This is an Advent Calendar with all the doors open…but no chocolate
What do you buy for the artist in your life? Have a look through these ideas. They mostly have links directly to suppliers. Obviously courses with ARTDRAWPAINT will be at the top of all lists!!!
This is OBVIOUSLY too long a blog. Sorry about that. Persevere – there are loads of good things in here.
Some suppliers have special Black Friday deals.
1st Day of Christmas
Everything is a delight
Sketchbook – A5 300gsm HP
JPA5300HP
A smooth (Hot Pressed) medium weight paper (300gsm) in A5 size with 34 pages, bound with black boards and a green linen spine.
A5 x34pp 300gsm Smooth £20.00
Quill – Cut & Hardened.
I’d love to try these. quill
QUILL
These goose and peafowl feathers have been cooked in sand and hardened. They are ready for use as a traditional writing and drawing pen.
Various
£7.00
2nd Day of Christmas
Dickies Decorators Bib And Brace Workwear
3rd Day of Christmas
Tickets to see Klimt and Schiele at the Royal Academy, London
Klimt / Schiele
Drawings from the Albertina Museum, Vienna
4 November 2018 — 3 February 2019
Daily 10am – 6pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
The Sackler Wing of Galleries, Burlington House, Royal Academy of Arts
£18 (without donation £16). Concessions available. Under-16s go free with a fee-paying adult. Free for Friends of the RA. To ensure the best possible experience, Friends are required to book a free timed ticket for both themselves and their guest.
Book now
See rare and fragile drawings by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, offering intimate insights into their artistic relationship and differing creative processes. This extraordinary collaboration with the Albertina Museum in Vienna marks the centenary of both artists’ deaths.
Klimt Schiele Drawings From the Albertina Museum, Vienna
Hardback (24 Oct 2018) | English
Save £3.50
- £30.00
- £26.50
FREE UK Delivery
10+ copies available online – Usually dispatched within 24 hours
4th Day of Christmas
Build Your Own Life-Size Skeleton
Build Your Own Life-Size Skeleton
A model of the human skeleton made entirely of foldable cardboard
5th Day of Christmas
https://www.jacksonsart.com/essdee-lino-cutting-printmaking-set-22-piece
I enjoy making prints with lino. This seems like a good introductory se
I tend to use speedball rubber rather than lino….but they don’t have a photo of their sets on Jackson’s website.
If relief printing is something you enjoy then the best tools are these are to drool over. pfeil tools from Jacksons These tools are a joy to use, balanced in the hand and last for ever.
This is a special promotion price.
Grab some Graphite
Graphite is a fabulous drawing material. The Caran d’ache box is definately at the top end of the market. I use a number of Artgraf materials. These two suggestions may be more stocking sized…
The extra large handmade Viarco ArtGraf Watersoluble Graphite Stick is great for use with large scale artworks or projects. It is formulated to be water-soluble to create interesting washes and effects when drawing however it can also be used as dry as a regular graphite stick.
Each stick comes in its own material pouch with a cord fastening.
Weight: 250g
Width of graphite stick: 4.5cm
Length of graphite stick: 17cm
Depth of graphite stick: 2.5cm
Watersoluble Blocks in Earth Tones
Inspired by traditional tailor’s chalk, ArtGraf Tailor Shape is a rich, water-soluble block of pigment. It is extremely soft and provides artists with a wide range of shades depending on the amount of water used, from light, transparent tones to deep, rich, opaque colours.
7th Day of Christmas
Old Holland Paints are my favourites. Some colours are particularly rare and expensive. I thought I would put those on my list of Christmas ‘must haves’…but how can you choose? Any Old Holland paints would make me happy. All good on line suppliers will have them.
Noble Art Supplies in Salisbury are local stockists. This is an excellent art shop with helpful owner. https://www.facebook.com/nobleartsupplies/
8th Day of Christmas
artdiscount-100gsm-all-media-cartridge-paper-packs
Sketchbooks are great, portable, contained…all sorts of things, but I love a pile of cheap paper that I don’t get precious about. I get big packs of A2 and A1 paper from Art Discount on a regular basis. Anyone who has been to a class with me will have used their paper. No photo….not really necessary.
