#randomly tried out a brush pen i bought a while ago

[jojolimons-arts]

little oc update, here's dani's mom, rosa dellion

she's a detective

[bloodypapercut]

f.w. headcanons (part ii)

here it is! you’re all too kind to me so i truly hope you enjoy! <3 (I apologize if this headcanon is a bit redundant)

word count: 2.1k

@somekidinacoma

(if you’d like to be tagged just ask, i’d be more then happy to!)

-he talks about you so much, molly and arthur practically know everything about you. as for the other weasleys you all get along and they make you feel like you’re part of the family

-he’s so excited to show you everything around the house, like his room, the backyard, the small fort all his siblings made together in the woods, the treehouse, and all the little trinkets that litter every available space. he’s practically shaking when he meets you at the train station because he can’t contain his emotions

-he can’t wait for the people he loves the most to be together. the thought of you, his siblings and his parents in the same household just excite him so much and fills him with joy 

-when you arrive molly has already made all of your favorites because she knew from all of fred's letters about you and arthur is already asking about how your ride was and if you saw anything interesting (his letters are mostly about you, they only contain 2 sentences about him)

-you get along with molly and arthur very well, they treat you with so much kindness and love. molly lets you cook with her and she shows you old photos of fred. you and arthur have conversations about muggle things he finds interesting and about all the fun experiences you’ve had while art hogwarts

-when fred leads you to his room he shows you his first inventions that he made with george many years ago, seeing his eyes fill with pride is one of your favourite sights 

-his side of the room is covered with pictures of you and him, letters and doodles from you and it’s so cute “george says it’s creepy like it’s some sort of shrine.” “i wouldn’t expect any less from you.”

-he lets you rummage through the old clothes that are too small for him and keep them. they still smell like him, a mixture of cinnamon, ash, pine, and orange

-sneaking down to the kitchen while everyone sleeps and eating cake outside

-baking 4am cookies with fred, trying your hardest not to laugh and make a lot of noise, but it just ends up with the two of you feeding each other the cookie dough then getting stomach aches the next morning 

-throwing popcorn at him, him diving to try and catch it, probably leading to his head banging against a table (pouty fred trying to ignore you but ultimately failing when you kiss him all over his face)

-sitting around a fire with his entire family as they all laugh and tell stories, his arm around your shoulders and your head leaning against his

-water chugging competitions, you always win

-staring competitions, he’ll always pull odd faces in an attempt to get you to crack or tickle you with strands of your hair

-stargazing in his old treehouse, holding hands and falling asleep in that position. (imagine fairy lights everywhere, there's a record player in the corner playing si tu n’etais pas la, you’re both under a blanket and you’re tracing words onto his palm making him guess what your message is) 

-he comes up from behind you and drapes a blanket over your shoulders while hugging you and talking into your hair, his speech being muffled

-refusing him kisses before class if he’s the reason you’re late, to which he’ll reply by lightly pulling your hair when you try and walk away from him. he doesn’t show any signs of relenting so you quickly turn around and kiss him hard while gripping on his collar, but as soon as he tries to deepen it you turn and rush through the classroom door quickly

-while walking down a corridor together he’ll twirl you around

-sometimes he’ll just hold you up because he wants to admire you. or he’ll prop you on a desk or dresser just so you’re face to face, so he can look at every feature on your face 

-i cannot stress enough how warm his hugs are, they completely engulf you and all you can smell is his jumper and you can feel his heartbeat, his hands gripping at the ends of your sweater then slowly running up and down your back in your jumper and he’ll nudge your leg with his knee as an indicator for you to step into him so there's practically no space between the two of you

-slow dancing, he’ll hold you tightly to his chest with his arms wrapped around your waist and your head will be on his shoulder while you play with the strands of hair at the base of his neck. you’ll have hushed conversations about what you want to do in the future, all the places you wanna travel to together, and all the domestic things you can’t wait to do together (while the catfish and the bottlemen cover of read my mind plays in the back)

