Supplies

Now that the new year has begun and I plan to hold to my promise, I will walk you through my process of starting a painting.  First, you need to think of what you want to do.  What is the painting you want to begin and what supplies does it require?  This weekend I plan on ordering my supplies and gathering what I need to begin.  In college my professor liked to order our class's supplies from Utrecht.  They have great prices and you can order large amounts of product.  You usually only can buy certain sizes from your local arts and craft stores so, this is a better and cheaper option.

My series that I want to start will involve a lot of texture.  If you have read previous posts, you know this is something I love to accomplish in my paintings and have admired past artists who have done this as well.  I plan on ordering Extra Course Pumice Gel and Modeling Paste.  The Pumice Gel is a pumice stone that was ground up and mixed with an acrylic medium.  A pumice stone for any of my lady readers is often used for pedicures.  It is a course stone that is also very brittle.  That is what I plan to use for a lot of my texture.  My painting professor suggested using sand which is much cheaper.  The downside to using sand is that I would have to clean it and let it completely dry before use.  Well, if you are like most of the country now...it is hard to dry anything in this cold weather.  I would have to clean and dry it inside and with a baby crawling around in my small home...that just won't do.  So, I plan on spending that extra money to have a prepared textured medium.  Now Modeling Paste is a thick gesso like product.  It drys thick and hard so that helps create texture.  Think about wall puddy or stucco for walls.  It drys thick and you can build off it for texture.  That is another way I will add texture to my paintings.

I also need to get some kind of material to put my painting on.  Since I plan on using heavy material I will use wood.  I want to get a large piece of plywood that has a smooth surface that will not interfere with my intended texture.  The plywood needs to be a decent thickness so it will not warp because I do not plan to add a backing (reinforcement).  I will see what the lumber store has for my options while keeping cost in mind.  Most lumber stores will also cut the plywood for you.  Since I do not have a table saw this is great and useful.  So when going into the store, make sure you know your measurements.

When doing all of this preparing for your artwork always think about money.  How much are you willing to put into this artwork and how much are you wanting to get out of it in the end.  If you plan on painting to paint go for it!  I do plan on painting to paint but I also know I will put this up for sale.  So I need to be aware of how much money I put into the paintings and how much I would like to sell it for that is still reasonable for the buyer.

I hope this all is helpful as you start any new artwork for the year.  I will continue to take you through my process to help you achieve what you set out to accomplish.  Once I sit down and begin painting, I will try and post YouTube videos to show you how I paint!  Thanks for stopping by!

Also remember my current paintings are for sale at my Etsy shop.  I am keeping them at the discounted holiday price for any buyers.  I sold my first painting on Etsy this week so lets keep those orders coming so I can make room for more paintings in my shop!  Do not forget to also follow me on Twitter! @BrennaDaileyArt

Brenna Dailey Art Etsy Shop

Art Supplies at Utrecht