Last week, I decided to try 3D art. I do lots and lots of 2D traditional work, but none of 3D. After multiple failed attempts at mini wire people, I thought about trying clay models. However, then is a moment when you realise how much you know about other medians in comparison to clay. So, to be lovely and helpful to people wanting to start out in 2D media, I'm going to write a little help guide that shall hopefully be picked up on google.
Basic Drawing
Drawing with pencils is something everybody does. First off, I'll recommend looking at Andrew Loomis books (found here: http://alexhays.com/loomis/). Second, basic printer paper and your average HB pencil will do fine for the most part. If you want something more, there are different pencils and papers and such.
Paper. On the front of sketchpad there'll be the gsm/cm number. If you're thinking of bog-standard drawing with a pencil, then anything will work (however it's cheaper and easier to get something below 100gsm/cm). However, if you're thinking of expanding to watercolour pencils, watercolour, ink or anything of the sort, it's best to stay in the 150-200gsm/cm range.
Pencils. For large, smudgy work (by large and smudgy, I mean A5-A4 face/body shots), then look to the "B" range. Your average pencil shall be a HB, or possibly 2B. The further you go down "B" (2B, 4B, 6B, 8B are common), the pencils get darker, but smudge easier. If you actually intend to smudge the pencil work, go for 4B. Better yet, buy a set. However, for graphics work (smaller, more precise work. Most designs like paisley patterns are graphics), you want to go down the "H" range. See why the HB pencil is called that now? The "H" pencils get lighter and harder as you go up the range (H, 2H, 4H, 6H are common). You can buy sets that go from 6H - 8B for about a fiver.
Watercolour
Watercolour can be pretty expensive very easily, unless you buy a cheap Reeves set and stick to that. Other "compact" sets, such as Aquafine by Daler Rowney, can be slightly more expensive, but still good value for money. I personally avoid the small tubes of paint, but it's a matter of personal opinion.
There are two styles of watercolour - graphic style, quite detailed and bold. Graphic styles are mostly either facial shots or fantasy works. The other is what I call "vague" styles. These are mostly landscapes, and are fairly washed out and have little detail by comparison.
You can get three types of watercolour paint - full pans, half pans and tubes. A cheap Reeves set shall have full pans, Aquafine by Daler Rowney normally has half pans (it's a range, but their most popular one has half pans), and tubes don't come in boxes. Although half pan sets are the most expensive originally, replacement colours are normally the cheapest and easiest to find. A word of warning however - half pans sets rarely come with white (or "Chinese White"), so I advise buying a tube of it to go with your set.
Paintbrushes come in all sizes, but the ones you want to look for in a shop are blue-handled ones. I don't really see much difference and get along fine with a multipack of 20 for a pound, but if you have the cash it's best to invest in a £5+ watercolour brush. There are a few different shapes of brush, some are flat, some round and some that look a tad like a fan. When you're a complete newbie to watercolour and just want practise, a round brush that looks reasonably sized is good. Then, before buying many shapes of expensive brushes, try a multipack of cheap brushes to see what shape works for you.
Paper. If it's above 150gsm/cm, watercolour paintings shouldn't sink through to the next page. 150gsm/cm paper is ideal if you're looking to do drawings with small amounts of watercolour (or watercolour paper). 250-300gsm/cm paper is expensive, but great for solely watercolour pieces.
Acrylic
I love acrylic. It's almost like cheap oil paints, but a lot easier to use. Because it's such a thick paint, unlike watercolour, a mistake can easily be rectified by another layer of paint.
You can work on both canvas and paper for this. If I've got a brand new canvas (board), I might do a test run on paper first.
If using paper, stick to over the golden 150gsm/cm mark. 200-250gsm/cm is pretty good for acrylic. Then there's canvas on a wooden frame, canvas boards and canvas by the metre. Canvas by the metre is fairly advanced and I'd wait until you don't need a random guide on the internet before using it. Canvas boards are cheaper, but can be harder to find in a size you want, I personally prefer canvas boards. Canvas on a wooden frame are the most common, but also pretty expensive.
Paintbrushes are most recognisable by their long handles, and are what make up the majority of cheap multipacks. My art teacher said in passing that expensive ones are made from sable hair, I think it was. A flat brush of a smallish size is good for A5 size painting, and a flat brush of middling size (nearly the width of two fingers) is good for A4 size painting.
The paint looks confusing, although if you can get your hands on a multipack that's ideal. I recommend Daler Rowney's Simply... Acrylic range (I use Daler Rowney for nearly everything). It's pretty cheap, but it's thinner than other, more expensive types. I've never found it as a problem though. Things such as System 3 are almost twice the price, but are a lot thicker and can last longer. Whatever brand you choose, make sure to stick to the same one for your painting. Buying two brands and mixing them together can sometimes cause lumpy paint, and in some cases one colour is completely swallowed by the other no matter how much paint you add.
Once finished with the acrylics, all paint needs to be washed out of the brush asap otherwise the brush shall be ruined. It can be washed out with water, unlike oil paints. It also washes out of clothing.
Pen and Ink
Before you start - ink shall stain everything it comes into contact with, including skin (however ink shall wash out of skin evantually). It's best to wear old clothes when finding your feet with it.
Drawing Ink is it's proper name. The most common colour is black, but many colours are available to buy if you're willing to look hard enough. A fair price for a 15ml bottle is £5. Water can be added to it to wash it down.
All paper above the 150gsm/cm mark is fine. Think, will the paper take a Sharpie? Will the paper take a really skinny Sharpie? If the answer is yes, it'll take ink.
Watercolour brushes can be used, but the most generally accepted form is pen. They can be hard to find, but if the packet says "calligraphy pen" it should be fine. The pen nibs can be bought seperately, but they're mostly found in independent art shops. You can put the pen nibs in dedicated pens, but you can also stick them to the end of pencils, which is what I do.
