Palette inspiration! A big thank-you to artist Jill Gustavis (@jillgustavisart) for sharing her current monochromatic Pocket Palette layout with us! Jill often explores natural subjects of landscapes, plants, and animals, as well as old ornate architecture and still lifes that portray a slower-paced lifestyle. We hope her Pocket Palette of neutrals inspires you to explore value studies! To recreate this palette, you will need (1) Pack of Mini Pans and (2) Packs of Standard Pans.⁠

We love how artist Jill Gustavis (@jillgustavisart) explores value using a range of watercolors. In these two pieces, she uses Perylene Green and Sepia to paint landscapes, depicting the darkest darks by layering paint.⁠

We’re excited to share that we now stock the Pentel Brush Pen in grey. You can create a range of greys with a beautiful tone, and it can be layered upon itself to create deeper blacks. For even richer darks, add marks with the black Pentel Brush Pen. ⁠

There can be a freedom in setting limits for yourself. A narrowing of focus within specific constraints can lead to a deeper exploration of what’s possible with what you have! On a recent family trip to an alpine lake, Art Toolkit Founder Maria Coryell-Martin played with sketching monochromatic views along the way! Visit the Art Toolkit Blog to hear more about her trip, supplies, and experience with value studies. ⁠

Workshop Reminder! Join us online THIS Saturday, October 12th, from 10am – 12:30pm Pacific for Cloudscapes: Paint Expressive Skies in Watercolor with Maria Coryell-Martin! Register via the link in our bio.⁠

In time for our mixed media workshop with instructor Suhita Shirodkar (@suhitasketch), we’re happy to carry Supracolor Pencils and Neocolor II Pastels by Caran d’Ache, both of which are water-soluable and play beautifully with watercolors ! To prepare for her workshop, we also recommend poking around your supplies drawers at home for a white wax crayon or white candle. ⁠