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Advice on what I should buy please
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Message
Posted
I am a mature chap based in the North West UK area. I am wanting to purchase some items, for my new hobby. I have been doing a little bit of drawing over the last few weeks and found it very enjoyable. Just been drawing on the backs of envelopes and any spare scrap bits of paper.
Anyway I would like to take it a little further, I would like to purchase materials more suitable for drawing and or painting. Just I have no idea what to buy, or either where to buy it from, other than places like the Range and hobby shops etc.
Things I want to buy, pencils brushes paints, and sketching pads and canvases. I have about £200 or so to spend, not a lot I know. But just something to tinker with for the moment, and if I really do like it, I can invest more at a later date. I have found space at the back of the house, where I can practice my new hobby. 🙂
Posted
I would sign up with a watercolour course, buy artists quality paint (not students quality) and some "NOT" proper watercolour paper. I found that going on a course led me into using all kinds of techniques that I wouldn't have thought of without. Watercolour is a discipline of its own, which is unlike other painting media working from light to dark, using the paper to provide the white.
On the other hand would you prefer to load on the paint thing and fast, if so think of oil or acrylic.
I get my paint and materials from the Range, the Works and Jacksons - all of whom have offers and starter sets.
Best of luck, Linda
Posted
On the whole, I'd stick to one medium to start with - see how you get on with that, and branch out thereafter as funds are limited. But for £200 you could get a very serviceable range of equipment, paint and brushes in acrylic, plus a few canvas boards. See if you can find a set of colours including White, Burnt Sienna, Crimson, Cadmium Red or Scarlet, Raw Sienna and/or Yellow Ochre, perhaps a ready-made green (Pthalo, or Sap), Cadmium Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Ultramarine, and another blue - Pthalo or Prussian if you like strong darks, Cerulean or Cobalt if you like a more muted palette. You can mix more or less anything from that lot, and build up your colour collection over time. Synthetic brushes (especially from Rosemary & Co, but Cotman are good) work well with acrylics. Burnt Umber is useful too, and inexpensive; Black or Payne's Grey if you feel you must....
Your £200 won't go quite so far if you're planning on building up a core set of oils, but it'll still go a long way. If using watercolour, the greater expense lies with the brushes, which ought to be good ones, the paper - it's just handicapping to use cheap stuff, usually - and some of the better paints: the Cadmiums can be a touch on the pricey side, for instance.
You'll probably want an easel at some point, too - which vary in price by quite a bit: have a good look around - I don't know if The Range do them, but if they do they'll be OK to start with ... we'd all like a super-duper easel which will take any size of surface and have little hooks for your water container, room for your brushes and paints in drawers and all the rest of it, but frankly I started out propping my canvases up on the back of a kitchen chair: NOT ideal, but we've got to start somewhere.
Posted
Jon, while I can't advise on where to buy art materials in the UK (I'm in NZ) I just want to wish you all the best in your new endeavour and say that I hope it really works out well for you and gives you years of enjoyment. I started painting a few years ago when I thought an evening course in abstract painting at the local high school might be interesting, and got bitten by the bug. Have found creating something really enjoyable (even though I'm not that great at it), I hope the same for you.
Posted
Heres a few suggestions
https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-white-nights-36-whole-pan-set.htm
https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-bockingford-not-watercolour-paper-pads.htm
I have several but the NOT spiral 10x14 is a good place to splash colour
Then brushes...ho ho ho enjoy this field!
https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/cat-pro-arte-watercolour-brushes.htm
I found the trouble was not lack of advice but too much...brushes are personal things, based on how they feel, how they paint or simply what you like. Trouble is, you wont know that as a beginner until youve accumulated a few brushes you never use. My advice (and I have only been painting a year or three, with MUCH help from this forum. And I mean LOADS)is to just buy a few brushes and see how you get on.
BUT...the biggest thing you should do is this...read loads of articles, watch loads of youtube videos (Alan Owen is a very relaxing watch even though the rain on his studio roof makes you want to emigrate) because only then will you understand such things as brush size, NOT paper and fugitive colours!!!
Possibly the most important thing though is splash paint around. I started with a W and N travel set (https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-cotman-pocket-plus.htm like this) I found in a drawer and a small brush and A4 writing paper. It rather got me thinking...hmmm, there's something in this. After that the enthusiastic lot on here got me deeper into muddy water.
Enjoy and have fun
David
Edited
by DavidG4YVM
Posted
Firstly Jon, may I also extend a warm welcome to the forum, pretty well all issues have been discussed and there is a wealth of information to be had on here from members of all abilities. One of the biggest problems is sifting through it all, we all have our own ideas and favourite medium so take your time and weigh it all up.
I work in all medium including printmaking so I don't have any preference in the main, but I suppose oils does figure somewhere near the top. To start off your artistic journey I would personally recommend Acrylics. Why?, because they are versatile so you can use them as in watercolour or apply as you would if painting an oil, or of course you can combine the two, start off thinly and add to it. Robert is amongst the many accomplished acrylic painters on here so you will have plenty of knowledge to draw on (no pun intended). Good luck.
Posted
Hi Alan thanks for the welcome, and thanks for those tips.
OK so where am I up too?
I have some pieces of wood and an old folding table tray. I have mocked these up as a make do easel, and stuck it in the corner at the back of the house. I have cleared a little space, so as I can do my dabbling. Today I was going to go to look around the art shops, or possibly even the Range. This was with the idea of getting a few Acrylics, and seeing if I really do like the idea of painting as a hobby.
Can't get into town today, so it will probably be the week end or possibly even Monday.
Posted
Hello Jon. I'd get to know some amateur painters in your area. Most of them will have a garage full of "things I never use". As an example, I must have about forty brushes and use no more than a dozen ever. Also, most towns have branches of The Works, W.H.Smiths, Rymans, Hobby craft etc, all of which you can look up online to see their range of products which are quite decent. I wouldn't make suggestions as to what, because everybody is as different Van Gogh and Rembrandt, Klimt and Singer Sargent. Please forget the £200 as being necessary to spend. You can easily make a start for £20 till you find you requirements and direction. Once you start turning out decent work is the time to upgrade. I painted a picture once with H.P and Tomato sauce, baked bean juice and one brush. Small steps is the way to go. Good luck with it all and welcome to mad alley. 😆
Posted
Hi Wanderer69,
Thanks for the reply, some more great hints and tips again. I have had loads of great advice and hints and tips from you guys on here. Just a case of me now having to digest it all, and get trawling those shops. I am not going to go mad and buy all sorts. Just a few bits and bobs to try out, and then see how I feel with the way things flow. 🙂
Edited
by JonChester