My favorite supplies

It's 15th and that's usually when I post my Inspiration post. This time I thought to do it a little different. A few months ago I already covered how paint media can inspire and this time I thought to update a post about my favorite supplies. I say update as it has been over a year when I posted about those. Here's link to my essentials back in 2013 (link) and here's a link to my favorite supplies in 2011, the post is in Finnish (link). 

It seems that a lot has changed since those lists and then again not that much. Like I typed even back in 2011 paper cutter and double sided tape are still essentials. On the other hand I don't own any Doodle Factory stamps anymore. But if I set the basic supplies like scissors, adhesive, brushes, palette knifes and paper cutter aside, what can be said of my favorites that they are different media or embellishments. I adore gesso, mists and other colorants. Underneath I listed my some of my current favorites.

1) Gesso

Gesso in different forms and especially colors. I guess white is my most favorite in the way that I use that the most but the Finnabair Art Basics have really opened my eyes when it comes to black and clear ones. What I want in gesso is coverage, great tooth and opaqueness. Two of my favorites are the Art Basics heavy body one and Talens gesso. They both give a great base for layers to come. Gesso can be used in layouts, cards and canvases. It's a versatile medium. To give you a visual example of my gesso works here's link to two previous posts - a tag using black gesso (link) and trees using white gesso (link). 

2) Mists

Due to DT commitment I use Tattered Angels mists. But even before I was in the DT and nowadays even if I wasn't in the team, that would be my go-to brand. I haven't tried all the mists available in the market but I really like the coverage and qualities in Tattered Angels mists. There's rarely a project I do where I wouldn't use mists. I can color with different mediums as well but almost always I at least add mists splashes to the project. Mists are an easy way to add color and on different surfaces they create different finishes. Again, really versatile medium. Here's a link to a previous post with 10 different mist ideas (link).

3) Pencil

If you have seen a few of my videos I guess you have seen my love for pencil swirls! I'm being a parrot but here's another really versatile medium. You can of course write and draw with it, but pencil can also do more if you need it to do more. If you want ideas, here's links to two layouts I've done mostly with pencils - "Child of Spring" and "More 2 Love". I don't have a favorite pencil as such. Previously I used to use one bought from Sodalicious which stated "I don't think, I feel" but nowadays I usually grab my General Pencil Co pencil first. The former was a normal HB pencil, the latter is soft, 6B. 

4) PITT pens

Black PITT pens are nowadays my go-to journal pens. If I'm doing journaling on my layout I use a S or M sized pen. If I'm drawing or doing journaling in a journal, I can also use the brush tipped one which gives a lovely lively line as you can make it thin or thick the way you hold the pen. As the PITT pens are made using India ink they won't smudge if I first doodle and then decide to add some wet media still. They also stuck to different surfaces. Besides the black ones I have the set called "Assorted" which has a great grey PITT pen with a brush tip. I've used the both sets for example in "My Favorite" or in "Soar High Above".

5) Archival ink

Before Wendy Vecchi designed her fabulous ink shades in Archival Ink I only used it in black. Nowadays I would say it comes to 50/50 with the oh so wonderful "Watering Can". Black and grey go in every layout and provide a great contrast to the page bring a touch of black or at least dark color to the project. The fabulous thing about Archival is that it'll stay put even if (again) I decide to use a wet media on top. The images are transferred crisp and it dries very quickly. My absolute "go to" ink. As, in the words of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, "I'm a dirty girl" and I don't clean my stamps, it's also an awesome feature that with Achival I don't have to. The ink just dries to the stamps and in some case makes them even better!

6) Mica powders

I'm falling in love with these lovely thingies. They are versatile (yes, being a parrot again) as you can mix them with different mediums and create your own custom paints, mists and other mediums. And the shine they have! I go totally in my magpie mode when I see their shine and luster. The first thing I did with these jars of happiness was to mix them with decoupage glue and thus create a lovely paint. Nowadays I usually mix them with Soft Gloss Gel and have a lovely shiny acrylic style paint. Want an example of the mix? A few links then - to a canvas (link) and to a journal cover (link). 

7) PanPastels

Together with the Mica's these are a more recent love. I used to like to draw with pastel pencils back in the day but since then I had forgotten the medium totally. The PanPastels have a great consistence that allows you to layer and by using different tools either make big surfaces or then just tiny details. The marks are soft and dreamy or more sharper depending on the way you apply the medium. I rarely use these solely but add another mediums as well. I guess there's only one project were they were almost the only medium I used (link) but usually I use them as the top layer (link) or to soften things up (link). 

8) Gelatos

They are like candies! Yummy colors and yet again my favorite word - versatile. You can mix them to different mediums, just like Micas, you can use them in stamping or creating backgrounds or have watercolors with you in a crayon like form. The texture is smooth and lipstick like. These being the first push towards water soluble drawing thingies, I'm now growing an interest in water color pens! For Gelatos projects you could try out the label "Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft".

9) Rest of Finnabair's Art Basics

Maybe I should have just written the whole Art Basics line in the first place as they really have the basics for me as well. The line holds gessos (check), gel mediums (check) and even gels (check). Heavy bodied gel mediums are a must in the collage making or altered projects for me. That stuff just holds and molds and gives support. I also really like the Soft Gels as they work for an adhesive but even more I love to use them as the base for making my own cocktails, my own mediums.

10) Mechanicals

The title could also be metal embellishments I guess, but Mechanicals have great variety of different little nicks and nacks. The idea behind these are flea market findings but at least for me it's easier to buy a set of these metals than to go scouting in the flea markets. The metal embellishments go to most of my projects, they bring some 3 D effect to them and even without altering with paint or other media the metallic colors go to most of my projects. If I should pick just one embellishment or group of embellishments I then would have to use for the rest of my projects I would go with the metal embellishments and more over the Mechanicals.

11) Flair buttons

These are finding their way back to my layouts. There was a time when I couldn't finish a page without one but then I started to use other embellishments instead. Nowadays I once again notice more often to reach for my flair buttons as the first or second embellishment to add to a layout. Previously most of my flair buttons were from 3rd Eye but nowadays they are all almost used and I re-stock these little lovelies from another company called "A flair for buttons". The circular form of the flair and the massive amount of different patterns, sayings and styles they come almost guarantees that they go to every page. For flair inspiration I also love to browse through the DT creations of the BadgesFolie.

12) Paper clips

Modest office supply that fits to almost all projects. What more there is to say?

So, there they are - my top 12 from the top of my head! There's also other products I like, for example the Dina Wakley acrylic paints, but as the post is even with these 12 quite heavy let's leave it here. As I have been sharing links to previous projects with the favorites, here's a link to a layout with some acrylic action (link)!

What are your favorite products? What you can do is to think about your favorites and then for example do two projects - one with all your favorites and another banning all the favorites from use! I know I would be in trouble when trying to do that! You could also dedicate a page to your go-to products, using them as the topic of the page. Or then you could try to think new ways to use your favorites, mix them together and create different looks.

Underneath are the links to previous Inspiration posts if you want to take a look. Thank you for your visit today!

1) Inspiration: Music

2) Inspiration: Paintings

3) Inspiration: Magazines

4) Inspiration: You

5) Inspiration: Paint media

6) Inspiration: Instagram