-pretending to have mini-concerts in his dorm, using random objects as microphones, screaming, jumping around on every surface that will allow it (in my mind fred dances like jarvis cocker)

-if you’re both singing he’ll claim that you’re outshining him so he’ll try and cover your mouth, which leads to you covering his mouth, which ends with him just him licking your hand and you rubbing it off on him “you did not.” “yes, and i’ll do it again.” he’ll take off running, causing you to chase him

-the two of you sitting next to each other while listening to music and you’ll start to head bop, then he’ll start to head bop together in unison

- during lessons he’ll slip little sweets into your hand

-he’ll nudge your ribs while you’re trying to pay attention to class and whispers to you “i’m so in love with you darling.” to which you’ll just grin and hold his hand under the table, tracing shapes onto the back of it

-he definitely throws things at you randomly, at any given location, nothing that would hurt you obviously

-sometimes he’ll just stop mid-sentence and look at you in awe, his mouth slightly agape and eyes wide. his smile is so bright and genuine, his dimples are so prominent and his eyes crinkle and it’s so contagious, you can’t help but hold his face and kiss his forehead lightly

-he admires you so so much, you motivate him to work as hard as he can because one day he hopes that his business will be enough to sustain a life that he wants to give you, he wants to give you the world and he wants to encourage you to follow your dreams as much as you do for him

-very specific compliments “your earlobes are a really nice shape” “i really like the space between your eyebrows” “ahh your nose is just so cute i just wanna poke it all day”

-he gave you a locket and it has a picture of you and him on your first hogwarts train ride together. and whenever he gets the chance he’ll put it on for you, he loves sweeping your hair out of the way and softly putting the necklace around your neck

-matching rings 

-fred definitely knows how to make bracelets and rings, i feel like he’d always make them for ginny and molly on holidays. he’d make you so many, and on your birthday he gave you a really ornate silver jewelry box

-he loves brushing your hair 

-whenever you’re staying up whether it be studying or writing an essay he will not allow himself to sleep until you’re done, he says people who suffer together stay together. he’ll also try to shovel food in your mouth and make you drink water or tea to assure sure you’re not depriving yourself. in return, you stay up with him while he’s trying to perfect the products he wants to sell. you’ll sit side by side bumping knees and rubbing his back while he scribbles into his notebook

-sometimes he’ll ask for you to lean your back against his because he still wants to be able to work and be around you, but he gets distracted by your face because he just wants to kiss you every time he sees your eyebrows furrow as you reread a paragraph, or your tongue dart out of your mouth, or a tendril of hair slip from your ponytail and onto your face

-he’s not one to be very hard on himself about attendance, but if you are he’ll wake you up and remind you that you have a test to get to, or you have to attend practice. he’ll help you get ready but as soon as he drops you off he’ll go back to sleep or go to the kitchens to get food for you and him for after your class or practice 

-he’s so good at comforting people, he takes it after molly. it may seem at times that he’s insensitive due to his playful nature, but if he sees that you’re frantically flipping through pages, nibbling at the end of your pen he will hold your face tenderly between his hands and reassure you in a soft and sincere voice “why’re you being so hard on yourself? can’t you see how hard you’re working and how accomplished you are?” “take a rest, beautiful, you deserve it.” “i’m so proud of you, you have no idea how much you push me to work harder.” “you’ve got a stunning mind, but i think you should give it a break okay?” “you’re so resilient, angel, you can do this okay? i’m right here.”

