#i always have a soft spot for gouache

[taraneeno]

All this gorgeous art is making me want to get into dungeon meshi (I know nothing about it but it looks so cool and mysterious!)

gouache falin

[littlecarnet]

Some gifts I got for myself were for my apothecary/tea trunk shown here. The new items are a white marble mortar and pestle, a wooden tray to transfer herbs to the little teakwood bowl, and wood spoons. A portable glass borosilicate tea kettle and flowering tea in rose and chamomile in cute glass vials. The teas and raw materials in the glass jars are from years of collecting from my own garden or wild foraged. The little booklet holds all my recipes and favorite mixes, and the white folded things are cotton teabags for infusions and such. Tea mixing is part of my self care rituals. The process of mixing, the smells, tastes, or using them in beauty products or medicine is satisfying.

Fun fact: Traditionally in my mother's culture, a young woman was taught basic herbal medicine as part of her skill set as an adult, which can also include embroidery, musical talent, poetry, leather working, wild foraging, budgeting the home and business, and in much older times, divination, astronomy, proficiency in using a weapon and falconry. It's said the more skills a woman knew, signified her family's high status and a higher dowry.

I have powdered incense like this already, but not the tools. These are a lovely brass. They'll get a lot of use this winter, when I typically use incense. Making incense is part of my self care rituals just like tea mixing. The process of milling herbs into powder to roll or turn into cones with makko powder, then to dry and burn later is very therapeutic.

My mom got me a Five Year Memory journal, something I spotted at a bookstore while we were shopping. The other gifts are things she collected for me leading up to my birthday. The bracelet is really pretty, made in Nepal and ceramic scarab charm. A brass African sun coin (a sun sign since I'm a Leo), a trilobite replica, and jewelers loupes.

Art supplies I got: A soft cover floral journal with a pen pouch, a mini sketchbook, a basic set of Daniel Smith split primary watercolor set, and a watercolor journal with watercolor pigment incorporated into the pages themselves!

I've eyed these for so long! These paints have been used in nearly every Ghibli film and a lot of other high profile studios in Japan. I've always wanted to try my hand at these. I heard they have properties of both watercolor and gouache.

[victoriaisbored]

Life Since Spirit City (week 7)

Another week of art!

This week I mostly worked on a painting commission that I've mentioned before.

I was painting throughout the week, and it went from this-

This is where I mixed a too light version of the hair color, and an overall wrong skin tone. I spent a lot of time experimenting with the paint, kind of relearning gouache again because it's been a really long time. I was also using my most expensive gouache, so at a certain point I got really nervous about how much of the tubes I was using.

If you don't know, gouache is always in smaller tubes, usually not more than 40ml for White, and regular colors regularly don't come in tubes bigger than 20ml. It's expensive, high pigmented, and usually smooth, not slippery, more like velvety smooth and soft in texture.

For the skin I layed down the flat color, and then wet the brush once it dried a little to lift the color in spots that were around the usual T-zone of the face. (T-zone meaning a T shape from eyebrows, down the nose, and to the chin where highlights usually naturally hit.) I also lifted color on the cheeks and under the eyes on the top of the cheek bone, because I watch a lot of makeup tutorials, and I noticed that people always add highlighter in those spots.

It then became this

I mixed a new color of the brown for the hair that was thinner. I treated this more like a glaze, so you can consider the first version almost an underpainting for the hair. I used a big filbert brush to add this movement to hair, and make sure it didn't just look flat and non-dimensional.

The concept isn't realistic, but I still wanted to add some actual volume.

So then I got it to this point

I reworked the skin tone, added more dimension to the face with some light shading around the jewelry. I added some lining, eyelashes, and lip color. I think all of the changes I made to the skin tone look really pretty, but it's a little more detailed than was originally requested. So I made sure to send this pic to my client so that they can object to the dimension that I added to the face.

Tomorrow I will start adding to the painting again, I need to do her jewelry over Monday and Tuesday, and then I am planning to give her some eye makeup but I want to double-check with the client first.

I'm consistently flabbergasted at the amount of things I have managed to get done ever since downloading this productivity tool. I know I didn't talk about it here this time, but I don't think I can say much aside from that I've only got 2 more spirit colors on arachknit to unlock before I've completely unlocked all of the spirit skins :D

[thatryanbarnes]

My Travel Art Kit

Whether I am going on a trip to visit friends and family, getting away for a weekend, going to work, or just running errands, I am always traveling with my own little portable art studio. Keeping things simple so I don't bring absolutely everything (why would I bring all my gouache, watercolors, and alcohol markers?) I have narrowed my supplies down to the bare minimum for my travel art kit.

A quick note before I get into the details, everything I talk about in this post and more is available on my Amazon page.

Starting with the pencils, I pack my 0.7mm Pentel Quicker Clicker mechanical pencil with 2H lead refill, my 0.5mm mechanical pencil with 2B lead refill, and eraser refills.

The 0.7mm mechanical pencil is filled with 2H lead for quick, light sketches and thumbnailing. The 0.5mm mechanical pencil is filled with 2B lead for rendering the sketch and adding more details.

What I like best about the Quicker Clicker model is that the button for extending the lead is in the grip instead of at the end of the pencil. This allows me to stay in the zone longer because I don't have to change how I hold the pencil to extend the lead.

I bring several different erasers all with their own purpose.

I use the Faber-Castell kneaded erasers (not pictured) for lightening a sketch. I get the normal gray ones. In my experience, the color ones are a little messy.

For erasing large areas, I use Staedtler Mars plastic eraser. They do the job nicely and clean compared to most other erasers.

Sticking with the Staedtler brand, I also carry the Mars plastic eraser stick holder and two refills just in case.

For more detailed and smaller erasing, I use Tombow MONO Zero Eraser Round Tip and Square Tip.

I have a couple options for inking that I bring with me and use depending on how I feel.

If I feel I want to do a more traditional, manga style line art I have my Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens to help me achieve that.

If I want to fill in some dark spots or just have a painterly, brush texture I use my Tombow Fudenosuke Hard Tip Brush Pen. This pen is very versatile too and is practically all the Sakura Pigma Micron pens I have in a single pen.

Sometimes, gel pens feel like the right choice or I need to sign something or make a quick note and don't want to use my art supplies for it. So I also pack my 0.7mm Sharpie S-Gel and 0.38mm Sharpie S-Gel pens (not pictured).

Lastly for highlights and what not, I have the Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen. This gel pen goes on fairly thick and doesn't pick up the pigment underneath as easily, although some alcohol marker pigments will require a few coats.

Bonus: sometimes, while doing gesture drawing, I like the emphasis my favorite sketches using highlighters. For added fun, I bring an assortment of Sharpie Highlighter colors.

