NO-BUY 2025 (Art supplies edition) | Painting a Mermaid with Watercolors and Gouache 

Thank you for your comment. I never thought about the envy aspect. Maybe it relates to where each of us is in life right now. I can understand envy towards an expensive car, a career, or a designer bag, but luckily, art supplies are something most can afford sooner or later, even the more expensive ones. More than anything, if someone wants to make hauls, instead of buying huge, complete sets, it might be better to treat yourself to individual products. That way, the costs aren't so overwhelming, and over time, everyone can collect a range of art supplies that they know, like, and especially use. And yeah, the fear of missing out is real, especially when artists praise a certain product-you might get caught up in the feeling that a specific product will elevate your art. The good news is, I've seen some artists obsess over certain products, but I've never seen them actually making art with them. So... we should all follow our own paths and choose what suits us. That's a great idea with the transfer paper, although, as you said, it can be challenging if you make a mistake. It can sometimes get quite messy as well. I'm trying to use very hard pencils to preserve the lines and be less heavy-handed with the first layers of watercolor. That way, I can still preserve the sketch.

@@rampant.hare.illustrations I use a transfer paper brand called Saral; it comes in a few colors. I mostly used the red or blue. I use a good amount of those colors, so they blend in. But I’d run out and could only get black and that just wouldn’t lift. Now I use a light box and erasable colored pencils. I agree trying a few of a supply to get a feel for it is best. I bought a small set of alcohol markers, like 20 colors, yet in discord/reddits/etc people always want to buy or say they’re saving to buy the 200 or 300 marker set and they’ve never even used the markers before. Then get upset when their work doesn’t look like they expect it too. 🙄

Thank you so much, you're always so kind. That's great to hear! Finding your own palette definitely aligns with discovering your style. As for paper, well... I'm sure sooner or later you'll find a good use for your art. 💪