The very best in Art Journal supplies!
art . art supplies . ladybirds!
The Institute of Cute started it’s life as a Gallery in Byron Bay in 2006
The Online Store opened in 2008.
By 2011 it was so successful that the
Byron Bay storefront wasn’t necessary anymore…So goodbye Jonson St and hello world!
The Institute of Cute ( or IoC) specialises in all things Art Journal and Jane Davenport.
Click here for a look
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Click the images or here to go have a peep!
Art Supply Addicts Beware:
severe temptation ahead!
Throughout this site you will find links for Art Supplies.
These are intended as a helpful resourcethat will save you HOURS of trawling the net.
If they are for items that I stock in my store,the link will take you to the Institute of Cute.
I will also just point out that I have no affiliation with any of these art supply companies. But I am happy to recommend the stuff I love, and if I REALLY love it, then I stock it in my own store!
Essentials:
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- Gesso- Liquitex: This is an essential.
- click here
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- Matte Medium- Liquitex is what I use : click here
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- Masking tape - cream or white and the more matte the better
(your hardware store, or supermarket)
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- Ever handy patterned serviettes, napkins, tissue paper and sewing patterns.
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Journals:
My pick is the Millini Journal:click here
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Making your own journal
I believe life is to short for crappy paper, so I treat myself to the most glorious of all: Fabriano Artistico Hot Press : click here
- A Paper piercer, awl or something to poke a hole through the paper is an essential little bit of kit.The Paper Piercer Deluxe: Features a needle threader, 4 needles in a storage compartment and a piercing tip. A 3-in-1 tool! :click here
- Waxed thread or bookbinders thread- I use a waxed thread for sailmaking!
- Large sewing needle
- If you want to make a hard cover like i do, you will need some picture framing Matt board. 1 piece of white would be perfect.
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Coloured Pencils:
One of my favourite art tools of all are Coloured Pencils (or CPs) and the best CPs of all are Prismacolors – or ‘Prismas’. They are so soft, creamy and blendable. they are also as fragile as can be and need to be babied with a good, sharp pencil sharpener ( best brand is Kum from Germany: click here).
Prismas are notorious for their easily shattered leads -but I don’t let that worry me! There many benefits easily overcome the annoyances. But then again, I am a PrismaDonna! Prismacolors: click here
Get the biggest set your budget allows.The new 18 colours Prisma just released are Super-Awesome: click here
Basic face colours: the Portrait set: click here
Prismacolour Pencils
Dick Blick:
Watercolours:
Peerless Watercolours: click here By far and away my favourites!They are dye based – so very intense and vivid. LOVE!!! I Use a broad Aquash waterbrush with them: click here
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Inks
Distress Stain: technically, these are not inks, but I use them like as a liquid ink or watercolour: click here
I adore all the colours, but a hair colour and a few background colours would be very handy ( wild honey, aged mahogany, dried Marigold, are some favourites!).
Individual colours: click here
Sumi Ink
My favourite ink for lettering?
Aquash Waterbrush with Liquid Sumi Ink
It is JET black, water-resistant and goes over just about anything. And I love the way I write with an Aquash (medium and Fine).
Dylusions Ink Spray:
A new big time essential for me. They satisfy your craving for colour instantly!
Terrific for backgrounds and exciting layers – YUM!!! click here
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Pens:
Super-fast drying, and a joy to use…Your drawing will improve with a few of these at your disposal – BUT! they cannot handle texture, especially the finer ones.
Writing on gesso kills them, they are a ‘raw’ paper creature only.
My favourite pen for lettering? Aquash Waterbrush with Liquid Sumi Ink
Black Sharpie pen in fine: click here
This pen is a 4WD. It can handle rough terrain, dries instantly, and goes on just about anything.
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White Pens:
The Uniball Signo Broad in white has a fanbase so wide I can’t see the edges…
But it does not like texture! It will however write on washi tape - a handy little thing to know!
Maybe the single thing I use most of all? words cannot express how I love this magic pen.
White Sharpie pant pen: click here
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Markers
As you are probably aware, I have a HUGE collection of markers
( and it keeps growing!)
Basically, there are two types of markers:
Permanent Markers:
( or Alcohol Markers)
Copics, Spectrum Noirs, Pro markers – they are all pretty much the same.
Spectrum Noirs: Pale Hues, turquoise and Essentials Sets: click here
Spectrums are great because they are pretty cheap and I find I push them to do more. Alcohol Markers are VERY versatile! (I used to stock them, but getting a flow of supply just got too difficult, So although I think they are terrific, I only have a few colours in stock)
Copics: these are the most expensive and have the biggest range of colours.
I LOVE them…. the ‘invisible’ colours in particular, but I do baby them a little because they are pricey.
Water-based Markers:
Tombow dual brush tip markers : Portrait Set click here
Distress Markers: the whole lot! click here
Aquamarkers: 12: set 2 click here
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Pastels:
This is one group of products I don’t use a lot of, although I love them.
I am experimenting with a new now-toxic, non-aerosol sealer, so that may change the landscape a little and some pastels may creep onto my Essentials list!
See Pastels week for a list of my recommendations.
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Acrylic Paint:
Dabbers: These are my favourite acrylic paints for mixed media work, because they allow lays of other mediums to be used.
My favourites are in the:
light portrait set click here
Portrait Accents Set: click here
Mermaid Colours Set: click here
Skintones are fun to mix, but they take time, and we will have plenty to do without having to mix up skin colour paint! Ceramcoat make a huge variety of SCRUMPTIOUS skin colours in their crmy, super-matte acrylic paint.These are some of my favourite skintones: click here
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Drawing Pencils:
Col-erase for drawing – black, brown, light peach : click here
(I don’t use lead pencils except to clean my sharpeners.)
Eraser
Tombow is a quality brand. and this eraser is deluxe.
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Washi Tape.
These printed masking tapes are to heavenly for words.
Search on ebay, etsy and cutetape.com and freckledfawn.com
I stock these ( to service my own addictions!) but don’t have them on my website, just at the live craft shows I attend.
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I’ll add anything else I think of!
The important thing to realise is that you do not NEED everything I use.
I am a degenerate art supplies junkie,
and have just about everything in the artiverse.
Always keep in mind, it’s the artist, not the tools, that are creative. Having said that, I will never hold you back from getting art supplies!
(unless you mention something I want to save you from, like hard-as-nails Derwent Colour Pencils… eeeeeuuww!).
Hi Kerry,
I will email you!
JAne