Since she hadn’t give a price range I chose 4 possible sets to suggest. Any of these would make a lovely gift, it just depends on how much you want to spend. Remember that artist quality pencils are of much higher quality than stationary shop pencils- they are pigment-rich and soft, not hard and waxy.

Derwent Coloursoft Pencils Set of 72 in a wooden box £94.95

Coloursoft Pencil Set

117524 Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencil Set of 24 in a metal tin £31.70

Derwent Aqua Library Set of 24 Pencils (12 Derwent Watercolor and 12 Derwent Inktense) and Sketchbook £16.20

Derwent Magnetic Carton Set of 36 Pencils (24 Watercolour and 12 Graphitint) £21.60

We have over 50 coloured pencil sets if you want to have a look at others on our website.

Orders over £39 are free delivery, otherwise it is £3.95 for delivery.

Caligo Inks

For printmakers interested in non-toxic printmaking, we are pleased to offer a new and innovative range of oil-based inks that can be washed away with liquid soap and water, without the need for harmful and often more expensive solvents. Caligo ‘Safe Wash’ Inks are available for both relief and intaglio printing. “Relief printing” includes the very popular lino printing and “intaglio” includes etching.

Caligo Safewash Printmaking Inks are now available at great prices at Jackson’s Art Supplies! We have a number of enthusiastic printmakers on staff who have wanted us to stock these inks for ages. We are very pleased to be dealing with a product of this quality. The oil base means that the colours are rich and the ink has a traditional surface that is recognisable as being oil. The water clean-up means no toxic and messy solvents in your home or studio, so it is environmentally friendly. The best of both worlds!

These inks are made in the UK. Caligo was recognised as the Welsh ‘Small Environmental Company of the Year’ for the development of their environmentally friendly Safe Wash Inks.

Caligo Safewash Relief Inks at Jackson’s

Caligo Safewash Etching Inks at Jackson’s

More info on the Caligo website.

The Printmaking Department at Jackson’s Art Supplies

Caligo Inks

Artists’ Watercolours are characterized by their rich, free-flowing colour, which leaves no hard lines at the edges of washes. Their unparalleled performance is a product of precise formulations based on the suspension of the very finest quality pigments in an aqueous solution of gum Arabic. Only the best pigments, regardless of cost, are used in the manufacture of Daler Artists’ Water Colours.

The Diana Kolinsky Sable brush range is created with the finest Kolinsky Sable hair and a short handle for a fine touch. A unique tapering process creates a full belly, a precise point and a high degree of spring. This is a superior watercolour brush! At this amazing price you can afford to treat yourself to a quality brush.

Daler Artists Watercolour

Daler Diana Sable Brush

FW Artists Primary Colours Set

FW Artists’ Ink is an acrylic based pigmented water resistant ink (liquid acrylic) in a range of 30 colours, all of which have either a 3 or 4 star rating for permanence. Such a high degree of lightfastness over such a range of fully intermixable colours makes them ideal for use by artists in the production of pictures for permanent display. Strong bold applications of FW ink can be made where colour strength, expression and fluidity are required. Equally, however, colours can be substantially diluted to achieve the most subtle of tones, very similar in character to watercolour. Such washes will dry to a water resistant film and successive layers of colour can be laid over in a highly predictable manner. FW Artists’ inks work well through airbrushes and technical pens.

FW Pearlescent and Regular Inks

You might also like:
Pen and Ink books at Jackson’s.

Also take into consideration when choosing a paper for watercolour- how you paint: fairly dry or very wet. And of course: how you want it to look- the paint skips over the ridges in rough paper and can puddle on hot pressed paper.

We will be making up a taster pack of watercolour papers to allow artists to try out a wide range of papers and determine which works best for them and the art they are making.
Any suggestions of which papers you would like to see included?
What is your favourite paper and why does it work so well for you?

JA: Please tell us a little about yourself.

Anna Koska at work

AK: I’m a freelance illustrator, working in water colours and oils. I’m self taught from O’ Level Art onwards, having chosen (rather bizarrely) to pursue the sciences at A Level! I live in a rural part of Sussex and along with the help of my lovely family I’ve got overly ambitious vegetable and fruit gardens. As a result my field of work generally leans towards food/plant illustration with the occasional goose and chicken thrown in for good measure. Over the years I’ve been working with a lot of chefs and foodie people. At present I’m working on a book with one and producing large oils for a restaurant, as well as various private commissions.

JA: What materials and techniques did you use in making the art work you are showing here?

AK: Daler Rowney Georgian oils work well for me for the big gutsy colour. But for pure buttery quality, and fine punchy detail work I have loved using Sennelier Extra Fine oils. For the Red Baron Onion the two colours that played a vital role were Violet Mineral and Rouge Carmin. [Note: Daler-Rowney Georgian Mineral Violet and Sennelier Carmine Red.]

Red Baron Onion by Anna Koska

The work shown here tends to be mainly oils. I’m usually involved in a couple of canvases at the same time as one layer dries I’m kept busy by working on the other.

JA: What challenges (if any) did you face in making this work and can you give other artists any tips for solving similar problems?

