The true test of a sketchbook is how the paper inside reacts to your medium of choice! An absorbent, toothy page is right for some, but others like a smooth, slightly resistant stock. When wet media gets involved, that's when things get really interesting! We just love art haul videos- it's fascinating to see what artists choose and why!
Sometimes if you gently squeeze your paint tube on the narrow side before you open it, it sucks the paint down the tube so you don’t get that wasted dollop on top. If you forget and the dollop is already there, sometimes if you then gently squeeze the narrow side of the tube it will suck it back down. Hope it works for you. Also, if you find you sometimes get that annoying clear liquid out the top of a paint tube, shaking the tube really hard before you open it sometimes will mix it up. I can’t remember where I heard these tips, but I have certainly appreciated them over time. Hope they work for you! Thanks for your video!
I do this too because it happens a lot to me! I’ve also heard the tip about using a cocktail stick in the tube to mix in the binder if it’s started to separate.
@sandihester started buying Daniel Smith watercolors in the late 90s and they were packed so full that every single tube would overflow a lot!!! I learned that unfolding that first sealing fold before opening stopped it. By squeezing out a half-pan, there was no more problems with the tube! They aren't always as full as they used to be but I cannot stop the precaution!
Yay, our girl is back on RU-vid, you were missed. I’m excited about your new platform. Thank you for your review. You are appreciated and loved. Hugs to all. 🥰
Love it when you swatch your new supplies! it's great to hear how excited you get about the colours and textures and, informative when something isn't right for you
I commented on a video a few months ago that I had given my neocolor 2s to my mom since I couldn’t figure them out-we managed to find them in a drawer where she stuffed them and now they’re one of my favorite sketching mediums, due to your inspiration! ❤
Hiya Sandi. You're a breath of fresh air! I love that you have spread your wings with different platforms, as anything shared by you is a gem. Looking forward to watching this all the way through, more than once! 🤣 x Nell.
I think too many art supplies can be overwhelming, not to mention how much room they take up. And the cost! Watched an old RU-vid of yours re patterns and enjoyed it.
Another RU-vidr described the watercolor sticks as a portable dry watercolor pan. He wet a paintbrush and touched it to the stick then used if from the brush not directly from stick to paper. You might like the Albrect durer watercolor markers. They’re very juicy and intense on their own but fun to mix on a piece of plastic with a water brush. Might be a good option for on the go painting. Also check out the Molotow All4One paint pens. They have such a beautiful color selection.
LOVE undersea green !!! And anything Daniel smith !! Also I do love the Strathmore mixed media paper for watercolor sketching and swatching my watercolors out and playing with them. I feel it’s cotton content is great for that
Loved this! I have a few of the Gelatos, but now I NEED that set -- so nice! I also have wanted to try the Derwent Lightfast, so good to see the review. Your videos are simply the best, Sandi! Thank you for sharing all the things with us -- such a blessing!
wonderful. love your still life painting. Blessing to your dog and you for it is being very brave to walk with them when they are sick . My beautiful cat Oliver just passed last week. Thanks Linda for sharing
Daniel Smith has a Buff Titanium Gouache as well and I love it even more than DS BT Watercolor!!! (That’s saying a lot as I’ve gone through 2 tubes of the WC already). FYI, you can prevent paint gushing out of their tubes by putting them in the fridge before you’re ready to release the cap!
LI-KEN-grows near Moss. Lichen grows attached to the rock, moss grows on top of the rock not attached. I think that's how I learned about the difference.
