Broke For Art

A blog dedicated to reviewing artists supplies! Broke For Art since 2012 Email: [email protected]

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Paperbox Sketch-Note Draft

Hello, it’s been while since I did a paper product review and I’d like to start off with the sketchbooks offered by the Indian brand Paperbox. 

The sketchbook that I picked out from their range of products turned out to be a really light and compact little book. I would say these books are perfect as small travel journals. Its the perfect size and just enough pages to document a trip. 

I ended up ordering their Sketch-Note Draft, and Tinted Slab paper (colored paper pads). I ordered the smallest sizes since I just wanted to review the paper.

This brand has a large variety of journals, booklets, glued pads and other basics.

Today, I’ll be reviewing the sketch-note. 

These books come in 3 sizes: Pocket (3.5 x 5.5in), Regular (5x8in), Large (8x12). The one I’m holding here is the Pocket size. The cover is a dark brown/almost black thick card. The spine is saddle stitched with the same coloured thread and the back has an emboss with the brand logo. The size is ideal for sketching on the go.

The book has 24 spreads/48 pages of 120gsm ‘Rough Tooth’ paper. As far as comparing the paper to watercolour ‘rough’ paper- this is smooth with slight texture and very sturdy paper. Some of the texture is visible in the pictures below.

I’ve tried many mediums on this booklet: watercolours, gouache, coloured pencil.

While using the watercolours on this paper, I noticed that the page warps a bit and the watercolour settle in with a lot of texture. You can see how the finish looks on the ribbon I painted above. It definitely gives you the texture and finish of what traditional rough watercolour paper would. 

You can see in the image above, that the paper that was worked on has warped a bit. I don’t see this as a big issue. In fact, I like books that look well-used.

As for coloured pencils go, its a wonderful paper for pencils. The texture of the paper is smooth enough to make drawing with pencils a dream, and the paper texture adds a little something to the pencil drawings. Above I have used coloured pencils for the green jug and the brown swatch above it. 

As for gouache, I think this paper is perfect for the medium. The paints settle nice and flat and someone once thought this flower was printed, that is how crisp it turned out. I would highly recommend this paper for gouache/poster paints.

Another bunch of swatches with watercolours. As you can see in the blue swatch below, there is pigment settling around the border of the stroke. This might not be the effect that most watercolour artists want, but if you want this finish intentionally then the paper is perfect for you.

Overall I would rate this as a great little pocket booklet for gouache and coloured pencils.

The price range is listed below: Pocket 1pc : Rs.75 Regular 1pc: Rs.120 Large 1 pc: Rs.240

They also sell them in packs of 3 which start at Rs.180 all the way to Rs.540. They are available to purchase here: PaperBox

Little more about the brand: Paperbox makes minimal sketchbooks and notebooks with attention to aesthetics and paper. The company was started by two architects and is based in Delhi. All their products are minimal and free of all extra embellishments. You can look at their gorgeous collection on their website. 

[brokeforart]

Hi! I am from Delhi. I recently wanted to get a. Set of White nights 36 watercolour set and some watercolour paper from JacksonsArt , a UK based company. But I am worried about the customs and import charges etc. Can you share your experience while importing art supplies to India ? We’re there any problems?

Hello, I have ordered supplies from JetPens and I haven’t had issues with customs. Customs check only 1 in say 10 packages and only ones that are billed at 20$ and above. If you want White Nights are available in Indian now through https://www.asmall.in/ 

[brokeforart]

Heyy ! I just love your account, thanks for all the insight ! I'd really like your opinion on the cretacolor watercolour pencils, I'm looking for affordable pencils but in good quality coz I actually am preparing for the architecture entrance and I am honestly tired of my Faber castle ones breaking !

Hello! I haven’t tried the Cretacolor ones! I personally use the Koh-i-Noor Mondeluz watercolour pencils and I’m really happy with them! I think when it comes to these kinds of pencils most brands are okay except for Derwent. I’ve heard horrible things about them from multiple people. Your best brand to go for would be Faber Castell Albrecht Durer. It is expensive but one of the best in the world! 

[brokeforart]

Review: The Bianyo Collection Synthetic Brushes for watercolours

Hello!  Long time no see. I hope to update here often, since I have been doing a lot of material exploration over the last few years.  Today I want to talk about some very affordable brushes that I recently discovered. Have a read below! 

I had recently gone to Bhaskar Art Supplies in Chitrakala Parishad, Bangalore and I initially went to get some colored pencils and ended up buying two new materials. Both are wonderful and I first want to talk about these paintbrushes since I absolutely love them!

