Art Materials Recommendations by Artists at Jackson’s

Find out art materials recommendations from the team of painters, printmakers, illustrators and designers on the team at Jackson’s. These artists work closely with the vast range of materials available at jacksonsart.com and here they have selected some of their favourites and shared how they use the materials in their own art practice.

Belle Arti Oil Primed Linen Canvases

Belle Arti Oil Primed Linen Canvases

Using the finest linen thread from France the woven linen is then primed and stretched to the highest of standards. All the linen & cotton canvases are stretched to the reverse giving a clean edge suitable for displaying without a frame. Only renewable wood, red fir, dried to the right degree of humidity, is employed to assure the best stability of stretcher. A special design of joint and of stretcher bar assures resistance to torsion and the perfect control of the stretchers tension.

“I love the Belle Arti Oil Primed Linen canvases. I work with oil paint and these are perfect for detail, allowing a lovely continuous flow with the paint. My preferred surface for painting on is usually a gesso wood panel due to the smoothness of the surface but these Belle Arti Extra Fine canvases are a great alternative.” – Charlotte

Jackson’s Print Rack

Jackson’s Print Rack

For storage or display of works on paper at art fairs, for buyers to browse through the work, or in the studio as storage. Often the work is placed in a poly bag with a stiff card for protection. This print rack is made from high quality beech wood and folds down for easy transportation.

“The Jackson’s print rack has been a trusty companion at many an exhibition and fair!” – Jonny

Yupo Watercolour Paper

Yupo Watercolour Paper

Yupo is a non-porous, acid free and pH neutral, synthetic paper which is machine made in the USA from 100% polypropylene. It is completely waterproof, stain-resistant and has become a unique and intriguing alternative to traditional art papers due to its strength and lifting properties.

“My favourite art materials to use when the sun is out are the alcohol inks on Yupo paper. Yupo Paper is great for these as it is not absorbed into the surface as Yupo is a synthetic paper. They are great fun to create vibrant colourful works and so easy to get started. Best to keep a spare bleeding solution bottle so you can reactive areas of alcohol ink if you want to adjust the flow.” – Mary

Daniel Smith Watercolour Paint

Daniel Smith Watercolour Paint

Daniel Smith Extra Fine watercolours were released in 1993 and are among the most popular watercolours used by artists across the world. The colours in the range combine ancient hues and precious minerals with the most modern developments in paint technology. Daniel Smith strive to produce watercolours with the best possible lightfastness and permanence.

“Daniel Smith watercolour paints are my absolute favourite. They produce 30 colours using pigments mined from the earth and these are the colours that spark my interest the most because they are so interesting to incorporate into your paintings. I use these colours when producing landscape paintings. They are beautiful for mixing and have excellent lightfastness properties which is ideal for my paintings. The colour variety is impressive and Jackson’s supply over 200 + of their colours, ranging from earth tones to vibrant colours such as Pyrrole Orange and Aussie Red Gold, which are also my personal favourites. I feel there is a colour palette to fit every watercolour artist requirements in this range.” – April

Jackson’s Akoya White Synthetic Brushes

Jackson’s Akoya White Synthetic Brushes

Jackson’s Akoya brushes, so named because their pure white silky hairs resemble the Akoya pearl, have been developed to match and build upon qualities offered by the leading natural hog brushes.

Colour and liquid absorbency is maximised by craters in each hair that gather pigment and replicate natural hairs in a way that other synthetic brushes are not capable of.

In addition to this, the Akoya brushes maintain the excellent spring and shape that one would expect of a synthetic brush, reinforced by the two thicknesses of hair used. These brushes are designed to last, thanks to a heating process that causes the hairs to retain their shape after use, and the strength of the filaments themselves. This durability means that you won’t have bristles breaking off in your paint. With slightly stiffer hair than our Procryl brushes, the Akoya exhibits the best characteristics of both the highest grade natural and the finest synthetic brushes.

“Of all my brushes I reach for the Akoya filberts the most when I am oil painting. I know I can get the shapes and marks that I want with lots of spring for good control. A filbert can be used on the flat or on the edge, so they are versatile. As a bonus, when it’s brush cleaning time, the Akoya fibres come clean more easily than other brush hairs.” – Julie

Derwent Graphik Line Painter Pen 19 White

Derwent Graphik Line Painter Pen 19 White

Graphik Line Painters are a fine line paint pen that gives immense depth of colour, even on dark backgrounds. Create layers, dribbles and washes with the opaque water-based ink in 20 strong colours. These cool pens have a 0.5 Japan nib is robust and delivers a fluid paint line.

“If you’re looking to make white lines on top of black ink or paper, this is the best white liner I’ve found so far in terms of opaqueness, as a lot of white liners I’ve tried tend to be a bit transparent.” – Dominique

Pro Arte Masterstroke Prolon Series 61 Synthetic Brush Filbert Size 8

Pro Arte Masterstroke Prolon Series 61 Synthetic Brush Filbert Size 8

Pro Arte Masterstroke Prolon Brushes are a student quality range available in a variety of shapes and sizes. These brushes are intended for students and are also excellent for those on a budget. They are suitable for use with acrylics and a range of water-based media.

“I absolutely love this brush – it’s the only one I have from this range at the moment, and every time I pick it up I realise how it has just the right amount of stiffness/spring to it, to make vibrant marks. It’s so satisfying to paint with, when you need to make a brush mark that keeps its shape. I have used the filbert most for describing the contours of a face in portraits.” – Lisa

Awagami Washi Japanese Paper Kozo Natural

Awagami Washi Japanese Paper Kozo Natural

Traditional Japanese woodblock printing or moku hanga has for centuries utilised paper made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree; kozo. Kozo fibres are long and will create very strong and absorbent paper even when made thin and if dampened.

“While searching for a large format paper to print woodcuts by hand I came across this delicate Japanese washi. Crafted from 80% Kozo, this 46 gsm washi is exceptionally strong and pliable with a natural, almost translucent surface. While printing on large blocks using water-based Akua inks, I found that the paper was very easy to handle and accepted the ink perfectly. The paper has a very smooth side for printing which I found to naturally adhere to the block so I could burnish the back by hand without worrying about creasing or tears.” – Gemma

Old Holland Classic Oil Paint 60 ml Warm Grey Light

Old Holland Classic Oil Paint 60 ml Warm Grey Light

Within this unique range of 168 oil paints, there is a wide range of opaque and transparent colours, each with the highest possible brilliance and clarity characteristics. The only medium used for these oil paints is cold-pressed extra virgin linseed oil, used to obtain optimum oxidisation (drying) of the paint.

“In my opinion, Old Holland Warm Grey Light is indispensable for my oil painting practice. I used it to tint my canvas before I start painting (to get rid of the bright white of the primer), and it’s also beautiful in muted mixes, and a fantastic light earthy hue. If I don’t have Warm Grey Light to hand when I’m oil painting, I mix a little Raw Umber into a mix of Zinc and Titanium white, but it is never the same!” – Lisa

Clearance Items

Clearance Items

Clearance items can be a great way to purchase discontinued or slightly damaged materials at a lower price. Please note these items are non-refundable.

“Our Clearance section is quite the treasure trove, particularly for artists strapped for cash but still in need of quality materials. Think ‘wonky fruit and veg’ – there’s usually nothing wrong with the products, just mislabelled/mis-stamped, or discontinued so we can keep our stock fresh.” – Dan

Further Reading

Art Materials Recommended by Artist’s at Jackson’s

Gifts For Artists: Top Picks From The Jackson’s Team

Gifts for Artists: Recommendations From the Jackson’s Team