-if you have a headache he’ll massage your head. if any part of your body hurts he’ll try and soothe it. he’ll pause occasionally to kiss whatever part is in pain

-(for any female, male  or non-binary angels that get their period)he’ll keep his hands over where you’re cramping and he’ll let you curl around him. he even bought you a huge body pillow because he’d want you to use it when he couldn’t be with you. he’ll feed you whatever you crave and he’ll read to you or sing quietly to you (fred with an acoustic ahhh). he’ll constantly reassure you, saying that you only have a couple more days left, and if the pain is really bad he’ll try and soothe you to sleep. fred also keeps track of your period, he’s surprisingly really really good with dates 

-he likes humming you to sleep while he pushes the hair out of your face, rubs your back, and kisses your forehead lightly

-if you’re about to do something you’re really nervous about he’ll look you in the eyes, grab both of your hands and encase them in has after leaving kisses on them. then he’ll place them on his chest and give you a reassuring grin

-when he gets hurt from quidditch you stay next to him the entire time he’s in the hospital wing, the two of you playing cards or helping him plan a future prank

-he holds your chin between his thumb and index finger and kisses you softly. you two have to stop occasionally because one of you will giggle, causing you to nudge your noses together

-he’ll wake up randomly in the middle of the night and nudge you until you stir “go to sleep fred.” “nooo let’s talk, i wanna have a conversation.” “can’t we talk tomorrow, it’s your fault i’m so tired.” “but love, all these thoughts, amazing beautiful one of a kind thoughts are ripe in my mind now, if we talk tomorrow i won’t remember.” “isn’t that a relief?” “c’monnnnnn.”

-a lot of back and forth bickering “wow, i’m speechless.” “finally.” “shut up freddie.” “look who’s talking.” “you are.” “no you are.” “no now you are.” “you. are.” “shut up.” “we’re back at square one i see.”

-the two of you reeling over in laughter, tears slipping down your cheeks and gasping for air (all. the. time.)

-during the train ride to hogwarts he leans against the wall of the cabin while you lean on his chest, then you’ll take everyone's jackets and use them as blankets and pillows. you’ll cuddle, eat random sweets, and nap throughout the entire ride

-he constantly takes pictures of you and he has an entire box filled of them, the box also has tickets from shows you went to together, receipts from random dates you’ve been on and little notes you’ve passed during class. he plans to keep all of these to decorate the flat he hopes he can live in with you

-he will randomly run into your room, drop a bag and rush out as quickly as he came. usually there are your favorite sweets, socks, candles and a new book. in return you try and spoil him as much as spoils you because he deserves the world 

[purplesurveys]

1237

disclaimer I’ll be taking into account the last 24 hours for the first part because it’s 3 in the morning and I haven’t really done anything yet lmao anywho

survey by chasingghosts

Have you today?

Looked in a mirror? Yeah I took a shower earlier so I couldn’t really avoid the mirror in the bathroom.

Watered a plant? I don’t do plants. Can never take care of them to save my life.

Worn denim? I did, actually. Some package came for me earlier today and I didn’t really look the most decent, so before heading out to meet the delivery guy I grabbed the first jacket I saw, which was denim.

Washed your hair? Yes, when I took said shower a couple of hours ago.

Been in pain? Yup my back and shoulders feel like hell from sitting on my ass all day while at work.

Had a nap? Kinda, I guess? I fell asleep at around 9, 9:30ish...woke up at around 1 AM, and here I am now. I don’t plan on sleeping anymore.

Brushed your teeth? Yup.

Kissed someone? Just my dogs.

Used a cheese grater? No, I don’t think I’ve consumed any cheese today either.

Eaten something sweet? Nah, it’s all been salty/savory for me today.

Spoken to a stranger? Sure.

Dropped something? I drop my vape pen at least once a day, so yes.

Felt upset in some way? UGH yeah. Our internet disappeared at around 2 in the afternoon and it still hasn’t come back, and our service provider’s social media has been unsurprisingly unresponsive and useless. I’ve been using data since then and I’m just worried about how long this would take because I don’t want to keep spending just for extra load. I also have my Korean language classes this afternoon which will for sure require a lot of data :/

Drank coffee? I have a full mug of it beside me right now.

Walked for more than thirty minutes? LOL no, I’ve only stayed indoors.

Signed up for something? Hmm I don’t think so.

Travelled in a car? See two answers above this.

Opened a can? Nopes.

Thought about doing something crazy? Just me thinking about dropping another couple thousands on merch until I mentally slapped myself and told myself I’d be fucking stupid if I spent on one more piece of stupid merch.

