Art Supplies: A Quick Guide.

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I just want to go over where I get my art supplies for drawing and painting and what to look for real quick. I usually end up buying online. Especially when it comes to oil painting supplies. Local stores never seem to carry my brands like Blockx, Williamsburg, or the like.

You should be able to get better known brands like Winsor and Newton or Gamblin locally. Grumbacher has some good stuff as well, but it's not quite as good. Anything cheaper than that is going to be a pain to work with.

For drawing supplies, a local art store may have everything you need, but it may be hard to find things like good drawing boards at the exact size that you want, drawing tables, easles, or any fancy tools may be hard to come by as well.

The online store I shop at the most is Blick Art Materials. They have a great selection for both drawing and painting supplies. They carry my favorite brands as well. Plus, they usually offer great prices. I once got some nice sable brushes for 60 percent off.

I never can find all the books and videos that I want locally, so I usually buy them from Amazon, Madison Art Shop, or for the hard to find videos, through various online stores. I'll go over which books and videos I recommend in a separate article.

For paint brushes, get some various sizes. I usually just use filbert brushes. They have the most uses. I do use some smaller brushes as well, but only later on in a painting. I'll go over the specific brushes I use and why in a painting techniques article. There is too much to cover here. For now, I just want to make you aware of where to shop.

If you can't find the painting easel you want locally, you should have better selection online. I like to look at the easels locally first to get an idea of what I like. Load it up with a blank canvas and see how it feels. Also consider how well it will hold other materials besides canvas if you work with something else like wood.

For pencils, get a few of the same pencil. I like HB, 2B, and 8B. Some people like a harder pencil like 2H or 4H, but I hardly use them myself. Harder brushes are useful for when you are doing the drawing for a watercolor or acrylic painting since the hard pencils are less messy. Of course, the harder ones don't erase as easily, so be careful.

I usually sharpen at least two of the same pencil, like two 2B pencils for one drawing so I spend less time sharpening. For larger drawings, more sharp pencils come in handy because they will wear out fast trying to cover a large area. Be sure to get a kneaded eraser too. I use it all the time.

Done with art supplies? Check out books and videos.

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