an artist can create great work with anything, but sometimes an upgrade is in order. this list is comprised of professional art supplies that are good quality and long lasting.
Sections
5
paint
brushes
drawing materials
sketchbook
tools
paint
investing in good paints makes all the difference.
super pigmented large pans of gansai paints. more vibrant and less transparent than typical watercolors. like a cross between western watercolor and gouache.
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor Paint Pans and Sets
rich colors and creamy texture. professional-grade acrylic paint.
Golden Artist Acrylic Heavy Body Paints and Sets
western style water color paints in pigmented colors.
Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints and Sets
has the matte dry down of traditional gouache but with better resistance to water reactivation. beautiful colors. love the pastel set.
Holbein Acrylic Gouache and Sets
keeps your acrylic paint palette from drying before you even get the chance to use it.
Golden Acrylic Retarder
thins acrylic paint without impacting the integrity of the paint binder.
Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid
from paper to brick walls, with these markers, most surfaces can be your canvas. they create a matte, saturated color application. nice array of vibrant colors to choose from.
Posca Paint Markers and Sets
brushes
effective brushes with minimal shedding are important.
if you could only pick one line of brushes for multiple mediums (gouache, acrylic, and watercolor) these would be the best. not too soft or too absorbent. good snap without being too firm.
Princeton Velvetouch Synthetic Brushes and Sets
perfect water color brushes for quick washes of color or alternative techniques. very soft and holds a lot of water!
Princeton Neptune Series 4750 Synthetic Squirrel Brushes and Sets
pick these if you're rough with your brushes. long lasting, comfortable in the hand, and good quality.
Royal & Langnickel Zen All Media Brushes and Sets
drawing materials
for sketching, coloring, and lettering.
if paint or oil pastels became colored pencils they would be prismacolors. achieves smooth blended effects with vibrant colors.
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils and Sets
high quality traditional colored pencils. nice array of colors and formula lays down smooth. firm enough for sketching without being scratchy and soft enough for easy blending.
FaberCastell Polychromos Pencils and Sets
buttery smooth graphite pencils. erasers could be better but the drawing experience is amazing.
Blackwing Pencil Packs
putty eraser for more erasing variability and dusty drawing mediums.
FaberCastell Kneaded Eraser
chubby mechanical pencil to cut back on hand pain from long periods of sketching or note taking. ergonomic, nice quality graphite, and a good eraser.
Sakura SumoGrip Mechanical Pencils
opaque white gel pen!
UniBall Signo Impact Rollerball Gel Pens and Set
best erasers. cuts through the darkest marks and the softest graphite.
Tombow Mono Eraser
go to brush pens. creates bold and consistent lines. warm toned black ink that is mostly waterproof. firm nib is flexible enough to create different line weights.
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens and Sets
love these for adding color to pen sketches. would work nicely for fashion, architecture, or interior design sketching.
FaberCastell Pitt Artist Brush Pens and Sets
adds pretty colors to sketches, line art, or lettering projects. water based. has a brush tip and bullet nib.
Tombow Dual Brush Pens and Sets
like water color but with more control and consistent application. adds color to line art and lettering. love the brush nib. some of my favorite markers.
Ecoline Brush Pen Markers and Sets
thin lines without hard scratchy nibs or fraying felt tips. water-based ink.
Marvy Uchida LePen Fine Line Markers and Sets
sketchbook
mixed media
thick cotton paper. perfect for many different mediums (gouache, pencil, watercolor, pen, etc.)
Etchr Mixed Media Hardbound Sketchbooks
tools
makes art making easier
extends the life of your acrylic paint. place wax paper at the bottom before adding paint. turns into a wet palate with the masterson palette sponge or damp paper towels.
Masterson StaWet Palette Seal
good metal palette knives.
Blick Palette Knives by RGM
for canvas stretching without the hand pain. much better than struggling with manual staple guns.
Arrow T50AC Professional Electric Staple Gun and Nailer T50AC
easily removes any stapling mistakes.
Arrow Staple Puller SL24D
helps keep clean water and dirty water separate for watercolor or gouache.
Meeden Porcelain Brush Wash Bowl
convenient storage and super easy to build.
Meeden Deluxe Storage Cart
can lay completely flat and accommodate two canvases. first few screws are a little tricky but worth it for the added stability of the h-frame and the adjustability for different canvas sizes.
Meeden Versatile HFrame Easel
canvas storage. i also convert it into a gesso drying station for canvas prepping.
Meeden Print Rack
handy for larger canvases. reduces hand pain from tugging on thick canvas. firm grip and ergonomic handles.
Fredrix Premier Canvas Pliers
saves hands when stretching thick canvas material on smaller canvases or narrow corners.