Listened to a new song? Yes, I tried listening to Love Shot by EXO over dinner since my sister had started humming it. It was okay but I quickly shifted back to BTS right after hahaha.

Written in a notebook? No. I only do so when I practice my Hangul but I have yet to work on that today.

Fed an animal? Yes, I have pets.

Checked your emails? I mean that’s kind of the standard in my job lol I have my Gmail tab up throughout the 8 hours.

Told someone you love them? No.

Made a phone call? No, I’m rarely the one who makes the call.

Have you in the last week?

Travelled on a bus? I’ve never ridden a bus solely for commuting by myself. I’ve only been on them when it’s the arranged vehicle, like for school field trips or our family vacations. Our public buses are quite bleck and unsanitary and the drivers maneuver the buses like it’s their last goddamn hour on the planet, so I don’t get on them myself.

Washed your face? I mean yeah, when I take showers. I don’t really have a skincare routine though, if that’s what you mean.

Used a blender? We rarely have a use for a blender at home so we don’t even have one.

Received a phone call? No. My biggest pet peeve is when delivery riders call me up once they’ve arrived at our place just to say “I’m here,” but fortunately the one assigned to me today to deliver my package knew how to use the doorbell.

Talked to someone you dislike? Yeah I have to deal with a client I absolutely fucking despise everyday.

Consumed alcohol? I’ve thought of it, but then I thought of how sleepy I get whenever I drink alcohol and decided against it because I wanted to stay up tonight.

Eaten pasta? Yeah, my dad made Filipino-style spaghetti for dinner the other evening.

Planned for an event? Not an event per se but sure, I made some plans? Punk is slated to make his debut on AEW/return to pro wrestling next weekend or sometime soon, idrk - and this is a big fucking deal omg, 15 year old Robyn has arisen from her grave - and Andi and I made plans to watch it together so we can freak the fuck out.

Asked someone for a favour? Yes. I borrowed cash from my mom since the delivery fee for my packaging earlier was apparently cash on delivery.

Watched something funny? I mean I watch BTS clips pretty much everyday and a gigantic chunk of them are hilarious.

Trimmed your nails? No, but I did bite on them multiple times.

Browsed Reddit? I did actually! After a super long time of not doing so...I just decided to randomly check out r/bangtan to see what’s going on there. It’s mostly Americans though so idk if I’ll make a habit out of browsing.

Talked to yourself? Oh this happens a few times a day.

Purchased tickets for something? Nope.

Felt like you were annoying someone? Just about everyday.

Cleaned a toilet? I have not.

Reminisced about the past? Not really. I’ve made references to the past with friends, but we didn’t ~reminisce.

Used headphones? Yeah I always use my headphones when playing Rhythm Hive so I can hear the beats better.

Laughed with a friend? Many times. Always just virtually, though.

Cooked dinner and then didn't feel hungry? I don’t cook.

Written a list? LOL yes. My period had been coming and I noticed I was crying over the smallest, stupid things, so I started a list of the things I cried over the last week. The funniest item on the list is probably an ad that was shown to us during a campaign briefing...

Played an instrument? Nope.

Felt jealous or envious? I will sometimes feel the tiniest tinge of envy and wistfulness when I see my friends in happy and fulfilled relationships, but it passes in a second.

Ignored a text message on purpose? So many hahahahahahah

Congratulated someone? Yes!!! Graduation season was last week so I congratulated a shit ton of friends.

Have you in the last month?

Made a piece of art? Making art was never made for me, so no.

Rewatched one of your favourite tv shows or movies? Yep, I rewatched Friends a couple of weeks ago.

Called a plumber? Nope.

Been to a see a doctor? I mean, technically I guess yeah? When I had to get my vaccine shot.

Finished a book? I haven’t done that in a while.

Had a crush on someone? Just celebrities but I won’t count those.

Travelled on a train? I haven’t.

Worn heels? Haven’t done this either.

Been to a friend's house? I’ve been to Angela’s house semi-regularly, yup.

