The Power of Good Materials

Late autumn's cold nights means bringing in annuals like this pink geranium.  The beauty of that is having a colorful subject to paint right in my studio.

I broke into a package of Stonehenge 300 pound cold press watercolor paper yesterday and made a watercolor sketch of the geranium's bright flowers in the morning light.  

I had been using less expensive watercolor paper and saying to myself, "It's just for practice; it doesn't matter."

But what a difference using high quality paper makes!!!

The paint seemed to flow effortlessly over the paper, and when I made a mistake and wanted to "erase" dry paint, I simply scrubbed the spot with a damp brush and dabbed it out with a paper towel.  The paint lifted with no damage to the paper's surface.

Honestly, I had forgotten how much easier it is to work with good quality materials.  You're not fighting the paper.  It's working with you.

I had felt resistance to using good paper.  What if I messed up?  What if I wasted it?  I told myself I'd just make a practice page and test out the paper.  As soon as I put brush to paper, my resistance vanished.

It felt like the paper wanted to make the painting with me.

Please let this be a reminder to use the best quality supplies -- especially paper-- that you can afford.  

Tips to Economize with High Quality Supplies:

*Choose quality over quantity. Purchase a small array of supplies of the highest quality possible.

*Use both sides of the paper.

*Buy sample packs -- they're often inexpensive.  Though small, you can test out more expensive paper to discern the best one for you.

*Watch for sales.

*Scour secondhand art shops like The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.  They get a wide array of different supplies.  

*If you have people giving you gifts, ask for gift certificates to your favorite art supply store.

Bottom line:  You can make art with anything from ballpoint pens to chunks of charcoal pulled from a doused campfire, but when you use high quality art supplies, creating is easier because the materials work with you.  It's as if they are just as eager as you are to create.

Happy Creating!