My fave art supplies jan-feb 2025
I’ve tried many MANY art supplies, but so far this year i’ve had very clear favorites.. and honestly i do believe that art supplies and having ones that click with you change the way you work and grow your skills.
I am a main lover of watercolour *the crowd gasps* i think imo its on of the best paints to use, i get told often “i dont know how you use watercolour! its so hard to use!!” and it confuses me… but i guess if you start out with an art supply you have a different experience. see i started out with watercolour so to me its easy! but if you start with something like acrylic and bond with it well than a watered down free flowing paint might not be as easy right away! now not that I’m saying watercolour is easy it frustrates me to no end most days but i still wouldn’t change it for another base paint.
I joined in onto the acryla gouache train, however we didn’t click we didn’t bond like me and watercolour… i do use it every now ans then but i never itch to make a painting using that art supply… sorry </3
At Christmas one of my presents was ⊹₊⟡⋆PAN PASTELS⊹₊⟡⋆ i had been after them for some time but hadn’t found a place that sold them (in person) desperately and not in giant groups of colours i didn’t care for bare one. so this was a huge surprise and i immediately in love. i think I’ve used them everyday since getting them… the texture mwah stunning. and just recently starting to overlay them? i love it. however what i haven’t cracked is the sponges. why do they crack? why does wiping them off never work? and HOW do you easily put them on the stick? i found the method that works best is hot soapy water and making a makeshift washing machine with a frother! a genius in stem i know..
so what are my top fave art supplies of this month!
WATERCOLOUR
Pan pastel
pencils
mono eraser
my teenytiny pocket sketchbook
my one single graduate brus
Have these changed ever? probably not and unless some insanely amazing supply gets dropped on my door… i dont think it will…
now.. i love a good pocket sketchbook like no other but this one? this one is just chefs kisses all around! plith!! (plith? pilth?) stunning. i came across their sketchbooks last year im unsure what YouTuber or Instagram artist i saw use it but now its who DOESN’T use them. i got myself a giant one to try out, risky i know, but i loved the paper i loved how it was ivory and not stark white. and i loved LOVED that it layed flat. full flat. and even with the pocket size the paper is the same and the flatness is the same! sometimes i find pocket notebooks to have different papers to their larger counter parts but these are the same which i find to be very lovely and it holds all kinds of mediums so well. I use a lot of different sketchbooks and papers but this brand is the top as its taken over leuchtturm 1917. the only issue i had with the leuchtturm 1917 is the different papers and somehow ending up with the wrong type. i seriously need to start taking photos of sketchbooks i like so i can shop much more easily.
Lets talk brushes. i have many many brushes. but one. one is my favorite. the graduate no.4 round brush Daler and Rowney. this is my main guy he never lets me down. do i have fancy brushes that cost the world? yes i do however they don’t beat this £2 brush that is falling apart and is bent because yes i am that artist that forgets their brushes in water. It just seems to always hold enough water that i don’t get blots or dry brush. amazing stunning. I have other graduate brushes the same exact brand yet somehow some mythic power this brush is just gold glowing perfect. i fear the day i will have to get a new one.
