My Favorite Art Supplies
Here is a list of my favorite supplies in no particular order. Please note, I am not sponsored by any company or product. Everything covered here is used regularly during the course of my work. Regarding the links included below, I am a participant in affiliate programs. I receive a small commission if you click through and purchase - though any commission tends to be used by me to purchase more art supplies...
Watercolor Paint
I use Da Vinci Paint's permanent watercolors.
I initially purchased their "Denise's Earth Friendly Palette" - a set of 24 non-toxic, vegan colors curated by wildlife artist Denise Soden (palette pictured at left). I loved the idea of an environmentally friendly paint set as some watercolor pigments out there can be toxic. There is some debate on the subject of toxicity that I am not looking to wade into, but some pigments are at least toxic enough to get a Prop 65 warning label, so I was happy to find a set that seemed to be clear of that.
These are professional grade paints. I opted to fill pans rather than use the colors straight from the tube - this was mainly a cost savings strategy for me as I tend to be a paint waster if I am squeezing it fresh daily onto my palette.
I love the colors offered by this company - there is such an array and such a variety of textures available from iridescent to granulating paints. They never let me down.
The colors in my palette are listed below:
- Arylide Yellow (PY97)
- Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65)
- Da Vinci Red (PR254)
- Alizarin Crimson Permanent (PV19)
- Perylene Maroon (PR179)
- Red Rose Deep (PV19)
- Da Vinci Violet (PV23)
- Indanthrene Blue (PB60)
- Ultramarine Blue (PB29)
- Cerulean Blue Hue (P15/PW6)
- Phthalo Turquoise (PB16)
- Phthalo Green (PG7)
- Raw Umber (PBr7)
- Burnt Umber (PBr7)
- Violet Iron Oxide (PR101)
- Indian Red (PR101)
- Burnt Sienna (PBr7)
- Quin Burnt Orange (PO48)
- Raw Sienna (PBr7)
- Raw Sienna Deep (PY42)
- Gold Ochre (PY42/PY83)
- Green Gold (PY129)
- Denise's Green (PY129/PB60)
- Perylene Green (PBk31)
Watercolor Paper
I primarily use Arches Cold Pressed 140 lb/300 gram
When I started out and was doing my own research on supplies, I found over and over again that Arches was the fan favorite paper of almost every contemporary watercolor artist that I encountered. After using it myself for nearly three years, I totally agree. This paper is amazing! It is acid free and 100% pure cotton. I can beat it up - multiple layers, lifting, masking fluid, scrubbing - and it still performs beautifully. I love the surface of the cold pressed as it gives my paintings a little extra texture.
I tend to purchase the paper in pads rather than sheets or blocks. I would love someday to have a studio space large enough to have huge sheets of paper and an awesome, giant paper cutter, but today I settle for purchasing the pads. I don't typically use the blocks as I prefer to tape my paper onto a drawing board to paint, so the blocks of paper don't make a lot of sense for me unless I need a specific size not offered in the pads.
Watercolor Brushes
This is a little tougher category for me to declare a 'favorite'. I feel like I am still searching for my Will Riker (or, my "number one" - little STNG reference for you). I typically use round brushes more than any other shape, #6 more than any other size. For me, my favorites tend to vary depending on the painting or project. I use a mix of natural and synthetic fibers.
I do love and use quite a few different sizes of Princeton and Silver Black Velvet Brushes . I recently purchased a beautiful round by Rosemary & Co. that I am really excited about. The Rosemary brush holds a lot of paint for its size and has a nice sharp point that so far has kept its shape.
Pictured at left are some of my favorites. From the top down: Isabey #6 squirrel brush (I use this for washes rather than a flat brush), Princeton Heritage #12 Round, Princeton Heritage #6 round, Silver Black Velvet #8, Silver Black Velvet #2 (this is my favorite little brush for painting the surface of waves or tree leaves, bark, or branches), Rosemary and Co. round 10/0, and Rosemary & Co. size zero round.
Masking Fluid
I wish I was careful enough that I could preserve the white of the paper without resorting to masking fluid (or frisket as it is also called), but I am a fairly enthusiastic painter (i.e., sloppy) so this Pebeo Drawing Gum comes in really handy.
