There are several highly important tools that a fine artist will use to render their often incredible works, whether it be on canvas or as a sculpture, or in other forms that lend themselves to this category of art. For this article, I want to focus on the painter as this is where my main interest lies. What are the tools that make the painter’s work so delightful to experience?
Canvas
You have to start somewhere and that is a medium to put down the creative ideas. Canvas is one of the favoured mediums for artists who prefer to paint in oils or acrylics. Artist grade paper is preferred by watercolour artists and sketch artists of course and there are other mediums that can also be used and are used by some artists who like to go outside the box.
But for canvas, it needs to be of a high grade and the right size for the piece the artist has in mind. After all, its no good buying a canvas that is too small if the intention is to create a huge landscape or seascape painting!
Easel
Of course, unless you want to end up with a bad back, you will need an easel to support your canvas or paper (or other medium) and there are several different kinds of easel. There are of course the full sized ones that you stand in front of and they are best for supporting larger works. There is also the table top easel variety that literally stand atop your table and you can either sit or stand as you prefer for smaller works.
Paint
Is this starting to sound just a little simplistic? Well, its meant to be because when you think about what an artist uses to create a painting, you often bypass the obvious and the kind of paint that is going to be used can be so obvious that it often gets overlooked!
There are of course oils for the traditional painter who likes to use that kind of paint and for the effect that it produces on canvas. Some prefer acrylics as it gives a different effect and some find it easier to work with than oils. Others prefer watercolours and the results that can be produced can be spectacular in their own right.
Paintbrushes
To get the paint onto the canvas or paper, you’ll need brushes, or in the case of those whose preference is acrylics, there are spatulas that create a completely different effect. But most artists use brushes and the best are the sable brushes which can actually cost a lot of money to buy. But you get what you pay for and if you want to create world class fine art, then you need to be useing the best materials and tools.
Charcoal
Sketch artists like to use charcoal for its ease of use and the particular effect it gives to the finished picture. There are many different grades of charcoal and several different brands that all have their own unique peculiarities.
In this group you could also include pencils and even artist grade crayons because it really doesn’t matter what you use to get your ideas down onto paper. It is the finished work that provides the satisfaction!
Cleaning Up
Lastly, you will need cloths, water or turpentine and other cleaning materials and solutions to clean up the mess that often accompanies the creation of a great work. Some artists prefer to skip this step and have a studio that looks like it is a perpetual work in progress, while others like a clean place to work. Whichever your preference, you will still need something to clean the paint or other medium off yourself!
That’s about it for this article. I hope you got some enjoyment out of reading it as it really is simple and not meant to be overly in-depth. I’ll reserve that for later articles.