AK: The challenge is always to make the vegetable/fruit look fresh and living, and to do this I find myself often using very pure colour rather than a mix. I’ve chosen to work alot with a black background to throw the colour and form out and at the viewer. The black is not a true black but a ratio of colours blended to produce hues that link the vegetable back to its earthy bed.

JA: Please tell us something about the idea behind the work you are showing here.

AK: I wanted people to fall in love with food in its raw state; to appreciate it in all its luscious, dazzling freshness… not just to view it as something on a chopping board or boiling to a mush in a pan. But before all that…. Just to SEE it, enjoy its simple heartwarming vibrant form…. and maybe even be inspired to grow it themselves!

Carrot Illustration by Anna Koska

JA: How does this work relate to your artistic practice, how you approach art over-all?

AK: I suppose that I’ve always only painted things that I’m passionate about, things that give me that internal “wow, that’s GORGEOUS!” feeling. For instance, figs make me feel like that, particularly when they’re cut open! Mackerel is another favourite. But painting someone’s favourite pet…. I can do it but it doesn’t give me the same burst of enthusiasm.

Fig Illustration by Anna Koska

Mackerel Illustration by Anna Koska

JA: Do you have any art advice you would like to share?

AK: When I choose a subject (and it doesn’t have to be edible!) I get very involved with it, get to know about its every facet, curve and texture. Then when it comes to painting it, it’s so much easier and more of a pleasure to reproduce all those details, as you’ve got to know them so well. The Red Baron Onion sat in my studio, mud and all. It got lifted, picked at, peeled and stroked. It made it far less scary to paint, so much so that I was brave enough to do a 4ft x 3ft canvas.

JA: What is your favourite art material?

AK: What a great question…so many things to choose from.. Probably Zest It: It’s an environmentally friendly alternative to turps or white spirit. It’s not noxious and it smells great… so after being holed away in my studio I don’t feel like a space cadet, wobbly-kneed and high on turps.

Honk, Honk and Honk! by Anna Koska

JA: Any links to your website or contact information you would like to provide:

AK: I welcome any questions, ideas and commissions and my website and contact details and website details are below:

Email Anna
annakoskaillustration.com

I was delighted to receive all the items I ordered on Monday first thing this morning, well packed and in perfect condition. Well done for such an excellent service, it is most impressive.
Many thanks,
Hugh

Winchcombe Pottery Techniques

Here’s the story:
Winchcome Pottery was set up by Michael Cardew and sold to Ray Finch and Mike Finch who made Winchcome pottery what it is today by being consistent and in control of the clay.
You will learn how they do it or just enjoy watching, step by step. This DVD takes you through all of the techniques including kneading, Folding, Pugmills, Centering, secondary centering, throwing off the lump, egg cups, bowls, cyclinders, wedging, corrections, galleries and so much more.

Winchcombe Pottery was established in 1926, on the site of a pottery dating back to the early 1800 s making Winchcombe Pottery one of the longest running craft potteries in England. In 1939 Ray Finch took over Winchcombe Pottery from Michael Cardew.

* This 30 minute DVD has been used in pottery classes, schools, studios and homes around the world.
* Easily learn new skills and hone your existing method.
* First Class reviews in Ceramic and Pottery magazines.
* Watch and easily take a Master pottery lesson from an MBE pottery and master potters from this DVD.

Ray Finch was born in South London, 1914. In 1935 he studied at the Central School of Art under Dora Billington. He was accepted at Winchcombe Pottery in 1936 and took over the pottery in 1939. He purchased the pottery from Michael Cardew and began making wood-fired thrown domestic stoneware in 1959. He also makes individual stoneware and salt-glazed pieces. He is one of England s most respected potters and was awarded the MBE in 1980.

Review:
“This DVD is just like having a master potter right with you every step of the way” -Scott Atkin

We also have it at an excellent price.
Click here to go to this DVD on the Jackson’s Art website.
Click here to go to the DVD department on the Jackson’s Art website.
Click here to go to the Ceramics department on the Jackson’s Art website.

Don’t forget that acrylic paint takes longer to cure than you might think. It dries to the touch quickly, but the curing is done by polymerisation like oil paint and it can take up to a month for an acrylic painting to be dry enough to varnish. If the paint is thick or you used a retarder or any of the slow drying acrylics it could be longer. I have used thick layers of gel that have taken 3 months to go from cloudy to all the way clear. Oil paintings usually take 6 months to a year to be dry enough to varnish, but it can be even longer if the paint is very thick or the environment is very humid.

Depending on the painting and the effect I am after I use gloss, matte or a combination which makes satin. Gloss varnish can look really nice, like the paint is still wet, really rich and shiny. But there is a huge drawback, it reflects like a mirror and the picture is actually hard to see very well. It also highlights all the ridges and bumps and any unintentional texture and that can distract from your intentional marks. A matte surface can eliminate all of this but it can also make things appear a bit paler, as the matting agent is a white powder, and you need to be very smooth and even or it can look streaky. Golden recommends a layer of clear acrylic as an isolation coat always but especially under a matte varnish to prevent the white layer showing as much. Sometimes a mixture to make satin is the easiest choice to get more of the good points and less of the bad. But really, you should decide depending on the mood and meaning of the painting and what effect you are after.

