These are just some of the design books at the 4th floor! I swear, it was so hard to do the shoot without going home empty-handed. *Woops!*
Little did I know that on the very same floor n books and n years later, I would be holding watercolor and digitizing workshops much less speaking in front of many people. I may be an introvert but I get energy every time I see others immersed in creativity or when participants would come to share how much fun they’ve had. Meeting like-minded individuals who may have come across the blog is also a joy. (All the time!)
This year though, Fully Booked has amped up on their Art Supplies in their Bonifacio High Street branch. You will find instructional books, design books, all sorts of paper! *I swear! Just check out the vlog.* Tubes and tubes of oil, acrylic, gouache and watercolor too! Wow, so many exclamation points. I’m obviously way too excited!
And what would a Fully Booked visit be without stocking up on my faves? Of course, I made sure to try out other products because how can you not when they’re calling your name as you pass by each aisle? *reasons of an art supplies addict*
Watercolor
Ecoline Liquid Watercolor
Unlike regular watercolor, this is heavily pigmented. *So get your wipes ready!* It’s also ready to use. You may add water and blend it with other hues to create the perfect shade to match your aesthetic (or your IG feed). This is particularly loved by brush letterers and painters around the world.
Daniel Smith Watercolors
When people ask what a nice watercolor brand is, I would always tell them that you almost always get what you pay for in terms of color quality and concentration. As with any art material, I don’t buy all the colors at once if it’s possible. 🙂 I bought a couple of Daniel Smith tubes first just to test it out. It didn’t disappoint. It’s highly concentrated and it comes in my favorite Cobalt Teal Blue. *I’m typing this with paint in my hands as I go through my box of tubes.*
Daler-Rowney Artists Watercolor Tubes
When it comes to being more open to trying new things, it’s the hubby who would walk up to me after a workshop and would show me a new product or two. One day, he showed me a tube of Daler-Rowney Artists Watercolor tube and I ended up having almost all my go-to colors:
Phthalo Green
Cobalt Blue *I think I’m on my third tube. Whoops!*
Vivid Green
Lemon Yellow
My caveat against Daler-Rowney Artists tube as with highly concentrated watercolors is that when you open the tube, you might not see the actual potential color because it is in its darkest version (especially when you buy the first two that I mentioned). But it just means that with a tiny squeeze, you will be able to paint a lot.
Amsterdam Arcylic Paints
If you’re looking for a mid-range acrylic, somewhere between student grade but not yet ready to invest in Golden tubes, this is the brand for you. It’s pretty straightforward in terms of colors as you can see them through their clear tubes. *Good job Amsterdam packaging department!* Compared to entry level acrylic paints, you will see the difference once you start mixing the colors. You will find that these paints are ‘cooperative’. *Gahhh…I tend to describe my art materials like people.*
Golden Acrylics and Liquid Acrylics
If you’re looking for the best quality of acrylic available in the store, this is it! The colors are very rich and vibrant so they’re a go-to for my abstract work especially when I’m looking for a specific color. The nice thing about Golden is that you get to see the actual color painted onto the packaging. *Another 10 house points for the packaging team.* That and their wide range of products depending on how you want acrylic to behave: heavy body, iridescent (shiny), smooth, or buttery opens up endless possibilities. You can work exclusively with the acrylic or mix it up with other medium and materials. (goldenpaints.com)
If you’re into something more fluid aka perfect for airbrushing or acrylic markers then the High Flow acrylics would suit you well. If you’re the neon and brights kind of person then you’d surely be interested to try out their Fluorescent & Phosphorescent Colors. For people who are new to acrylic or who love to buy more time editing their work, you can either get yourself a Golden medium that will help you slow the drying or use Golden Open Acrylics which dries slower. *Okay, I’m obviously gushing my love for these. Hihi.*
Ecoline Brush Pens
Like its Ecoline liquid colors counterpart, these brush pens are highly pigmented and concentrated. Because they’re in pen form, they do well for blending or creating the infamous ombre effect even for beginners. They come in vibrant colors too! And did you know that it’s not waterproof when dry? This means that you can slightly edit or work further on your piece simply by wetting the paper a bit. *If you remember, we gave a couple of sets during our blog giveaway a few posts back. Read it here. (http://www.googlygooeys.com/
https://www.royaltalens.com/
Daler Rowney Brushes
The Daler-Rowney Graduate brushes are generally springy if you’re looking for control. It’s available in various hairs (e.g. hog hair, synthetic, etc.) depending on your needs. Choose from the flat, round, sword and fan brushes (aka my latest fascination since the fan brush is really good for both blending and the dry brush effect). And remember, just like in Harry Potter, the wand chooses you or so they say. *wink* P.S. Unicorn hair not available. Joke!
Paper
If you’re practicing, student grade paper works best. In terms of material, it uses more cellulose than cotton. But if you’re working with artist grade paint then I highly recommend artist grade papers for the job.
Clairefontaine Watercolor Papers
Since Clairefontaine carries various papers, you’ll find one that suits your needs:
100% Cotton — I have to say that this works really well with colors. When I describe it, I end up saying the paper is “behaved” and it knows how to respect the hues in the sense that it doesn’t absorb the pigment making them lighter than should be.
Cold-pressed — This one comes with two sides: a textured and a non-textured one. It’s a great in between as the texture is not as much as Rough watercolor paper but it’s not as smooth as Hot-pressed Watercolor paper either.
Extra Rough — If you’re one to love working with heavy textures, this one’s for you!
Clairefontaine Sketch Pads
Seeing how I’m already on my fourth, it’s obvious that I particularly love Clairefontaine sketch pads. It has just the right grit for pencils and it is eraser friendly too. I also do love how sketch pads specify their specific purpose. That and before this, I used to have a pile of paper…at least they’re now in one sketch pad (and somewhat Riley-proof at that)!
Daler-Rowney Papers
As you may have noticed, Daler-Rowney has the complete range from brushes to paints to papers!
But wait, there’s more!
I just realized that even though we spent a whole afternoon shooting everything that we could get our hands on, time is not enough. You’ll have to go see the design and instructional books for yourselves. (Tip: Check out the post beside the canvases) And oh the canvases and easels! How could I forget? They have those too! They even carry Pantone booklets, oil tubes… *OMG there’s so much products at Fully Booked I might need to borrow Hermione’s or Merry Poppins’ charmed handbag to fit my stash.* 😀
Hope you’re as excited as us to visit the store!
Check out Fully Booked Greenbelt 5 too! 🙂
XOXO,
The Googly Family
Visit the branch here:
B6 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 858-7051 to 52
Get to know more about Fully Booked here:
Fully Booked Online: FullyBookedOnline.com
Twitter.com/_FullyBooked
Facebook.com/FullyBooked
Instagram.com/_FullyBooked
Are there copic markers?