They are these super long handle brushes by the brand Bianyo. Now I have seen this brand selling fairly inexpensive and sometimes cheap looking materials on Amazon.in. I’ve always been a little sceptical with these Chinese-make art supplies but I have noticed that there are a huge number of Chinese-origin watercolour brushes from Aliexpress doing the rounds on Instagram. A lot of water-colourists (especially the accounts of artists from Russia and other parts of Europe) have been raving about Chinese-made brushes that are sold under various brands on Aliexpress.

Now I initially eyed a nice set of brushes hanging in the display at Bhaskars and when I asked the sales girl to show me those brushes, she asked me to check these out instead. She said they were a big hit with the water-colourists and that it was a great deal on the number of brushes you get.

So in a pack you get 13 brushes. Yes 13. No, none are missing, they actually are a set of 13. This set comprises of sizes: 24, 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 0. I wouldn’t compare the sizes to traditional sizes as I find that the size zero isn’t as thin as traditional size zeros. Its more like a traditional size 2.

These brushes have super long handles. The package says that they are for acrylic, oil and watercolour paints. I can only imagine they brushes would be best suited for watercolour painting. 

The bristles are super plump, soft and holds a lot of water. Usually, long handle brushes are used for canvas/board painting so you don’t have to sit too close to the canvas/or have to peer in to paint. They also are preferred when laying down a sketch on canvas so you have some looseness with your strokes since you are meant to paint from a distance. I found that these paint brushes are wonderful for watercolours and the handles are excessively long for the job but I realised that it does add a nice weight to your strokes when you paint. I wouldn’t recommend these brushes for acrylic or oil painting simply because the bristles are too soft and would wear out too soon.

A good tip to keep in mind is that when you are shopping for brushes always buy the ones with the plastic tips on, and make sure you keep them safe and never lose them! These are the most important parts to keeping your bristles nice and sharp!

Now onto the brush. The brushes come with the bristles all glued together (as usual). They do this with a gum arabic or similar solution, which washes off when the new brush is cleaned in water. Once they are free of this binder, they are super soft to the touch, the tips are nice and sharp and no stray hairs in sight! The bigger brushes seem to be bigger in fatness rather than in length which is what I prefer. The bigger brushes can hold huge amounts of paint, but I fear the thick handles might make them a little cumbersome to use too often. The finer brushes are superb for detailing. Keep in mind that these are ideal ‘studio’ brushes. Their handles are so ridiculously long that they cannot be easily carried on an outing. Crafty artists out there might want to consider sawing off the handles :D. The handle itself feels nice and solid and has a beautiful wood finish which shocked me since almost all cheap brushes have a coat of thick opaque paint in some boring color. 

The brushes have a nice spring when painted with and honestly are amazing to work with.

These 3 brushes were used for a bunch of paintings that I worked on last night and they have still managed to keep their shape! 

Below are some GIFS of the brushes in use: have a look at how nice are they are to paint with )

This set of 13 brushes retails at Rs.950/- at Bhaskar Art Supplies in Chitrakala Parishad. I have also found them here on Snapdeal but they seem to be out of stock at the moment. 

[brokeforart]

Hi, Could you please tell me which would be a better choice -Winsor and Newton Cotman water color tubes or Camel Artist water color tubes? I am a beginner in water colour, so could.you also please suggest some not so costly water color brushes that I can pick from baskerarts or somewhere else in Bangalore.. Thanks in advance- Shilpa

Hello Shilpa,You could get a W&N cotman set to start and if you want to explore more colors later you can always buy Camlin individual tubes (more economical!)Good luck!

[brokeforart]

YouTube for Artists- Part 6 of 6

A continuation of my list of YouTube artists

PearFleur

Sara Tepes

Tanya Shatseva

TILLITH

ursuladecay

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YouTube for Artists- Part 5 of 6

More YouTube artists to follow 

Lena Danya

Lioba Brückner

Little Thunder

Marjolein Caljouw

Minnie Small

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YouTube for Artists - Part 4 of 6

A continuation of my list of YouTube Artists to watch for 

James Gurney

Juicy Ink

Kendyll Hillegas

LarrivaArt

[brokeforart]

YouTube for Artists- Part 3 of 6

Part 3 of my list of YouTube Artists to look out for

FurryLittlePeach

Hannah Christenson

Happy D Artist

Iraville

Jaqueline Deleon

[brokeforart]

YouTube For Artists- Part 2 of 6

Hello,  Below is a continuation of the list of YouTube artist accounts that are useful for artists. 

Bokkei

CocoBee

Cyarin

DrawMixPaint

Fran Meneses

[brokeforart]

YouTube for Artists - Part 1 of 6

Hello!