Hope you find that helpful, see you in a fortnight.
Basic Drawing
Drawing with pencils is something everybody does. First off, I'll recommend looking at Andrew Loomis books (found here: http://alexhays.com/loomis/). Second, basic printer paper and your average HB pencil will do fine for the most part. If you want something more, there are different pencils and papers and such.
Paper. On the front of sketchpad there'll be the gsm/cm number. If you're thinking of bog-standard drawing with a pencil, then anything will work (however it's cheaper and easier to get something below 100gsm/cm). However, if you're thinking of expanding to watercolour pencils, watercolour, ink or anything of the sort, it's best to stay in the 150-200gsm/cm range.
Pencils. For large, smudgy work (by large and smudgy, I mean A5-A4 face/body shots), then look to the "B" range. Your average pencil shall be a HB, or possibly 2B. The further you go down "B" (2B, 4B, 6B, 8B are common), the pencils get darker, but smudge easier. If you actually intend to smudge the pencil work, go for 4B. Better yet, buy a set. However, for graphics work (smaller, more precise work. Most designs like paisley patterns are graphics), you want to go down the "H" range. See why the HB pencil is called that now? The "H" pencils get lighter and harder as you go up the range (H, 2H, 4H, 6H are common). You can buy sets that go from 6H - 8B for about a fiver.
Watercolour
Watercolour can be pretty expensive very easily, unless you buy a cheap Reeves set and stick to that. Other "compact" sets, such as Aquafine by Daler Rowney, can be slightly more expensive, but still good value for money. I personally avoid the small tubes of paint, but it's a matter of personal opinion.
There are two styles of watercolour - graphic style, quite detailed and bold. Graphic styles are mostly either facial shots or fantasy works. The other is what I call "vague" styles. These are mostly landscapes, and are fairly washed out and have little detail by comparison.
You can get three types of watercolour paint - full pans, half pans and tubes. A cheap Reeves set shall have full pans, Aquafine by Daler Rowney normally has half pans (it's a range, but their most popular one has half pans), and tubes don't come in boxes. Although half pan sets are the most expensive originally, replacement colours are normally the cheapest and easiest to find. A word of warning however - half pans sets rarely come with white (or "Chinese White"), so I advise buying a tube of it to go with your set.
Paintbrushes come in all sizes, but the ones you want to look for in a shop are blue-handled ones. I don't really see much difference and get along fine with a multipack of 20 for a pound, but if you have the cash it's best to invest in a £5+ watercolour brush. There are a few different shapes of brush, some are flat, some round and some that look a tad like a fan. When you're a complete newbie to watercolour and just want practise, a round brush that looks reasonably sized is good. Then, before buying many shapes of expensive brushes, try a multipack of cheap brushes to see what shape works for you.
Paper. If it's above 150gsm/cm, watercolour paintings shouldn't sink through to the next page. 150gsm/cm paper is ideal if you're looking to do drawings with small amounts of watercolour (or watercolour paper). 250-300gsm/cm paper is expensive, but great for solely watercolour pieces.
Acrylic
I love acrylic. It's almost like cheap oil paints, but a lot easier to use. Because it's such a thick paint, unlike watercolour, a mistake can easily be rectified by another layer of paint.
You can work on both canvas and paper for this. If I've got a brand new canvas (board), I might do a test run on paper first.
If using paper, stick to over the golden 150gsm/cm mark. 200-250gsm/cm is pretty good for acrylic. Then there's canvas on a wooden frame, canvas boards and canvas by the metre. Canvas by the metre is fairly advanced and I'd wait until you don't need a random guide on the internet before using it. Canvas boards are cheaper, but can be harder to find in a size you want, I personally prefer canvas boards. Canvas on a wooden frame are the most common, but also pretty expensive.
Paintbrushes are most recognisable by their long handles, and are what make up the majority of cheap multipacks. My art teacher said in passing that expensive ones are made from sable hair, I think it was. A flat brush of a smallish size is good for A5 size painting, and a flat brush of middling size (nearly the width of two fingers) is good for A4 size painting.
The paint looks confusing, although if you can get your hands on a multipack that's ideal. I recommend Daler Rowney's Simply... Acrylic range (I use Daler Rowney for nearly everything). It's pretty cheap, but it's thinner than other, more expensive types. I've never found it as a problem though. Things such as System 3 are almost twice the price, but are a lot thicker and can last longer. Whatever brand you choose, make sure to stick to the same one for your painting. Buying two brands and mixing them together can sometimes cause lumpy paint, and in some cases one colour is completely swallowed by the other no matter how much paint you add.
Once finished with the acrylics, all paint needs to be washed out of the brush asap otherwise the brush shall be ruined. It can be washed out with water, unlike oil paints. It also washes out of clothing.
Pen and Ink
Before you start - ink shall stain everything it comes into contact with, including skin (however ink shall wash out of skin evantually). It's best to wear old clothes when finding your feet with it.
Drawing Ink is it's proper name. The most common colour is black, but many colours are available to buy if you're willing to look hard enough. A fair price for a 15ml bottle is £5. Water can be added to it to wash it down.
All paper above the 150gsm/cm mark is fine. Think, will the paper take a Sharpie? Will the paper take a really skinny Sharpie? If the answer is yes, it'll take ink.
Watercolour brushes can be used, but the most generally accepted form is pen. They can be hard to find, but if the packet says "calligraphy pen" it should be fine. The pen nibs can be bought seperately, but they're mostly found in independent art shops. You can put the pen nibs in dedicated pens, but you can also stick them to the end of pencils, which is what I do.
Hope you find that helpful, see you in a fortnight.
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