Finally, all of these things fit in my large capacity pencil case (as seen in top photo). This soft case fits everything I need and then some. It's double zippered so I keep my pencils and erasers on one side and all my pens and things on the other. I'm curious to know what your guys' go to travel art supplies are. Digital, traditional, or both? Let me know as a reply or reblog!

[aaailieee]

♥*♡∞.｡ NaruHina Quarantine Starter Pack!! ｡.∞♡*♥

I’m probably going to annoy you all lots with my quarantine drawings! Sorryyy. But I figured I’d try to make the best out of this situation and give you guys cute drawings here and there to accompany you in this conflicated situation we’re all living. Hope my drawings can lighten up your days just enough to make the out-of-the-ordinary situation less anxiety-enducing ♡´･ᴗ･`♡ ｡.｡:∞♡*♥

Here is a bunch of my headcanons for their starterpacks !! :

→ Hinata :

Cinnamon rolls: Hinata is fond of cinnammon rolls, so it makes much sense that it is her go-to quarantine snack.

Sketchbook: Hinata likes to doodle all type of stuffs in her sketchbook. But what she likes to doodle the most his the plants in the apartment she shares with Naruto. They lighten up the rooms and make them more “alive”, that’s why she likes having them around. Naruto doesn’t mind them, he actually likes them a whole lot. She also enjoys painting with gouache and watercolors in her sketchbook, and sometimes, Naruto likes to join her and engage in drawing or painting. He says he is too chaotic to be doing art, but Hinata finds his art very expressive and vibrant. Painting together is always very fun.

Knitting material: Hinata picked up knitting as a way to relax herself. She was going through a very stressful situation when she started it as a hobby : Kurenai suggested knitting as a way to calm down. And damn did it work. She now enjoys the feeling of soft fabrics in her hands, and while it takes a whole lot of time to see the final result, she isn’t the type of person that researches instant gratification. Naruto is like this.

Typewriter: Hinata unearthed this aged gem of a typewriter in the abysses of a flea market she and Naruto attended. Bunches of old toys, antiques and used CDs encircled them, but under the thousand folds of dreary stuff, Hinata encountered this light turquoise typewriter. It was love at first sight. Of course she had to buy it. The paint layers are cracked in the corners, seeming to imitate an aligator’s skin. Yet, there is a charm to it that Hinata cannot describe. It now lays on her desk, martyr of the strong sunlight. She types cute letters to her friends or writes poems on it, and it’s very relaxing. Naruto just watches her type lyrical stuff on this recylced paper of her, hair ignited by the sun passing via the transparent window. Writing is fun and relaxing, but watching Hinata write as love songs from the 60s play through her phone’s speakers is just heavenly.

→ Naruto :

Instant Ramen: Are we really surprised? Of course Naruto’s quarantine snack is instant ramen! It is never too much ramen for Naruto, and certainly not when in quarantine. Now he has an excuse to eat all the ramen cups carefully organized under the kitchen’s sink. But of course since he now has to spend every day at home, he varies the tastes and the level of spiciness. Hinata once in a while gives in the tentation and eats a couple of cups with him, but it easily goes overboard. They end up on the floor with stuffed bellies, cups scattered around their feets.

Comic Books: Naruto enjoys reading the weekly shonen jump, but now that he can’t go out and buy the new copy in the local store, he revisits all his old comic books. Huge stacks are hidden under his bed, in some transparent organization boxes Hinata buyed him to tidy up the shared room a bit. Nostalgia fills his being like a instant drug shot everytime he runs his finger through the aged, yellowish paper. Him and Hinata, every now and then, make mint tea and sit next to each other, engulfed in her soft lavender blanket, reading those comics.

GameBoy: After rereading his old comics, Naruto just has to play the old Nintendo cartridges that painted his childhood in wild colors. The fun and vibrant games make time fly so fast he often finds himself playing at 3am on the shared bed, Hinata’s sleeping form tucked under the blanket. Of course, the following morning, he wakes up with dark moons ornamenting his sky blue eyes, but damn, he doesn’t regret playing for seven hours straight.

Board Games: Oh gosh, board games! Of course board games would be on Naruto’s quarantine starter pack! These things make time a whole joke. Hinata is actually very competitive when facing Naruto, so when these two face each other it’s life or death - well, for Naruto. Hinata doesn’t mind losing, but Naruto can’t bear seeing every single one of his Monopoly spots being taken by Hinata. It’s fun, but one might argue that Naruto’s competitive energy can be too excessive sometimes, so much so that it’s unhealthy.

Stay safe everyone ♥

[sword-and-stars]

Hi! My ask is about art as well. Specifically, can I ask what sort of painting supplies do you use? Your art is usually tagged as watercolor, do you use liquid watercolor or something else? Tempera maybe? Do you use ink(s) as well? How do you make the white lines/light? I'm very amateur when it comes to paint so I'm hoping to broaden my horizons.. especially when it comes to the usage of white. I hope it's not too invasive 😅 You do not have to answer everything!

I’m actually very much a magpie when it comes to my art supplies; I’ll try about anything once! I haven’t had much chance to play with liquid watercolors so mine are all either from tubes or pans. Watercolors are my main medium; I don’t really like acrylic or tempera much, and I’ve never tried oils.

Pictured above are all of the palettes I have. On the right are all by art philosophy/prima and on the right are all hand-poured by me from tubes, except for the one set on top. Brand-wise I like to use Daniel Smith, Mijello Mission Gold, and Holbein, though the Turner watercolors are slowly growing on me.

More important than your paint is always going to be paper. I personally like a very textured paper, but mostly you just want to look for 100% cotton if you can get it. If not, the canson xl pads won’t hurt you. They’re not amazing but they’re serviceable and fine for practice, and I’d never turn up my nose at using one. If you’re going to spend a lot of money on something quality, paper is where you want to put it. You can get away with cheap, crappy paints and cheap paintbrushes, but paper? Good paper will change your life.

Traditionally, I know that you’re meant to leave white in your paper for highlights instead of using inks or gouache, but I’m not traditional, nor am I trying to be a professional artist. So for me I have no issue using inks for my highlights and spots of white, especially in the case that I’ve accidentally painted over it. I also really dislike using masking fluid.

For my highlights I really love Dr. Ph. Martin’s bleedproof white and for my lines, I keep a bottle of Blick’s house brand of India ink. India ink is great because it’s archival and waterproof, so as long as you let it dry completely, it can handle being painted over.