Shared a bed with someone? Nah.

Been to see a movie at the cinema? I haven’t been to the cinema in like a year and a half.

Paid attention to celebrity drama? Erm not really. I also haven’t been up to date with that, especially with American celebrities hahaha.

Felt anxious? Maybe not anxious but nervous.

Taken an elevator? Yeah in Mega since that place is so goddamn big.

Given someone the cold shoulder? Yep, my mom when she is being extra annoying/condescending.

Purchased a new book/game/movie? I guess you can say that? I bought a subscription pack on Rhythm Hive because I was using it regularly anyway.

Applied for a job? I already have a job, so no. I did get a job proposal on Linkedin a couple of weeks ago with another PR firm, but I took a look at their clients just to see if the offer was something I could sink my teeth into - and even though their brands were quite high-profile, they were in industries I didn’t particularly find interesting.

Used a printer? Nah.

Had lunch in a park? No.

Gotten a manicure or pedicure? I have not.

Made an appointment? Just for my shot but that’s it.

Had a blood test done? Noooooo not another one of those plz.

Suffered from a major bruise? Not a major bruise but a huge bloody gash on my thigh after a particlarly rowdy play session with Cooper. There’s still a very visible scar on me.

Researched a topic in-depth? I do this quite a bit in my work, yes.

Have you in the last year?

Been to the beach? No, I’ve mostly stayed at home since July 2020.

Visited someone in the hospital? I haven’t. Too risky.

Played pinball? No, it’s never interested me.

Travelled on a plane? I haven’t. :(

Worn a costume? Sure, for Halloween last year I went as Dora.

Been thrift shopping? Not that I can recall, no.

Thought about getting pregnant or got pregnant? Definitely not at this point in my life.

Made a big life decision? Uh yeah this past year was both the worst and best rollercoaster I’ve ever been on. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since that shitty breakup...

Changed a lightbulb? Nope.

Framed something and put it on your wall? No but I have been meaning to do this for months. I just never get around to buying some actual picture frames lol.

Been stargazing? Not the professional kind of way with a telescope and all. I’ve just lied on my back at the rooftop to gaze at the night sky and the stars.

Made a new friend? So many!!! Reena is probably my bestestestest new friend <3 I mean we’ve met a while ago, as Angela’s mutual - even had a few drinks or so together - but we didn’t become closer until just a couple of months ago.

Added to a collection? I’ve had merch that arrive every week or so these days because I bought a ridiculous amount of shit between May and June when I was a new Army. I’ve substantially calmed down now, but I should expect to receive my running list of ordered merch up until September LMAO. At first I used to bitch about the really long shipping period considering all the products come from Korea, but after 3 or 4 fulfilled orders you kinda get used to it.

Been to the dentist? No.

Broken up with someone? Yessss. I didn’t know it at the time but it would turn out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Held a baby? Nah.

Created a budget? Yeah...doesn’t mean I’ve been successful. I always go over, hehe.

Confessed feelings for someone? There isn’t anyone to do that for.

Had surgery of any kind? Nopes.

Quit a job? No and I have no plans to anytime soon.

Been in a car accident? Nah but my dad has, c/o some stupid and unattentive motorcycle driver.

Purchased something worth over a grand? So in US dollar conversion, around P50,000? Hell no.

Been on vacation at least 500km/300mi from home? No. :( The farthest we’ve been to was Tagaytay and I think that’ll remain the same for a while.

Applied for an academic course? Yes, my Korean class.

Had your photo taken by a professional? No, it’s been over a year since my last professional shoot for my senior photos.

[sonreiv]

Digital anon again, in ur experience what tablet works best?? Do u ever have problems with the whole connecting tablet to computer process, any warnings and advice for starting digital?? And (sorry for all the questions) what do u use to draw digital ??

Hey nony! I got a bit lenghty so I’m going under the cut.

