Hi Reader,

Last week, I mentioned that I’m a bit of a ‘minimalist’ when it comes to art supplies. While I still have a lot of supplies (because who am I kidding), I could definitely have a lot more. So I’m not going to be your “go-to” person when it comes to being a library of knowledge for all supplies that are out there. But I can definitely suggest from what I like and what I’ve tried.

I rely on fellow creative friends and happenstance when it comes to discovering new supplies. Both of which are true for this latest shortlist of supply “finds” that I want to share with you today:

Brusho Crystal Watercolors

I first learned about Brusho from a member of the Paint With Me community who used it in some of her work. Brusho is basically watercolor in crystal form that can be used a bunch of different ways. I bought one color (grey) and so far, I’ve only sprinkled it in water and wet watercolor paint - that alone was already a visual treat! See how I used it in my sketchbook here.​

It’s manufactured in England, so purchasing it is much less expensive through Jackson’s Art (based in the UK). However, you can get it in the US through dickblick.com and Amazon.com.

Neutral Tint Paint Color

I’m definitely late to the game when it comes to Neutral Tint by Daniel Smith because it seems like a ‘standard’ color that one might have tried by now. Perhaps I’m wrong about that, but this tube of paint was a color I saw mentioned a few times inside the Paint With Me membership community, so I finally picked up a tube.

I have to say, that it “desaturates” colors in a beautiful way. I was using Payne’s grey to do this prior, and while it works, it also leaves a bit of a cool cast to the color. Neutral tint really does a beautiful job with this while not leaving a cast. I guess that’s why they call it “neutral”?
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Alone it’s also just a very pretty color. You can pick up Neutral Tint by Daniel Smith at dickblick.com or basically almost any other art supply retailer.

Meeden 100% Cotton Watercolor Paper

Meeden sent me their 100% cotton watercolor paper (block format) and I tested it out here. It performed surprisingly well. Surprisingly given the price point that it’s sold at. For the same specifications as the well-known Arches brand, it comes in at half the cost.

Turns out, this paper paints like quality paper because it actually is quality paper.

I was informed (thanks one of my readers) and I confirmed with my contact at Meeden that Meeden paper is actually Baohong paper. Baohong is a reputable manufacturer of watercolor paper based in China. I haven’t had a chance to test out Baohong paper yet, but I have heard nothing but good things about it.

Here’s the information I received from Meeden: “Baohong is our business collaborator as the manufacturer of our watercolor paper, maintaining the same quality and high standards, with only the cover difference.”

While I still enjoy tearing down and painting from full size sheets (especially Saunders and Arches), this Meeden block is well-priced and great quality. Use code Susan10 for 10% off.

We joke a lot inside the Paint With Me community that when we share supplies we are enabling each other’s supply-spending or supply-hoarding habits…but sometimes when we find great things, we’ve just gotta share!

As always, thanks for letting me share,
Susan

P.S. See my favorite “basic” watercolor supplies here
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​Disclaimer: Some of the links above contain affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase through them I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.