Brush-wise, I can’t say that I’m a loyalist to one particular brand. Synthetic fibers these days are great, which means you can get brushes that are cruelty-free that can take a bruising and cost way less than something made from real hair. I really like Princeton brushes and the Rafael synthetics, but really you can get away with most anything as long as it holds a point. The biggest differentiation between a watercolor brush and say, a brush for acrylics, is the softness and snap of the bristles and how thirsty that watercolor brush is going to be. Or basically how much water it holds. Snap is how easily the brush goes back to its original shape. Some artists like a softer brush and some prefer a snappier one; it all depends on what you like using.

I hope that helped!

[jbbuckybarnes]

Distant Connection - 2/11

Pairing: Bucky x Harmonia (OC) Warnings: a bit of angst, a lot of domestic fluff Summary: After an unknown group of goons took her mom’s life and tried to get her for the dark magic powers she possesses, this untaught witch is saved by the Avengers and brought to the compound where her new life unfolds.

MASTERLIST || Distant Connection Masterlist

Harmony was about to see the student area of the Stark Tower for the first time. Tony provided all the kids with wifi, laptops, food, medical help and tutoring there. She overheard it in a few conversations and she really wanted to draw in an environment like this again and also learn more about her witchcraft.

As she walked in she could see a lot of concentrated students sitting on laptops and others sitting together talking. She walked into the little laptop area with all the desks to see Steve sitting there drawing concentrated. There weren’t a lot of students in there and most of them had headphones on so she sat down beside him with a “Looks beautiful.” His head went up and he gave her a soft smile back “Thanks. Still trying to get into all the new markers from this time.” He had drawn a pink Starbucks drink with alcohol markers, the page he was currently working on was a view of a NYC street and he was painting with gouache. “Can I join your little art session?” she asked pulling out a watercolor sketchbook and watercolor from her backpack. “Of course. What’s your art project today?” he asked after finishing another window. “You…...that sounded like I was flirting. I was not. Just need to get better at watercoloring humans.” she chuckled. They both looked down and worked on their little projects for a while. “I heard you called me big energy ball?” he said and couldn’t take himself serious. “Yup, the outside finally fits the mindset.” she giggled with him. “You changed something in James’ mind?” he asked a bit softer about the thing he overheard. “I tried to bring more positive memories in the main focus again. You were doing a lot of dumb shit in the 30s and 40s” she smiled at him because he had stopped to listen to her. “I was...I can’t even lie about the fact that I wasn’t much different back then. A little less mature, but now I’m just that with the actual body fitting to the mind of a tiny human taking on the world alone.” he laughed about himself. “I saw some of the memories. They were hilarious.” she was thankful that it was way easier to talk to him than she expected.

“Can you...do that with me too?” he asked curious. “Yes, but that means I see everything you saved into your long term memory.” she said a little more awkward. “Oh please don’t tell me you saw all of the assassin stuff...please…” he was concerned for her and looking at her frowning. “I did...that was my first try. It was a spontaneous thing.” she went back into shy mode but he pulled her onto his lap to give her a big hug. “Don’t do it with Nat, Sam or Tony. They are good people but that would hurt you more than you could probably take.” he mumbled against her forehead. “Do you still want me to do it?” she looked up at him. “Only if you’re comfortable with it...why does this sound like we’re talking about something different.” he realized all of a sudden and both started laughing. “Something’s still off about the painting.” he said pointing towards it trying to change the subject. “I think you just need to feel out the colors better. Darker gouache tends to dry lighter and lighter gouache tends to dry darker. Should’ve done a color test. But I think you need to correct the glass reflection on the ground floor here a little bit.” she gave him advice still sitting on his lap. “Would you stand up, or?” he gestured at her initial seat. She reseated. “Hmpf, was so comfortable for once,” she said with a fake pout and got a chuckle back.

After correcting his painting in silence he put down his brush and looked over at Harmony doing her second painting which made the first one fully visible to him. “Simple but I can definitely see it’s me.” he said smiling at it. “Just the first layer. Needs another one or two.” she smiled while painting her flower. “You wanna draw something into my notebook?” he asked a little bit more shy. “Like a notebook switch? Sure.” she said finishing her last petal before turning to him and interchanging the notebooks. He grabbed some normal pencils and an eraser before leaning over the next page while she grabbed some of his alcohol markers to start drawing one of the memories she saw in James’ mind of young and small Steve. There was a comfortable silence between them and the only thing audible were the laptops of some of the students around them and the kids laughing outside of the computer room. He made sure she couldn’t see what he drew with his pencils and was way too concentrated to look over at her beautiful 40s painting.

After about 30 minutes both of them finished their drawings almost in sync and looked up at each other. They put both of them between each other and held their breath for a second. “You drew me? Wow. That’s...so detailed.” she said in awe before reading the little note below “for the small energy ball, from the big energy ball ❤” “This is the cutest thing ever.” she said while giving him a hug and he was so concentrated on her liking it that he looked at her drawing just now over her shoulder while breaking the hug again. “You drew me from Bucky’s eyes?” he was in awe, this was a gift so rare that he couldn't grasp it. Seeing through someone else’s eyes was almost impossible but she put it into a drawing. “When I went through his mind this is one of the memories I made clearer for him again. I think it’s very you.” she said soft and with her guard up. “Wow. I remember that day. We got in big trouble for spending all our money on unhealthy stuff but the whole day was so much fun.” he smiled down at his notebook with the most genuine smile in weeks. “You have such an unique bond. I wanted to put that into a drawing.” she said fidgeting with her fingers. “You two also have a very different connection. I’ve never seen him protect someone like that.” he tried to look into her eyes but they stayed on her hands. “I feel like he’s the only person that can relate to how I feel and also keep me save, you know?” she said very vulnerable. He grabbed her hands and made her look up at him, “I might not be able to relate but I would definitely keep you save too.” A weak smile formed on her lips and a slight nod gave him an answer.

“Can I see the rest of your sketchbook?” she ask shyly again and he grabbed it and put it on her lap with a smile. She grabbed it and slowly went from page to page. There were a lot of 40s related paintings but also a lot of new ones. He drew James and Natasha a lot, sometimes the whole team, there was a little sketch with all of them sitting at the kitchen table laughing, a drawing of her and James when they sat in the corner of the common room, food with recipe notes, a page filled with uniform designs, a sketch of Peggy Carter, a watercolor painting of Grand Central Station, two hands holding each other, a bruised Thor and a closeup of his hammer, a street in Brooklyn back in the day. He didn’t seem to use the notebook chronological and just opened a page and started creating. Meanwhile he looked at her notebook. The outside was filled with stickers of potions, black cats and flowers. She was into witchcraft before she knew she was gifted.

