Please note, this page contains affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase through my links, which I will totally blow on art supplies!!
This is one of the top questions I get. As a mixed media artist, I tend to use a multitude of mediums, but I'll be discussing the ones I use most frequently!
I do most of my art shopping through Blick Art Materials and Amazon.
This is one of the top questions I get. As a mixed media artist, I tend to use a multitude of mediums, but I'll be discussing the ones I use most frequently!
I do most of my art shopping through Blick Art Materials and Amazon.
and why?
What are your
favorite art supplies
•Fabriano Hot Press Watercolor Paper: I create almost exclusively on this paper. It is smooth and so far it has been able to take anything I have thrown at it without bleeding, buckling, warping or disintegrating! A good and less expensive alternative is the Fluid brand of hot press watercolor paper.
•Dick Blick Wood Panels: These are my favorite panels, for both quality and price!
•Yes! Paste: This is the glue I use to mount the paper on to the panels. It's acid free, doesn't soften up the paper, spreads well with a spatula or card and sticks without bubbles.
•Pan Pastels: Super soft, highly pigmented and low dust pastels in a pan. One of my favorite mediums!
•CarbOthello Pastel Pencils: I love these pastel pencils! Highly pigmented and soft, but able to create beautiful gradation! I use these to do most of the detail work!
•Transparent Watercolor Ground: I use transparent watercolor ground on almost all my paintings, to give it a bit of tooth, but not as much as regular gesso. This one is finer, more delicate and works perfectly for the pastels!
i use these in pretty much every painting!
•Krylon Workable Fixative: I fix my pastels every few layers with this spray.
•Stabilo Marks All Pencils (Black and White): These are just the best. The black for sketching and the darkest darks in a drawing, the white for highlights and definition. In pastel paintings, the whites often get a little dulled, especially when fixative is used, this pencil makes up for that!
•White Posca Pen: Another one of my favs in the white-that-stays-white category! Works amazing on almost every surface! It's also my favorite signature pen for my paintings!
•Gumbacher Mixing White: One of my go-to first (and often, only) acrylic layers in my paintings! The mixing white is semi opaque, so it just lends a touch of white softness to whatever is underneath! Works wonderfully to soften the tone of watercolors or acrylic inks!
•Distress Oxide Reinkers: I love to use these reinkers. The oxide paint is quite unique in as much as it is pigmented AND a dye. It is water reactive and can be used to achieve lovely effects. What I love most though, is the soft, almost chalky appearance it lends to a painting.
•Casein Paint, White: Love to use this paint for it's powdery soft finish and almost chalky feeling texture. I particularly like to use it in combination with the Distress Oxide Reinkers.
•Derwent XL Charcoal Block, Mars Violet: A large block of dark violet charcoal. Due to it's size, it allows for loose work without getting caught up in details too early. The color is gorgeous, and when applied with a brush, you can achieve a lovely soft gradation.
•Jane Davenport Palette Pastel Sets: As much as I love pan pastels, they are a bit of an investment. Unfortunately, they don't offer small pan sets. However, the Jane Davenport line now offers several Pastel Palette sets and even though I still prefer my pan pastels, they work perfectly fine and are a fraction of the cost, which makes them ideal for anyone who just wants to see how they like the soft pastels.
•Sofft Pan Pastel tools: I hardly ever use the sponges, but I do use the Knive Set and Covers, as well as the Colorfin Sofft Applicator all the time.
and why I love them so!
The art supplies
WHERE CAN I BUY YOUR PAINTINGS?
You can purchase my paintings year around in my store. However, if you follow me on Facebook, you will also know that a lot of the time my paintings get snatched up there as soon as I show them, and they don't even make it into the store.
A few times a year, I take part in online art auction events, where I usually offer a larger amount of my work! Those events are well advertised in advance. However, to make sure you are in the know of all the events and releases as they happen, make sure you are following me on Facebook and/or you are subscribed to my notification lists (see the pinned post on my Facebook profile.)
DO YOU TEACH ONLINE COURSES?
I don't teach any courses at this point in time and have no plans to do so in the forseeable future. I'll be sure to let you know if and when this changes!
DO YOU DO COMMISSION PAINTINGS?
**I am currently not taking commissions.**
Yes and no. In general, I don't do commission paintings as a rule. However, I make exceptions. If you are looking for a portrait commission for a loved one and have very clear ideas as to what the end result should look like, I am not the artist to do that. A lot of my work is quite intuitive and I feel very uninspired when the guidelines get too restrictive, so I feel that I don't do my best work in those circumstances.
If you are however looking for something with a general theme, have some rough ideas as to which direction you might like it to go, but are happy to let me play with it and see what comes through, contact me and let's talk!
Please note that a required part of the commission process is the signing of a digital contract, outlining all the details and timelines, as well as a non-refundable deposit.
DO YOU OFFER A PAYMENT PLAN?
Yes, I offer a layaway plan on original art work!
Here’s how it works:
• Select the original painting you want from my store.
• Get in touch with me via email or through my contact form and provide me with the title of the painting.
• I will get in touch with you to discuss payment terms. Once we have agreed upon terms, I will invoice you via PayPal, outlining the payment terms.
I require a deposit of minimally 25% of the total invoice amount (this includes shipping charges.)
• Once the deposit is paid, the artwork will be marked as SOLD in my store. Upon payment of the final agreed upon installment, I will ship your painting to you within 3 business days.
WHAT REFERENCES DO YOU USE?
Sometimes I use several references for various parts that end up combined in one painting, sometimes I don't use references at all and sometimes I use copyright free references from the web.
I have also started to purchase reference photographs from sources like Adobe Stock and such. More recently, I have also started to learn how to generate references via AI for my work.
To learn more about my stance on AI generated art and references, go here.
DO YOU SELL PRINTS OF YOUR WORK?
I do! Check out my store. I have fine art prints, canvas prints and even a few metallic prints. If you can't find the print of a particular painting, let me know and I'll notify you when it comes in!
DO YOU HAVE A BLOG?
Yes! In fact, I have two! There is my "old" blog, which I started back in 2007, called Birgit's Daily Bytes. It is full of arts, crafts, tutorials, recipes, scrapbooking, DIYing and musings.
With the start of this website, I am also starting a new blog. Click here to read the blog/journal!
WHAT ONLINE COURSES DID YOU DO TO LEARN TO DRAW/PAINT?
My very first course was "Fabulous Faces", by Tamara Laporte. Then came several years of Lifebook, Let's Face It, Paint Your Heart And Soul and a fair few others including several with Ivy Newport, Renata Loree, Kate Thompson and many more. Personally, I preferred the year long courses, particularly in the beginning. I felt encouraged to do work on a regular basis, I was exposed to many, many different artists and styles and learned about a LOT of art materials.
DID YOU DO EVERY LESSON IN THE YEAR LONG COURSES?
No. I very much picked and chose my way through it. At the beginning of the year I would be a lot more willing and able to try EVERY lesson, but as the year wore on, life happened and I would only do those that inspired or intrigued me right there and then.
Since all these courses are downloadable, I never felt I missed out though, as I could always come back to them, even years later, which I have been known to do.
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME? It's BEER-git KUR.
