Schmincke Horadam watercolour

So I have been eyeing the Schmincke palettes for ages, obsessively image searching for them.  It took me forever to realise how to spell Schmincke properly, with 2 c's.  Before I realised it, I thought they must not be a very popular brand of paint, they didn't show up anywhere.

Turns out I was so wrong.  It feels like they make every single metal palette that anyone has every had. 

Anyway, to save money (snigger), I thought I would allow myself ONE tube- their very special transparent orange.  Considered unique, it's a colour many artists like playing with. 

I painted with it, but alas, I don't think I'm a particularly orange sort of person.  

When I try and use up palettes (so that I can justify buying more), I really struggle with oranges and browns. Ugh. All the pumpkins, and staircases and chickens.  Not my colour.  I should have realised this and not buy any more oranges or browns. 

The colour itself is quite pretty. Don't get me wrong.

Schmincke is famous for non-muted color, loved by botanists and natural painters.  Their paints are designed to go well with each other. 

I guess now I will have to buy the other colours to go with it.  I guess I should buy that palette anyway. 

Old Holland Classic Watercolours

I went out today and wanted to try Old Holland Classic Watercolours. 

I bought the very special colours: Manganese Blue and Golden Barok Red, both single pigment unique colours not made by other manufacturers. 

Manganese Blus is famous for its granulation. When I used it, it certainly granulated beautifully.  ...Imagine all the snow-landscapes I can paint! My boyfriend thinks I am being silly because I see snow once every 5 years. It felt thick to load onto my brush.  When I tried to mix it with my two other new colours, it was just gross. This is a perfect example of one's strength being one's weakness.

Golden Barok Red is a unique colour. I was a bit grossed out when I squeezed out the tube and gross brown oily stuff came out. I bought their watercolour, not oilcolour.  Anyway, after I decided to give it a chance, by squeezing more out, it did turn out to be a beautiful colour. 

All in all, not impressed by Old Holland.  Have I been spoilt by gorgeous Daniel Smith and bright Winsor & Newton and gooey-licious Sennelier? I may be too harsh, despite it feeling like I'm messing my brush up, the colours are indeed special.

Escoda Versatil for sale in Australia!

Kolinsky synthetic - an exciting new alternative to the synthetic brush world - not available elsewhere in Australia yet! 

This brush was designed with versatility as its main feature, has exceptional snap, superior absorption and fluid retention. It’s excellent for use both with watercolor and oil /acrylic, allowing artists to create fine details as well as providing superior performance for coloring large areas and backgrounds.

People who have gotten it are impressed.

Pros:
Well-made and beautiful.
Comfortable in the hand. 
Good water and paint carrying capacity, close to natural hair.
Good point (though perhaps not a needle-sharp one).
Nice flow
Soft
Good spring
More "sable-like" than most synthetics
Good value for money, especially at larger sizes.

Cons: 
Not a great glazing brush, it lifts paint that the Princeton Neptune or sable brush would not. 
Being new on the market, durability as yet untested.

Fabulous review: 
http://www.parkablogs.com/content/review-escoda-versatil-watercolour-brush

For sale (prices in AUD)
Versatil #8 Kolinsky synthetic watercolour brush $18.50
Versatil #8 Kolinsky synthetic TRAVEL watercolour brush $25
Versatil #10 Kolinsky synthetic watercolour brush $21

Versatil #10 Kolinsky synthetic TRAVEL watercolour brush $30

Sketching People in Public

Interesting opinion about the ethics of sketching people in the New York Times July 25 2014 by Chuck Klosterman:

Sketched Out on the Subway

I was sitting next to someone on the subway who was surreptitiously sketching portraits of fellow commuters. I once spotted someone opposite me doing this, and actually changed cars when I suspected he was eyeing me as a subject. Being present in a public space does not seem akin to offering permission to record your likeness without consent, despite the intended (lack of) audience or purpose of the final piece. Unlike being captured in a tourist’s random photograph, this act seems to involve a level of scrutiny, focus and invasiveness that makes me uncomfortable. Is it ethical to draw someone without his or her permission or knowledge?
-CHRISTIANA MAVROMATIS, BROOKLYN