There were a lot of watercolor and marker drawings, her mom, the campus of Syracuse University, a stranger in a coffee shop, part of what looked like her room, two people kissing, fashion sketches, crystals and moons, braided hair, two people hugging, a collage of the different parts of her outfit, sneakers, a sketch of the library in the compound, a sketch of James, an unfinished sketch of what happened to her mother, a sketch of sleeping James, a detailed painting of hands doing blue magic, a painting of James with black eyes and a smile, a sketch of the common area, the flower she just painted, the first layer of the painting she made of him and the sketch he made of her. She was very organized in the way she drew. 

She looked at his concentrated face and noticed he finished going through the sketches but showed him the last page of the notebook. There was a big sticker of his shield on the little pocket in the back of the book that held little nicnacs. He looked at her with a smile and a little bit of pride “Was that always there?” he asked. “Yeah.” she said smiling back at him, taking her sketchbook back. The moment was interrupted with a 10th grader coming into the room looking straight at them. “Could you help us with world war stuff? We’ve been sitting here trying to get it into our heads and…” Steve smiled and nodded.

He left his stuff with Harmony which started doodling little things onto another page. A little shield, a bit of magical stuff, hearts, stars, moons, dots and a little note. *Always prefered you over Stark. Thought you wanted to know. Guess I have a soft spot for old grandpa Avengers. -small energy ball* After looking around at the concentrated students she picked up her brush again and started doing the second layer of her painting of him.

“Harmony?” she heard from a computer voice above. “Yeah?” she said a bit weirded out. She still wasn’t used to FRIDAY at all. “Captain Rogers has been called to the compound for a mission and asks if you could bring his belongings with you back to the compound.” the voice asked. “Sure. Tell him to stay safe.” she said with a little smile. “I will make sure to do so, Harmony.” the voice stopped. Once of the students had took his headphones out to listen to the interaction and got a shy smile from Harmony. “You are allowed to take his things with you?” she asked in awe. “I’m just bringing them back where they belong, I guess.” Harmony answered softly. “Can I ask you something?” the girl, probably around 16, asked. “Uuuh, sure.” she smiled. “Is he really as serious as everyone thinks. He seemed to be very childish and funny with you.” she asked with a nervous voice and a shy smile. “Nooo, he is a total dork but he knows when to be serious. If you ever have a problem with anything just ask him. He’s super nice and wants everyone to feel comfortable.” a smile came across the lips of both females. Harmony continued to put his sketchbook and art supplies into her bag, stood up and grabbed a bottle of water and a pack of chips from the food shelves behind her before turning around. “See you around?” she asked the girl and got a smile and a nod back before she walked out of the room and made her way back to the compound.

[mysticsparklewings]

Together Furever

This artwork is now available as a free Coloring Page! ____ Today we have another Valentine-themed kitty art. This one is modeled after two pet kitties I lost over the past year, Presto (boy) and Flame (girl). Both were very dear to me, and they seemed very appropriate for a lovey kitty piece, as they were one of the sweetest kitty couples I've known. Flame, such a loving and sweet darling, had her choice of the boy kitties, but when mating season came around Presto was her first and only choice, and likewise the father of her only litter of Magic, a little girl who looked just like him, and Sparky, the wild dark tabby mama's boy. And Presto, bless him, he wasn't much of a cuddle bug but he was a gentleman and, God, beautiful. He also certainly has his choice of lady kitties, but it was clear to me once they found each other that they were basically married. Don't get me wrong; Flame was beautiful in her own right. She was mostly tabby, but she had flecks of orange through, making her look almost calico. And, I think my favorite part, when she looked at you, you could see her mouth was half the normal pink kitty flesh color, and half the darker flesh color usually reserved for black kitties. It was odd, but also really cute. And she always looked so happy, almost like she was smiling. And her fur was so soft! They both had the same warm, green eyes. That same far-away, wistful look in them. I love them both so much, and I know they really are "Together Furever" in the beyond, even if I can't be there with them. And by this time, they're with their children too. (Magic, unfortunately, passed away at only a few months old. Sparky only recently met with a fatal car encounter.) It's bittersweet. I miss them all, but I am glad they can at least be reunited as a family. I did my best to capture Presto and Flame's likenesses here, though neither of them are quite right. Flame's unique tabby pattern doesn't translate super well into my drawing style, and I didn't have a good reference photo for what Presto's face and chest would look like at this angle. Still, I hope I've done them at least a little justice. My initial sketch was based on two kitties standing in a doorway, so to adjust for the odd paw positioning, I quite put them on this little stair pedestal, and then I put the heart behind them to fill space, symbolize their love, and fit with this month's lovey themes. The initial sketch was also pretty small, so I stuck with my habit of doing the lines digitally, printing them, and then tracing them onto whatever paper best suits the project. Thanks to my current set up, I did have to fight for a little longer than normal to get lines I was happy with, but I eventually got it. I think. Once my lines were all ready to go on a piece of mixed media paper, I did a few tests to figure out how I wanted to go about coloring both kitties and (to a much lesser extent_ the background elements. Flame went first since my only other tabby-cat attempts have been gray and orange, which are much simpler compared to the normal tabby coloring, let alone her orange-spotted tabby coat. In the end, I decided my best option was to start with (in alcohol marker) the orange spots and most of the tabby stripes, then go over that with a grayish-brown base, shade and touch up as needed, and then go over the whole thing with my "Tiger" Koh-i-Noor tri-tone pencil to enhance the "tabby texture," then final color touch-ups with a few normal colored pencils. Originally, I thought I'd be coloring in the black parts of Presto's fur with some watercolor. My practice run with that told me that wasn't a very good idea. So I tried some color options with my markers before opting for a process similar to Flame. Alcohol marker base, preliminary shading, then final shading with pencils. The white parts of his fur I just shaded with markers and otherwise left it alone. Though there is the tiniest bit of pink on his nose and mouth since he had that in real life, especially when he was a fluffy little kitten. Once they were taken care of, I moved on to the background. (Because apparently I work backward; I really need to get in the habit of doing the background first. ) I knew from pretty much the beginning that I wanted the steps to be a pretty pale, almost white color. I tried this pale purple look on a test page, and I really liked it, especially juxtaposed to the colors of the kitties, so I went with it on the final. Though I did add a little slightly darker shadow on the final just to make the color pop a little more. And then I started on the heart. I tried to fill the heart in with watercolor, as I had on a test page, but I wasn’t careful enough and the color came out too red and very patchy in an unattractive way. I tried to fix it with pastels, but instead of lightening the red it started to turn grayish in some spots. So finally I did one of only two other things I knew to do. I pulled out my gouache, mixed up a color closer to what I wanted, and I painted over it. (The other option would’ve been acrylic paint. The gouache just felt like the better choice of the two.) I do miss some of the color variations the watercolor on my test page had, but I like the overall color so much better than the reddish-gray mess hiding underneath. Moral of the story? Never underestimate the usefulness of gouache!   And that worked out a little better than I had anticipated too, as I thought Flame's whiskers came out a little long when I did the lines initially, but the gouache covered up the ones on the right, so I could re-do them. And I ironically got Presto's a little too long when I went back over them in white gel pen, and the gouache allowed me to pretty easily fix them too. At some point, I thought maybe I'd go around the two of them with the white gel pen, but once I fixed the heart and their whiskers, I looked at it for a while and decided they didn't need it. The contrast is right. They stand out perfectly well on their own. And so, it was done. Honestly, this piece took more out of me emotionally than I expected. I love Presto and Flame so much, and I miss them dearly, but I've tried not to think about it too much since each of their respective deaths. And so I had to work through a lot of that while I was looking at photos of them and try to get their likenesses right. But I'm glad I went through with it. I needed it, and they more than deserve it, this labor of love. So, as this Valentine's Day approaches, I hope they know how much I still love them and their kids, bless all their souls. I know they're all together now, as a loving, happy family. And I hope all of you, my Sparklers, can know love as pure and sweet as theirs, whether it be with a significant other, your family, or your found family/friends. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[littlecarnet]

