Art Supply Addicts Anonymous for 2012

[Zenica]

Hi guys,

Its Finally here. My BIG fantastic Mega Hall of 2012. I know all you AMASSers are going to be so proud!






Here is a wide image of everything. Some things are stacked such as the 3 Arches Blocks. There are 3 Koi brushes and 2 pens to the right.



Here are the 3 water-soluble pastel sets. On the right is the reeves 48 set. Middle is the CD-Neocolor 2 84 set. On the Left is the Crayola Portfolio Oil Pastels 24 set.



Sorry about how large this close up shot is - but the uploader is having some difficulties. Anyway - this is the Pelle Leather Burnt Cognac Journal in Medium. You can see it is NOT orange, but a nice deep rich red brown. On the JetPens site it looks really orange, but its really quite nice here with its electric green banding.



Here is the inside of the journal. I added a small little "shiny thing" to the book mark that I have been saving. I found it ages ago as an earring that someone lost. Perfect look if you ask me.



For the Finale - Here is a painting that I completed on the largest of the Arches Blocks that I bought using only Neocolor 2 light-fast +5 colors. Again Apologies for the large pictures. I have changed the file sizes smaller but it didn't make it any smaller in the post

Enjoy!!

[talinka]

oooooooooh, very jealous of the super-sized neocolor set....

[Dragoon]

Gorgeous sketch, Zen!!
I was wondering why you loaded up on watermedia, but then I see how wonderfully you work it! Did you use pen or pencil for the underlying sketch? Its very beautiful...lots of really wet blending going on!

I see you got the full set and a travel size tin of the Neocolors, very clever!
Do you think you'll be swapping out any of the colors for travel?
Do you use those crayons direct on the paper, or lift off with a brush? I'm curious, as I have the little travel set, but have never used them ...

I'm also curious as to why you wanted a leather book? Isn't it floppy? And do you supply all your own paper for it?
Sorry for all the questions, but seeing other's hauls is exciting, I am always curious to know why they chose the things they did...
Cheers,
D.

[Coffee Break]

I'm a poor kid trying to save enough money for a car, so I don't get to indulge in art supplies quite as often as I'd like, and when I do, it's normally cheap stuff. This thread is my guilty pleasure, letting me live vicariously just a bit. ^^

But I thought I'd share the small (huge for me!) haul I've gotten over the past few weeks, most of it acquired today (shopping trip with my grandmother. <3 )
Here you see a nice wooden box my grandmother gave me
The book: Dreamscapes: Myth and Magic
cheap Crayola fine point markers and BiC fine point markers (decent for sketching quickly~ )
A mini table-top easel
a brush tub with slots to let the brushes dry and grooves to 'massage' the bristles when cleaning
Micron pens (been wanting these for a while!)
a much needed pencil extender, three white gel pens, a bottle of masking fluid/frisket
a large golden talkon I hope to use for a (cheap alternative) wash/mop, a set of white talkons (my favourite!) and some artists' tape
and the treasure of all this is the 132 count Prismacolour pencils my grandmother refused to take no for! I've been wanting a set of these for seven years, but always had to use Roseart and Crayola. This is an extravagant and expensive and much loved gift and I can't wait to use them!


Cheers and happy buying~

[RebeccaJFleming]

Originally Posted by Coffee Break

and the treasure of all this is the 132 count Prismacolour pencils my grandmother refused to take no for! I've been wanting a set of these for seven years, but always had to use Roseart and Crayola. This is an extravagant and expensive and much loved gift and I can't wait to use them!

Enjoy your new pencils! Be careful when you sharpen them, though, the leads are quite fragile so you have to sharpen them gently and make sure it is straight in the sharpener, otherwise it can twist and break. Also be sure to use a sharp blade, because blunt ones are more likely to break your pencils. The Prismacolors have very soft leads, but this makes them really nice for layering and blending.

If you get a chance, pick up a Prismacolor Colorless Blender pencil (they're usually only a dollar or so each) and have a go at mixing colours that way. You might also want to experiment with using OMS to blend or intensify layers of colour (a bottle of this is usually under $10, if I recall correctly, and it lasts ages) using some cotton buds. You can get really nice, painterly effects with these methods.

[Zenica]

Originally Posted by Dragoon

Gorgeous sketch, Zen!!
I was wondering why you loaded up on watermedia, but then I see how wonderfully you work it! Did you use pen or pencil for the underlying sketch? Its very beautiful...lots of really wet blending going on!

I see you got the full set and a travel size tin of the Neocolors, very clever!
Do you think you'll be swapping out any of the colors for travel?
Do you use those crayons direct on the paper, or lift off with a brush? I'm curious, as I have the little travel set, but have never used them ...

I'm also curious as to why you wanted a leather book? Isn't it floppy? And do you supply all your own paper for it?
Sorry for all the questions, but seeing other's hauls is exciting, I am always curious to know why they chose the things they did...
Cheers,
D.