Part of what makes this question compelling is your discomfort with an act that most people view as vaguely flattering (which is not to say you should be flattered by this — I’m just noting that it’s something people seem to like). I certainly understand your argument and your desire to be left alone. But I still wouldn’t classify this practice as unethical for two reasons.
The first point is that having your image drawn against your will is not the same as being photographed against your will. A photograph is generated by a machine that uses optical technology to capture your actual likeness. It is literally a one-to-one depiction of who you are at a specific moment (unless the photographer uses additional technology to distort it). But a drawing is always interpretive. It’s not really you; it’s someone’s artistic construction of what she believes you look like (and if the artist is into something like Cubism, it might not resemble you at all). You possess the rights to your image, but you don’t possess the rights to what someone thinks you look like. Now, if we were debating the commercial rights to your image, everything changes: If the artist were slapping your face on a bag of potato chips, a photograph and a recognizable drawing can be viewed interchangeably. But that’s not the problem we’re dealing with, nor is it your central concern. We’re just considering the ethical difference between capturing your image with a machine and interpreting your image by hand, and the difference is significant.
The second point has to do with the aspect of the experience that you find most unsettling: the “scrutiny, focus and invasiveness” of the artist’s eye. Basically, you’re saying you don’t want anyone looking at you with this level of intensity. But the sketch is secondary to this. Someone could stare at you with “scrutiny, focus and invasiveness” even if he had no intention of drawing your picture. (Someone could also avoid looking at you completely while taking your photo.) If you’re in public, people are allowed to look at you. This can be creepy and annoying, but it’s not unethical. If the individual scrutinizing you starts sketching your face, you can say, “Don’t do that,” and the person should stop (out of normal human courtesy). But the act is not inherently unethical. 
-CHUCK KLOSTERMAN

Escoda Prado watercolour brush for sale in Australia!

I wanted to introduce you to the Escoda Prado line of brushes..  Part of me feels silly for even doing so- they are so famously excellent, it almost feels like a blasphemy to suggest that they need a review.  Just a quick google shows that everyone who uses them loves them. People are always going on about how they are "my work horses" or a "pleasure to use time and time again.." etc

(Prado is the bottom-most)

A bit about Escoda: 
They are a family owned company in Spain who have been in business for just over 80 years. 80 years of HANDMAKING brushes! That is A LOT of experience.  They have a unique design (triple crimp on the ferrule) and curing process (simultaneously ironing and drying the brush hair) that ensures each hair is locked in place for a lifetime. 

(L-R: Prado #10, Versatil #10, Versatil #8, Isabey 6228 Kolinsky #8, Winsor & Newton Series 7 #7)

From personal experience, they have wonderful customer service. They emailed me to explain a possible delay in delivery, what they were doing about it and when I would expect to receive the product. 

A bit about Prado brushes:
They are not sable. This is important if you are struggling with the ethics of killing a poor little animal for his tail to paint cute furry animals.
They are cheaper than sable. This is important if you don't treat your brushes well.  Certain styles of painting involve trashing your paint brushes- digging into pans for example, or dramatically sloshing paint around the paper. 
They are beautiful brushes with comfortable to hold burgundy handles.  The quality of the handle and ferrule are the same as Escoda's top-tier 1212 Reserva kolinsky sable line, the only difference being the hair used. 

(Prado is the bottom-most)

The fibres are a combination of three different diameters and three lengths of Tame synthetic, which imitates sable hair in color, spring and absorption of liquids. The brushstroke's result is claimed to be the same as one made of natural hair. They have nice water holding capacity and spring back nicely. Note Escoda sizes run small.

(L-R: Prado #10, Versatil #10, Versatil #8, Isabey 6228 Kolinsky #8, Winsor & Newton Series 7 #7)

Alvaro Castagnet, David Taylor and Fabio Cembranelli endorses them in the form of signature brush sets sold by the company. If these are the tools of their magic, and you are able to procure them, there is no reason you can't also do this:
Alvaro Castagnet

David Taylor (Australian!)

This is a painting of Armadale!

Fabio Cembranelli 

For sale (prices in AUD):
Prado #10 Tame synthetic  watercolour brush $20

Prado #10 Tame synthetic TRAVEL watercolour brush $25

Multicoloured Instruments

I've owned multi-coloured pens and pencils and crayons before.