I love your blog format, perfect and I get my fix of Sandi in between You tube and Instagram. Also , I have bought the DS watercolour sticks and have cut a piece and added it to my watercolour palette and use it like that instead of directly drawing with the stick. It’s an economical way to use it. Thanks for another fun video. 🙋🏼♀️🌻🇨🇦 ❤️
I chuckle every time you're on a ban and then buy some anyway 🤭 I'm surprised you haven't tried the derwent lightfast before. They're out of my budget, also I don't need lightfast pencils except the derwent drawing pencils, I LOVE them. And yes, you do need all the colours 😂 they're all beautiful. I'm asking for the derwent coloursoft set for my birthday, I have the 12 set and am enjoying them. It's still a splurge, but I'm turning 40 so that's a good excuse! And I need all the colours, you never know what colour day it's going to be, so best be prepared and have them all 😉 I've been missing your weekly videos, but the vlog blog makes up for that! Really enjoying the longer short videos. Have a good two weeks 🥰
hello Sandi - i just wanted to let you know how blessed i genuinely feel to have found your videos. i have loved watching them, and love your approach to your art. you've helped me loosen up, and enjoy creating again! so thank you for everything! Ellen
Noooo! 😆 I just bought more neocolors bc of you, and now you show me that incredible palette of gelatos?? It's like that set was made for Sandi's landscape sketches! Soooo pretty!! Adding to a future list. Thanks for sharing, I think 😆.
I loooooove my cheapo 11x14 sketchbook! I agree, the paper is cheap, but it displays color from watercolor and marker so well! Maybe its just me, but i love the texture of my sketchbook once all th pages go bubbly from using wet mediums on it. I have awesome paint and alcohol markers, but I've been loving my zebra midliners. Have you tried those yet? They are SO fun to layer with. I scribble some midliner, go over with my prismacolor or luminance pencils and the color from the midliner POPS through. You would love it. You can grab a big pack of them from target for less than 30 bucks. I would love to see you try them out!
Arteza does some great water colour books (pads) that are great for mixed media! It's thick cream paper and they do them in different sizes. They're really affordable too so definitely worth giving them a go!
Hi Sandi, thanks for the huge haul video. It’s always fun seeing you try things out. I have the eco line pens and I think they take a bit of getting used too. The colours in the dropper bottles can be used for refilling so maybe when you have used them for a bit you will be able to top them up and change the colours a bit. The Daniel Smith sticks can be sliced up and placed in hall pans to add to your pallet. It’s supposed to work out a lot cheaper as there is much more pigment for you money. Looking forward to the additional content on the new platform. You are a star lovely lady.
Beautiful!!!! Love art hauls. Your neutral choice of colors really inspire me. Oh, that Daniel Smith stick is not like a crayon. Best to use your brush right on it. I'm trying colored pencils today!!!
This was great!! Thank you, Sandi: the longer the better! You are far more entertaining and educational than most of the things out here🥳❤ I picked up the translucents because of watching how they went down. Went cafe sketching with granddaughter because I was inspired by your shared journey! Swatch EVERYTHING please🙏🙏 Watching you informs us: your commentary as you are doing it, the way you layer, etc.. it's important, helpful, and inspiring. For example: that gold you mixed with the glacier brown💥 just delicious!!
Ohhh Sandi as always another beautiful video…. The gelatos look so creamy delicious 🥰 on a side note you can buy them individually. We as artists can never have too many art supplies 🫣🙃 I don’t know if you have seen the whole selection of Schmincke granulating w/colour paints the desert range, or even the haze range have beautiful grey, green and brown tones. Or even orange tundra or forest blue 😍🫣🫣
I really like the hobby lobby brand masters touch sketchbooks, the black or red cover ones as a cheap sketchbook, takes wet media pretty well. They're just fun and I'd bet you'd like them too even tho they have whitepaper 😁😁
Love your swatches Sandi...some gorgeous colours there! I was sensible this evening and had my sketchbook and watercolour palette with me whilst watching 😆
Morning, its 430am and love to start my Saturday off with you! and when I saw the word MASSIVE, I couldn't wait to feed the cats and grab my coffee! you crack me up everytime. I laugh outloud. You are one of my favorite top YT Arty person! Great haul and I was cringing when you were trying to mix that ink in the marker. I was waiting for the explosion! haha. Love the colors and even though I don't do color pencil anymore, I feel like I run to DB and put them all in my basket...too funny. Thanks so much Sandi. You truly are an inspiration. Oh love the sketchbook haul...Im always searching for sketchbooks too
This is kinda of topic to the video but why I love watching your videos is because you aren’t precious about your sketchbooks. I get to precious with sketchbooks and want them to stay perfect but you have helped me realize that it’s just paper. You would be very proud of me and I wish I could post a picture here to show you. But anyhoo, thanks for that and now back to the video.