Hi Dragoon,

To answer your questions.
1. Yes I did buy a lot of watermedia because that is primarily my medium of choice. I did a brief pencil sketch using hb leads which I erased as I added colors.

2. The tiny tin set is actually neocolor 1 oil pastels. I have two of them - one from years and years ago and I plan to reuse the old tin for a travel neo2 set. I do pick my own colors for swap out. The oil pastels actually do not "reserve" the non-colored whites like traditional masking. For some reason they actually mix with neocolor 2s - but not with watercolors or anything else. I sometimes use el-cheepo BabyOil to blend them.

3. When I use neocolor 2 pastels I tipically use them as a pan-watercolor for lighter stuff. When I want a flat wash I will draw directly with the crayon. Sometimes I draw with it directly even when I dont want a wash for vivid color. I also use a metal or plastic lid and draw on that to make puddles of paint. If the lid/palette has sufficient texture you can draw straight onto it and pigment will come off.

4. I purchased the little pelle journal because I make my own inserts using watercolor paper and a bit of cardboard or something for a stiffer surface. I'm tired of re-binding old moleskine-ish journals and I was looking for a permanent journal cover. I refill mine with different papers depending on my personal taste, e.g. cheapo watercolor paper if I am doing tests with colors - or Arches 140lb paper for actual journaling. I use hotpress or very flat coldpress paper when creating the journals.

Let me know if you have other questions. I will probably do a tutorial in the ASAA Use New Stuff section later on.

Zen

[rickop]

Here are some of the lastest haul for me. In the picture are 6 bottles of aquadispersions and a sketching notebook I made myself. Not pictured is a large haul of fabriano accademico paper in 19.5" x 25.5" both 120 gsm and 200gsm. THe paper is for bookbinding though the waste cuts of the 200gsm are getting gessoed for oil pastel work. I am coloring golden pastel gesso with the dispersions. So my first trial of that is not pictured either.

Rick

[vanity]

Originally Posted by mij

Reading the mail here it sounds as if the oil pastels are going down a treat. I have had no luck with that dog portrait I was doing and have now had 7 attempts - all miserable failures. So I am putting that off until such times as I have had some face to face tuition. I'm obviously missing something.
I've found the portraiture thread by Al that was done a few years back. We are into portraiture at art class ATM so here's what I got.


It's the Derwent drawing collection.
Perhaps I'll end up doing the dog portrait in these well it'll be better than nowt and it'll be good portrait practise as well.
jim
PS I have some Strathmore paper on order as well but that has yet to arrive.

Did you have the chance to do something with these ? I've been thinking about buying because of drawing sticks and I am curious about them.

[mij]

Originally Posted by vanity

Did you have the chance to do something with these ? I've been thinking about buying because of drawing sticks and I am curious about them.

I have done the first exercise that Al set for everybody it is here

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/show...360882&page=30

The pencils sharpen with my Helix sharpener without breaking the leads. I'm very happy about that. The set does not contain the pencils that Al wants, I had to get two ( sanguine and sepia) out of stock. As the cost of shipping is the same I got two of each at the same time. The brown ochre is in the set.

I am halfway through the second exercise of a portrait of Sophie and like the pencils very much indeed. I can hear the advisers shouting 'push the darks' so will get to that bit soon. At least I have the features nearly correct. I say that because I can see that I have her mouth off at an angle.
jim
PS I have done a SP as an exercise for me and my wife said it's the best so far but not everyone thinks so.

[mij]

Just had a little bonus as SWMBO was still in a 'get rid- I want the space' mood. She asked me to put a couple of Derwent wooden pencil boxes onto Freegle, our local version of Freecycle. Well I have a tin of 72 Koh-i-nor water colour pencils in a tin without a hinged lid, and likewise a 72 set of Derwent Coloursoft pencils. So I've re-housed them. Has anyone tried carrying these hinge-less lid tins? Where they all fall out in your bag ....grrrrrr cheapskates
jim

[vanity]

Originally Posted by mij

I have done the first exercise that Al set for everybody it is here

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/show...360882&page=30

The pencils sharpen with my Helix sharpener without breaking the leads. I'm very happy about that. The set does not contain the pencils that Al wants, I had to get two ( sanguine and sepia) out of stock. As the cost of shipping is the same I got two of each at the same time. The brown ochre is in the set.

I am halfway through the second exercise of a portrait of Sophie and like the pencils very much indeed. I can hear the advisers shouting 'push the darks' so will get to that bit soon. At least I have the features nearly correct. I say that because I can see that I have her mouth off at an angle.
jim
PS I have done a SP as an exercise for me and my wife said it's the best so far but not everyone thinks so.

Thanks a lot for your reply. Hopefully I'll be able to use those sticks soon

[mij]

Hi Vanity, I've now uploaded exercise two - 'Sophie'. You can read Arnoud's comments in the following post on that same page.
jim

[RebeccaJFleming]

Originally Posted by blissofsilver

I got the artbars today and I would highly recommend them over the neocolor and daniel smith watercolor sticks. The artbar lacks the "stickiness" or slight crayon feeling that both the neocolor and daniel smith has.

