There’s not much that I like better than buying art supplies. Visiting another country, in my experience, is an excellent excuse to explore new brands and our new friends at USk Paris were most helpful in directing us to local art suppliers.
Here are the latest colours, mainly from Schmincke and Sennelier. I also have a new brush, whose name is Leonard no. 3, made by Gerstaecker (a brand I am unfamiliar with).
Down the bottom of the page are some Herbin inks that I also got in Paris at Galleries Lafayette. They come in 10 ml as well as 30ml bottles, all the better to encourage you to buy multiple bottles (see, it works). The most disappointing thing is that these inks are not waterproof. That hasn’t stopped me from using them, but I would be using them a lot more if I could be sure they wouldn’t run.
New colour cows: top row – Idanthrone blue (WN), Cobalt green turquoise (Schk), Delft blue (Schk); middle row – Payne’s grey (Schk), Potters pink (Schk), Light grey (Sen), Brown Green (Sen)
The other day I took Leonard no.3 out painting. He was a very good brush indeed. He holds lots of water and also has a good fine tip. This was the brush I used for the painting/ collage below, on the Canal St Martin.
The lock at Parc Eugene Varlin, Canal St Martin. Watercolour, pencil and collage.
Today I filled my favourite Sailor Fude nib pen with the Herbin Orange Indien and used it in my sketch of the Tropical Glasshouse at the Jardin des Plantes. When used in conjunction with watercolour you can get away without seeing too much ink bleeding.
Inside the Tropical House at the Jardins des Plantes, Paris
leonieandrews 
I’m taken by your adventurous explorations and especially the leafy image!
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Thanks Claudia. I actually had quite a strong physical reaction when I came to make the collage work. It quite surprised me. I suspect after a run of ‘sucessful’ pen and wash sketches, the challenge of trying something different was a bit nerve wracking. The sketch in the glasshouse I had been thinking about for at least a week. The only problem I met was that every time I went to sketch it was closed for public holidays etc. This was third time lucky.
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Oh wow – the tropical glasshouse looks exciting Leonie. Gorgeous colours and leaf shapes. I bet it was a pleasant place to sketch. Looks like you are having a wondeful time in Paris!
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Thanks! The glasshouse was fun. I was sketching from half way up an artificial grotto, which takes you to an upper level in the building.
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Oh lovely, I especially like all the greens. I am quite obsessed by painting/creative supplies too.
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😅Show me an artist who isn’t.
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