merry go round - favorite painting tools

Every last Friday of the month, I am going to be jumping on the 'Merry Go Round'. What is the Merry Go Round exactly? Each month, a group of artists and craftswomen from around the world join together and give their response to the same question/challenge.

Find an old man.  Ask him if he ever built, fixed, or restored things in his life.  If he says yes, then go find his garage and locate his tools.  He may have a few or he may have hundreds, but chances are there will be a couple that have seen heavy use and special attention.  These are his favorite tools.

And just as any carpenter or fix it man, an artist always has their favorite tools close at hand.  Today, I get to share my top five favorites for painting.

No. 5 - Tiny Watercolor Brushes

I have only been doing watercolors for a short while now, but can tell you that I go with the tiny brushes about 98% of the time.  The big ones always make the end product look like a child was in charge.  I just can't get them to work how I want them to.  So, tiny it is.

No. 4 - Extra Thick Paper

My extremely low budget right now means that I cannot buy the extra thick watercolor paper often, but oh what a difference it makes when I do!  I hate the way the thinner stuff warps with the water and makes the entire piece feel cheap.

No. 3 - Easel 

My true love is painting with acrylics, and when I do that, I use my beautiful easel.  This was a gift from my husband before he was even my husband and it has gotten great use!  Mine is collapsable, so it has been wonderful to easily throw it on the truck when we move.  I miss it dearly right now as I am in Europe.

No. 2 - Space

I cannot tell you how much I need free space when dealing with my acrylic paintings.  My process usually involves 2-3 layers that need to dry in between.  This means that I usually have about 5-10 work in progress pieces at a time.  I dearly need places to safely put them for the drying process.  I hope to have a beautifully ugly studio like the one I had in Boston again someday.

No. 1 - Plastic Palette Knife

I might get emotional as I write this, because I so immensely miss my knives.  The palette knife is how I have set my work apart from other artists.  I love the texture they give a painting and the roughness they provide to delicate details.  They make me work quickly.  They clean up so easily.  They are my number one favorite tool.

There are 10 other women that are part of the Merry Go Round.  Check out what their favorite tools are!  

Misty at Artmind

Jen at Painted Fish Studio

Mariana at Florcita

Laura at Blue Terracotta
Monika at Red2White
Ruth at Birdland Creations
Kim at Vilt a la Kim
Sara at Crafts of Texture
Samantha at Vintage is for lovers
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent

Related Articles

Why I Use A Knife - More details on why I've chosen this tool for my very own
Q&A - Video of Me Painting - A really fun video of me using those tiny brushes
Sketch Book - Take Two - Another great tool that didn't get included