Birthday gift art haul!!

Well it's not officially my birthday yet...that's tomorrow, but my shipment arrived early and I got to see all the goods I ordered...

Some of these I've been eyeing for awhile in various stores, but since shipping was free, I thought why not order everything from one spot? Starting from the top left: Faber Castell petite soft pastels, Conté a Paris pastel pencils, Faber Castell Landscape selection soft pastels, Rembrandt Primary Collection, Rembrandt Earth Collection, Rembrandt Sea Collection, Winsor and Newton Gouache, Art Creation Square Sketch Book, faux leather journal with cream colored 100% cotton paper, and Winsor and Newton Designer Gouache.

Rembrandt pastels are my favorite. I have a well loved 48 color set already, but I decided get some more colors that I go through quickly. I've never used Conté a Paris before, so I hope they have good pigments, because I love that they're pencils! They'll be great for details! And I love Winsor and Newton, especially their watercolors, and their gouache is very pigment rich. I had a small set before, so these will round that off quite nicely.

Next are the Copics. I originally was going to buy the beginner illustration set, but I read some reviews about how it's not very good for beginners, aside from the book, so I went ahead and got a variety of sets to cover most of my needs. I've never worked with Copics before, so I'm a bit excited to try these out.

Okay, these have been lingering on my wishlist for awhile, so I thought...aw just get em! I absolutely love Kiki's Delivery Service, so I got the Art Book, a Jiji plush, a Jiij pin, and a collectable figure. I haven't opened it yet, but I like all the possible choices so I'll be happy with anything I get.

These came from a site called Ichigo, I've always loved Cardcaptors, so when I saw the hardback Vol 1 cover, I had to it. It's such a beautiful book, the back of it has the card design. Then I went ahead and bought some blind boxes and bags that were on sale. $3 each! I haven't opened any of them yet, but I'm really hopeful I'll get a bunny baby from the Calico Critters bag, and a jellyfish keychain from the Jinbei-san box. And I love Kirby, so it's doesn't even matter what I get.

This wasn't in the main shipment but purchased from the Five Below site. Look at how cute this all is! I didn't know they had Sanrio stuff! Or Pusheen! So I went a bit crazy and bought a bunch of things from their back to school section. I'm not in school anymore, but these would make my studies fun.

Annnnnd that's it! I'm very happy with my gifts, really excited to try a new medium, and I can't wait to swatch and play around with my new pastels and gouache. I believe I'll be taking those with me on vacation to do some art on location.

My mom and I are currently in town, she wants to get me a gift or two for tomorrow, so I'll maybe do a haul on that too. Likely it'll be clothing, perfume, or jewelry.

[salamispots]

Hi! What are your favorite artists and influences? And what are your favorite mythical creatures? :)

hi! and mythology creatures you say

and griffin hippogriff sphinx things. and merfolk (but yall already know that one haha)

OK so I always keep saying there’s too many artists/influences and whatnot but for once I’m going to (try) list all of the main ones -cracks knuckles-

Amei Zhao (I love her comics/stories/flowyness)

Atelier Sentô  (gorgeous watercolor comics and art)

Victorin Ripert (really playful art and shapes also there’s a giant mola mola banner art what’s not to love)

Shaun Tan (super dreamlike idk everything is beautiful period; their comic/book The Arrival is one of my top favs honestly)

reykat (everything is so strange and mysterious and beautiful)

nephelomancer (also very beautiful and strange and mysterious)

Natalie Andrewson (I love how effortless the lines feel and how playful/colorful)

Jen Wang (graphic novels and comics; work is gesturey and lovely)

Emily Carroll (I love her use of comic layouts -esp. online- and stories; mostly horror/creepy things)

Matt Rockefeller (every illustration is so chock full of story and moods)

Jonathan Mathiasen (really unique gorgeous style and thoughtful/mindful way of approaching art in general)

Zoé B. Simpson (beautiful solid style)

Heather Penn (beautiful comics and colors)

Hwei Lim (effortless feeling and elegant art)

Florian Aupetit (really intriguing illustrations and his lighting/colors are killer)

pixelpchan (tasty paintings; really interesting how he translates things into gouache)

Manu Arenas (sketches/style/shapes/comics are magical and natural)

Joy Ang (art shapes are really precise and lovely)

Arthur Fong (inks and style are really cool)

Kellan Jett (plein air and nice shape language)

Enrique Fernández (comics and shapes/style are amazing; I have his comic L’ile sans sourire and I still can’t believe it’s digital)

Tyler Crook (moody watercolor/painty style; worked on Harrow County comics!)

