One of my absolute glimmers is the magic of colours and anything new and sparkly really. New paints, pens and pencils send me into a gorgeous spin. I'm attracted to shiny, new products and art supplies like a kid in a candy store. They make me clap, my feet jiggle, and I tend to make an, 'Ooooo', noise similar to the one I make when someone pours me my first beer.
If you aren't aware, glimmers are small moments that spark joy or peace, and can cue our nervous system to feel safe and calm. Happy. Art supplies equals happiness.
As a public service to our Sunshine Peeps we want to spread that happy vibe by letting you know what's in our paint box each week.
Enjoy playing with all the new pretties and let us know if there are any products you think would make us sparkle!
I like to dabble with a range of products and textures but I inevitably go back to my truest love, Liquitex Acrylic Inks. They create such spectacular colours and patterns, like the sun glinting off oil and water.
It is genuinely like an adventure working with acrylic ink. I know roughly how it moves and behaves but you just never know what happy accident will emerge into stunning luminous beauty.
The Liquitex Inks are rich in colour and pay off, lay well and are malleable with brush, hands, spray bottles, droppers, you name it. They dry quickly which is great for artists who like to keep moving. I'll often have two or three pieces on the go at various stages allowing for dry time between layers.
These inks will always be my first love because they definitely helped me carve out my signature style after years of dabbling. If you want to see if they make your heart sing check them out at Liquitex Acrylic Inks
I'm just starting to get into textured pieces as I'm moving back into painting rather than ink work. Forbidden Frosting is LUSH. It really is like cake frosting that is oh so delicious to work with.
I find it mixes well with a variety of paints and inks or you can use the Taomi structured paints for even more body, creating earthy, organic contouring for your pieces. This technique adds such depth and interest that it's really hard to resist.
They also have a paint and sip starter kit which is a really great way to get your teeth into these products.
Available from Taomi
These were an amazing little find that I bought on a whim but have now become a firm favourite. 3D acrylic liners again, give that textured raised look but with the ease and usability of a pen.
This allows you to create intricate patterns, outlines, highlights and mark making that has a different aesthetic to flat inks and pens.
They are available in super huge range of colours but I really enjoy the metallics and good old black and white for mark making.
They are available in lots of places but I buy mine at the ArtStore Online .
Who doesn't love Posca Pens?! If you haven't discovered them they are the absolute bom of multi-media art work. They go on anything and dry to a rich, opaque gorgeousness that really is hard to beat.
Big, small, fine, thick....all the colours of the rainbow. Like the Jelly Bean of the art world.
Available everywhere but you can definitely see the biggest range at Poscart.
Technically not an art supply, but an integral part of my business is finding quality printers for art prints. I've tried a few I can tell you and have settled my business with Poster Factory.
Poster Factory is an Australian company specialising in all kinds of printing processes. They are professional, fast and have a wide range of products to choose from. As an added bonus, Poster Factory will also drop ship prints to your customers with quality packaging to make the purchasing process even smoother.
I fell in love with the Ilford Galerie Textured Cotton Rag 310gsm Matt Paper for my prints, which really does feel like the closest I could get to an original piece of art.
Check them out at Poster Factory.