I was surprised how fun it was to play with a multi-coloured twistable the other day.  That's probably bias on my part- I never actually got what the big fuss about Twistables were, having not been particularly impressed. 

And my boyfriend went to a museum in Japan where he bought these beautiful crayons, which I keep preciously in a box and have not yet tried. 

You can make your own multi-coloured crayons with baking moulds.  These are very popular party favours.

Wait until they have cooled before removing from the mould, or they will be too soft and lose their shape.

Sometimes I feel like I haven't had a childhood- I didn't have access to super-awesome Lego moulds..

I shouldn't say that. When I was a kid, I had one of these without the pencil grip.

I remember they were pretty to carry around in my travel art pack or pencil case, but they weren't a huge part of my childhood memories.  They couldn't be sharpened.  They didn't last long.  When the lead got dull, there was no more use of that colour.  I think I preferred the small packs of short colour pencils instead. 

I have one of these too, bought from Singapore.

They are old school.  I've seen Japanese ads for them from (?) 1960's. 

Really easy concept: The coloured leads are stored in the transparent pen body.  Pop the colour of the lead you want to use into the nib. 
I don't have good things to say.  I found them really fiddly to change coloured lead.  My cap broke at the end, breaking the special gold coloured lead along with it.

I paid what I thought was quite a lot for a Pentel multicoloured mechanical pencil a few years ago. I decided that I had to buy spare lead refills too because they were a unique thickness. They are popular with Bible students because they can highlight words without bleeding through thin Bible paper.  I waited excited for their arrival by post. I have not used them ONCE.  

Mont Marte Multicoloured Pencil Review

I do love colours.  Recently the blogosphere introduced me to some pretty amazing sketches done with multicoloured pencils.  

By Jennifer Lawson

So I really was itching to buy a multicoloured pencil to do some funky drawings.  They can be found easily - I saw them in plenty of museum shops and book stores.  

Koh-i-noor sells boxes of amazing pencils.  Some places sell them individually too.

Lyra also does some funky ones.

But they don't come cheap! I owned a multi-coloured pencil as a kid, so I'm sure they were more affordable that AUD$5 each. That pencil still is around somewhere at my brother's place.

Anyway, in comes 3 jumbo sized Mont Marte Multicoloured Pencils.  

The packaging was made of that plastic that's impossible to get things out of.  

The pencils are hexagonal with a glossy marbled finished.  They won't roll off the table.  The coloured leads are arranged in a checked-pattern.  Each pencil contains 3 colours.

Red-yellow-blue pencil: Fun.

Orange-yellow-pink pencil: Vibrant.

Red-white-blue pencil: I felt cheated and had a serious gripe about this one.  It looks just red and blue!  It didn't occur to me at the time to try it on toned or black paper, which might show up the white better. 

They can be erased a bit.

Some suggestions on use:
-Write with them. Short notes, lists, memos, letters
-Use a blender pencil to increase the subtleness of the line

Now I need to get a special jumbo pencil sharpener...

Mont Marte Ultrasoft Colour Pencils review

Mont Marte Ultrasoft Colour Pencils 

Sturdy pretty tin.
Cheap. 
Pencils are pretty and smooth and round (and will roll around table tops).  They are pre-sharpened. 
The pencils included have very similar colours to each other, despite having unique Australian-inspired names.  I find the names adorable.

The pencil is soft.  Some feel waxy, especially the light colours.  I have heard some rave reviews about Mont Marte pencils.  The reviewer was from USA.  He said they were hard to obtain outside Australia.  He also said they performed to artist quality, despite being student grade.  I am not sure if he was talking about these pencils in particular or another line of Mont Marte pencils.

Verdict: 
I'm not as inspired by these pencils as I was with the Watercolour ones.  But they are very pretty and I intend to keep my box.

Pencil sharpener

Sharp instruments are important.

-Determines the line thicknesses and the marks you make.

There is no perfect sharpener that will last forever.

-Cheap sharpeners work until they get blunt. 

-Expensive sharpeners work until they get blunt.

Handheld sharpeners:

-Some experts on sharpeners (?!) insist that better made sharpeners angle the pencil in a certain way within the sharpener, but also agree that eventually the blade gets blunt.