Daryl Toh ( I love the digital-ness feeling of his work and his comics/stories; there was an old comic called The Dreamwalker Chronicles and that influenced me a ton/stuck with me)

Yvan Duque (everything feels like a fairy tale and a lot of his stuff is from gouache; art shapes)

Veikka Somerma (beautiful environments and shapes/colors)

Thomas Scholes (ornate and colors)

Tobias Kwan (everything is greaat sketches/paintings are dark moody and gorgeous)

Clio Chiang (how she draws/sketches people and uses different mediums)

Kei Acedera (really neat concepts/kinda dreamy and soft -honestly makes me think of cotton candy haha)

Dani Diez (beautiful shapes and colors; love his sketchbook stuff as well)

heikala (so effortless feeling and nice; also the videos of her processes are really relaxing and fun to watch)

loiclocatelli (beautiful gesturey and flowy art and I love his comics/compositions)

Alan Cortes (beautiful inky monstersss)

Sophie Li ( lovely art shapes/characters

Uwe Heidschötter (character style/shape language is really nice and balanced)

Kazu Kibuishi (what made me want to start making comics was his comic anthology called Flight; found a ton of artists through those comics)

Amy Kibuishi (one of the first webcomics I ever read online; I think right now she’s working on that same webcomic and it’s getting published next year?)

https://claystorks.tumblr.com/ (soft style and really good comics/stories)

Books/comics/etc:

Four Eyes by Joe Kelly and Max Fiumara (comic about dragon fighting rings and a boy who’s raising one? it’s great)

East by Edith Pattou (idk I found this book in junior high and it’s always going to have a soft spot in my heart; basically a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon).

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner and The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (haha all my books/influences are ones I found in highschool/junior high; basically fairy tale-esque stories)

The Fisherman by John Langan (very good horror I think it’s one of my favorites)

Fairy Tales by Berlie Doherty and Jane Ray (my mom got me this book when I was a kid and the illustrations def. influenced my style).

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (drawings were really cool and I think that’s where I get the slight creepiness sometimes in my art from)

Laird Barron (recently found his work and they’re very good; horror story stuff)

The Screams of Dragons by Kelley Armstrong

Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook (mentioned it earlier but it’s very good)

Immortal Rain (Meteor Methuselah) by Kaori Ozaki (favorite manga, story is beautiful and so is the art)

Ancient Magus Bride by Kore Yamazaki (beautiful art and stories, also a favorite)

Kuutei Dragons (Drifting Dragons) by Taku Kuwabara  (the story/world is fun)

Ao no Flag by Kaito (story is very good/thoughtful)

Houseki no Kuni by Haruko Ichikawa (I love how fluid the lines are)

Sing No Evil by Jp Ahonen and KP Alare (art is great, story is interesting too, it involves music bands and a talking bear and …a possible accidental demon contract thing that makes you a little uh hungry in exchange for playing bangin’ music?)

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (coming of age story in a way, it’s very good)

Most of the Ghibli movies haha (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Tales from Earthsea, Porco Rosso, and esp. On Your Mark music video

Rise of the Guardians movie (idk haha this movie just got stuck in my head after I first watched it)

ps: will be adding more/editing every once in a while

[gabelew]

What all art mediums do you enjoy working with? Do you have a favorite or perhaps one you've always wanted to try?

i put detailed answer under read more, cause it got kinda long.

ifwe’re talking traditional that’s basically all i use at the moment. and by thati mean abusing 24/7the stabilo pen & the HB pencil i got for free somewhere andoccasionally remembering that the other stuff exists.

prismacolorcrayons are the goddamn best for complex scenes, when you have a detailedbackground with perspective, props, characters and whatnot. but they are SOhard to get in my country.

light-coloredstabilo pens are cool when you want to freehand a character, but need to figureout anchor points and basic construction first.

whenit comes to colors, i, who is shit at painting, cheat by using the mediums thatare more drawing-oriented. chalk is basically colored graphite and works greatwhen you want to go big but have like 15 minutes to do so.

markersare… well, markers. I like the restriced color palette and the unforgiveness.you have to know what you’re doing and what purpose does each and every strokeserve. plus i adore the flat color look.

iuse ink very rarely, so i’m not really good at it. the lines are much nicer butalso harder to control. it’s something i really need to work on.

graphiteis i think the most fun, you can have thin lines, thick lines, lines thatchange, you can use the side, you can have sharp or soft edges. i use it forfigure drawing, when I need to have a decently sized finished-looking piece inless than 10 minutes.

something i’d like to try? watercolors and gouacheshave the top spot now, i think? I experimented with them a bit, but it waslike, twice, so it doesn’t count. I’d also kill for an opportunity to try outcopic markers to see what’s so special about them.

oh, and there’s digital art of course. does this count as one medium? or many, one for every style? hmmh.

[nhibnguyen]

Skating Pink. Gouache and Ballpoint Pen on Printed Pattern. 2018.

I always love pink ever since I was a kid, and I will always have a soft spot for that color. I have tried roller-skating before and would like to try it again some day. The outfit itself is inspired by an awesome I am so glad to meet at uni.

[sirnighteye]

sO i might be going to Japan in October (Tokyo area) and I was wondering if you had any go-to places I should visit? :o Akihabara and Shinjuku and Odaiba are on my list (whereImayormaynotbecosplayingMimiTachikawatoRIPmyweebass) but I was wondering if you had any others or specifics? :0

man oh MAN i hope you are ready for me to ramble a lotso about food + toy stores. please forgive me if you have any food sensitivities i am not remembering :’(

I have pretty large gaps in the galleries/fine art/spiritual side of things, unfortunately, as THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO WHAT I WANT. My experience is void, and I hope to grow it in the future SO FOR NOW I HAVE MANY SUGGESTIONS IN THE VIDEO GAME AND ANIME PLASTIC CONSUMERIST/FOOD-GUY GENRE OF THINGS (e: a friend might amend with good galleries and stuff, so keeep yr eyes peeled!)

Ima keep this public as my general DONUT’S TOKYO TOP PICKS list lmao

Shinjuku is my home base usually, as I like Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku- the location can’t be beat! Shinuku is really fun to walk around and sort of get an early feel for things but I don’t have a ton of ~musts~ there. My favourite katsu place is there, across from the aforementioned hotel I usually stay at.

A bit out of the way, but Artnia is fun if you care about having chocobos printed on pancakes. It’s kind of quiet and low-key, but all the merch there is pretty much what you can already find on the Square Enix website.

YOU MUST GO TO SEKAIDO. Three floors of art supplies! It’s interesting to see the differences between the Japanese and North American art markets- brands that are popular stateside are present in Japan but in very different packing, and everyone seems to manufacture an acrylic gouache. Acrylic gouache is the shit in Japan. The bottom floor has too many fun stamps and branded-pencils and washi tape. It’s so lovely.

A lot of people recommend the Golden Gai as an ~experience~ but I don’t drink, so I’ve never gone.

Honestly, I’ve spent a lot of time just failing horribly in the arcades around Shinjuku station 😅😅😅

Akihabara is overwhelming. There’s so much going on and it’s hard to feel like you’ve even scratched the surface. After spending a whole day there I realized I had visited four, maybe five shops and lost myself in a sinkhole of One Piece resale merch (gotta get ‘em Kakus).

It’s so big it feels impossible to find the more niche things when every storefront you pass is just a sea of thousands of itty bitty little bags of One Piece resale, haha.

