5 Things EVERY Artist Should Own
I'm always on the lookout for new, useful tools that will embellish my painting process. Here is 5 artist tools that I found along the way, that you could be missing out on.
1. Brush Cleaner
There are many glass jars that decorate my shelves, once used and now forgotten. The stainless steel brush cleaner is one that I was unsure about. But since using it that first time, it's been a part of every painting since. Using a glass jar?...I would heavily recommend trying these. There's a great one for sale here.
2. Glass Palette
If you're familiar with my YouTube channel, you'll be pretty sick of me going on about my glass palette. I am obsessed by it and it is perfection. I work with oils, acrylics and watercolours on my glass palette and it's perfect for all mediums. Yes, you can get a fancy one like this one, or you can go for a glass kitchen chopping board. I have both, and I actually prefer the large size of the chopping board, which was about £5/$7. (Side note: make sure it doesn't have grooves, as it will be difficult to clean. To clean I use a razor blade - be careful!)
3. Water Sprayer
A fairly inexpensive product, that has massively helped my process. Used for many things such as: removing dents in a canvas, misting the palette and of course giving my studio plants a quick drink. You can pick these up from most garden centres, or homeware stores but there's also one here if you'd rather buy online.
4. Bluetooth Headphones
Although not directly art related, these headphones have a huge impact on my painting practice. I'm sure I'm not the only one who isn't able to play loud music in my painting space. Maybe you have a corner of the living room where you paint, or you're in a classroom. Either way it's difficult to 'get into' the painting zone. I move around a LOT when painting, so for me these life-changing. Many times have I got up to fetch my other paintbrush and seen my phone just slide across the floor (joy). Never again! Throw those traditional headphones in a drawer and bag yourself a pair of these.
5. Daylight Bulb
Yes it does sound a little boring, but trust me - this is the most exciting! Especially if you live in a country like England, which sees sunlight around 3 times throughout the winter. Normal bulbs are yellow/orange tinted (to get that warm-glow), but it throws off colours more than you'd realise. I've been painting many times in an afternoon or evening with the lights on, only to find a completely different painting in the morning. It's so difficult to mix life-like colours in a warm light, so do your painting process a favour and get a daylight bulb. Just note: if you use it late at night it can mess up your sleeping patterns.
I hope that you liked these 5 tools and let me know your all-time favourite artist tool in the comment section. Please share this page with your creative friends.
Love Katie x
*Please note that the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click or purchase them I earn a small commission. All views are my own and this is not a sponsored post. Alternative are also available, these are just my recommendations*