I have been going through this phase of stepping down from all the different social media activities and trying to spend time, if at all, on the ones that help with productivity and my artwork in general and I have realised that the two best social media platforms for this is Instagram and YouTube. Both are very art and creativity friendly, either in terms of teaching you something or inspiring you in general.  So I have compiled a list of the YouTube channels I follow the most that would help any artist . NOTE: this is a huge list (30 artists!), so it is in parts since Tumblr allows me to embed only 5 videos per post

agnecicile

Anke Weckmann

Anna Mason

AshiyaArt

Audra Auclair

[brokeforart]

Artist’s Supplies: Sonali Zohra aka Dangercat

Hello fine people! I seem to be a little slow these days posting on this blog, but I mainly blame a lot of illustration work that has been happening on the side. But I am excited to bring to you a series of artist interviews: three amazing illustration girl friends who I have the pleasure of meeting every now and then. Our meetings comprise of discussing work, testing each other’s art supplies and faffing in general. For my first lady, I have the incredible one: Sonali Zohra aka Dangercat. She shares with us information about her materials, her process and a peek into her sketchbook. Read more below!

1. Real Name/Artistic Name: Sonali , Dangercat

2. Tell us a bit about yourself: I’m an illustrator based out of Bangalore. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art and a Diploma in Photography.  

3. What moment in life/ artist/ project inspired you to take up illustration? No moment, I always remember drawing. I started as a kid and never grew up.

4. What is your personal work inspired by? What themes and topics do you enjoy working with? It's inspired by what i'm reading or listening to at the time, also my surroundings; plants, animals and my home. I don't have any specific themes or topics, my interests vary from mythology to science and psychology. I'm still in a formative stage when it comes to putting my thoughts down effectively. My main focus at the moment is to train my brain to think and visualise in different ways, I don't want to commit to one medium or topic I'm learning and exploring. 

5. What is your preferred method of beginning a project? Do you have a fixed process? It depends on what the project is. If its a book, then I'll read it a few times, figure out what kind of visuals would go with the story and what medium and colour palette would fit best. The next step would be sketches (here I collaborate with the editor and writer a bit). If its an album cover, I would be listening to the album constantly and drawing to it, that's all. Some projects require a lot more research, I enjoy this the most. I get to teach myself to draw new subjects while learning about topics outside my field (conservation, biology, the process of printing a book, or history). In short, I have no fixed process. 

6. What do you do, to deal with the general procrastination/lack of ideas that can affect all freelancers? Its tough, I used to get into a block that lasted days..but now I don't force it. I do something else for a bit and come back to it, it seems to be working (so far). 

7. Any rituals you follow before you sit to work, to help you get into the zone? A clean studio/ work-space! If things around me are in order, it helps getting my thoughts in order as well. I make a lot of lists and feel a sense of satisfaction when I strike them off. I also find that a good schedule of sleep, diet, exercise and down time help in keeping you clear headed for when you need to be productive.  Its a misconception that "freelance" is a whole lot of "do-what-you-want-when-you-want", when it actually takes a lot of discipline to pull off successfully.

8. Describe the materials you use the most in your work? Most of my commercial work is done digitally now, but you can replicate traditional mediums digitally as well...so that’s what I do. It’s faster. Sometimes I use ink and pens, sometimes gouache and acrylic for my personal work, journals and sketchbooks.

9. Tell us about the other materials you love experimenting with? I like charcoal and graphite and watercolour. Watercolor the most actually..

10. Which product has lasted you the longest/ you have had for a ages? I have a set of Soft Pastels I got 6 years ago. I have no idea what brand they are, the label seems to have been misplaced… I haven’t come across any other pastels with the same richness in colour.

11. Is there specific materials you find yourself picking up over and over?Yeah the Uni Pin Fine Liners and Copic Multiliners. I do a lot of pen work and they are the best I’ve used for details. They last long and are consistent.

12. If you could keep a kit of 4-5 materials only, what would they be? Fine liners, watercolour paints, graphite pencils, soft pastels and willow charcoal.

13. Which is your favourite material/medium and why? Willow charcoal- that black is really black and I like how it crumbles and how you can mix it with paint as well to create marble –like textures.

14.  Which material/medium are you dying to try? Oil paint! But I’m intimidated by them and have been for years.

15.  We all know that art materials are very expensive. If you could buy any supply your heart desires, no matter the cost, what would it be? Probably one of those gigantic Windsor & Newton watercolour sets. Ten shades of green.

16. If you could offer advice on art materials, for upcoming artists/students what would it be? Try everything twice. Don’t stick to just one medium, learn and experiment as much as possible. Understanding the use of material would mean learning how to translate what’s in your head onto paper most accurately.

17. The most underrated material/medium? Ball pen! It’s the most fantastic tool.

18. If you could dive into one artist’s supply stash, who would it be? Yours :) I have, and I’ve learnt so much, thank you!

19. Name an artist whose studio you would love to work in? No one in particular. I would pick a place with good music, cozy space with lots of things to be inspired by, coffee and periodic conversations.