9th Day of Christmas
I think this is totally brilliant.
I have one (obv) and use it all over the place. You can go to many museums, galleries and places of interest with a discount on entry, or free. It comes with a useful map of all places that accept the card.
If I didn’t already have this card I would want it.
National Art Pass
From Cardiff Castle and Kensington Palace to the V&A and Tate Modern – the National Art Pass gives free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK as well as 50% off entry to major exhibitions.
10th Day of Christmas
https://www.cassart.co.uk/brand/koh-i-noor/koh-i-noor_anilinky_brilliant_watercolours_set_of_12.htm
These are ALWAYS in every art list I make. The Koh-i-noor Anilinky Brilliant Watercolours Set of 12 is suitable for graphic techniques with it’s high colour density. Also very cheap.
I find the cheaper the crayon the higher the wax content. More expensive oil pastels are not better on this occasion.
11th Day of Christmas
The clutch pencil is a delight to use and practical. A small box will hold a mix of charcoal, graphite and chalks, all to fit in these holders. I have more than one. https://www.cassart.co.uk/brand/koh-i-noor/koh_i_noor_mechanical_clutch_leadholder.htm
12th Day of Christmas
http://www.carriart.co.uk/p_artcase.html
How do you get your work home from a class? Do you get paint on your car/coat/best jumper/dog? Does your picture fall on the floor? Do your paint and brushes fall onto a wet picture as you take a corner … possibly, maybe, faster than you should?
This case seems like a very clever idea. It won’t be strong enough for an airplane but would make the journey home much less fraught.
13th Day of Christmas
How about a Drawing Week with art draw paint?
14th Day of Christmas
Biscuits…obv. Coffee and biscuits are a vital part of any creative process.
Waitrose Christmas All Butter Shortbread Tin500g
15th Day of Christmas
A weekend in Malaga
In October we had a painting week at Casa Rosa in Andalucia. On the Wednesday we had a guided tour around the Picasso Museum in Malaga.
The thing we didn’t have time to do was a really good mooch around the town. There is clearly lots to see and do, AND it is only a brief flight from Southampton.
Or come to Casa Rosa in the Spring Spring in Spain
16th Day of Christmas
I am looking forward to a number of exhibitions next year…this is certainly one of the highlights.Another case of tickets and catalogue.
THE C C LAND EXHIBITION
PIERRE BONNARD THE COLOUR OF MEMORY
23 January – 6 May 2019
£18 / FREE for Members
Concession £17
Rediscover this master of colour and composition at Tate Modern
This is the first major exhibition of Pierre Bonnard’s work in the UK since the much-loved show at Tate 20 years ago. It will allow new generations to discover Bonnard’s unconventional use of colour, while surprising those who think they already know him.
Born 1867, Bonnard was, with Henri Matisse, one of the greatest colourists of the early 20th century. He preferred to work from memory, imaginatively capturing the spirit of a moment and expressing it through his unique handling of colour and innovative sense of composition.
The exhibition concentrates on Bonnard’s work from 1912, when colour became a dominant concern, until his death in 1947. It presents landscapes and intimate domestic scenes which capture moments in time – where someone has just left the room, a meal has just finished, a moment lost in the view from the window, or a stolen look at a partner.
Organised by Tate Modern in collaboration with Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen and Kunstforum Wien.
17th Day of Christmas
18th Day of Christmas
Cy Twombly and Nicolas Poussin: Arcadian Painters Hardcover – 15 Jun 2011
In 1624 and 1957 two artists, aged thirty, moved to Rome. Nicolas Poussin and Cy Twombly subsequently spent the majority of their lives in the Eternal City, and went on to become the preeminent painters of their day. This book looks at these two figures side by side for the first time, examining how the two painters, separated by three centuries, nonetheless engaged with shared interests and concerns.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cy-Twombly-Nicolas-Poussin-Arcadian/dp/1907372261
19th Day of Christmas
Vitamin D2: New Perspectives in Drawing Hardcover
20 May 2013
An up-to-the-minute survey of contemporary drawing featuring 115 artists from around the world, Vitamin D2 allows the reader to look at the medium in detail and study drawing’s unique properties in relation to itself, to contemporary art and to the world at large.
