its been about 2 months since my last post... i am slowly picking up traditional art again, mainly watercolor painting, after not having done so for 5 years (pre-covid era and before final fantasy 14 temporarily took over my life
)
when i first used to do watercolor painting i used to have cheap cellulose paper that would buckle under too much water, and cheap brushes. i have previously had no understanding whatsoever about the principles of watercolor outside of the very basic light-to-dark basic layering principles, the concept of primary vs. complementary colors, the qualities of a good paintbrush, etc. so over the course of over a month since july i have purchased many high-quality and handmade western watercolors, budget-priced 100% cold press cotton paper, enamel mixing tins, higher end synthetic watercolor brushes and empty individual pans to pour my tube paints into and so forth. i am very, very happy that i could afford higher quality supplies i actually look forward to using- i am currently burned out on digital art and did not realize how much i would value the tactile sensation of painting traditionally instead.
i have also purchased gouache to try out for the second time. five years ago i bought a very cheap $15 set of multiple gouache tubes off of amazon and disliked the experience- the paint was poor quality. it was not opaque like an acrylic (though i learned true gouache can be semitransparent, not intended to be opaque) and i didnt want to use it as a watercolor. it put me off from wanting to attempt gouache; but now, 5 years later with an open mind only i bought a lightly used (and at least 30 year old) set of Winsor Newton gouache tubes. i was lucky- the lot i purchased had a very good variety of colors, with near-full tubes, for half of the cost of currently brand new tubes now. my cousin tried them out and they performed very well for their age, so i look forward to experimenting with painting with them and having a much more positive experience with them
as i'm not currently taking classes, i have spent countless hours learning about the properties of pigments, watercolor and gouache techniques, etc and so much more by watching youtube videos during chores and any other free time at home. i would benefit greatly from taking a live class in person, but i would like to assess my current skill level and ability to self-teach before i make decisions about classes.
i'm also planning to buy some cheap dib pens and experiment with drawing with traditional ink and pen on paper (and if i can find a good waterproof ink, then watercolor painting over my drawings). i'd also like to do block printing by carving my own stamps from linoleum blocks and filling stamp illustrations in with watercolor as well.
ππ πππππ: 
Soooo I had to hunt around for something of comparable size and colours. I did find them, obviously. But man was that a trip.