 I’ve only ever owned two tablets so I can’t say I know a lot-- I’ve had a Genius MousePen i608X which is fairly cheaper than a Wacom, but unnecessarily large with a tiny work space and the pen was battery powered and super fragile, so if you’re a clumsy idiot like me who drops his things on a whim, it doesn’t last. And I think they don’t even make Genius tablet anymore, so if you were to buy one it had to be via a third party site. But it’s cheap and the driver works fine, same pressure sensitivity as an intuos.

My current one is a Intuos pen small CTL480L by Wacom. It’s small but just enough for me. The cable is tiny on purpose so they make you buy the wireless kit, but I just bought an USB extensor. It comes with 3 extra nibs in a hidden compartment that no one tells you that exists, and the nib packs are ridiculously expensive and might not even ship to your country (they don’t ship to mine) but fret not, there’s tutorials online that teach you how to make DYI nibs with trimmer line and it’s super cheap and easy. The driver will sometimes randomly fail and not read the pressure (usually when you had the tablet connected for a while without using it) and you have to restart them via Services (if on windows) which is a bit annoying but it’s quick to solve. Wacom is the go-to for most artists sssso from experience and from what I always hear I’d recommend that but!

I came across this post about a tablet that’s fairly cheaper and pontentially superior than a wacom’s so it’s worht to take a look! The cheapness factor depends on where you live though bc the shipping turned out to be more expensive than a wacom tablet itself.

Now whichever you decide in the end, from my experience you probs don’t absolutely need a big ass active area and 2k pressure levels. If you get one that has that, neat!! But it’s less about the tool and more about what you do with it. I’ve never tried a more expensive tablet but I’m doing fine with the one I got now which is the simplest tier in wacom.

About the installing process, it’s chill. The same process as installing any programs in your computer. I’ve heard from other people with Genius tablets that the driver simply won’t work, but with Wacom you should be safe. The driver derps sometimes like mentioned before, but you just have to go to Services and reboot it, takes a few seconds. Once the driver is properly installed in your computer, you just plug in the tablet via USB and it starts automatically, get to drawing.

I use Paint Tool SAI for making art. It’s a paid program, but my cheap teen ass pirated it a few years ago orz others also commonly Photoshop, Manga Studio and Fire Alpaca (which is a free one). I’m set on SAI cause it’s simple enough and made specifically for making digital art. I use Manga Studio when I want to do effects like patterned backgrounds.

About tips on starting digital... Mann it’s an entire new world, I could sit and go on and on! I’ve been drawing digitally since 2014 and there’s still things I don’t know. The most basic advices I can give are (most of these applied to a SAI user):

Set your canvas to be 4000x4000px large and with a 300 ppi resolution. You don’t have to use the entire space, and you should size it down before uploading, but a larger canvas has better quality and minor mistakes are less visible.

When filling in base colors, use the magic wand to select an entire area and the select/deselect brushes to trim your selection. Saves you a lot of trouble. (ps works better if you’re doing a clean, “closed” lineart)

Try different brush settings! Sometimes what isn’t working is the kind of brush you’re using. Play around, look up what setting the artist you like use and you might find a brush that makes you comfortable when drawing (took me 12 years to realize the brush I used to sketch was making it harder for me).

SAVE. ALL. THE TIME. Set one of your express keys to be a saving button and soon enough it’ll become an almost unconscious habit.

Set a bunch of hotkeys to make your life easier! I don’t use them enough tbh, but it’s good to have some for flipping and rotating the canvas (I use tab to flip the canvas and Q+W to rotate counter-clockwise and clockwise). Always flip the canvas during the sketching process because when flipped you can notice mistakes more easily!

Try to avoid using black and white to shade and highlight your art. I mean, when choosing a darker/lighter shade for shadows/highlights, try moving the mouse sideways and changing the color a bit, rather than just choosing the same color but closer to white/black.

SAVE A FUCK TON OF TUTORIALS, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO USE THEM NOW, SAVE THEM SOMEWHERE AND LOOK AT THEM AND EXPERIMENT! There’s SO many things you can learn and you can only grow with digital art by experimenting. I struggle a lot actually to step out of my comfort zone and try new stuff which leads to my art style evolving faster than my digital process orz but I’m trying!!