I have a copy of this (5 years old so up-to-the-minute-ish). It is part of a series of either drawing or painting books showcasing contemporary practise. Always interesting.
I haven’t got a supplier but they are around.
20th Day of Christmas
In preparation for the National Gallery’s exhibition – Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light (18 March – 7 July 2019)
Sorolla the Masterworks
A new survey of the best works by the elusive and spectacular Spanish Impressionist Joaquín Sorolla. Often compared to his contemporary, the American artist John Singer Sargent, Joaquín Sorolla (1863 1923) was a master draftsman and painter of landscapes, formal portraits, and monumental, historically themed canvases.
Highly influenced by French Impressionism, the Valencian artist was a master plein-air painter known for his luminous seaside scenes of frolicking youths and for vivid depictions of Spanish rural life and its pleasures and customs. This beautifully designed and produced volume brings together one hundred of Sorolla s major paintings, selected by his great-granddaughter Blanca Pons-Sorolla, the foremost authority on the artist. Benefiting from close proximity to the artist and his personal archives, she presents an in-depth essay that explores Sorolla s life, work, and remarkable international legacy. With virtually all of the artist s previous publications now out of print, this much-anticipated volume is an important addition to the literature on this great Spanish master.
21st Day of Christmas
Surely it is impossible to have too many brushes? No photo. Just give me BIG hog hair brushes.
Price £12.90
Made of hog bristle, this brush is traditionally used in oil painting. The white Chinese bristle from Chungking is of the highest quality. Its natural hardness responds perfectly to more or less dense oil painting technique and acrylic.
Ferrule Diameter: 62.6mm Brush Head Length: 7.8mm
https://www.jacksonsart.com/escoda-clasico-hog-series-2360-long-flat-30
22nd Day of Christmas
I love to use Charcoal. It is quick, responsive, subtle, surprising.. If you are giving it as a present I would suggest the largest pieces you can find. BBQ charcoal can be interesting (make sure it isnt impregnated with starter fluid). Compressed charcoal is dark and interesting, and charcoal pencils have their place.
I hope to be able to provide EXCELLENT charcoal before too long…still at the development stage at the moment.
CHARCOAL
Charcoal is most often used for quickly sketching and is especially suitable for life drawing sessions. It is chosen by so many artists because of the immediate response to the artists hand where the marks can be very bold and heavy or can be blended into soft and subtle shading. Willow charcoal breaks easily, especially the thinner sizes. But that’s okay as you will usually want to break the sticks into smaller pieces when you start drawing, as they will be easier to use.
Charcoal Pencils
Charcoal pencils are the perfect tool for an artist who desires the traditional effect of a charcoal stick without the associated messy dust. Charcoal pencils are charcoal leads encased in a layer of wood which not only protects the charcoal from snapping, but also guards the fingers from charcoal marks.
And for something slightly different… Artgraf do a variety of interesting drawing materials. Seek them out.
Price £4.90
23rd Day of Christmas
Destination Art: 500 Artworks Worth the Trip Flexibound – 5 Oct 2018
A global guide to the 500 works of permanently installed modern and contemporary art worth traveling to experience
Enjoy a world tour from the comfort of your reading chair or plan a detailed and engaging art itinerary for your next trip with Destination Art, the essential guide to 500 must-see examples of permanently installed art from the last 100 years. With the book’s geographical organization and logistical details – including GPS coordinates, addresses, websites, and symbols indicating the degree of possible access, travel planning is made easy.
Discover hidden gems in big cities, explore art in nature, and trek to remote locales for one-of-a-kind experiences of art in unique locations. The artists featured in this global selection are among the world’s best and most beloved from the past century, including Marina Abramović, Alexander Calder, Jenny Holzer, Yayoi Kusama, Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Richard Serra, and many more.
Highlighting the best and most significant of public art in city centers, sculpture parks, site-specific installations in museums, memorials designed by contemporary artists, works of land art, and much more, Destination Art is an informative and enjoyable overview of the most significant and travel-worthy art around the globe.
From the publisher of Destination Architecture.
24th Day of Christmas
The Fortnum’s Christmas Box
ART DRAW PAINT 