-There is a correct way to sharpen: Rotate the sharpener in your dominant hand around the stationery pencil.  This does not feel intuitive.

Hand cranking sharpeners: 

-Some say this will destroy pencils.

-Some swear by it.

-They all say the lead (pigment) in colour pencils is different and will jam up pencil sharpeners so you have to grind a whole graphite pencil through to clean and lubricate it. 

Electric sharpeners:

-Again, some say this will destroy pencils. Some say it won't.

-Some amazing model of electric sharpener that used to be made by Derwent isn't sold anymore.

-They're battery powered. 

-Same problem above of waxy buildup from colour pencils

So after all this.. 

I bought a cuttle little switchblade from Daiso. It was cheap (AUD$2.80). It came with 5 replacement blades.  The biggest reason I use this is I'm cheap and can't stand "wasting" pigment that's been sharpened off.  

Pros:

• They work! You know those pencils that you sharpen and sharpen and just when you think it's nice and sharp, the tip completely falls off. You know that frustration?  Well, all those pencils that were driving me crazy and sharpened to an inch of length but were still broken, are now finally sharp and usable!
• You can conserve pigment by just cutting off the wood and not the pigment.  They don't look as nice and smooth and pretty as when they came out of the boxes.
• You can sharpen ANYTHING: pencils, crayons, charcoal, graphite..
• They are multi-purpose: you can cut open boxes, you can cut hightlights out of watercolour pictures.
• You can determine the shape of the tip: flat and wide, chiselled, pointed. Sand paper to make them sharp.  A steep point = breakage = FRUSTRATION.  A short point = less breakage but, more sharpening.  Having said this, there are some art schools which teach students to desire and extra long lead point. 

Faber Castell Watercolour Pencil review

Faber Castell SV Watercolour pencils.

SV Bonding is a Faber-Castell trademark and all Faber-Castell pencils are SV Bonded. SV is short for the German word "Sekuralverfahren" meaning secural bonding or secure-all bonding. It is a process of gluing the lead to the wood on both sides and the full length of the pencil. This is meant to result in a strong lead that resists breakage and is able to be sharpened to a fine point.

I have to press harder to get same colour.  It felt/looks shiny and waxy and streakier.

"Remember the time Faber Castell made good art supplies? 
... 
Me neither."

Mont Marte Graphite Earth Tones Review

Mont Marte Graphite Earth Tones 

Mont Marte supports Australian artists.  They used the actual product to make packaging.
Environment- friendly paper box. 
Quality assurance seal. 

The pencils themselves are pretty, round and smooth, so they will roll around.
The pencils are identified by the colours at the ends, otherwise they are uniform in appearance.  There is no pencil name or number.  The lead is presharpened. On inspection, I think the lead is not central within the wooden casing.  But I'm not totally sure.  It's not far off and the lead is very thick.

They cannot be bought open stock. They are not lightfast. There is no yellow version.

They performed better than I expected.  They are coloured pencils in muted shades. The greyed colours make them a good addition to a regular line of watercolour pencils (like the Inktense) which often contain many bright colours and fewer of the near-neutrals. They apply soft but are harder than Derwent (Derwent is supposedly 4b). Their special effect occurs when they get wet. If you don't get them wet, they are not very exciting. Some colours are easier to dissolve (black was hard). Once dry could not dissolve again, I believe this is the same as Derwent. 

Suggestions for use include: 
-fantasy / morbid art (withering plants, skulls, creepy aliens, gothic rose patterns).  This takes advantage of the eerie sheen of dry graphite. 
-fur
-landscape studies (deserts)
-shading cartoons / webcomics
-scrapbook illustration 

-Apply them wet. 
-Use steam instead of directly wetting.  One artists reports that only the green changed into a more vibrant colour. 

Some related ideas from artists: 
-Mix watercolour with soluble graphite for an eerie sheen. 
-Lay down a graduated strip of watersoluble graphite pencil, then colour over with watercolour pencils. Then wash with a wet brush. In this manner, you can get a look like G-tints, except it also works with bright colours.

Mont Marte Watercolour Pencil review

Mont Marte Watercolour Pencils

Just wanted to try them since I was bowled over with previous Mont Marte products.
Cheap. $7.50 for 12.
Difficult to peel off quality assurance sticker.
Mont Marte supports Australian artists. The cover art is drawn by an Australian artist using the watercolour pencils. That is honest of them. It is proof of the quality of the product.