I found some gems in Akiba Cultureszone, though. The ground floor Animate is kind of shit, and the second floor Lashinbang immediately drove me away with moe hell, but the third floor is a sweet spot of resale shops where you can find some really cool shit- I bought most of a set of cryptid capsule toys there, and gnawed on my own hand over the want to buy some exclusive Ghostbusters merch?

The Cospa Gee store is a smallll space, but Cospa makes some pretty cool stuff, so it’s worth a look. It’s also on top of a retail space that is entirely capsule machines and it is so good, so good.

Super Potato is pretty highly acclaimed vintage game store, buttttttt your mileage may vary: they straight up ignored my sister when she tried to buy a game, and I found the shelves pretty dusty and barren.

It’s worth it to head to Sunshine City in Ikebukuro and spend some time at the Pokemon Center. Sunshine City also has an aquarium that is fun to look at but maybe a little suspect on the animal welfare front :x

Directly across the street from the Starbucks-side of Sunshine City is the Ikebukuro Mandarake, which is just an overall good decision to visit: this one is alllll doujin, and it’s not all filthy but it is all cheap. I love buying doujin, it’s so neat to be in a space full of tangible artifacts of pure fan-enthusiasm.

Due to my dad’s illness our last trip I missed Odaiba so I can’t speak for anything there sadly :x

Harajuku is my favourite place to visit. Get off at Harajuku station, meander down Takeshita and enjoy the loud poppy fashion hell, and then keep going a little further and just… meander. There are so many amazing little shops down there in the sweet little side streets.  Stop by B-Side Label. Amazing stickers! I spent like $100 on them.

Off the side streets, Kiddyland is fun, and not too far from there is Dominique Ansel Bakery, which is always packed but is also??? fucking magic???

Also in Harajuku is Good Town Doughnuts, which is possibly one of my favourite places in the world. Their Blood Orange donut is really all i want out of life.

Shibuya is a place you’ve really got to wander and find what you want- I visited a lot because the One Piece store is there (IF U CARE, it’s in the Marui dept. store- the place that says OIOI on it.)- but they’ve got an amazing Tower Records. And please say hi to Hachiko ❤️

The basement floor of a lot of department stores are AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL FOOD MARKETS- my favourite, right at Shibuya Station, is Tokyu Food Show. PLEASE GO HERE IT IS  SERIOUSLY SO GOOD. I bought croquettes from a shop in one far corner, scarfed them cold, and then cried.

Nakano Broadway is an aging trash mall that got eaten up by the hobby resale chain Mandarake- they have like twenty shops in this mall with varying hyperfocuses. It’s a good place to find some older treasures, and just gawk. I found some Final Fantasy VI keychains in a shop here- that’s shit’s from 1994!

Also, it is the main setting of Digimon Cybersleuth, which is kind of fucking amazing.

A few blocks up from Ebisu station is Blacows, the best burger I have ever eaten. They never disappoint. (Get a side of the fried chicken- best karaage I’ve ever had!!)

Chains you will see everywhere and might want to visit: Animate, Tokyu Hands, Taito Station Arcade.

Please eat and drink everything that even slightly interests you in convenience stores, you WILL not be disappointed. also mcdonalds has soft serve floats in coke and ANTIFREEZE GREEN “MELON” SODA. they are amazing

That’s aaaalllll I can think of right now off the top of my head, but I’ll reblog + update with any new remembers :’))) PLEASE HAVE A VERY GOOD TIME, OH MY GOD, I AM EXCITE FOR U!!!

[lamialee]

Five Random Facts About Me

tagged by @butterynutjob and @kingkaneda 1) Like a dragon hoarding gold, I have a huge art supply stash and I’m always looking out for new one. I also have an undying soft spot for brush pens and their ability to create dynamic line with varied thickness. Right now Kuretake No.8 is my magic wand. Perfect length with tapered body and nylon bristle made for great responsiveness. I also love helping friends find their own wand. So far, everyone seemed happy with my recommendations...or maybe they were just being polite.  2) I am flattered when I see people frame up my art or put it on their fridge to bring them happy thoughts. I just keep my sketches in bulging folders or roll them into balls and gave them to my cats.  3) I’ve been experimenting with watercolour and gouache paint. THEY’RE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE AND SUCH A JOY TO PLAY WITH! It’s very difficult for me to find decent gouache paint where I am though.  4) I consider myself a storyteller rather than an artist. I always want my art to tell a story, however big or small, rather than a mere piece of decoration.  5) I also want to do some letterpress work, silk screening and embroidery in the future.  tagging @accio-my-childhood @thursdaycomic @henrys86 @widgenstain

[loriglessner]

Spring seems to be struggling to get here in the Northeast, but that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about summer teaching trips, hiking and painting in the great outdoors. I love to travel and fortunately for me, I do a lot of it as a result of teaching workshops. As you have learned from many previous posts, especially the last two on artists hikes, my favorite way to experience new places is to hike them and paint as I go. It’s important to me to not only record what I’ve seen via photographs, but to also record the essence of the place through my own marks. Please understand that these are just sketches, not masterpieces, they help me to keep my artist brain in tune when I’m not in the studio and they serve as memorable references for larger paintings. While I’m teaching a workshop, it’s sometimes difficult for me to get out and hike, so my favorite thing to do to wind down is sit in my hotel room and sketch. All of the materials I’ve listed in this post are inexpensive, lightweight, and fit neatly into my backpack, carry on bag or suitcase with plenty of room to spare. They are also TSA friendly so you can take take them with you when flying. Whether you’re a hiker, a teacher, a commuter or a tourist, like to sketch indoors or out, if you’re planning a trip and don’t want to lose your creative mojo, this list will be a help to you. Additional product images, examples of my sketches and how I use these materials are below each product description. Again, my sketches are not masterpieces. Be kind. ; )

Piccadilly Open Bound Sketchbook

An essential for any traveling artist to take along on a trip is the sketchbook, of course. I was introduced to this wonderful book through a workshop student last summer. There are so many good qualities I love about this book, the most important being that it’s compact, lightweight and can accept a variety of media, including water. Also important to me is that due to it’s open-bound binding and with a little breaking in, it lays flat without that distracting spiral between the pages most sketchbooks have. It also has a handy pocket to hold postcards, plants or anything else I collect on my travels. It doesn’t have a closure like other field sketchbooks, but that is easily remedied by a homemade tie, mine being a lovely piece of raffia. I don’t really like the word ‘SKETCH’ on the front, but that is also easily remedied by a little camouflage. Unfortunately, this book has been discontinued by Barnes and Noble, where I purchased it, but you can still get copies of it through Marketplace sellers here.

