voice but when you fall in love with a supply you can fall hard- there is just so much creative potential in that relationship.
Here are a few of our favourite things, things we just can’t (creatively speaking) live without …
Perhaps there is something here just waiting for you to fall in love with ...
Galia Alena: Ink
Ink ink ink- I love ink- gorgeously rich and dramatic, or subtly nuanced in its delicate possibilities. India Ink is a staple whether I’m wanting to do fine detailed work with its endless tones (just add water- oh how ink LOVES to dance with water) or bold and gestural work mark making to my hearts desire, for sketchbook practice or for a journal page steeped with layers of meaning. It is just such a simple and yet so versatile medium- I think it might be a chameleon or shape shifter depending upon what you are up to with it. I also have to have to have both a good white ink (those white pens and I have a love/hate relationship- I know many of you can relate) and the luscious Sennelier Artist Ink which has shellac in it (Sepia is a must have that I’m constantly having to replace but I’ve also fallen for Sanguine - there are other colours I will fall in love with too, I’m sure, have a look HERE- Yummy). If I have ink and paper then there are endless possibilities for me- I can write, paint, draw, mark make, drip, splash and express with this simple simple and ever so pleasurable supply.
Natalie Eslick: Coloured Pencils
I came back to art at the end of 2016 after a 20+ year hiatus, absorbed by academic and professional life. After burning out (completely scorched!) I took a cheap sketchbook and a couple of graphite pencils with me on a short break, and have hardly put them down since. Graphite is my first love, and I adore working with that medium still, but after a couple of years of trying out different mediums (and wanting to paint, but not finding my groove there either), in June 2020 I stumbled across an artist doing tutorials in coloured pencils of pet portraits. While the subject matter (though sweet) didn't completely blow me away, one practice tutorial in and I was completely hooked by the process and the way it fit my ethos of honouring our non-human kin and everyday magic through creative practice. While I had flirted with coloured pencil before, we had not spent a lot of time together, but suddenly that was ALL that I wanted to do - and still want to do. Six months later and I have completely shifted how I work, honed in my subject matter to a deep and resounding love, and honestly lay in bed at night thinking about the next piece I can do with this gentle, tactile medium (to say nothing about rising at 5am so I can get some pencil time in before I head to my muggle job). Papers and pencils (I primarily use Fabercastell Polychromos and Prismacolour Premier). Two of my most favourite things. I mean really, can you even believe that we can take pigment suspended in clay and oil or wax, wrap them in bits of a tree, then use them in little strokes and lines and squiggles on flat pieces of processed plants or trees to create...an otter or a Donkeycorn! That's creating magic I tell you. And while there's a lot of industrial happenings between the tree or plant or pigment parts being on this earth in their natural form and me holding pencil in hand, I still feel that earthly connection. It's an emotive and grounding experience for me. Enchantment.
Fonda Clark Haight: Neo Colour ii
I was 34 before I ever created a piece of art. So… I practiced and practiced and grabbed all the new stuff and I do believe that better tools give you a better result. These days though, I’ve realized that sometimes, for me, all that stuff is a way not to begin my art. So… I use old books ,repurposed as a journal, or canvas, or cardboard. I cannot live without clear gesso, gel matte medium and neocolors. If I were going to be stranded I would want those three things. And while I still fall prey to the latest shiny thing sometimes…for me my process has been distilled over the years by limiting my supplies.
If I had to pick just one supply…I’d pick watersoluable Neocolor II. I adore that they are always there, keeping their color, just waiting for me to pick them up. They are like little magic wands….ready to transform marks and paper into a message for me. I can use them dry or wet to create a wash. And there’s a throwback for me of all the years I used crayons and colored away as a child. There was nothing better back in the day than a new box of crayolas!! I feel the same way these days when I open a new case of Neocolors. That feeling of possibility comes flooding back into my creative space.
Robin Sturis: Airbrush Medium
Airbrush medium is an indispensable product for me because, quite frankly, it lets me make magic. It has the consistency of water but the properties of a medium. This means I can get watercolor like effects with acrylic over acrylic without worries about peeling from excessively diluted paint. It also allows me to indulge in transparent drips of color over acrylic.
See what I mean? Magic!
But let’s keep this secret between us, my friend.
Jenny Grant: Matt medium & Stabilo All Pencil
I love and use tons of matt medium. I start every painting with collage as my first layer and I love mixing my paint with matt medium to make transparent washes. With my Stabilo All I draw and make marks on the acrylic paint and medium. I can move it around with water and add and take away. These are the two supplies that always use. Loooove them!!
Emma Petitt: Acrylic Paint
These are the life blood of all my work. I never got on with Oil Paints so I decided to become the best I could with Acrylic. I love how it is instant and I can apply layer upon layer to create depth and interest. When someone looks really closely at my work they will see many many stages of paint application. This hopefully describes the journey the painting has been on..
Do tell us, what art supplies can you just not live without?
What supplies are you constantly having to replace because you use them all up in wonderful creations?
Let us know in the comments…