Oh, this long video was such a treat! I was on the edge of my seat watching you adding the burnt sienna to the ecoline. Who knew an art vlog could be packed with so much suspense? 😂😳🥰
I love my set of Ecoline pens. I draw a few blobs on my sketchbook page and when I need the colour I use my waterpen to activate the colour like watercolour pans. Didn't know they could be refilled, this is great as I have a few favourites that need more ink. Also loving using the Pigma pen 10 you recommended in another vid. They are stupidly difficult to get in England though?? Thanks for letting me shop for supplies 'vicariously' :-D
I just ordered a bunch of stuff from Dick Blick. I started using the Derwent Inktense Blocks because of you and now they are my absolute favorite. I ordered some of the inktense pencils to try out this time and all the blacks/grays of the inktense blocks. I can’t wait to get it them!
I had to chuckle when you said the gelatos would keep your fingers clean. I get my fingers in them more than other supplies to smudge them around and blend them together. I also like using a baby wipe for blending and lifting the colors. Lots of fun supplies to try here. By this time you’ve probably had a good play with them all.
Hi Sandi, I just bought an Ohuhu mixed media sketchbook to do watercolor paintings in and so far it is pretty nice. I don't use a ton of water and the pages buckle a bit, but that never bothers me. I also use a cheap Canson XL mixed media sketchbook to practice watercolor in and the paper holds up pretty good too. Both are really inexpensive. Thank you for all your videos.😃❤
I learned a long time ago that at least Daniel Smith watercolors can be helped if I unrolled that bottom crimped fold and they stopped squirting out! I think they are not quite as tightly filled as they used to be, though. I do love Dan Smith paint!!! I was just scrolling though and here you have been waiting for me to watch you! That notification bell had gotten unchecked!
@Sandi Hester You have inspired me to make a sketch book a habit so I can starr experimenting more with all these supplies I've collected. BTW, have you spent any time looking at Tom Thomson's work (a Canadian painter from the early part of the 20th century). I love his work so much!
Pour some of the green ecolines you don't like in small jars and save for later. Then you have space left in the pens to mix or just dilute with water.
Congratulations on your new platform, I've signed up and am excited to see your post! I love all your new supplies, I use Gelato's a lot and love them! I bought a large Creative Inspirations sketchbook and love all the materials it can take! Thank you for the recommendation 😊💚
Love the content and will go and check out your sub stack home. I like a pocket inside at least one cover of a sketchbook, because I can have pieces of glassine paper cut to fit that sketchbook to pop in between pages to protect them from smooshing. If there’s no pocket I get an envelope and stick one in.
Some RU-vidr said that one of the pigments in Undersea Green is going to be stopt in production. I don’t know if it is true. Buth because you like it so mutch, I wanted to tel you. Thank you for the beautiful video ❤
@@sandihester right?! I do think Daniel Smith bought up ten years worth of pigment so it will probably be a while before it's all gone. They did that last time with PO49. But might be worth looking into it and stockpiling if it's one of your main colours. Sorry to hear bad news!
Another idea about the mixing colors for your econoline pens? Maybe pour out all the ink from the pen into a jar so you can see it, then mix that ink into the color you want and then refill the marker with the new color using a dropper? What do you think about that? 🤔
Love this long video, the gelatos look so interesting and love all the color pencils ❤ I definitely “need” more derwent ones, I love the few that I have And the content you post on substack is so good! 😊
Hi Sandi I have recently come across your channel, and I’ve been on a binge of your videos since. They just make me so happy, and fill me with inspiration, so thank you. I have also had a lot of fun with your video on how to draw faces, I was wondering if you’d ever consider doing a follow up video showing us how to draw bodies? I would love that.
