What are the my most commonly used art supplies? Here are my go-to drawing and painting bits and bobs; pens, paper, the whole lot. But it is not that many things. My style is quite simple and I don’t need that many different supplies.
To start off with, let’s take a look at paper. Sketchbooks are a must, because it is a struggle to keep a handle on lots of loose bits of paper all over the place. And as I mainly use paint and ink in my artwork, I like to use either watercolor or mixed-media paper.
I don’t mind textured paper, but since you can also find watercolor paper that’s a lot smoother, prefer that. So at the moment, I’m using a Daler Rowney mixed-media sketchbook as well as a smaller Strathmore sketchbook. They’re both pretty similar in quality. The Strathmore feels a little bit sturdier. Sometimes I use a Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook because it does well enough with wet application. Ink from my brush pens does feather slightly into the paper, but it’s not something that you notice when you’re looking at the finished drawing, it’s more just how it feels when you’re drawing, like less control over line thickness.
In the past I’ve also really enjoyed using moleskin sketchbooks, especially their watercolor ones. Finally, I always have at least one really rough, cheaper sketchbook for on the go, to encourage me to draw things without worrying about getting it wrong and wasting paper.
For everyday practice I use the A3 sketchbook from Muji and then for doodles and just as a sort of train of thought art journal, I use this SeaWhite Eco sketchbook which is super-cheap! And deals surprisingly well with ink.
Speaking of ink, let’s move on to pens and pencils. I really only use one pencil. It’s this Staedtler mechanical pencil with millimeter graphite and I think HB refills. I just prefer the convenience of not having to sharpen it and always having a really precise line.
If I’m ever doing a proper pencil sketch, like maybe a life drawing study that needs better shading and all that, I use a pencil set I got somewhere, but you can find a lot of different pencil sets, so choose one that fits your needs.
I’d say the main focus of my art is in the inking and linework so the pens I use are really important. I have this white gel pen that I use for details that I’ve seen quite a lot among artists. Um, it’s very basic and it’s very affordable.
I really love my Pentel Pocket Brush pen. I’ve tried a few brush pens over the years and this one has always been the one that I go back to. It is water resistant and it is refillable.
I’ve also been using this Zig Clean Color brush pen which is not water resistant or refillable. I’ve already been through two of them in a few months while I’ve had the same Pentel brush pen for at least a couple of years now. But, something about the brush tip of the Zig pen gives me a lot better control over my line thickness.
When I need to vary my lines or fill in big spaces, I will also use India ink which is water resistant and a lovely and deep black and can have a bit of a glossy finish. I decant the ink into a little jar and then the use whatever paintbrush that fits my needs.
My paintbrush collection is nothing special. I’ve never been good at taking care of brushes, so I’ve always just had this system of buying cheap brushes and then replacing them whenever I need to.
Which is a bit wasteful, I know but I also know that I’m too lazy to give proper brushes the care that they need.
I use flat brushes a lot. I like that you can cover large spaces with them, but also use the pointed edge to get into tight spots. I also have a set of very small precision brushes that I use for line-work and detailing.
My current favorite paint right now is the gouache I use for my paintings, where I sometimes add in watercolor if I’m in the mood. The brand of gouache I use is Winsor and Newton. I also use Reeves, mainly to mix with the Winsor and Newton as the quality of the Reeves paint can be a bit hit and miss. And I have this big tube of white Pebeo gouache paint because I use a lot of white.
I mix my paint on a plastic palette and I wash my brushes in a glass jar.
And that’s kind of it for my basic supplies. If you are uploading your artwork online, you will need a scanner. After a bit of research I ended up being very happy with the Canon Canoscan scanner. This does seem t be a beginner’s scanner and isn’t necessarily the best scanner out there for quality art. The size of it is quite limiting, but it gives me a much truer digital copy of my art than any other scanner I’ve used so far.
Once my art is in the computer, I don’t do too much digital reworking but whenever I do, I use Gimp which is a free software that’s quite similar to photoshop although not as extensive. To learn more about Gimp check out the tutorials here on youtube of how to use it.
There are always other art supplies – eraser and markers and acrylics and so on to have – but I hope this gives you an idea of things to try out and keep on hand.
As found on Youtube
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