A Quick Guide to Art Materials
- By Art Forbes-Lee
- Published 10/15/2011
- Articles
- Unrated
Art Forbes-Lee
Art Forbes-Lee is a published art author currently writing a series of articles on the subject of art and the businesses that supply to the general public. In this article, Art celebrates Pullingers and their range of art materials particularly their brushes and Oil Paints.
View all articles by Art Forbes-Lee
Easels
When choosing an easel, firstly you need to decide where you are using it. If it will be outdoors on rough ground then perhaps you will need a “” style easel. If you are using it on a table then a “table easel” (or box easel) will suffice and is slightly cheaper. While if you are in a studio then a “studio easel” is better built and slightly more expensive but well worth the money.
Watercolour Paints
It is the opinion of the writer of this article that there are only a few leading watercolour paint brands that truly delivers the results that a good painter would need. Those brands are Winsor & Newton, Daler Rowney and Schmincke. There are cheaper brands available, and are OK for beginners, but given the life of a lot of these paints the premium brands do offer good value for money.
Oil Paints
Oil paints are a little different. Most of the big brands have ranges of paints at different cost levels. Winsor & Newton for example have five different oil paint ranges; Winsor & Newton Artisan, Winsor & Newton Artist’s Oil, Winsor & Newton Griffin Alkyd, Winsor & Newton Oilbar and Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour, While Daler Rowney have their “Georgian” oil paint range. Choosing between them is usually price driven and frankly they are all of good quality and durability so in this case I wouldn’t have a problem n recommending the cheaper products to beginner painters.
Acrylic Paints
For beginner painters yet to master oil painting, acrylic paints are a great way to start out. They are easier to handle and are a great way of building up your skill before tackling the art of oil painting! There are some great products available from Daler Rowney (Cryla, Daler Rowney Acrylic and System 3), Liquitex, Winsor & Newton (Galeria, Winsor & Newon Artists Acrylic) and Golden Acrylics.
Goache Paints
The water based painting style using Goache paints is a fairly advanced technique and usually only tackled by more experienced artists, although with iconic results many artists at many levels can and do create great art using gouache techniques. There are some professional quality gouache paints available from Daler Rowey, Caran D’Ache and Winsor & Newton.
Brushes
In most painting styles, if you want to achieve a “background wash” of a series of colours, then “mop and wash brushes” are designed to do just that. With big heads, they are ideal for covering a lot of the painting surface in only a few sweeps of the brush.
For the finer detail in Watercolour painting, most art suppliers will supply dedicated “watercolour brushes” designed specifically for the purpose, while any oil or acrylic brush should be suitable for both oil and acrylic paints.
With brushes, the price you pay will reflect the quality of the brush. Most of the big art brands again have different brands suitable for your price level. Pullingers offer own brand versions of brand named brushes, while Winsor & Newton offer their own full range at a higher price but at higher quality.
As well as brushes, colour shapers can be useful – particularly in oil painting to close lines. Because they don’t absorb paint, you can simply wipe them clean!
Art Suppliers
There are many UK suppliers of art materials. Amongst the most prominent and trustworthy are Ken Bromley Art Supplies, Pullingers, Jacksons Art and Great Art.
When choosing an easel, firstly you need to decide where you are using it. If it will be outdoors on rough ground then perhaps you will need a “” style easel. If you are using it on a table then a “table easel” (or box easel) will suffice and is slightly cheaper. While if you are in a studio then a “studio easel” is better built and slightly more expensive but well worth the money.
Watercolour Paints
It is the opinion of the writer of this article that there are only a few leading watercolour paint brands that truly delivers the results that a good painter would need. Those brands are Winsor & Newton, Daler Rowney and Schmincke. There are cheaper brands available, and are OK for beginners, but given the life of a lot of these paints the premium brands do offer good value for money.
Oil Paints
Oil paints are a little different. Most of the big brands have ranges of paints at different cost levels. Winsor & Newton for example have five different oil paint ranges; Winsor & Newton Artisan, Winsor & Newton Artist’s Oil, Winsor & Newton Griffin Alkyd, Winsor & Newton Oilbar and Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour, While Daler Rowney have their “Georgian” oil paint range. Choosing between them is usually price driven and frankly they are all of good quality and durability so in this case I wouldn’t have a problem n recommending the cheaper products to beginner painters.
Acrylic Paints
For beginner painters yet to master oil painting, acrylic paints are a great way to start out. They are easier to handle and are a great way of building up your skill before tackling the art of oil painting! There are some great products available from Daler Rowney (Cryla, Daler Rowney Acrylic and System 3), Liquitex, Winsor & Newton (Galeria, Winsor & Newon Artists Acrylic) and Golden Acrylics.
Goache Paints
The water based painting style using Goache paints is a fairly advanced technique and usually only tackled by more experienced artists, although with iconic results many artists at many levels can and do create great art using gouache techniques. There are some professional quality gouache paints available from Daler Rowey, Caran D’Ache and Winsor & Newton.
Brushes
In most painting styles, if you want to achieve a “background wash” of a series of colours, then “mop and wash brushes” are designed to do just that. With big heads, they are ideal for covering a lot of the painting surface in only a few sweeps of the brush.
For the finer detail in Watercolour painting, most art suppliers will supply dedicated “watercolour brushes” designed specifically for the purpose, while any oil or acrylic brush should be suitable for both oil and acrylic paints.
With brushes, the price you pay will reflect the quality of the brush. Most of the big art brands again have different brands suitable for your price level. Pullingers offer own brand versions of brand named brushes, while Winsor & Newton offer their own full range at a higher price but at higher quality.
As well as brushes, colour shapers can be useful – particularly in oil painting to close lines. Because they don’t absorb paint, you can simply wipe them clean!
Art Suppliers
There are many UK suppliers of art materials. Amongst the most prominent and trustworthy are Ken Bromley Art Supplies, Pullingers, Jacksons Art and Great Art.