  Koh-I-Noor Watercolor Wheel

I love watercolor for quick sketches and have purchased a few portable watercolor sets over the years, but this stackable set of 24 colors by Koh-I-Noor is definitely my favorite. I found it in a museum gift shop near the children’s art supplies so I wasn’t expecting much in the way of quality, but I was totally blown away by the color intensity when I did my first tests. If you’d like to see a more comprehensive comparison to better quality watercolor sets, watch this short video. I’m no watercolor expert and I’m sure I don’t need a whole 24 colors, but I love having them at my disposal if I want them. I’m used to working with gouache, so I’m always searching for white when working with watercolors and this set has white! It really doesn’t work the way gouache works, but I like having it there for that little bit of opacity I always seem to need. It also comes with a handy mixing tray that screws right on top. This set fits perfectly in my pack, but it might be a bit bulky for some, so just unscrew the stack and only bring the colors you need. The set is very inexpensive compared to most portable 24 color sets, so if you’re daring you can go for the mega 36 color set available here or the colossal 48 color set here. The 24 color set is sold by many online stores and you can compare prices if you Google, but if you’re in a hurry just click here.

ArtGraf Water Soluble Graphite Disc

ArtGraf is simply brilliant for all that it offers in the way of water soluble products. I was first introduced to their products by way of their water soluble graphite pencils and sticks that I love. When I was in the art supply store purchasing more, I found that they also make water soluble graphite products that they call ‘discs’. The disc is more like a block, it’s shape inspired by tailor’s chalk and comes in many colors. I first purchased the Carbon Black disc, it’s rich velvety black almost simulates sketching in straight Sumi ink. I loved it so much, I bought the earth tone set and just love it for sketching the desert landscapes I gravitate toward when searching for hikes. The colors are so rich and complex, I can achieve a wide value range just by changing the amount of water I use. Although I would love to, I can’t take all of the colors with me, so I always have the dark brown disc in my pack. Its as rich as the black, but not as harsh and simulates the earth tones a bit better. Just like the black I can achieve a wide range of values and it’s great for simple sketches when I don’t have the time to break out my watercolor set. The discs are sold individually or in sets through many art supply stores, but for online convenience most of the products are sold by Amazon here.

General’s Sketch and Wash Pencil

When I work in any medium, I’m always about adding the line, the mark and in my case, lines and marks add up to many tangled swirls. For me, working in watercolor is not about painting in detail, it’s broad, blended swaths of color that yearn for a little detail-and swirls, of course. This pencil allows me to add those details in lines ranging from very crisp to a thin wash. The pencil works like any other watercolor pencil by either adding water after drawing or dipping the pencil in water first, the latter being what I prefer. What sets this pencil apart from most other watercolor pencils is the rich black line I get when it’s wet. Most black watercolor pencils seem to start strong and then fade out when wet-this one does the exact opposite, starting out a lighter gray when dry and then getting more black when wet. Its the perfect tie together finish for a bright watercolor sketch. It’s available at most art supply stores, but I purchase mine here.

Pentel Aquash Water Brush

What to do with all of these watercolor art supplies, you ask? The answer is, purchase a good water brush! I’m embarrassed to say that I purchased my first water brush in 2016 when yet another workshop student introduced me to these wonderful things. At the time, I had never heard of them and also had a difficult time finding them even online. Fortunately, they are pretty much everywhere now and come in a few brands which I have tried. My favorite is the Pentel brand because of it’s quality tip that I can’t kill no matter how hard I use it and I don’t have to hurt myself to get the water out of the brush. I purchased this set (not from this merchant), being wooed by a bigger pen with a variety of tips. Unfortunately, the tips soon fell apart, the water either came out in a waterfall or not at all and I had to squeeze the pen so hard to get the water out, it would break my painting rhythm. Although the Pentel brand is a bit pricier and looks smaller, the brushes last, they’re easy to use with an even water flow per squeeze and surprisingly hold more water than the larger brushes. My favorite, most versatile tip is the medium round, it gives me a broad stroke down to a fine line. I can’t do without this brush and carry one everywhere, even in my everyday purse. Just a side note-if you’re flying and taking this pen with you, make sure you have emptied it of all water or TSA will confiscate! Purchase both Pentel individual brushes and sets here.

Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen

There are no limits to the love I have for this pen. It’s super black, versatile, comes in a variety of sizes and writes beautifully on any drawing or painting surface. When I’m out hiking, I use it to make quick sketches, write field notes, add depth to my pencil sketches and details to my watercolor sketches. I have the extra small, small and fine point pens and use them all in the studio, but always have the small size in my pack. Read this post for more about this pen and to see a series of drawings I did with it. These pens are sold individually at most art and craft stores and online, but I found a nice assorted nib 4 pen set here and a mega set with all kinds of interesting nibs here.

Eberhard Faber Design Ebony Pencil 6325

I love drawing with pencil, I could do it for days. The problem is that it takes me about that long to draw anything because I use so many different kinds of pencils and leads, constantly switching around to get the right value. Unfortunately, I can’t bring them all with me in my pack, so this pencil is a great substitute for many of those pencils. It’s hard enough at the tip for fine line and soft enough to achieve a variety of values, from very dark to very light. The best part about it is it’s ultra velvety smoothness, I’ve never seen or felt anything quite like it. The smoothness enables me to draw in many smooth layers without annoying skips and dark spots. It must be kept sharp to achieve fine line, so instead of ruining my pack with a messy sharpener that takes up space, I use my trusty pink pocket knife every hiker girl should have and the pencil elements go back to the earth from whence they came. Unfortunately, these pencils have been discontinued but they are available from a variety of Marketplace and Ebay sellers if you’re patient and search. I found a good article that mentions other alternatives to this awesome pencil-I haven’t used any of the pencils mentioned in the article but there are substantial reviews to read for most of them.

I hope that this article was helpful and introduced you to some products you may not have been aware of before reading. As always, I look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions-the comments section is located at the upper left sidebar of this post. Please let me know what your favorite portable materials are, I’m always looking for new products to try.

Stay tuned for my next post which offers 3 Essential Questions to ask yourself when critiquing art, either your own or another artist’s work. When I was a professor at Tyler, these three questions helped simplify critique and went beyond the typical critique discussions to analyzing the overall impact of the work and what compels the viewer to respond to one work over another. Whether you are a professional artist or a beginner, this article will help you determine what makes an interesting work of art. See you soon.

Are you an artist who loves to travel? In this post, I share with you 7 Essential Art Materials so you can be Art Prepared for your next trip. Spring seems to be struggling to get here in the Northeast, but that hasn't stopped me from thinking about summer teaching trips, hiking and painting in the great outdoors.