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Sorry for going suddenly silent last week but a cold turned into bronchitis which is now officially pneumonia.

And my poor voice…

Anyway, I’m writing this from my laptop in bed— so yes, I’m taking it easy.

Livestreams have been postponed, YouTube is on complete hold. Today’s article will also be short as I just don’t have the usual energy to write at length about anything indepth.

We’ll get back to our normal routine eventually.

I purchase about 50% of my art supplies from Dick Blick which is why I’m a long-time affiliate. Shop using my links to support this free newsletter. Thanks!

Moooooooo!

Okay, so when we were last together, we talked about the large number of blue and blue-adjacent colors in my frequently used color list.

Visit the Free Download Library if you don’t have the list yet.

And remember, this list is pencil oriented but that’s only because the video which inspired it was about pencils and so were most of your questions.

I use these colors a lot in markers, watercolor, and way back when I painted seriously, these same colors were also on my palette.

Before that, we discussed the gray pencils on my list.

And prior to that, the subject was white.

Now that we’re all up to speed, I’m slamming on the brakes.

Everyone off the bus, please.

We gotta talk.

Access the download library here

CURRENT PASSWORD: RubberDuckie

I’m getting a flurry of pencil questions in emails, in YouTube comments, in my membership groups. I’m concerned.

On the one hand, we’re talking about colored pencils.

Meh, it’s just a pencil.

On the other hand, some of you are sitting on gigantic collections of colored pencils and you keep buying new sets.

It’s almost as if your hobby is purchasing pencils rather than using pencils.

You’ve invested money here. From the sounds of it, a lot of you have invested a lot of money…

And judging from the basic nature of the questions…

You don’t understand what you’re buying.

So let me propose a temporary halt. A moratorium.

Stop buying colored pencils.

If you’ve got a set of pencils in your Amazon cart, Get it out.

No new pencils until you understand the product better, okay?

I’m going to be brutally honest for a moment.

Hang tight, I’m not blaming you. You’re the victim.

We are incredibly fortunate here in the western world. The average first-world person isn’t living hand-to-mouth. We have extra income and leisure time to pursue hobbies.

This makes us targets.

Once upon a time, there were just a few art supply companies and just a few craft supply retailers. I’d like to think they cared about what they were making and that they cared about their customers. Small businesses tend to be closer to their customer base and act more responsibly because they interact with you more directly. They also live and die by your trust and loyalty.

Now the art and craft market is hyper-saturated with companies no one has ever heard of before and they’re all after one thing:

Your money.

These are BUSINESS people — not artists, not crafters but business and marketing experts who’ve noticed you like to buy artsy stuff. Their goal is to get rich selling you that stuff.

They look at you like a cash cow.

They’re making cheap art products for customers they do not care about. To sell cheap, they make it cheap in remote places where they can get away with cutting corners.

Then the marketing team steps in and does their magic.

They know you’ll buy their lies.

The most popular alcohol marker today? Ten years ago, Ohuhu made clarinets and lawn chairs.

Why does a plastics factory make both musical instruments AND cheap furniture? Why would they suddenly start crankin’ out art supplies?

Mooooooooooo.

Now I know this is hypocritical of me.

I’m writing this in a newsletter which has advertisements. I’m an affiliate for Amazon, Dick Blick, and Scrapbook Pal which means I make a few pennies if you use my affiliate links.

But for the next couple months, let’s just stop buying colored pencils.

Instead, let’s learn about what goes into a quality colored pencil.

Let’s discuss what to look for when buying colored pencils.

We’ll discuss which features you need and which are stupid.

Then, when you understand more about colored pencils, you can open your wallet again.

But save your money until you’re smarter because many current pencil companies don’t deserve your money.

I want every penny you spend to be a wise investment.

A colored pencil you can use with ease.

A colored pencil which performs and lasts.

A colored pencil which facilitates learning and skill growth.

And a colored pencil which matches your taste, style, and personal goals.

My favorite pencil will not be the same as your ideal brand.

I have no desire to talk you into using the same stuff I use and I’m not trying to sell you on anything. I just want you in a healthy place were you can make art and express yourself without you having sleep with one eye open just in case someone, somewhere launches a new pencil brand.

You can’t keep going like like this. You can’t keep buying junk.

We’re done, okay?

No new sets. No more art hauls. No more buying what she’s buying…

You are not a cow.

Not anymore.

Next week, we’ll start with the most basic thing people are getting wrong about colored pencils.

Each week, we’ll build upon the previous lesson until you can shop for pencils with knowledge and confidence.

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