It WILL feel awkward and you WILL feel like it doesn’t look good enough, and that is normal. You move to a whole new medium and it’s like you’re learning how to art all over again. You have expectations on how your art will look like, and you’ll be a bit upset because it doesn’t look how you wanted to yet. It’s normal. Might take months, maybe even a couple years for you to find yourself and what works for you digitally, but it’s because only YOU know what your expectations are, to everyone else it’ll be an awesome process of improvement. Look up a bunch of tutorials, watch speedpaints and see how people do their thing, try different brushes. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask again or DM me directly! I still have a lot to learn and experiment but I can share what I know! Hope this helped a little!

[theartistsinsider-blog]

Christmas Gift Guide for Artists

Accessories/Utensils:

Table Top Easel: This is probably one of the first objects you should buy when beginning art. It helps to support and display your canvas or paper at an approximate 20 degree angle. Traditionally, they have been used to support an artwork while the artist is painting, but they can also be used to display finished artworks. Currently, I don’t usually use an easel, I don’t necessarily like the way I have to vertically paint when using it, and also how I cannot randomly twist and turn my artwork. However, that is something I had to learn on my own, and I definitely suggest at least trying out an easel.

Paint Palette: Now, realistically, this could be any flat surface you come across, many people who use oil paints, for example, use a piece of glass they took out of a large photo frame. However you are able to buy these at an art store that have individual places to put different colours of paint, and then areas where you can mix your paint. This is really helpful if you’re painting at an easel as you are able to be holding every colour you require in your hand, as well as a place to mix those colours when necessary.

Wooden Manikin: This is only really necessary if you’re wanting to draw figures proportionately. This manikin resembles the human form, and gives you various shapes to help you flesh out the proportions and placements of every body part. You can get both male and female manikins, depending on your needs.

Folio/Student Folder: I only say this as I believe you always need somewhere to store your artworks when they’re finished. I typically use watercolour paints, and therefore use flat paper rather than canvases, so I like to store my finished artworks in a folder so I do not lose or harm them.

Palette Knife: A palette knife is primarily used in art in order to mix or apply paint to a canvas. It typically is either metal or plastic, and is a blunt, flexible tool that is very useful for artists. I only recently begun using palette knives, and it honestly makes all the difference when mixing paints as they’re easy to clean rather than using a brush. Note that although these tools have been manufactured without sharpened edges, prolonged use may cause edges to sharpen.

Studio Stand Organiser: having an organiser for you pencils, pens, markers, palette knifes and paint brushes is a fantastic idea, especially if you don’t like using a pencil case (I do not). You could also replace this with a set of draws, and use this tray to dry wet paint brushes after you have cleaned them. I highly recommend purchasing a quality plastic one, as this will be easy to clean under soapy water without damaging the accessory.

Pencil Case Fillers:

Aluminium Double Pencil Sharpener: These sharpeners are honestly the best sharpener. I know what you’re thinking, how can there be a “best” sharpener, they’re all the same? Well, because this sharpener is made out of aluminium, it last a LONG time, and I mean a long time. You don’t have to repurchase a sharpener for quite a while, which is preferable. Plastic ones break easily, while these are sturdy. Also, I suggest getting the double sharpener if you plan to use charcoal, this way you can use one hole for pencils, and one hole for your charcoal so that neither get messy.

Tortillion and Paper Stump/s: If you’re doing grey lead pencil drawings, charcoal, or even coloured pencil drawings, these things are a must. I honestly never liked the look of smudging out lines with my finger or a tissue to create shading in my drawings – I just didn’t think it looked right. So, when my teach showed me these around 2 years ago, I was hooked. I always have like five of these in my pencil case at once. It truly is a necessity in your pencil case.

Steel Ruler: This is similar to the sharpener. Having a steel ruler in your collection with save you money in the long run, because it does not break easily, and is extremely sturdy.