Paint it as your first layer wherever you want to remain white in your painting. I suggest using a synthetic brush that you don't care about as the gum is sticky and tough to get out of bristles. Not impossible, just a pain. I also suggest testing it on your paper of choice. Some papers (not Arches, see above) will tear when you try to remove the gum. This particular masking fluid is light bluish-green and dries that way - I like that coloration as it is easier for me to see how the eventual whites fit into the composition.
Don't paint over the top with watercolor until the gum is completely dry, but do not speed up the drying time with a hair dryer. If you do, you will never get the gum off of your page. Also, wait until your watercolor paint is completely dry before rubbing the gum off with your fingers or a rubber cement remover.
Drawing Pens
I prefer to ink a lot of my book illustrations, though typically not my landscapes. That comic book aesthetic factors in for me, I guess. I use Sakura's Pigma Micron pens . They are waterproof (which is obviously very important if you are using watercolor), archival quality, and fadeproof. I generally use black in the #05 size, but have recently tried the PN (plastic nib) tipped version. I was having trouble with the regular tip of the #05 getting eaten up pretty quickly by the textured surface of cold pressed paper. I would end up having to switch out pens before they were empty of ink, which wasn't great, but haven't had that issue with the PN. I eventually want to play around with a refillable fountain pen, but am concerned with the cost and with my general sloppiness when using/refilling permanent inks. I used to make such a mess with the old Speedball fountain pens back in the day.
I also use Sakura's Gelly Roll white pen in #08 . Much like the masking fluid, this is my secret little helper when it comes to adding back in whites that I may have painted over. It doesn't work for large areas, but this pen is perfect for adding little sparkles to the eyes or most especially for cat whiskers. I have tried using masking fluid for cat whiskers, but can't get the lines thin or fluid enough. This pen does the job.
Pencils
I love Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 pencils .
I've used them for my entire adult life as an artist. A long time ago, I bought a tin that has the whole degree range of lead weights, but I seem to typically just use 2H and HB. I sketch with the 2H, and then refine it with the HB on top. I use HB when I transfer a drawing to watercolor paper as it erases a little better than the 2H.
I have a refillable Staedtler mechanical pencil as well with HB lead in it, which is nice because it is always sharp, but I still prefer the grip of the old blue wooden pencils. Something about the weight, the feel, even the smell of the wood - it makes for a very comfortable drawing experience.
I'll add my erasers to this section. I have an old, crusty Magic Rub eraser - I am pretty sure I bought this thing in college and it is still kicking- and use a kneaded eraser on the watercolor paper.
Making a cameo in the photo on the right is my X-Men pencil case, circa 1993, still used and loved. Wish I had the pencil sharpener and pencils that came with it originally, but they were lost to the sands of time.
Sketchbook
I use Strathmore's series 400 sketchbooks, and use the flip pads for larger drawings.
This is my ride or die drawing paper. I have been buying these since the late 1900s. I've tried other brands of sketchbooks and even other series of Strathmore's, and I just never seem to like them as much as the 400s.
This sketchbook is for dry media only. I will not be listing a watercolor sketchbook in my favorite supplies because I haven't really found one that I like yet. I guess I am picky.
Technology
I remember wanting a lightbox forever, but back in the day they were just too expensive and too bulky to be practical for me. Fast forward to the 21st century where technology has gotten much slimmer and more affordable. I finally was able to get the lightbox of my dreams and chose the Daylight Wafer 2 .
Super lightweight with a very bright but adjustable LED light, this thing makes me so happy. With my drawing style and process I cannot draw directly on watercolor paper - I tend to shift the composition multiple times before I settle on a final drawing, and this shifting destroys the surface of watercolor paper. I start out sketching in my trusty old Strathmore and then transfer the drawing to watercolor paper.
Pre-lightbox, I was having to employ less than stellar methods to accomplish this same thing- either holding things up to a window to trace, or putting graphite on the back of the drawing and then tracing it onto the watercolor paper. Not great methods for capturing the details of my illustrations. Enter the lightbox. I am able to retain and trace nearly everything. Watercolor paper is still a bit of a challenge as it is pretty thick, but this still works well with the 140 lb weight paper.
I am not technologically savvy, but needed to level up my equipment when I started querying to literary agents and building my website. I had to buy a scanner, and in my research found that the Epson Perfection V600 was another of those fan favorites in the artistic communities.
I am definitely not the right person to give you an in-depth tech review on this scanner - I would advise doing your own research and reading of reviews - but I will say that I have found it reliable and very user friendly, and have been impressed with the quality of the scans it produces.