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Art Supplies for Urban Sketching
31
items Interested in starting out as an urban sketcher? Check out my favorite supplies that I use as an artist!
Sections
5
Watercolor Paints
Fountain Pens & Ink
Sketchbooks & Paper
Misc. Supplies
Bags to Carry It All!
Watercolor Paints
Here are the paints I use and recommend from most accessible to more expensive, artist-grade watercolors.
Great set if you want watercolor from a tube.
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Set, 10 Colors
A great watercolor set for sketching on the go!
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Set
A much more full set with tons of colors!
Winsor Newton Cotman Watercolor Studio
Holbein watercolor from Japan. Pricey but these are amazing!
Watercolor Paint Set Lightweight hobbyists
A famous French paint brand that's been around for ages. This is a solid intro set with half-pans of the basic colors you'd need to get started, plus it's travel size!
SENNELIER L'Aquarelle French Watercolor Mini Set 8
Fountain Pens & Ink
So many pens, so much ink, so many choices!
Super accessible intro fountain pen with the best waterproof ink!
Platinum Preppy Fountain Pen, Medium, Black
Solid next level fountain pen. Needs a converter and waterproof ink, but definitely worth it.
LAMY safari umbra Fountain Pen Ergonomic Grip
Another intro fountain pen. Needs a converter and waterproof ink.
Kaweco PERKEO Fountain Pen All Clear Fine
Converter for Kaweco Perkeo fountain pen.
Kaweco Standard Converter Pearl Chrome
Converter for Lamy Safari fountain pen.
Lamy Safari Converter Z24 z24 l
The best waterproof ink for fountain pens. It's included with the Platinum Preppy pen in an ink cartridge. This lets you use it in any fountain pen with a converter.
Platinum Carbon Ink Bottle 60ml - Black
Another Platinum waterproof fountain ink in a burnt red/sepia color. Can be used in an fountain pen with a proper converter.
Platinum Fountain Pen Ultra Pigment Ink Blanc
Another great option for a pen with waterproof ink. Comes in various sizes and colors.
SAKURA Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens - Black
A great way to add highlights to your finished sketches. I love Posca pens!
uni Posca Extra Fine Marker White PC1M.1
TWSBI pens are my favorite fountain pens, especially for the price. This is their higher-end model, and even then, it's fairly affordable. Yes, there are other companies out there, but this is the best bang for your buck.
TWSBI Diamond 580 Fountain Pen nib EF
TWSBI's entry model, the Eco still shows TWSBI's excellent quality at a super affordable price. Plus they come in a wide range of fun colors! This is my daily driver that I use with the Platinum carbon ink for nearly all of my urban sketches.
TWSBI ECO Fountain Pen White F Nib
This pen, y'all, is seriously a game changer. The brush tip lets you do narrow or broad strokes AND a feather, whispy stroke, too. It's so versatile and the ink is dark, crisp, and waterproof! Quickly becoming my go-to pen, especially for portraits.
Pentel Arts Portable Pocket Brush Pen, 1Pen+2Refills
Refill cartridges for the Pentel brush pen. A great value for the price, especially considering it's archival ink!
Pentel Arts Pocket Brush Refills, Black Ink, 12 Pack
Sketchbooks & Paper
Entry-level though archival grade, here's what I like to use!
Great and affordable option for watercolor paper.
Canson XL Watercolor Pad, Heavyweight White
Solid watercolor sketchbook from Canson.
Canson Montval Watercolor 8.3x5.8 Hardcover
A great composition notebook to help plan things out or to write out thoughts.
RHODIA 119208C - Flexible Notebook Cloth Back ...
Arches has been making paper since the late 1400s and it shows! Super high quality and 100% cotton, the craftsmanship shines through. Plus this is a great travel size sketchbook for on-the-go sketching!
Arches® Aquarelle Travel Pad
Another solid choice for a sketchbook. Their paper is great and the landscape orientation is so much fun to use.
Hahnemuhle 100% Cotton Watercolor Book 5.83x4.13
I've used a lot of paper, and if you're looking for an afforable paper that mimics Arches, this is it. The paper is so textured and absorbent, and it comes in various sizes and cold and hot pressed. Plus, acid-free, 100% cotton, the price is right. H...
BAOHONG 20-Sheet 100% Cotton Watercolor Block 4.9x7"
Misc. Supplies
Brushes and palettes and other various supplies you may need.
There are SO many options when it comes to brushes, and you can end up paying a pretty penny for them. These Royal & Langnickel soft grips are the perfect value for your money. Solid brushes, nice to the touch, and do the trick well. Highly recom...
Royal & Langnickel 5pc Soft Grip Gold Brushes
There are so many travel palette's out there, but this one is just simple, sturdy, and straightforward. Great for on-the-go sketching and painting.
DUGATO Small Watercolor Palette Tin, 20 Pans
Super compact and thoughtfully designed travel water cup. Even has notches along the top to easily rest your brush.
Faber-Castell Clic & Go Artist Water Cup
Handy for keeping down your page so it doesn't curl. These puppies aren't going anywhere once you clip them down!
X-ACTO 4 Bulldog Binder Clips, 3 Inch, 12 Count
The exact palette I use when I'm painting at home. You have 33 wells for paint, and two areas of mixing (the lid has one nested into it) and it's airtight. Great quality.
Mijello Fusion 33-Well Airtight Palette Blue
Bags to Carry It All!
You'll need a bag to carry all of this stuff!
I'm a bag snob, and this is WAY nicer than the pricetag lets on. Thoughtfully constructed and perfect for on-the-go sketching. Spots for all your supplies and a book, and you're good to go and sit at a coffee shop. HIGHLY recommend.
tomtoc 3.5L RFID Sling Bag Crossbody Pack
A larger sling from TomToc. A great value for the money, this is for those that need a little more space for a few extra things. Even fits a 14-inch laptop!
tomtoc Compact EDC Sling Bag 3L-10L