The third part of my Useful Tools series features the bread-and-butter of traditional artwork.........the mediums. The mediums an artist chooses to use is always based on a comfort level, a favoritism and pricing. A professional artist can usually afford the higher-end tools, but a young artist or someone who is on a budget will have to rely on what they can get. In my next series of traditional art stuff (Mediums and Choice), I'll give a rundown and examples and even general pricing of some of the various media shown in these pictures in actual coloring use.

Suffice it to say, high-end art supplies really do make a difference..........but starting out with cheaper alternatives can help you find your favorite medium to work with and then you can save up and scale up your artwork by eventually getting to acquire high-end supplies.

Every medium has a way it works--and tons of techniques to achieve special effects, details and so forth. I suppose one thing I haven't pictured here is actual FROM-A-JAR inks, which can be used with calligraphy pens and brushes. I've used those, too--but my ongoing struggle against arthritis really prevents me from indulging in this particular medium anymore. It does require a slow and steady hand to use inks in the very traditional fashion.

Crayons, markers and [colored] pencils are what most artists start out with--they're easier to find, especially given that most young people are given a pack of Crayola (or RoseART) crayons as soon as they are able to hold something pen-like and doodle with it. Tempera paints, watercolor pans and some basic acrylic paints are also easy to acquire for younger people with limited budgets. I encourage everyone to try every kind of medium once--see what you can do with it before you say whether you like it or hate it. Even if you're afraid of watercolors, but are used to holding a pen-like object.........you can try to dabble in watercolors with Watercolor Pencils and Watercolor Cremes (also called Watercolor Crayons). You can color with these like crayons and pencils and then use a brush (with water) to activate the watercolor element in them. It's a good midway point to graduate from dry to wet mediums.

The top photo shows dry mediums, which can include colored pencils, pens, markers and the like. The lower photo shows wet mediums, which are generally your paints.

Please feel free to ask me any questions about any of these supplies and I can offer more tips and tricks for finding and using them. :)