The perfect all-in-one sketch set. If you’re technologically challenged like I am, you’ll really love the non-photo blue pencil. Sketch with the blue pencil, then ink, scan, and finish up your work digitally with no pencil lines.
Prismacolor® Scholar™ Manga Set
Do you like you ‘em fat, skinny, or fine? I’m talking about line weights, of course. Don’t bother deciding. Just grab this ink pen set, and get all of the above - mechanical pencil included.
Sakura Pigma Sensei Manga Drawing Kit
A digital illustration essential - I use the medium-sized pro model. Features 10 customizable hot keys and 2 customizable dials. Also comes with a Pro Pen 3.
Wacom Intuos Pro
Apparently, these are super delicate. Allegedly, they disintegrate upon impact if you’re unfortunate enough to drop yours. Have a back up pen - just in case.
Wacom Pro Pen 3
When I found out that the Prismacolor charcoal set was discontinued, I wanted to throw every illustration I’ve ever done into the ocean and let the sharks rip them to shreds. However, this set has all of the same items and is of a similar quality. So...
Faber-Castell Charcoal Sketch Set
Color
Use these for clean, professional-looking, chef’s kiss illustrations. Available in a variety of color sets.
Copic Markers
An affordable, mid-range, student tier watercolor set with decent quality and adequate lightfastness. I use these for fashion and book illustrations.
Windsor & Newton Cotman 45 Color Studio Set
Metallic acrylic paint for the end of your Copic marker rainbow or to color metal garment closures, jewelry, etc.
FolkArt® Treasure Gold™ Metallic Paint
*jumps up and down on the couch*
I LOVE THIS PAINT!!!
I know this is on another list, but I’m doubling down. Great for highlights to really make your illustrations pop.
Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White
Photoshop?? Never heard of her. Everything you need is in this extremely budget-friendly program.
Clip Studio Paint
Seal your artwork F O R E V E R …
Actually, I don’t know about that. However, use this to protect your artwork from dust, the sun, moisture etc. I use the satin finish on watercolors. Note: this spray will make your colors more vivid.
Krylon UV Archival Varnish Spray
Paper
Egyptian cotton sheets but make it paper. Use for any type of illustrations - the nice absorption of wet media is a bonus.
Hahnemühle Bamboo Mixed Media Block
This paper, consisting of 80% recycled fibers, is great for working with light-colored media resulting in vibrant, high-contrast illustrations. But whoops, I just use it as mounting board 😅
Strathmore Artagain Drawing Paper
Marker paper for your marker illustrations.
Pro-tip: sketch and ink on the front of the paper and color with your markers on the reverse side. You’re welcome.
Canson Pro-Layout Marker Paper
Sometimes, the teeth just aren’t teething, or the fingers aren’t fingering - or whatever. So, I keep one of these nearby and just work out those little sketching issues on the side.
Canson Graduate 9" x 12" Sketch Pad
Adhesives
This is great for presentations when you don’t want to permanently fix your illustrations to a mounting board and plan to archive them elsewhere.
Gorilla Glue Mounting Putty
Use this tape on the corners, top, bottom, and sides of your illustration when fixing it to a mounting board for a flat and secure perimeter.
Scotch Double-Sided Tape
Spray this evenly across the middle of your illustration when fixing it to a mounting board. No need to douse it though, let the double-sided tape do the heavy lifting.
Gorilla Adhesive Spray
Great for displaying fabric swatches when you want to reposition them or pull them down and archive them after presentation.
Gorilla Double Sided Mounting Tape
A multi-purpose essential - you should always have some masking tape. Use to tape off perimeters before illustrating, then remove when you’re done for a crisp, immaculate border.
Scotch® General Purpose Masking Tape
Misc.
A very nice, very demure little portable table so you can literally work wherever.
Mainstays Rubberwood Folding TV Tray Table, Natural
Sometimes I work in front of the TV 😅
Sometimes I don’t.
Sometimes I work near a window and alternate between gazing longingly at the outside and binge-watching dramas on my tablet.
Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet
A great little grab-and-go Bluetooth speaker - I pair this with my tablet so I can get distracted at maximum volume.
JBL Go 5 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Priority delivery comes in handy when you find out you don’t have something in the middle of a project.
Instacart
Well, whoopsie-doodles. How did I include digital art recs without a device rec? Available in 14” or 16” at Best Buy, lightweight, and durable, this laptop is a must-have for digital artists.