20. Last piece of advice for upcoming artists on finding what material works for you? Use everything. You can make it work with whatever medium you choose and it doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun. You’ll eventually start unconsciously leaning to one that feels closer to what you’ve visualized in your head, and that’ll be the one.  Also exchange as much knowledge you can with your friends, draw together and share your stash!

You can view more of Sonali’s work at the links below! Follow her, like her work and show some love :) Instagram Website Facebook

[brokeforart]

Hey, I had asked you about the Winsor Newton sketchers pocket box, you replied with the link from himalaya fine art. I had actually ordered there but they are out of stock so they refunded the money back to me. They dont think it will be in stock for a month atleast. So any suggestions regarding some other watercolors which are good and in a similar price range such as this?

Hello! Aww it sucks that it was out of stock :( As per my use and experience I would say these are the best brands:- Sennelier L’Aquarelle- Mijello Mission Gold Watercolours- Winsor and Newton I have heard a lot of good things about these following brands too :- Daler Rowney - Kuretake Gansai TambiAt the moment you can have a look at this site which has a decent range of the above brands:http://creativehands.in/paints/water-colours.htmlAlternatively, look for deals on Amazon.in since some sellers sell the same stuff for lesser AND also sometimes the same online art stores sells them at discounted rates on Amazon.Hope you find something! 

[brokeforart]

My pentel pocket brush had clogged with rotring ink after a few refils. It was incredibly difficult to clean out. I now use Trimax/T-max ink (from refil cartridge). It works well. But I could never open the pentel pocket to clean out properly. Do you know how to dismantle it for cleaning (without breaking)?

Hello!I have been refilling my Kuretake brush pen and Pentel (regular) brush pen with Rotring ink and its been perfect so far. I would say wash the entire pen and its parts in water between each refill. Maybe the Rotring ink you have is a fake one? Heres a tip: any bottle of ink that has crusty flaky dried ink around the opening means that its unfit for a brush pen. Try getting a new bottle if you find yours is crusty. Sometimes the stock in the shops are old or the ink tends to dry if the cap isn’t put on properly. Try soaking you pen in water and then blowing water out the pen (its gross, I know but it works) sometimes you see the chunks of old ink flow out with the water. Also always keep a look out for the Rotring hologram sticker on the bottle before you buy it. Thats one way of ascertaining that its genuine. 

[brokeforart]

Enjoy reading n learning from your blog. You have a great sense of humour. Thank you. I am trying to learn how to do lettering now that I am retired.

Hello!Thanks for your sweet message :) I hope you enjoy hand lettering! Its very relaxing and satisfying style of art :) 

[brokeforart]

Hey. I'm from India and I recently bought a set of 48 Maped Color Peps pencils. The pencils are okay, but I'm tired of the lead breaking even when I'm not putting any pressure. I spend more time sharpening than coloring and the lead breaks off when sharpening too. Can you suggest a set which has rich pigment and the lead doesn't break too often? I'm willing to go for a set of 24 pencils for under Rs 1500 I guess. I don't know about the Koh-I-Noor brand, but how are Staedtler Ergosoft? Thanks.

Hello! Looks like what you need are professional colour pencils. These tend to have harder leads for fine detailing and even colour. I used the Color Peps in college and I agree with what you are saying. The ones I have found to be the best and personally use are the Faber Castell Polychromos and the Kohinoor Polycolor. These are long lasting and don’t break easily. Another is Prismacolor Premier which I have heard have had a lot of positive reviews and also the Derwent Studio, Coloursoft and Artist’s range. For your budget and maybe a little more (for a 24 set) I would recommend these (I didn’t have time to look for the Derwent ranges but Amazon does have them) http://www.amazon.in/Prisma-Premier-Colored-Pencils-Tin/dp/B00006IEEU/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1484398547&sr=8-17&keywords=colored+pencilshttp://www.amazon.in/Castell-Polychromos-Colour-Pencils-Shades/dp/B0007OECK8/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1484398572&sr=8-31&keywords=colored+pencilshttp://www.amazon.in/Koh-I-Noor-Polycolor-Artists-Coloured-Pencils/dp/B007NIPEEO/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1484398644&sr=8-6&keywords=kohinoor+polycolor+colored+pencilsIf you can spend on it, I would highly recommend the Faber Castell ones. 

[brokeforart]

Hi, I have been trying to get the Winsor Newton Cotman sketchers pocket box, But I dont think it is available in India anywhere. The other Cotman ones are expensive. They have a new Chinese factory, watercolors from this seem to be cheaper. Have you used these by any chance(Heard a few bad reviews about this)? I am trying to pick between the chinese Winsor Newton or Daler Rowney. Which one do you think I should go ahead with? Im not really a professional but have been painting for a while.

Hello!They seem to be available on this site:http://www.himalayafineart.com/Product/364/Winsor++and++Newton+Cotman+Sketchers+Pocket+Box.aspx