Hello and welcome to another blog post – you are so lucky! Today I am going to share my favourite art mediums with you. I have three main go-to mediums which I utilise for different styles, subjects and purposes. I love experimenting and learning new techniques so my artworks constantly reflect this. I create with a lot of other mediums as well but as I said these three are my main ones. I hope you enjoy learning some more about my artwork!

My Nanna bought me my very first acrylic paint set when I was about 10-12. It was a cheap paint-by-numbers type of thing from Lidl but it was my first experience of painting on a canvas or with (semi)professional paints. And I fell in love. My grandparents often gifted me with more art supplies over the years of birthdays and Christmas’ and I gave them back paintings as their presents. I think the main thing I love about acrylic paint is that it is just so easy to use and it is relatively versatile. I used to paint as a way of making personalised gifts for friends and family – I’d paint whatever that person was interested in from mountain scenes to caravans to pets to dolphins. It was a great way for me to practice using the medium and gradually my skill and technique improved. Recently I started experimenting with my acrylic landscape paintings by using palette knives instead of paintbrushes. It has very quickly become my new favourite way of painting with acrylic paint. The fact that acrylic paint dries so quickly is a fantastic bonus because it means that I can build dramatic layers and textures in my artwork. I love the movement that acrylic textures lend to my landscape pieces. Some of my favourite budget supplies include acrylic paint - Crawford & Black white and black, Pebeo ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, Windsor & Newton sap green, palette knives, palette, and paintbrushes.

I had doodled with biro pens for years but roughly two years ago I got myself some black ink artist’s pens of varying sizes. I really enjoy using these ink pens to create detailed natural scenes usually incorporating geometric shapes such as diamonds, triangles and circles. I appreciate the effect that these simple ink pens lend to the complexity of the finished drawing. The contrast between the sharp lines of the geometric shapes and the free-flowing nature of the drawings within almost mirrors the constant battle between humanity and the planet, and inside individual humans themselves. I often depict elements of the drawing breaking through the confines of the shape; showing the way that humans try to control nature and the way that nature always resists. These ink pens are really easy to use and lend to a unique style I have adapted for the medium. I use the Faber-Castell PITT Arist Pens.

Last, but by no means least, is watercolour paints. I would still consider myself very new to the watercolour paint scene; while I had some exposure to watercolour in high school, I only really started practicing with the medium last year. I tend to paint rather small when it comes to watercolour, often choosing animals and plants as my subjects. I am still practicing my skills with watercolour paints and am by no means incredible, but I enjoy the effect that the paint gives to an artwork. I must admit that I am often very impatient with my paintings and have ruined a good few by failing to let them dry between layers. I learned my lesson and now I tend to have more than one painting on the go at any time so that I can work on one while another is drying. I love the almost whimsical effect of watercolours – the paints themselves are so versatile, they can be vibrant or pale, blended or harsh, vague or detailed.  I am still undecided whether I prefer paint tubes or paint pans when it comes to watercolour, but I practice with both and I love the medium.

The three main mediums that I love to use in my art are acrylic paints, ink pens and watercolour paints. All three lend themselves to their own style and I often experiment with new ways to use each medium. It’s safe to say that, while I often spend a few days on each artwork, I am quite an impatient artist and I am terrible at waiting for layers to dry.  Purely for this reason, I’d say that acrylic paint is my most favourite medium because it is so quick to dry – though I do love all three for their own qualities.

What is your favourite medium to create with?

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