As with any watercolour pencil, it brightens with water.

Verdict:
I am afraid I an not SO impressed by these pencils. They are scratchy. The colours are not vibrant. Despite this, I am using them a lot. I wouldn't throw them out, but I am looking for some kid to give them to. 

Synthetic vs Sable

Natural brushes are a big deal in the brush world, in particular sable brushes.  I have seen art teachers insist on sable brushes in their list of art supplies to obtain for their particular class.  Any new artist will be told to get the best brush they can- a Kolinsky sable- holy grails of the watercolour world (also expensive paper, artist quality paints). 

Pros of Synthetic

• Cheaper
• Easily obtainable
• Not as precious, easily replaceable when worn or lost.
• Cruelty free.
• Some artists think they hold their point and wear better. This probably depends on the way you use the brush.
• Stays the same shape.
• Carries more pigment.
• Good for charging more pigment into areas.
• Softens already painted areas and lifts well.
• Useful for dry brushing.

(Some very popular synthetics are Escoda Versatil, Escoda Prado, Princeton Neptures)

Cons of Sable

• Expensive. People talk about how sables and their fine points last a lifetime, if care is taken.  They don't tell you that "care" involves pretty much not using them.  (Keep them away from water, don't dry them with the ferrule up, don't let water get into the ferrule, don't scrub pan paints with their points).  They DO wear down, they DO wear out.  One daily sketcher I know says she needs a new one every 6 months.  This is one common reason artists hoard art supplies.
• Difficult to obtain. Siberian weasel (the animal Kolinsky sable brushes are made from) are not currently endangered.  But they ARE difficult to get.  Some art stores doubt the ability to offer them at all in the future. They were banned for a brief period in USA 2014. 
• Fact Checking the Kolinsky Sable Brush Ban
• Importing Kolinsky Sable
• Animal cruelty. An animal that would have survived in the wild, freezing winters of Siberia has to die (in an unpleasant manner) just so we can get a few choice hairs from its tail.
• Carries less pigment because it carries more water.

Just to balance the argument a bit:

Pros of Sable

• Soft
• Springy- springs back when you release any pressure on it. More flexible in applications where you are using the brush stroke itself to make shapes, eg making a curved leaf with a single stroke.
• Snaps better. 
• Durable, holds its point longer (assuming you got one that had a good point). 
• Glides across the paper smoothly (skips across the tooth of the paper).
• Carries more water/paint.  There is no need to load the brush as often, saving time when painting. Very easy to use for washes. Good for making juicy puddles of paint.
• Releases paint/ water slower and more uniformly. 
• More moisture control, so you will be able to apply and lift colours and smooth out the transitions more easily. Softens edges well. Eg while painting a very soft transition on a baby.
• More subtle in paint application, giving a more nuanced effect, sometimes greater transparency. 
• Paints a consistent smooth line.  This will improve your painting if you tend to draw with a brush instead of filling in between the lines. 

Cons of Synthetic:

• Derived from petroleum-based products
• With a stiffer synthetic, you push pigment into the tooth
• Disposing of numerous cheap brushes is not environmentally friendly. 
• Points permanently bend easily. Does not keep the point in the long run, but can hold a point to last several paintings.
• Needs frequent replacement.
• Take longer to wash.

In summary, good artists can paint with just about ANYTHING. Think about what you use, and take care of whatever you use, so it lasts.

Mont Marte Watercolour Sticks review

Mont Marte Watercolour Sticks review

As with all Mont Marte products, the art on the box is made using the product, by an Australian artist.  

The paper box is adequate for its job, but flimsy.  Most people might consider that a negative, but I consider it light weight and portable.

The back of the box displays a realistic sample of the colours the product is able to produce.

Each individual stick is wrapped in blue paper.  There is no individual colour names or labels for the sticks, so they have to be identified by appearance. 
Feels heavy in the hand like an extra long crayon.

Lines of different thickness can be drawn.
Crayon / pencil texture.

Vibrant when wet.


Supposedly, they melt, so don't leave it in the glove compartment or near a radiator. 