Pencils:

Prismacolour Coloured Pencils: These are my absolute favourite brand of coloured pencils. They are extremely expensive, but completely worth the price. About two years ago, I used a few of my friends, and almost instantly went out and use all of my $300 savings and bought the biggest pack. Because they have been created using such high grade pigments, these pencils are fantastic for blending, shading and rich colour payoff. They helped me really increase my abilities because they made things easier for me because they were so creamy and easy to use. I highly suggest these, because no matter your level of expertise, these will work terrifically, and are well worth the price you pay.

Faber Castell Classic Pencils: I used these pencils for most of my childhood, and for my high school years before buying Prismacolour. Though these art not my favourite, they are very high quality, and perform brilliantly; they have to or else they wouldn’t be so famous. The quality I do dislike about these pencils is that for me, personally, they are very hard and therefore are more difficult to blend together. However, the colour payoff you receive is amazing,

Faber Castell S9000 Lead Pencil: If I’m being honest, these are the only grey lead pencils I use, unless they are not with me, or I am out. I know you may think all grey leads would have to be the same, but I honestly think these are superior to others I have tried.

Canvas/Drawing Pads:

AFC Canvas Panels: These are great for those who just want a small canvas, rather then the bulky, traditional ones. These perform exactly the same as a regular stretched canvas, but they do not provide the 2-3 cm edge, making not only painting, but displaying easier.

Art Culture Stretched Canvas’: Any stretched canvas, really. I recently bought a few canvas’ from the dollar store, and although they were not made to the usual standard of an art store, they perform the same, and the lack-of quality could only be really noticed it the back, where the stapling was badly done, if you have the budget to spend more money, then a high-quality canvas is a must.

Canson Montual Watercolour Traditional Surface Paper: I have been using this brand of watercolour paper pads for around three or four years now. My school used this exact brand, and although since finishing school, I have experimented with different brands, I have recently repurchased these, and believe I will be sticking with them. For their price (A3 for approximately $15 AUD), the quality of the paper is fantastic, and it is the perfect thickness.

Paint Brushes:

Holcroft Brushes: Out of any art product, brushes are the one thing I highly, highly suggest you spend money on; while paints and tools can be of similar quality at varying prices, brushes tend to usually only be really good quality in the medium-high price range. There is not any art product I dislike more than those brushes that feel as if their bristles are made from straw. Not only do the just feel cheap and bad, but they don’t perform well, and they shed, which is not what you want in a paint brush. My boyfriend bought me some Holcroft brushes for my birthday earlier this year, and I was honestly amazed by the quality;though they can be expensive, they are worth it.

Jasart Studio Brush Sets: These brushes are suitable for watercolour, acrylic, gouache and mixed media. I recommend these brushes because I find they are soft, and have good quality synthetic bristles that hold paint well, and clean easily.

Jasart Aqua Brush Pens: According to eckersleys.com.au, these brush pens are a “refillable multipurpose brush that can be filled with water to blend water colours or fill with coloured inks and water soluble paints to create water colour effects.” I only recently purchased one of these, after months of longing, and I honestly am highly impressed. These brushes have flexible nylon brush tips rather than the typical hair brushes, which prevents fraying. This tip was also designed to actually absorb the paint and hold it in so that you can use it for longer. I cannot recommend these brushes enough. - they are a definite must-have.

Paint:

Kaiser craft Kaisercolour Acrylic Paint: Kaiser craft's acrylic paint is actually my current favourite. I have others that are quite think and (for lack of better words) chunky, while I find these are looser and very smooth. I like to use these in more fluid artworks, so it’s watery consistency works perfectly for me, however it can still be used effectively with a paint brush to create other types of artworks.

Reeves Watercolour Pan Sets: According to Eckersleys.com.au, ­Reeves Watercolours are “made with pure finely ground pigments in a gum solution, which are then formed into convenient tablets.” I particularly like this type of watercolour paints because they’re compact, travel friendly and convenient. The paint provides the same effect and texture as tubed watercolour paint, yet is just formed for convenience and usage.