PIP - Products I Prefer

These are Products that I Prefer and use on a daily basis. They are categorized by Mediums (in alphabetical order - as per my slight OCD issues *giggle*) to make it easier for you to review.


BOOKS (includes all mediums)

• Watercolour Colour Mixing Guide
• 101 Techniques for Graphite and Charcoal
• 101 Textures for Colored Pencil 
• 1500 Mixing Recipes for Oil, Acrylic and Watercolour

GENESIS HEAT SET OILS (includes preferred Brushes and other Resources)

• Genesis Heat Set Oils:

1. Genesis Heat Set Oils Try Out Set
2. Genesis Heat Set Oils Starter Set (the primary 5 colours from which you can create 30+ other colours! See the link on my first Genesis Oils page.)
3. Genesis Heat Set Oils Individual Paint Jars
4. Genesis Heat Set Oils Mediums

• Brushes:


1. Royal & Langnickel Majestic Brushes Flats 8PC
2. Royal & Langnickel Filbert/Oval 7PC
3. Royal & Langnickel Angle 7PC
4. Royal & Langnickel Zen 63 Brushes Filbert, Round and Bright 5PC
5. Chungking Hog Bristle Filbert & Round 6PC

• Storage:

1. Sterilite 3 Storage Drawers 2-pack which are 8 1/2" L x 7 1/4" W x 6 7/8" H21.6cm x 18.4cm x 17.5cm
2. Sterilite 3 Storage Drawers 6 pack (same size)
3. Aluminum 20 PC Storage Tins ... for leftovers Genesis mixes  :)
4. Iris Portable Project Case ( These are what I use for dust covering my Painting Palette and my Brushes for in works process.  Alternatively, a good old-fashioned cardboard Shirt Box will do the trick too but be aware, the mixing tile may make it challenging for moving around. A scrapbook paper storage box will work too!)
5. For dust covering my Project between painting sessions and depending on the size of the canvas or surface, I will use Viva Paper Towel, an old tee shirt (front or back but not both sides) or an old light linen sheet or tablecloth.  Anything that allows the dust cover to lay lightly against your surface, without pressuring it into the paint, is best.

• Liquitex Painting Knife

• Painting Palette - use a white porcelain or ceramic tile, tray or plate (the larger the better!) for mixing on.  (Check at your local Home Depot or Hardware store for the tiles. Mine gave them to me as samples at a much reduced cost.) You can also use a clear piece of glass with a white paper affixed to the back side.   This type of hard surface will not absorb the moisture within the paint and keep them working beautifully during your painting process, no matter how long.

• Cleaning & Cleaning Rags:

1. Brush Cleaning:  when your project is done, you can use a few different items:
• For inbetween cleanings, use either Mona Lisa Odorless Thinner or Gamsol
• Create a 50/50 mixture of DecoArt's DecoMagic Brush Cleaner and either Dawn Dish Detergent or Polmolive Ultra Dish Cleaner Oxy Power Degreaser.  This mixture helps cut through the paint quickly and cleanly. 
• Masters Brush Cleaner (If this doesn't work, see the mixture above.  This product can also be used periodically with the mixture to help further condition your brushes when needed.)
2. I use Viva Paper Towel as it is softest on my brushes.  Any soft cleaning rag will do as well - just be sure to put a degreaser additive into your laundry to help clean it thoroughly.

MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTS

• Pastel Wooden Boxes (for oil, pastel and pencils)
• Light Pad
• Light Pad Stand
• Brush & Pencil Products - I use several of them, including their Texture Fixative, Final Fixative and Touch Up Texture Fixitive which allows glazing and also can be mixed with their Titanium White to create vivid and permanent white highlights.

OIL PASTELS (includes CretaColour Oil Pencils

• Sakura CrayPas Specialist 50 PC (artist quality and available by the piece at Dick Blicks)
• Sakura Cray Pas Expressionist 50 PC (student quality)
• Cretacolor Oil Pencils - while these are intended to work with Charcoal and Water media, I find they also work with Oil Pastels and give me the medium needed to create sharp lines or fine detailing with my oil pastel paintings.  

PASTELS  (Includes Pan Pastels, Soft Pastels and Pastel Pencils and preferred Tools)

• PanPastels and Tools 
• Faber Castell Creative Studio 72 Colours
• Munygo Gallery Soft Pastels 30 Colours 
• Carbothello Pastel Pencils 24 Set 
• Faber Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils 24 Set

PENCILS (Includes Coloured, Graphite and Watercolour as well as Cases)

• Faber Castell Polychromos 
• Caran d'Ache Luminance
• Derwent Coloursoft
• Derwent Graphitint
• Derwent Drawing - I find their White to beat out Prismacolour's White in opacity
• Stabilo All for Film and Glass  - their white will put the shine highlight on almost anything, anywhere.
• Staedler Graphite Pencils
• BTSKY Pencil Case 160+ (they can size between 40-200 I believe)
• Pencil Case - 210 Slot Capacity Sleeve Style
• Pencil Case - Extra Sleeve

WATERCOLOURS (Includes Water Solubles, Guoache, Cases and preferred Brushes)

• Watercolours:

1. Daniel Smith Watercolours are professional quality and so many pigment choices!
2. Daniel Smith PrimaTek are amazing with their unique granulations and sediments!
3. M. Graham made with honey, come in multiple sets of 5 at Amazon, and sets as well as individual tubes at Dick Blick
4. DaVinci Watercolours made with honey come in multiple sets and tubes at their website, as well as sold by the tube at Dick Blick 
5. Jerry Q  is a terrific low cost set of non-lightfast but highly pigmented colours and a good set for beginners!  24 Colour Set  or  18 Colour Set

• Guoache:

1. Arteza Guoache - hobby grade guoache
2. Winsor & Newton Designers Guoache - student grade guoache
3. M. Graham Guoache - professional grade guoache

• Water Solubles (includes Crayons, Markers and Sticks)

1. Winsor & Newton Brush Markers Starter Set
2. Caran d'Ache Neocolor 2 Set of 30
3. Derwent Inktense Set of 36
4. Arteza Watercolour Real Brush Pens 24 Pack
5. Arteza Watercolour Real Brush Pens 96 (with or without the case)

• Cases:
1. Transon Air Tight 24 Slot Case
2. Home Aid Watercolour 40 Half or Full Pan Tins
   
• Brushes:

1. Silver Brush Black Velvet - set of three
2. Silver Brush Black Velvet Atelier Set
3. Rafael Soft Aqua - I love their Quill line as they come in a 0/3 size and larger
4. Princeton Snap

JOURNALS:

• Dina Wakley Mixed Media 6x6 Journal - the paper in this journal is unbelievable in happy goodness for mixed media and/or watercolour.  So delightful !!
• Travelers Notebook - multiple leather cover design options, approx 8x5
• Winsor & Newton Watercolour Journal 5x7 (My play gave me equivalent results to Arches)
• Strathmore Watercolour Journal 5x7 - this comes in larger sizes as well
• Dylusions Journal 5x8 - this comes in larger sizes as well