It feels good to make great Art, but it's even better to make Great, compassionate Art!
My life was a canvas to be made
A beautiful colour to behold
The wind brushed my lively hair
My Ivory was a beautiful mould
Can't you see I'm Art already?
Megan McKiernan 2024
I hope these Art secrets help you avoid cruelty in your beautiful artwork, Vegan or not 😊
I've been Vegan for over 20 years. I'd love to say I've been an Artist for that long. However, I have been creating Artwork and buying and learning about Vegan Art supplies for years! I work with watercolour and play around with pencil crayons and clay.
There is still so much to learn.. as I grow as an Artist and try new things, I'll share more secrets along the way.
"We are all leaves of one tree. We are all waves of one sea." Thich Nhat Hanh
5 secrets of a Vegan Artist,
Secret #1 - Bile from a cow's Gall bladder and animal bones in Watercolours & Gouache.
Thankfully there are Alternatives. I was able to find a Vegan "Ox Gall" on Amazon here:
The Vegan Watercolours I use are Daniel Smith (DS) and QOR.
Not all Daniel Smith and QOR are vegan-friendly. My Favorite Daniel Smith's Watercolour is the Genuine Primatek Collection. It adds unique tones and depth. They're made from minerals that create a beautiful granulating effect. Amazon has an amazing 6 pack of Genuine Primatek:
The watercolours I listed below do, unfortunately, contain ox gall and or PBk9 (an ingredient derived from animal bones). Do not buy any listed below:
Sepia-Daniel Smith
Ivory Black- Daniel Smith & QOR
Joseph Z's Neutral Gret- Daniel Smith
Paynes Gray- Daniel Smith
The Vegan Gouache I use is Winsor and Newton Designer Gouache. I listed the Winsor & Newton Gouache below that does contain OX Gall. Do not buy any listed below:
Ivory Black
Raw Sienna
Winsor Green
spectrum yellow
intense Blue
Sky Blue
Purple Lake
Prussian Blue
Linden Green
Flame Red
Burnt Umber
Bengal Rose
Primary Blue
Lamp Black
Spectrum Violet
🎨🐖
Secret #2 - Skin, Bones and Connective tissues in watercolour paper. "Gelatin Size"
Now that you can pick out your watercolours with a clear conscience. You'll need paper to match.
Geitan size is to reduce the absorbency of the watercolour paper. Today companies can use a synthetic size instead that works the same, if not better! (Gelatin is made up of boiling up pieces of decaying animal hides that were killed at slaughterhouses.)
I've had no issues with the absorbency or quality of Vegan watercolour paper.
Fabriano Artistico. I can't tell you how amazing these watercolour papers are, but I can show you!
-With this watercolour paper, I could add so much detail, and it allowed the quality of the DS watercolours to shine through!
Fabriano 1264,
-This Vegan Watercolour paper adds warmth and it has a beautiful texture!
Canson,
Soft Vegan Watercolour paper. Again, great quality and price. Excellent for beginners.
Strathmore,
-I created The Tippy Journeys Collection on this amazing watercolour paper. The quality is great and the price is too! Excellent for beginners.
Available Here:
=🖤=
Secret #3 - Weasel/Sable Fur in watercolour Paint brushes
Your art brushes may have Hog, Sable, Mink, Weasel, Mongoose, Badger, Horse/Pony Ox, Camel, Racoon, Wolf, Sheep, Goat, Squirrel, and or Rabbit fur in them!! These animals are cruelly trapped, "harvested" and killed for their pelts/fur/hair.) *Some also have animal-derived glue on the handles of Art brushes.
Vegan watercolour paintbrushes all have amazing durability, paint/water holding, and control.
I use:
Princeton,
-I LOVE these paintbrushes. They're every vegan watercolour Artist's dream! I listed below where you can buy my favorite Vegan watercolour paintbrushes to use:
I also use:
JacksonsArt, Silverline paintbrushes
✨
"A heart full of kindness glows differently" Hemsis
Secret #4 - Casin, animal fat/Tallow in Pencil crayons as well as animal colours and beeswax
Working with Pencil crayons can be so much fun and therapeutic. Before Watercolour I only worked with Pencil Crayons.
My two favourite Pencil Crayon brands are:
Derwent (I use both metallic and Coloursoft)
and
Faber-Castell
🐄
Secret #5 - Animal Bones in Clay
My dad, Maurice Wideman was a famous Artist. He was well known for sculptures of houses ❤️ I remember him teaching me how to sculpt. I have fond memories of watching him for hours, placing every tiny detail on his masterpieces.
Clay is such a memorable part of my childhood. I hope to work with it more in the future.
-I emailed Sculpy. They confirmed that the air dry, and non-air dry clays are vegan!
Vegan ✔️
"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." Da Vinci
There are many more Vegan art materials available!
I thought it appropriate to share the brands that I've personally tried and tested.
If in doubt, you can always write to the company and ask them if they're vegan-friendly. I make art perfectly fine without the use of cruel Art Materials. We don't need to use animal body parts or insects in Art when there are cruelty-free, synthetic, plant-based alternatives.
I hope this helps you make cruelty-free choices with your art materials.
Make your artwork beautiful inside and out!
🥰
Of course, all the Artwork I create is Vegan-friendly. Have a peek at my artwork in my SHOP.
Use LOVE2024 for 10% off everything!
Leave a comment about any Vegan art essentials you'd like to share.
Bunches of love 🤍
Megan McKiernan
(5 secrets of a vegan artist. 2024)