Varnishing is a skill. I have gotten better at it over the years. A good soft brush (I like this one) and a dust-free area are essential. Take care of your varnishing brush, it needs to stay soft. A few thin coats is better than a thick one, it should dry quickly. It helps if you position a light so the light rakes across the surface and you can see the shiny parts you have done so you don’t miss a spot. (Using raking light to examine your painting is helpful as a final finishing step as well.)

Varnishing needs to be done properly or it can ruin your painting. You can learn to do it yourself, maybe think of learning how as part of learning to paint. Take the time to try different varnishes and different applications and learn what you like best. And don’t take it for granted. I have heard that some artists regularly have a varnish specialist do the varnishing of their paintings. I think it is nice to be able to do it yourself, and that way you also have control over the appearance.

When the varnish is touch dry you can lean the painting up against a wall with the paint side facing the wall, with just the edge of the painting touching the wall, to finish drying. This will allow any dust to fall on the back of the painting as the face of the painting is protected. (This is a good position for drying paintings in general.)

Instead of thinking of varnishing as an afterthought, it is good to remember that the varnish is part of the structure of your painting. The longevity of this artwork you have put so much time, effort and thought into depends on everything from the support to the varnish.

Artist’s varnishes should be removable. But that doesn’t mean they will be easy to remove. Varnishes for oil paintings are removed with the same solvent that will remove the paint. The varnish should only be removed by a professional restorer using a cotton bud. Slowly, slowly, you stop when the cotton bud has colour on it. You may be able to clean an old, dirty varnish by removing a thin layer of it with mineral spirits, without removing the whole thing. But again, it is a proper job, not a quick thing. Be respectful of the painting. For acrylic paintings Golden polymer varnish can be removed with household ammonia which will not dissolve the paint. But it still changes the surface and the one time I had to remove it because I made a mistake with the varnish, the surface looked dull and roughed up a bit. I probably should have been more gentle.

I also didn’t use an isolation coat back then. An isolation coat of clear acrylic polymer acts as a protective barrier and is recommended to go between the painting and the varnish. Golden has a good video showing how to do this.

Because acrylic paintings are so soft and sticky they attract dust as well. Museum conservators are finding it difficult to clean the acrylic paintings from the 60’s whose porous, sticky surfaces have trapped a lot of dust. A coat of varnish will reduce the tackiness of the surface so less dust and dirt will stick, it will make it easier to wipe clean over the years, and in the far future some conservator may thank you, when all they need to do is carefully remove your varnish and the painting will be like new! Here is a great technical article on acrylic painting conservation.

Some artists also like that a coat of varnish evens out the level of sheen. Each pigment needs a slightly different proportion of ingredients and this causes differing levels of shine for different colours of paint. If you use more than one brand in a painting that can make even a bigger difference in the shine of each colour as some makes are more matte than others. If you want the effect you can even put matte varnish on part and gloss on other parts of the painting.

All varnish has a glossy base, matte varnish (and satin to a lesser degree) has matting agents in it, either a dry particulate matter or a wax. In both acrylic and oil paint varnishes the matting agent usually has to be redistributed into the varnish by agitation, as the matting agent settles to the bottom. It is easier to see this glob of matting agent settled in the bottom if the container is clear. So- stirring or shaking without getting too many bubbles in, then letting any bubbles settle, a gentle application to prevent forming foam on the surface of the painting, and testing a corner of the painting first are all good rules. If you are a first time varnisher, do a few of your less important paintings first to get a feel for it. (As far as the agitation goes: maybe mail order helps, cos it gets bounced around on its way to you!)

Golden Polymer Varnishes

Some artists use acrylic varnish that is made with a solvent rather than water, like Golden MSA (mineral spirit acrylic) varnishes (acrylic dispersion varnish). These are especially useful if the artwork needs protection from the elements, like an outdoor wall mural, because it is extra tough. The MSA also comes is an aerosol can (spray varnish is easier to apply evenly). Spray varnish is very dangerous to your health unless you have a spray booth to extract all the fumes from the room. The MSA will also work to varnish oil paintings. Both types of Golden varnishes, the water-soluble polymer varnish and the solvent-based MSA contain UV filters.

Much of the same advice applies to varnishing an oil painting. Wait until it is bone dry, usually 6 months to a year. 2 or 3 thin even coats are better than a puddle. Practice first to get good at coating evenly and feathering in. Use a modern synthetic resin varnish for oil paintings, the old natural resins like damar varnishes usually yellow and deteriorate and most people have given up on them. The surface of an oil painting is more durable than an acrylic painting but a varnish is still a good idea for protection. If your aesthetic decision is to not varnish because you don’t like the glossy surface you can get a matte varnish for oil.

Links to varnish information:
Tina Mammoser’s blog (Thanks Tina, your varnish posts got me thinking about varnishing and that’s why I wrote this!)
Golden Artist’s Colours
Golden’s Intro to Varnishing

More information on her website.

Ann Oram Art Courses

Here is an earlier post about her classes.
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