Is it wrong that I chortled when you said the Gelatos would help keep your hands clean? 🤭 We know that's never going to happen. And we love that you are a "messy artist" for sure! Also, I really love the Strathmore Mixed Media 11×14 because of the 100% cotton content but I seem to never break mine out as I hear cash register bells in my head when I touch it. Man, they ain't cheap! If I find anything that passes muster on my end, I will let you know. That Dylusions book is so very close to being perfect if they super-sized it, but then the cash register bells would go off again. 💰💰💰🤣
Awesome haul. I think you'd love Bloodstone Genuine in DS w/c. It's texture is wonderful. I did the same thing, ordering those Derwent Lightfast colours. I saw them on patreon when Becca Hall swatched her fav colours.
Hi paint comes out when opened just squeeze lightly from sides ,not flat part and it will go back in. At least it has for me. I really enjoy your fun times and style . 😁
Hey Sandi, about that 11 x 14 black sketchbook... Have you thought of making your own sizing? Just get some spray starch for shirts. Or you can get the kind of powdered you mix yourself with water and put it in a spray bottle. If the pages dry too much like lasagna, then you can press them dry with a cool iron. Of course that requires some prep, but it may be worth it to prevent bleedthrough? I'll look forward to see how you might fare with that. 💓 And I'll be checking out substack. Never heard of that platform. Thanks for your post. I love sharing your passion, geeking out on art supplies. 🪥🖌🪥🖌
All you have to do with ecoline brush markers is to put in just a few drops in then put the cap back on and leave it upside down. Brush side down in a cup for about five minutes and the colour will run down to the end of the tip. Just remember a Ecoline brush is not the same as POSCA markers. You don’t shake them you just pop them one side up for a few minutes and then the other way around for a few minutes to let the colours mix.
I have several sketchbooks where the paper is thin and on the cheaper side, I gesso every other page and this seems to help a lot with bleed through, plus it uses up my old gesso.
I NEVER tire of seeing you actually using a material to swatch or use in art! I imagine others probably feel the same. I'm always chompin at the bit to see you put paint to surface! I'm wanting to take your class as soon as possible, just waiting for the$! Love from a Long time fan? 🤍 Courtney
I will have to give my Gelatos another try. I was disappointed with them (not enough pigment and water dilutes them too much), so I never use them. But your swatches look exciting. You might want to try the Holbein acrylic ink empty refillable markers. They have a broader flat tip (6 mm). I think I had to find instructions online for how to fill them, but once I got them filled, they work great and don't seem to dry up.
I agree that water dilutes them. I never use water on them. I may have gotten one of those empty markers to fill. Can’t remember the brand I got but I do like it
This was feast ❤thanks for sharing. Those gelatos need to get into my basket 😂. I know you’re on a green pencil ban …….. but……. In the derwent lightfast if you don’t have it the Spruce Green is beautiful xxxx
Nice. Enjoyed this. Let us know how you wind up liking the gelato sticks. I may be wrong but I don’t think you get a lot in those tubes. I can’t remember. 😊❤️
Daniel Smith watercolour sticks are meant to be broken off and put into pants and then you use your paintbrush to activate them with a little bit of water. Just like you would a normal watercolour pan. You can draw with them but they’re not really meant for that like neocolour II
Could you do a mini vlog on the water brushes, I feel such a donut I don’t understand how they work ie why the brush doesn’t muddle all the colours used etc….
I‘m quite sad that the Gelatos are only available in the US? Can we please start a petition to sell them in Europe too? I get so influenced by you Sandi! I love your videos.
Maybe i should check swedish art supply onlineshops! Quite cheaper shipping than the US 😀 i‘m from Germany, where Faber Castell is based and the Gelatos are not even listed on their website.
YAY! I love an art haul! Especially a big one! I signed up for the new platform! You could use gesso or matte medium on the cheap sketchbook paper. I've done that on really cheap re-purposed notebooks; it still wrinkles and bubbles but doesn't bleed through, and helps with the absorbancy. But, I'm guessing you did this by what you said by prepping some of the pages? That's too bad.
Ohhh the colors!! Love the gelatos!! Must have! ❤️ What other brand did you order? Thinking of gouache now. Having fun doing plan are in my photos at home. But would love to try coffee shops ! Thank you for sharing!!
