Art galleries or artist’s supply stores are some kind of sacred places for art lovers. If you’re in an art shop, there are isles of brushes with beautiful bristles and handles that feel like like you’re holding something precious in your hands; there are hundreds of paint tubes for different kinds of painting methods, such as watercolor, oil painting or if you’re into acrylic painting. But oil paintings have a special place in my heart, because there’s just something so out of this world about their texture and color. The artist took her / his time to think about details and to build the painting upon its foundation. I included some of my favorite paintings from the National Gallery.
Having a pencil case is essential if you’re a student, someone who enjoys being creative or just in case for everyday occasions. But it doesn’t have to be particularly fancy. I put together a list of pencil case items that I consider to be essential and use daily. These products can be interchanged, although there are staples. I’d start with one pencil case. The more battered the better. It looks like I’m using it instead of only looking at it. It doesn’t matter if it’s ten years old, it’s in my tool box for a reason. Colored pencils vary from brand to brand for different technical skills – I store mine in a pencil roll, but I’ve had them in their original case as well. Graphite pencils for writing, drawing and sketching. Again, there’s a sea of pencils, but the most important thing about a pencil is its graphite core. A dust-free eraser or kneaded eraser for drawing and a good sharpener. Biro pens for making notes. Highlighter markers and black markers of medium size to sketch ideas. And that’s it. A pencil case filled with essentials to learn one’s craft.
Sketching and observing art works at the National Gallery felt surreal. Art may not be fundamental and it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but there’s a story behind it. Some of my favorite pieces come from the Realism and Impressionism movements, here I sketched Jurij Šubic’s portrait of author Ivan Tavčar and one of the main figures from Ivana Kobilca’s Summer.