Neha Patel

You can only slow yellowing not stop it - UV and humidity swing are the big culprits after the paper’s own acidity. Cheap win: block UV with curtains or window film and keep them in a closed bookcase or at least fully out of direct sun. Keep humidity steady around 40–50%, and if you ever sleeve books, use polyethylene or polypropylene (never PVC) and don’t seal them tight so moisture doesn’t get trapped.

Solid advice above. One more budget-friendly route to strong background blur is using the long end of your kit zoom (or a cheap 55–200) around 85–135mm with your subject well away from the background - works surprisingly well even at f/4–5.6. And with a 50/1.8, stopping down to around f/2.2–f/2.8 boosts sharpness and hit rate; back-button focus can help keep the near eye locked without recomposing.

Since you want watercolor effects without the fuss, look for a small student set of fluid acrylics or that model gouache. Fluid flows more like watercolor when thinned and that model gouache dries matte and velvety, which keeps those soft edges. Aim for a 10 to 12 color set rather than a giant case. Fewer tubes with better pigment load will blend more cleanly and stay within your budget. If the box mentions slow drying or extended open time and even better. helps with the blending issue you ran into. For brushes, soft synthetic is your friend. Short handle rounds in about sizes 6 and 10 for washes and lines, a small round or liner for details, and a half inch flat for skies and graded washes will cover almost everything. You do not need a big bundle. Clean them as you paint, keep paint out of the metal ferrule, reshape with a touch of brush soap. Done. Storage in a small space can be simple. Wipe the threads before closing, squeeze air out of tubes, and store cap side down so the paint keeps the cap moist. A food container with a damp sponge and baking parchment becomes a stay wet palette that slows drying and saves paint. A little mister bottle of water keeps blends workable longer. Works great.