New Art Supplies - Swatching & Having A Play
I have wanted to try watercolour painting for a while now. I love the way that watercolour pieces look, both the watered-down, less saturated pieces and vibrant creations. Hobbycraft was having a sale, so it was the perfect opportunity to try out what they had on offer.
I don't know if my current selection of sketchbooks will take watercolour paints, so I invested in a mixed-media sketchbook. I purchased the Daler Rowney 40 sheets sketchbook for £6.50, which I thought was an absolute bargain!
I researched which paints to get before going to Hobbycraft, and I decided on the Windsor and Newton set. But when I got to the shop and realised how small the set was for the money, I bought some of Hobbycraft's watercolour tube paints. They were only £7 for the set, so I thought it would be perfect to have a little taster of the medium before investing in a more professional, expensive option.
The Staedtler pencils I bought in my last art supplies haul are great for details, but I noticed that they are more challenging to use than other coloured pencils I see other artists using online. I did some research on various pencil brands, including, Polochromos, Prismacolour and Luminance pencils. But the price of these is all well out of my budget. Instead, I purchased a set of Faber Castell Goldfaber Coloured Pencils for £12.50. I hope they will go nicely over the watercolour paints to create lovely mixed-media pieces.
After swatching the Faber Castell pencils, I was impressed with how easy they are to use compared to the pencils I already have. The colour range is a great start considering it's only a 24-pack, and I'm so pleased that they work over other mediums. The Staedtler pencils don't work well over the Ohuhu markers I have been using, but these Faber Castell pencils perform much better in my swatching.
I also really enjoyed trying out the watercolour tube paints. I am still trying to figure out what I'm doing with them, and I need to watch some tutorials and experiment more with them, but they were fun to use.
Check out my YouTube video to see me swatching and using these new art supplies :)
