Cheap art materials

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Fiona - you never know, an epileptic spider might get you the Turner prize!

Hi Fiona - just some thoughts. Don't go to any big expense while you are still experimenting - it took me for ever to find out I preferred working in ordinary watercolour crayons - then you only need a few colours as you can mix the rest - green is blue and yellow, purple: red and blue, and orange: yellow and red. So get a kids play around range and experiment like mad in class - size, materials, media, subject. Then you will know. Strangely enough I drew best in clay - which wasn't drawing at all but modelling!!!

When I was getting started with watercolour about 18 months ago (haven't had much time to practice in the past year though) I was told to get 6 primaries (bear with me here - I know there are only 3 primaries in colour theory) 2 red, 2 blue and 2 yellow.
The reason being there aren't many "pure" colours, so reds tend to be slightly purple or slightly orange... yellows slightly green or slightly orange... blues slightly purple or slightly green... so if you want purple start with a blue hued red and if you want orange start with a yellow hued red.
You can get much more vivid secondaries that way and much cleaner browns than other primaries might produce.

(The sample swatches I was making to practice using the paints confirmed that too, some mixes I expected to be quite bright came out fairly muddy)

[Green_Poppy]

Well done. I hope you have lots of fun. Hope these links are helpful.

Art Materials - Paints, Canvas, Brushes, Easels, Colour Pencils, Art Accessories Supplies

Chromos Art & Craft Materials. UK Discount Artists Supplies

Art Supplies - Great Art - UK's largest range of discount art materials

Art Supplies and Art Materials from Ziggy Art

[Two_Sheds]

No one mentioned that water colours are considered the hardest medium

Yes, that's because you can't go over your mistakes, and you have to plan ... light colours first, then dark. With oil, you can go over and over and over your mistakes.

Acrylics are really good: you can use them like an oil, or like a watercolour. Gouache is just opaque watercolour.

[Glutton4...]

I discovered, after buying all the gear that I'm not actually that good at painting (unlike my watercolour expert Uncle), but line drawing and clay modelling were my forte. That's probably why the tubes of paint all dried up, coz I just left them in a cupboard!

I keep saying I'll get the pencils out again, but I never seem to have the time. I suppose I could throw the pooter out LOL

[Headfry]

Hi there, try
Artifolk ? Discount Art Supplies ? Discount Art Materials give them a look

Good luck with the classes - I too signed up for art classes at the start of this year - great fun, but had to learn how to hold a brush!!!! it's been a long time since I last painted and I felt really dumb at first, but it's coming together now.

[di]

Well Done Fi for giving it a go!

Sometimes Aldi have paint stuff in...not sure how the prices compare?

Forget about how good or bad you think you are & have fun!!!

[FionaH]

Thanks for all the links and support guys! I can feel a shopping spree coming on!
Well I am stuck in the house cos eldest has the car, and I have a rotten cold so might cheer myself up a bit!