Image Editing Software That's Cheap or Free

Thrifty Thursday

Many of us are familiar with Adobe Photoshop and all the cool stuff you can do with it and the price tag that comes along with it, every month. To help the ease the money burden of buying an image editing software here are a few apps that you can get when starting out and trying to save a little money.

***This is not a sponsored blog these are just some of the products that I personally use. You can always explore and find other options.***

Here are some features to look for when selecting your image editing software.
export formats - What types of formats can you save your file in (ex. jpeg, png, gif…)
layers - can you work in layers to work nondestructively
platforms - what platforms does it work on (ios, microsoft, linux)
learning curve - how difficult will it be to learn
support - does it offer any user support if you have questions or if there are any issues

Below is a list of the image editing apps I have either used or was recommended by a friend. Feel free to try them out or find an app on your own, just make sure to really review the apps features.

The list is alphabetical order only:

Adobe Photoshop Elements
Affinity
CyberLink PhotoDirector
Fotor - free version
GIMP - free
Krita - free
Paint.NET - free
PhotoScape - free version
Pixlr - free version

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time. Remember to like and follow for more great art lessons.

Find The Right Colored Pencils For You

Thrifty Thursday

It’s Thursday and we are being thrifty but not cheap. Color pencils are one of the art supplies where you still need to watch out for quality, cheaper is not always better. Not to worry I am not going to suggest go out and buy the most expensive., there is a happy medium. First let’s go over what makes a quality colored pencil and the types of colored pencils.

Quality in colored Pencils:
Rich in color/pigmentation - bright, clean colors
Highly lightfast - does not fade easily
Easily layered - can color over other colors t build layers
Limited Breakage - does not break easily

Types of Colored Pencils:
Colored pencils come in a variety of grades. Student grade are usually cheap don’t have as much pigment or are highly lightfast. Artist grade cost a little more and have more pigment and blend a little better. Professional grade are the most expensive with rich colors and great lightfastness.

You can get color pencils that are wax based and oil based. These will behave differently and it’s a good idea to try out several different brands and types of colored pencils before investing in a set.

My suggestion for price, quality and variety of colors is the Prismacolor Premier color pencils. They are a really good pencil for beginners and some professionals prefer them as well.

It really comes down to personal taste so buy a few individual pencils from different brands to find one you prefer. You can always mix the brands.

Thanks for stoping by and see you next time. Remember to like and follow

*This is not a sponsored blog these are just some of the products that I personally use. You can always explore and find other options.

Inexpensive Canvas for Beginners

Thrifty Thursday

So you decided to take up painting and started looking for all of your supplies. You walk into your neighborhood art store see the prices of painting supplies and almost pass out. “What?!,” you say. “Are you kidding me?!” Yes painting supplies can cost a lot of money but it’s ok you don’t need the most expensive supplies to get started. Canvas ranges in value and types so lets take a look at your options.

Canvas Types:
Canvas paper - heavy weight paper that is coated to handle paint (make sure its made for your paint type: oil, acrylic or watercolor) Some may need to be prepped before painting.
Canvas panels - thin heavy weight cardboard that is covered with primed canvas on one side, ready to paint.
Masonite - thin wood pulp panel (needs to be primed with gesso before painting)
Stretched Canvas - wood frame covered with canvas, usually primed and ready to paint.

Canvas panels in a value pack for beginners is my suggestion. This will be the least expensive option but still have the canvas feel. You will be able to get several panels to work on. Keep to the smaller sizes to keep the cost down and your motivation going, working on a big painting and not finishing because of the size is not what you want.

Stretched canvas in value packs is my next choice for beginners. This gives the real feel of canvas and you can get a few canvases to work on. Once again keep the size on the smaller side.

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time. Remember to click the like button and leave a comment below.

*This is not a sponsored blog these are just some of the products that I personally use. You can always explore and find other options.

Great Beginner Watercolor Paints

Thrifty Thursday

Watercolor painting can be fun and expensive but there are affordable options out there. Let’s take a look at the different watercolor paint types.

Watercolor paints can be liquid or solid, tubes (liquid) or pans (solid). There are a variety of colors and they vary depending on the brand. You can buy a set of colors or select individual colors that fit your needs.

An affordable way to go is with a pan set that has the necessary colors for you to get started. Another option is to get a few select colors to start with. If just starting out I would suggest getting a set so you don’t have to worry about selecting colors.

Once you are comfortable with watercolors and have decided you like painting move onto getting individual tubes so you can set up your color palette the way you like it.

Some inexpensive pan sets you can find: Prang, MeiLiang, or Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour (pocket) watercolor sets.  For the least expensive watercolor tube paints Winsor & Newton Cotman are a good start.

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This is not a sponsored blog these are just some of the products that I personally use. You can always explore and find other options.

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time.

*This is not a sponsored blog these are just some of the products that I personally use. You can always explore and find other options.

Save Your Money on Paper

Thrift Thursday

Paper cheaper by the ream/bundle

Paper plays an important part of art, whether you are sketching or drawing. Quality paper is important but if you are just sketching or working out ideas, a ream of heavy weight copy paper is a good alternative to buying a sketchbook or art paper. It’s much cheaper per sheet than a sketchbook from an art store and it holds the drawing media just fine. Wet media does not work as well but you could still use markers, ballpoint pens or sharpies.

If you want to keep all of your sketches together or want a handy way to hold all of the paper while you are out and about sketching hole punch the copy paper. Put all of the loose sheets of paper in a cheap binder and you are all set.

Paper Basics:

• Paper weight - how thick the paper is.
  Heavier weight = thicker paper (example: 20lb. thin paper - 80lb. thick paper)\

• Paper brightness - how bright the paper is, brighter paper appears whiter.

• Paper surface - the finish or texture of the paper.
  Hot press = smooth surface
  Cold press = slightly bumpy, textured surface

color pencil on copy paper (two pieces taped together)

Thanks for stopping by, until next time keep drawing.