awwwwww yissss @breathlessisthehunt . Oil painting was my jam in school. I love it to death, but good lord it’s a messy process (especially if you’re a messy artist). Here’s a piece I did a while ago, one of the only figure paintings I enjoyed. 

Thank you anon, I don’t deserve all the kindness. And hugs to you as well!

I don’t actually use my pastels in the manner they were designed for. I haven’t used powder or wax pastels properly in some time, but I will show you (and plug this brand) how I use the current wax pastels I own. 

Note: This is not a tutorial. If you’re interested (and can save up for) these lovely Caran D’ache Neoart Aquarelle pastels, I highly recommend them. They are quite versatile with beautiful pigment and a you can get a nice range of both transparent and opaque effects. 

So, you can either use them the proper way like coloring with a crayon, leaving it dry or adding water. OR you can dip your brush in water and with your brush dab some color from the base of the pastel, applying to your paper. These have lasted me a while, especially using them as if they were a gouache/watercolor square. 

Hi @alridpath-art ! Tumblr people, make sure to check this artist out on deviant, they have some great work!

I should make a master post with images, but my mind is too clouded right now. But I can definitely give you some ideas. I would also HIGHLY encourage visiting wyliebeckert website as she gives great insight into what medium and techniques she uses (and a lot of what I mention is from her page). Also, she’s one of the most badass traditional artists I’ve ever seen. DO IT!

I’d like to note that some of these things get pricey, and it’s taken me a while to save up and stock on things. But also most materials that are student grade will get you where you want to be. But if you can purchase some things that are master grade you’ll see a difference for sure. 

Papers:

Bristol is nice for it’s smooth finish with a hint of “tooth” or texture. Strathmore toned papers in grey and tan, Arches and Rives BFK watercolor paper in hot or cold pressed (it depends on how heavy and how much tooth you want, I prefer hot). Canson Mi Teintes are also very nice but has lots of tooth, and my pencil work always looks crumbly on it (some people like that effect though). 

Pencils:

Derwent Graphic Pencils both turquoise and black (black will of course give you your heavier, darker shades), Milan Bi Colour Pencils-I can no longer find these, but they are the most heavenly under sketch pencils with butter soft texture and easy to erase. Zebra Grip pencils in .2,.5 and Staedtler Drafting Blue pencil for fine details. Generals and Derwent Colour Soft white pencils for highlights, Prismacolor Col-Erase pencils for understudies, Blending Stumps, Kneaded Erasers, Plastic Eraser, Retractable eraser for smaller details. Prismacolor colored pencils, but make sure you get a good batch or good pencil sharpener as they are always breaking off because of their delicacy. 

Pens:

Japanese Pilot Brush Pens, Zebra F-301 ball points (you’ll see a lot of popular artists like Claire Hummel using these and for good reason), Sakura micron pens, and of course Copic if you can afford. I bought the grey scale pack a while back as I still haven’t figured out how to use them. 

Paints:

IF you can splurge or ask as a gift, I got a few awesome things I asked for for birthday Christmas last year…..Caran D’Ache Neocolor II water soluble wax crayons and wax pastels. Holbein watercolors and gouache are of course, amazing, but Winsor Newton/Winton is also great (their pigment just doesn’t always pop the way Holbein’s does), Golden Acrylics makes great heavy and light bodied paints and also great textures and mediums (I recommend their Gel Retardent and Acrylic Glazing liquid to keep the paints wet and flowing. 

Brushes:

Winsor and Newton Cotman synthetic brushes, Simply Simmons brushes (recommended by Wylie), and then Grumbacher (expensive but have had for years now, good brushes).