Aquarryl Studio
I’m sure you’re reading this because like I initially was, you are overwhelmed with so many choices of art materials out there. Sure it is fun to experiment and explore all these beautiful paints and brushes but “life” pokes us every minute that we simply don’t have the resources and the time to try them all to see what works and what doesn’t.
It took me a very long time to understand that it wasn’t my lack of skills to paint that made my progress slow. It was my knowledge about materials that made me so. You see, I focused on painting everyday without second guessing my materials because I believed when they said materials are not important. But it wasn’t the case for me because the moment I got myself those nice brush, everything started to be less frustrating.
Here are my guidelines;
1. Shape. A good shape brush will alow you to create thin lines and gestural marks at the same time.
2. Ability to load generous amount of water and pigment
3. Ability to release fluid in steady flow.
4. Can withstand abuse. Good quality brush should be able to withstand frequent use.
Good quality paper plays a very important role to our success in painting.Wrong ones will give you endless frustration and a waste of time.
Having the right supplies will save your precious time and it will make painting time more fun. It’s okay to invest on the things that will help us progress more but it’s more important to dedicate time to learn the fundamentals.
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When I just started painting, I spent a lot of months trying to figure out why my progress isn’t satisfactory. I was not heavily invested but it was frustrating. There was a time I thought I was not skilled enough to paint. But thanks to my stubborn head, instead of giving up, I dedicated time in learning more about the techniques and tools used in watercolor.
Good quality watercolor paper plays a very important role to our success in watercolor painting. Wrong ones will give you endless frustration and a waste of time.
Remember these two things;
100% cotton
Acid-free
If the watercolor paper acid-free, it means the white surface will not turn yellow over the years as acid-free slows down the ageing of the paper.
Student (Cellulose) It doesn’t absorb water and pigment as well as cotton does, and isn’t as durable so it can’t handle multiple washes⠀
Artist Grade (100% Cotton) It’s much durable, absorbs water nicely, and can handle water loading and a variety of techniques easily. It doesn’t turn yellow over time (Acid Free)⠀
Sheet
Block
Pad
Roll
Hot Press – Very smooth. Best for detailed painting
Rough – Coarse texture. Best for bold painting techniques ⠀
Cold Presses – Slightly textured. It’s the most versatile paper that can be used to almost any project.
The weight of watercolor paper is related to quality because the best paper comes in different weight. Weight is important in terms of amount of water we will be using and the techniques that we will be applying. Heavy papers doesn’t need stretching, light papers may buckle and wrinkle which makes it harder to paint on.
The watercolor paper we use have a huge significance on the quality of our painting and the process of doing it. You might save couple of dollars with low quality paper, but you’ll find that watercolor pigments doesn’t do well on cheap surfaces, making some techniques difficult to execute.
After few years of studying watercolor and painting almost everyday, these are the papers that works well with the process of my work, techniques and amount of water I used.
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Have you ever stopped painting for months and feels awkward to hold those gorgeous brushes again? Or get super scared with that expensive 100% cotton paper? Or maybe wondered if your creativity is already a distant memory? I know that feeling!
So… How do we get back into art after a long looong break?
1. First (and the most important of them all) is do not ever feel bad of taking a break from creating. We all need to get a new perspective and fresh ideas in order to progress.
2. Get in touch with the creative community. Social media is another great way to meet fellow creatives. There are a lot of friendly artists all over social media, even in Tiktok! So follow them, get to know them, and don’t be shy and start the conversation! The creative community has always been kind and encouraging to me and to everyone else.
These artists are incredibly friendly and talented. Say hi to them in Instagram!!
Do I need to explain more? *wink*
Along with your newly purchased art materials, find a free tutorial that interests you. Pick up some technique and learn to fall in love again with the process of creating. The joy it brings and safe space that feels like home within home.
Here are some free tutorials that might help!
The variety of colors in this set is amazing! I bought a set of 48 half pans (some are repeated colours) it can be easily activated, the transparency is good but it is not vibrant enough for me.
Winsor and Newton Cotman. Swatch in Aquafine 300 gsm CP
Most of the colours were bright, intense and transparent. I like that many colors have granulation. It’s a student grade line of Royal Talens but the quality is very good!
The colours are fun to use and the set is handy as promised. This set is perfect for outdoor painting, for urban sketching. I love the earth colours of this set but find it abit chalky in some papers.
Sakura Field Sketchbox swatched in Canson 200 gsm CP
I love the greens of this set! The color selection is impressive, they are vivid and easy to activate. The metallics are not as sheen and some colours are really opaque. But it gets a little chalky fo me.
Mungyo. Swatch in Aquafine 300 gsm CP
Prima is comparable to Mungyo although I find Mungyo bolder than Prima. It is not as transparent as Cotman and not as chalky as Simbalion. It does stain in the tin which probably suggests high filler content. Price is very reasonable so it doesn’t hurt to grab one and play with it.
Prima swatched in Aquafine 300 gsm CP
My first taste of tube goodness started with this set. Shinhan mix very well and doesn’t get muddy. They are intense and highly pigmented! Shinhan Professional is a student grade and Shinhan PWC is Artist Grade
Shinhan Professional swatched in Aquafine 300 gsm CP
My obsession with vibrant, pigmented and easily activated watercolor started with this brand. Since I get acquainted with White Nights, I always compare newly acquaired paints to my WHite NIghts set. A real value for money and highly recommended.
This Japanese watercolor set is very opaque and although very vibrant I regret that we didn’t get a long but I enjoyed using it with brush calligraphy.
QoR is the newest line of Golden, who are well-known for their acrylic paints. According to QoR these paints use a new binder called Aquazol, which claims “gives greater intensity and clarity, while retaining the best qualities of traditional watercolours”
Althought I liked that QoR is vibrant and pigmented, I had hard time mixing their colours.
This watercolor paints delivers vibrant colours, incredible transparency and excellent lightfastness. Generally I did not noticed any chalkyness or white sludge sediments to suggest excessive amounts of fillers.
Swatch in Aquafine 300 gsm CP
As a child, Jovy Merryl was not the one you see with paints and brushes, but rather, outdoors playing volleyball. She always have a burning passion Read More…