Whether your paintings are a mixed media piece or whether they used a single medium, get ready to enhance their look by these art and craft supplies!
1.Gold Foil Leaves
Gold foil leaves come in commonly three metallic colors, with there being variation in shades depending on the manufacturer company and price of the sheets. The colors are Gold, Silver and Copper. Now gold leaves are an interesting thing to work in your artworks, as they give off an elegant reflective shade.
Gold foil leaves are a very useful material for painters who like to create abstract pieces. The foil adds a shine and majestic touch to abstract paintings and is widely used by abstract artists. And even for painters who don’t work with abstract art, gold foil leaves can be used to enhance even fine art paintings. They can be used in various ways on various surfaces and are definitely a material artists should have a little know-how of.
The application method of these gold foils is quite simple, but also requires caution. You need to buy a leafing glue, that is the adhesive that the foil sticks on. You can use a gold foil after or before painting. You need to simply apply the adhesive glue in the exact areas you want the gold foil to stick, and then you place the sheet of foil on that place and let it rest for a while before brushing off the excess foil.
Gold leaves are quite a beautiful accessory to use in paintings, but it requires caution, and can accidentally ruin your painting as well. To properly understand the process of applying gold leaf and the do’s and don’ts of the application process, check out my upcoming blog on How to use Gold Foil Leaves in Paintings!
2. Mixed Media
Now for some, this might be nothing new as several artists do paint with the freedom of using other materials. However, some people like to stick to one medium while working on a painting and I can understand they have their comfort medium. I also have a comfort medium, Acrylic paints! However, even though I find acrylic to be a versatile paint, sometimes you just need to use other media to get the right effect on your piece. Sometimes you run out of white paint and end up using a white marker instead.
When it comes to art there are no rules, and mixing media can sometimes be a great way to not only save money for materials, but also enhance the look of your artwork. By using various markers, pencils, crayons, pastels and even mixing up paints, one can achieve quite a fabulous finished piece. Once you’ve figured out what each media is best at, you can use it more efficiently in all your artworks. For example, for me personally, watercolors are easier to give a thin dreamy and watery layer of color on a canvas, and I like to use it for creating backgrounds in my paintings, then adding details with some acrylic or gouache paints.
Sometimes I have this absolutely gorgeous shade of shimmery seafoam green in watercolors which I can’t replicate in Acrylic. So when I’m painting a seascape I’ll put a thin layer of acrylic with similar colors, and then have a layer of watercolor over it with the shade I wanted. Since watercolors are more watery than pigmented, the layer of acrylic beneath compliments the upper layer and gives a very stunning look.
So mixed media can be a bit of a challenge at first but once you realize which media best suits which part of your painting, you can improve the overall look of your painting!
3. Masking Tape
Okay this is quite a basic, inexpensive and must item for painters to have. Masking tape allows you to control any leaks of paints. It’s great watercolor artists, as it keeps the paint from flowing to unnecessary parts of the painting. Even for acrylic, oil and gouache painters, when creating a piece that requires crisp and fine lines, putting a piece of masking tape helps ensure the paint remains above that line of tape.
It works great especially when making seascapes, you can get a crisp horizon line, by placing a line of tape between the sky and sea, and doing the two in parts. It's a great tool for artists to have and also helps to take excess gold leaf off your painting if it happens to be stuck despite not having any adhesive beneath it.
4. Mediums
Mediums are substances or additives mixed with paint to alter its characteristics or properties. These mediums are so helpful when you want to give your comfort medium some improvements. Mediums exist to provide various alterations to a paint. Some mediums increase the drying time for paints, which is helpful for acrylic painters as the paint naturally dries very fast. On the other hand some mediums decrease drying time, which is useful for oil painters. Some mediums like water or turpentine, help to thin out the paint, while some help to give it more texture. Some mediums give your paintings special effects like crackling or metallic effects.
All in all, mediums are an accessory that allow you to customize a paint to your preference. Mediums allow a peaceful mind for the artist when they are painting. Mediums aren’t that widely used because most often painters like to use the paints with their natural properties, and that is totally understandable as well. However if you ever need to manipulate the drying time of the paint or give it more texture, you know what you need! Check out my upcoming blog on Mediums to know all about them.
5. Painting Knives
First off, let's differentiate the two similar terms. A palette knife is used for mixing paint on your palette, while a painting knife is used for actual painting. However many artists nowadays use the same word for both the terms to make it simpler. But in this list I’m strictly speaking of painting knives. Now painting knives, similar to brushes come in various shapes and sizes. They are mostly made of wood and metal. And with their varying shapes and sizes, they are used to apply paint on canvas using their distinct shapes to create a variety of effects.
Thinly applied strokes may be used to depict wood grains or grass while thicker strokes may be used to show textured leaves and petals of flora. How you use a painting knife depends on what kind of paintings you work with. It is useful in almost all styles of painting, from abstract to realism.
There is a separate branch of art known as painting knife art, or palette knife art, which consists of making paintings solely using painting knives. There are various techniques used to create effects with painting knives, to know more about painting knives check out my upcoming blog on Painting Knives!
6. Varnish
Once your painting is complete, how do you ensure it remains safe from dust, dirt or other environmental factors? Simply varnish it!
The varnish forms a non-porous, protective layer over your painting, that not only makes the colors of your painting more vibrant but also gives your painting a matte, glossy or satin finish. It is essential for artists to varnish their paintings upon completion to properly preserve their works. Many beginner artist don’t use varnish for their paintings, which is understandable as they are in their trial and error phase, however as you become more skilled with the brush, you create many wondrous pieces that you cherish and so varnishing them is an ideal way of preserving their wonder.
Varnish comes in different qualities and types depending on their companies, they may not be the cheapest thing on this list, but they’re definitely a good investment for your paintings.
Summary
First off, although the title does state that painters should use these tools and supplies in their work, it doesn’t always have to be the case. This article simply included some supplies that are helpful for an artist to use in their work, and you’re more than welcome to try these tools and give me your feedback as to whether they suited you or not. Every artist is different and has a uniqueness, and so you may not be suited with some of the tools mentioned in this list, but that shouldn’t discourage you from attempting to use them. If these tools can be mastered, your artworks will definitely level up. The gold foil leaves are although an easy looking supply, they can be hard to master. The mixed media artworks are also not just for anyone, but once mastered will enable you to create absolutely stunning pieces. Masking tapes is an essential item for a painter, it’s also quite cheap of a supply to have. Mediums and varnishes enter the category of somewhat expensive supplies, however you only need a small quantity to try your hand at it and figure out whether it suits you. Painting Knives are also not for everyone, but are a wonderful method of adding special effects to a painting.
I hope this article inspired you to at least try out one of the items from this list and I will be glad to hear your feedback as to how the attempt went! Thank you for reading and do check out my other blogs!
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