Image © Marion Boddy-EvansI invariably have a pocket-sized Moleskine with me; which one depends on where I'm going. It could be the blank sketchbook (which doesn't really like watercolor paint), the storyboard one (perfect for thumbnail sketches), or the one with watercolor paper in it (the individual sheets are perforated so you can tear them out easily).
The rounded corners mean that if you shove one in a trouser pocket, you don't get sharp corners digging into you. With a Moleskine and a pen (or even better a brush pen (
buy direct), art can be made anywhere. (Be warned though, while Moleskines don't have covers made from mole leather, they do have leather covers so may not be appreciated by a strict vegetarian.)
Photo Courtesy of DickBlick.comI find few things handier than a "holds almost everything" container for keeping all my art materials together for workshops or when I take some paint supplies on holiday. One that will take my paints, brushes, a small paper palette, sketchbook, cloth, water bottle... though not quite the kitchen sink.
Photo ©2010 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.I found painting with pastels on
Sennelier Pastel Card totally different to working on 'ordinary' pastel paper. The surface is like fine sandpaper, and grips onto the pastel, layer upon layer. I think every pastel painter ought to have some to try!
Photo Courtesy of DickBlick.comSay goodbye to worries about getting paint on your clothes with a lab coat. In fact, in its pristine state a lab coat is rather ugly, so getting some paint on it can only make it look better.
Photo Courtesy of PriceGrabberA small book light is perfect for working in your art journal or sketchbook at night when you don't want the light to disturb someone else, or if you want focused illumination on the page only. Depending on the model, a book light either clips or slides into the pages. Most run on penlight batteries, some are rechargeable.
Photo © Marion Boddy-EvansIf your artistic imagination means you tend to enjoy the quirky, the trivial-yet-once-meaningful, and the opportunity to peep into other artist's lives, then you'll probably enjoy the list book with a title that's a list itself. Or to give it its proper title, Lists, To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collected Thoughts, and Other Artists' Enumerations from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art.
Photo © 2009 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.Play with your food! Or, rather, play with creating an artwork based on food instead of eating it. Each of the 40 paper placemats in this pad features a specific food item, with a step-by-step outline of how you might doodle it in the blank area in the center. If I practiced painting cups and mugs as often as I used one, by now my doodles of a cup of hot chocolate would have accurate ellipses!
It'll also make a great not-a-coloring-in-book for children, who'll be able to follow the how-to illustrations even if they can't read the words yet.
Photo © M Boddy-EvansA Buddha Board is a bit like an Etch A Sketch except you use a brush and water to create the image. Leave it to dry, and it disappears so you've a 'new' sheet of 'paper' to 'paint' on again, and again, and again.
Photo © 2009 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.Watching the
Pastel Painting with Margaret Evans DVD is like standing next to this experienced landscape artist as she wields her pastels with inspiring expertise. You can see what she's looking at, see what's she's putting down on her paper and how she wields her pastels, and hear her talk about why/what she's doing. Likewise, going plein air painting with
Herman Pekel around Melbourne in Australia. Especially watching what he does with an unlikely seeming industrial dock scene!
More Recommended Painting DVDsBuy a Painting
Image © Arthur S Aubry /Getty ImagesHave you thought about buying a painting by the artist you're wanting to give a present? If not for yourself, then as a gift for someone else? (And, whatever you do, don't ask for a discount, nor expect a freebie because you're family or a longstanding friend.)