Similar to what some reviewers said they are fragile and feel more like a color pencil lead instead. Feels really similar to my faber castell polychromos! That's the dry feeling they're talking about. Not dry as in chalky.

hmmm After getting my sample of Neocolor 2s to try recently, I actually prefer them over the Derwent Artbar, which to me seemed a little 'messy' and didn't seem to blend or layer as smoothly. I did a comparison between them in another thread here. I guess it's a matter of personal preference though, I know some prefer the 'squishier' feel of the Artbars, but another big problem for me was their lightfastness issues. I should admit I'm yet to do a full drawing with the Neocolor 2s, so I'll see how that goes, but I'm considering just selling my Artbar set, especially since the majority of the colours I love the most and would use most often are among the fugitive ones.

I've just ordered a 15 set of Neocolor 2s to use as a portable sketch kit when I'm at uni (I considered just getting the 10 set but then I'd miss out on Ultramarine, Ochre and Turquoise, colours I really love to have); I'll also take along one of my Sakura water brushes and a waterproof ink pen. I'm going to get one of the big sets of Neocolor 2s to use at home, but that will have to wait til my next pay day lol. I also ordered a couple of colour shapers (both soft and firm) to try with my soft and oil pastels, as well as a tub of clear Colourfix Primer.

Originally Posted by Zenica

For the Finale - Here is a painting that I completed on the largest of the Arches Blocks that I bought using only Neocolor 2 light-fast +5 colors

That's a gorgeous painting. Very mystical colours, looks almost like a fantasy scene.

[Zenica]

Originally Posted by RebeccaJFleming

hmmm After getting my sample of Neocolor 2s to try recently, I actually prefer them over the Derwent Artbar, which to me seemed a little 'messy' and didn't seem to blend or layer as smoothly. I did a comparison between them in another thread

That's a gorgeous painting. Very mystical colours, looks almost like a fantasy scene.

Thanks Rebecca! I loved doing that one. It was totally freeing and meditative.

I am still loving my big neo2 set. I still have a bunch of little chunks leftover from my first set of neocolor 2s that I've used to fill the spare travel tin. I have loved neocolor 2s since the day I brought them home. I guess one reason i didnt order any artbars is because I hate the fact that 1/3 of the colors are almost completely uselessly un-lightfast. Not even a 1-2 star rating. extremely fugative. I do a lot of sketchbook work and studies, but I'm afraid that eventually I will paint something that someone might just love and I want it to last so I try to stay clear of most non-lightfast quality stuff.

i do do a little bit of playing with cheap materials when I know I'm not going to use something as an original and i just scan it.

Z

[RebeccaJFleming]

Originally Posted by Zenica

I am still loving my big neo2 set. I still have a bunch of little chunks leftover from my first set of neocolor 2s that I've used to fill the spare travel tin. I have loved neocolor 2s since the day I brought them home. I guess one reason i didnt order any artbars is because I hate the fact that 1/3 of the colors are almost completely uselessly un-lightfast. Not even a 1-2 star rating. extremely fugative. I do a lot of sketchbook work and studies, but I'm afraid that eventually I will paint something that someone might just love and I want it to last so I try to stay clear of most non-lightfast quality stuff.

Yep, I thought that I could keep the Artbars for sketchbook work, but like you say, there might come a time when I want to do something more permanent. I think some of the Artbars dissolved *slightly* easier than Neocolors, but like I said in my comparison of them in the other thread, the difference was negligible. And I just found the Neocolor 2s so much smoother and nicer to lay down colour with. I can't wait til I get my little 15 tin so I can take it to uni, or when I visit my nan. I'm deciding which big tin I should get... I could get the 84 tin, but part of me wants to splurge and get that nice big juicy 126 colour tin *drools*

I'm also building up a cart in Jerry's, though I'm waiting and hoping they'll send out another discount coupon in the next week or so. On my list so far are assorted Sofft sponges for my PanPastels, Faber PITT Manga pens and a set of Sakura Pigma Micron pens (I do a lot of manga style drawings and I want a set for home and one for taking out), a 60 tin of Polychromos pastels, some Beste paint brushes (these are good cheap synthetics that I find quite useful; I got a sample set with a previous order and want some spares), another Koi waterbrush and (possibly against my better judgement) a set of Inktense blocks. I know they have lightfastness issues but they are just such beautiful rich colours, and I'd like them even if I just use them for underpaintings. The AUD/USD is almost the same now, but I shudder to think what the postage is gonna cost

I've also started sorting out my collection so I can put some of my unused/unwanted supplies on eBay. First on the chopping block will be my 72 Derwent sets of Watercolour Pencils, Pastel Pencils and Artbars. Haven't yet decided if I'll also get rid of the 72 Inktense Pencils or not.

(in a way I'm doing the opposite of what an Art Supply Addict should do; getting rid of stuff. Forgive me. I'll be back to buying more art supplies as soon as possible hehe)