Saturday, 22 November 2014

My Watercolour sketching kit - Part Two







Key to Sketching kit
  1. Pink zipped bag from Officeworks containing:
  2. Derwent spray bottle
  3. Small water bottle with lump of Pres-stick to hold it down
  4. WN paint box
  5. Zip-lock bag with cellulose sponge
  6. Re-cycled travel wallet with foam core cut to size keeps brushes flat
  7. Leather pen pouch for two fountain pens - Neon Coral Lamy Safari EF and Noodler’s Konrad Flex pen 
  8. Pencil/pen roll from Officeworks (Australia)
  9. Rosemary & Co Series 301 Golden Synthetic #6
  10. Rosemary & Co 3/8” Shiraz dagger 
  11. Pro-art 313HF flat #12
  12. Neef Squirrel mop #0
  13. Pentel Waterbrush Large
  14. Rosemary & Co Travel Pocket brush #10 (fits into pencil/pen roll)

My watercolour palette is a vintage Winsor and Newton paint box. This was on the materials list when I started art class in High School - and no, I’m not saying when that was…

Originally there were two hinged metal flaps that held the paint pans in position. These became rusty so I removed them and in doing so made room for pans down the centre of the box. There’s almost too much room so this palette is not a minimal one.

When I was in Germany some years ago, I bought a Schmincke watercolour palette. It came with 24 pan colours some of which I have moved to the WN box. The pan paints certainly last well. 
The smaller box fits neatly into my pink zipped bag. The down side of this box is that it's a bit heavy. I have a lighter Cotman's Travel box (now filled with artists tube colours) but I prefer to have the double mixing flaps so more colours and washes are easily mixed.


Current colours in the WN palette are the following:



I use a number of different brands - Winsor & Newton, Schmincke and more recently some Daniel Smith watercolours. Each brand provides a favourite colour and they work happily together.

A few favourite mixes...



Here are some useful links to product suppliers. 
DISCLAIMER - please note that I do not receive anything from these suppliers for mentioning their products

Click on the highlighted name.
Rosemary & Co for brushes - very high quality and good value. If you are out of the UK remember the Vat % comes off.

Fountain pens - Goulet Pens have a comprehensive range and in addition many videos on pens and their maintainence. Regular Q&A sessions will answer all your quaetions.

Australian readers can also check out LarryPOST in Sydney for pens,ink and sketchbooks.

Notemaker, based in Melbourne is another stockist. 


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