A recent forum thread, 'Unloved Art Materials', got me thinking. I too have lots of art materials that don't see much daylight. What to do with all these? I decided to paint the same subject, an apple, with each of them to decide what to keep and what to discard. I know my apple has changed shape a few times, but it was more about the process, (that's my excuse anyway)! Starting from top left, these are my results:- 1 Watercolour This is the medium I usually work in and so was my control, so to speak. I painted a simple background in Paynes Grey and painted the apple in Winsor Lemon, Scarlet Lake, Alizarin Crimson and Sap Green. 2 Caran D'Ache Gouache pans These were a freebie set. I usually only use them for adding highlights to watercolour, not for a complete painting. I really liked the bright colours and found it liberating to be able to paint light over dark to add highlights. I think this is my favourite of all the materials and I will definitely be using them more and for complete paintings. 3 Coloured pencil I was given a box of Polychromos pencils as a Christmas gift. Although I like them I do find applying pressure difficult and so have not used them very much. However, my daughter had left a large roll of drafting film behind from her student days, and I had read that you can use this for coloured pencil work, so decided to give it a go. I painted a watercolour background to place behind the film, and using similar colours to the previous two paintings, I worked the apple first on one side of the film and then on the other. I did like the effect and was impressed at the level of detail that was possible. The quality of the pencils was great. I obviously have much to learn about this medium and it was quite slow going. They are a valuable addition to my art materials though and I will be keeping them. 4 Watercolour pencil A very old set of Derwent Academy pencils. I don't use them much as I find it easier to add fine detail with a brush. Their main advantage for me is that they are not messy to use and I can use them in the living room without fear of getting paint everywhere. I will keep them but I don't think I will ever prefer them to painting. I found the colours on the apple were quite subdued and the texture was a little grainy, but they are student grade pencils. They were good at adding detail though. 5 Water soluble graphite I do take these out sketching occasionally because I can make a tonal sketch really quickly. I think the sketch of my apple worked quite well and it was easy to lift out highlights. I will experiment with adding colour to my sketches in future. These are staying too! 6 Water miscible oil I was given a box of Winsor & Newton Artisan paints as a Christmas gift, but to be honest, apart from a little test, I have been scared to get them out of the box. I didn't have a clue on how to use them, what surface to use and how to prepare it, how to mix them etc. I settled for a piece of Daler-Rowney mixed media paper for my surface. I know they are water-mixable but how much water? Or is it better to use the Linseed oil to mix and just use water to clean the brushes? The apple was a true experiment, I tried everything. I obviously have masses to learn about this medium but I really enjoyed working with them and was impressed with the resulting vibrant colours and glossy look. There was a little paint left on the palette so I experimented with mixing flesh tones. I would really like to paint a portrait using these and will be venturing into this medium. 7 Derwent Artbar A very old set, I don't think these are made now. They are water soluble bars that look a lot like Inktense. They can be used as sticks or as pans. This was one of the least successful of all the apples. I enjoyed using them as sticks and they are great for making expressive marks, but they didn't blend well and my apple went a bit muddy. The colours were not that bright. I will keep them for adding marks to watercolour paintings though. 8 Derwent Inktense I have a few pans and a few bars of these. I do use them occasionally for greetings cards because I don't want the colours running in the post. I thought they might go on too thick for my apple but I needn't have worried, the colour was quite delicate and I built it up in layers on watercolour paper. Overall, pleased with the result and I will be keeping them. 9 Acrylic I always meant to get into painting with acrylics but never did. I have some heavy body paints that were a freebie, but I just don't like the feeling of painting with glue. I also have some standard paints so I used these for my apple, using them like watercolour on watercolour paper. I was impressed with the vibrant colours and they were easy to use, and being able to paint over dark areas was a boon. I am not used to the short drying time though. Yes. I will be keeping these too. 10 Acrylic ink I bought a cheap set from The Works to experiment with watercolour. The apple did not turn out very well, but to be fair, they are not really suited to this type of work, and I was too impatient to let them dry properly! I will keep them for more watercolour experiments but that is all. 11 Charcoal pencil I have nothing against charcoal, but I think it is probably better in sticks than in pencils because they were constantly breaking. The white pencil was useful for highlights and I do like the expressive marks that are possible with these. I think I will replace them with charcoal sticks in future. 12 Drawing ink Some very old W&N bottles that had mostly dried up. I haven't used them much because they are not supposed to be mixed with water in the bottle, although they can be thinned with water in the palette. How, then do you use them without needing a new brush or pen every time? My apple did not turn out well, but that's down to my poor technique plus they are not suited to this kind of work. I will be quite happy to let these go though. Conclusion I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to art materials and my cupboard won't be much tidier! My problem is that I am still thinking like a watercolourist, working light to dark. I was going to try painting the apple in a different, looser style or against a dark background, but by this time I had had enough of painting apples! This was a useful exercise though and it has made me realise that by sticking to the same medium I am not being as creative as I could be.