Verdict: 
I really enjoyed them! Another ridiculously cheap quality product from Mont Marte!

Mont Marte Ultrasoft Watercolour Pencils Review

Mont Marte Ultrasoft Watercolour pencils 

Cheap 

Sturdy tin

Supports Australian artists

The artwork on the cover was made using the product

Fresh smell of wood and wood paint
Beautiful, round, smooth pencils
Australian names of colours

Soft and creamy and lays down good colour.
Once dry could not dissolve again

Cons:
Some artists complain when a colour pencil brand cannot be bought open stock.  Personally, that doesn't bother me.

Verdict: 
Very impressed. For this price, you should totally get a set or 3. Great gifts, especially for overseas artists because Mont Marte products are hard to get outside of Australia.  Because of this set's quality, I went out and bought loads of Mont Marte stuff.

Why Twistables?

Twistables.  

I remember thinking this was kind of a cool concept when they came out.  And I definitely wanted to own some.  I got some and wasn't so impressed.  Now they are everywhere.  de rigour.  Why? Aside from the novelty of twisting them?

Here are a few reasons they beat regular crayons: 
No sharpening
Don't break as easily as stick crayons, aren't so fragile
Good for environment if no wax/wood shavings?
Doesn't dirty little hands?
Maintain their length, so you don't end up with tiny knubs.

Disadvantages:
They are more expensive. 
They do generate more plastic waste. 
They're just student-grade crayons and disappoint if you want deep saturated colour.

I'm probably a bit harsh.  I don't even use normal crayons regularly, so why would I find a use for twistables? I bought a set of fluorescent ones, telling myself I would use them as highlighters.  I have barely touched them. 

I don't like the waxy texture.  

The blunt nib was think and I felt clumy writing with them.

I tried drawing with them.  They could not be scanned easily because they were so light. They were pretty cool as resists for watercolour painting.

Cool things to do with crayons: 

-Melt them in chocolate moulds for funnky shapes (lego men! hearts! robots!)

-Melt them into multi-coloured crayons

-Carve them

-Use as coloured wax seals

Origins of Kolinsky sable hair brushes Part 3 - Brush making

A big manufacturer of fine art material can produce 30,000 brushes a week.Siberian weasel (ie Kolinsky) hair's diameter becomes larger near the middle, and then tapers off to a fine point at the end. The very best Kolinsky brushes are made with hair from the tail of the male animal, winter coat. Most brushes have a mix of about 60/40 male-to-female hair. The limiting factor is size, most Kolinsky brushes run up to size 12, some go to 14, few go higher. Only older animals have long enough hair for these sizes, and their longer tails drag on the ground, roughing up the precious hair. Long Kolinsky hair of top quality is scarce, and expensive.

The brushmakers is issued a pile of tails from which to pick and choose. He or she then carefully sorts the hairs, picks out and discards poor individual hairs, and packs the right quantity into a ferrule, the small metal cylinder of a brush, ready for the stick to be added. The hairs are extra long and soft and taper in a unique way that allows brush makers to make very pointy brushes. When many of these hairs are set together in a bundle to make an artist brush, the bulges add to form a distinctive 'belly'. The brushes can be finely shaped and are highly prized. 

Those who use the kolinsky sable brush claim it has superior strength, slenderness, springiness, control and resilience and long life when compared with other sable brushes. They snap to a fine point because of the great resilience of Kolinsky hair grown in very cold climates. Their bellies allow an artist extremely finely controlled application of colour. 

Many ways to make them more affordable have been tried:
-Using lower-grade Kolinsky hair- not from the male, not from the tail, and/or not from a winter coat. Such brushes will not perform well, but can still be called Kolinsky!

-Mixing less expensive animal or synthetic hair with the Kolinsky hair. This is difficult to detect, but an experienced artist will note the lower performance immediately.

-Skimping on sizes like making a 10 the size of a traditional 8, etc. or skimping on hair length; not having enough hair inside the ferrule for good performance. 

-Offering brushes that are called Kolinsky but made with hair of another animal! What is a 'European Kolinsky', a 'Marten Kolinsky'?

Watercolor brushes, research initiative

Goes to the museum to check out Siberian weasels. Kolinsky watercolor brushes: visit to American Museum of Natural History