Favorite Supplies
My list of beloved studio supplies is constantly evolving as I discover and incorporate new items. Be sure to revisit this page for the latest updates.
Shop my supply list at BLICK by clicking the BLICK link below.
Heads up- I get a little $ if you buy the supplies I demo at my classes and workshops through my links. Their customer service is really good!
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Mungyo Extra Soft Artists Oil Pastels
The Mungyo pastels provide an excellent artistic experience at a reasonable cost. They offer a smooth texture and vivid color quality, surpassing even more expensive brands. They are ideal for mixed media art.
Beam Watercolors
Beam paint stones are made by hand by indigenous-owned, female-led paint company on Manitoulin Island, Canada near where I grew up in Northern Michigan. These watercolors are plastic free, and packaged in sustainable materials. They are a delight to paint with! Please support them!
Mungyo Artists' Soft Pastels
I recently started using soft pastels and chose to try Mungyo since I had a positive experience with their oil pastels. So far so good.
Caran D'Ache Neocolor II Aquarelle
One of my all time FAVORITE art supplies! I love traveling with these babies! All you need are a few of these crayons, a water brush and a sketchbook and trust me you are going to create something seriously awesome!
Holbein Acrylic Gouache
Holbein makes the best gouache hands down. Their colors are vibrant and super saturated. I tend to lay them down first as a ground so they don't move when I add more materials on top. I love their flourescents- Luminous Red is my dream come true!
Holbein Gouache
Holbein Gouache is my preferred brand. It is so silky and opaque and the colors are incredibly vibrant, perfect for my wildly colorful work! Some of my favorite colors are Ultramarine Blue Deep, Opera, Yellow Ochre, Magenta and Leaf Green.
Supply List continued:
Lyra Water Soluble Graphite
These oversized graphite sticks are perfect for creating marks and can be used for watercolor painting or dipped in water. Additionally, they are erasable after drying, making them a fun and versatile tool.
General's Carbon Sketch and Sketch and Wash
I began using these during my college drawing classes. They are affordable and provide unique line work and texture to my paintings. The Sketch and Wash option produces a rich black charcoal effect.
Watercolor Pencils
I use a bunch of different kinds: Faber-Castell Albrech Durer, Faber-Castell Graphite Aquarelle, Caran d'Ache Supracolor II Soft and Derwent Inktense. It comes down to color pigmentation for me. For example, Inktense makes the best greens.
Watercolor Markers
I use the Tombow brand interchangeably with the Michael's brand Artist's Loft. I see no difference. Another part of my travel art kit
Water Brush
I LOVE A WATER BRUSH! If you do ANY kind of mobile art, this includes sketching on the front porch or while watching tv (not to mention on an airplane or in a hotel room) this is a MUST HAVE TOOL!
Neon Watercolor Mini Set
I love buying anything neon and these neon watercolors are amazing! It's difficult to find such watercolors, but this set is perfect. My favorite color from this set is Neon Orange, but all the colors are great. You should also try the Schmincke Liquid Charcoal mini set, it's so much fun! St. Louis Art Supply has a lot of unique supplies that you won't find anywhere else, so make sure to check them out!
Supply List continued:
Kama Pigments Oil Stick
Found these little suckers in Montreal. These oil pastels are solvent free, made with walnut oil and are SUPER PIGMENTED! If you want vibrant colors, try them!. This store is worth stopping by if you are in Montreal-loads of raw materials for making your own painting supplies.
Gel Pens
I mostly use white, gold and obviously the neons. I prefer Uni-Ball or Gelly Roll
Golden High Flow Acrylics
I paint wet in wet a lot of the time and I find it hard to get the consistency of regular acrylic paint fluid enough to my liking - UNTIL I discovered these High Flow Acrylics by Golden. They also come in great NEONS!! Best price I have found is at Michaels when on sale.
Winsor Newton Series 7 Brush Size 7
This is the brush I reach for time and time again for watercolor and gouache. If you INVEST (this sucker ain't cheap) in one good watercolor brush, get this one.
Daler Rowney Acrylic Artist Ink
I used to used acrylic inks incessantly until I discovered High Flow Acrylics. They are very opaque and sometimes I need that effect in a painting. Downside, they take a long time to dry.
Derwent Intense Blocks
My love of "sticks" prevails as I discovered these watercolor drawing sticks from Derwent. Like their pencils, the colors are vivid and lush. These are a fun addition to your supply cart and easy to travel with. I like to sweep a wet brush across the stick and use it like a pan watercolor. Thanks to Brainstorm Art Supply in Randolph, VT for introducing me to these!
Supply List continued:
Holbein Colored Pencils
Thanks to the lovelies at Brainstorm Art Supply in Randolph, VT I now have some of these yummy oil based colored pencils. SURPRISE I bought all the neon colors!! Seriously you MUST check out this dynamite Vermont art supply store it is INCREDIBLE!
Golden QoR Artist Watercolors
I wanted to try this mini palette for an upcoming art trip to Santa Fe, NM. I purchased the Granulators set and the Intensity set. These tins are the PERFECT size to put into your purse with a small sketchbook and a waterbrush fora little art on the plane!
Koh-I-Noor Hartmuth Woodless Pencil 9B
Economical, blendable, graphite pencil
Dorlands Wax Medium
I use Dorland's to seal water based paintings (when i remember to use it). Be sure to fix your painting and let it dry before you use this wax as you have to apply it with a cloth and "buff" it in for best results. But artists use it for LOTS of different things!
Dorland's Wax Medium is a non-yellowing mixture of resin and pure beeswax.
Lavender Spike Oil
This is what I use if I want to use a solvent with my oil pastels, in place of Gamsol or turpentine. I prefer the smell of lavender although Lavender Spike Oil is quite strong. You will still want to ventilate like you would using any other solvent.
A traditional solvent used in oil painting mediums and varnishes. This is the pure oil of spike, it is not mixed with anything or adulterated in any way.
SpectraFix
I just discovered SpectraFix. Gotta say, Iove it. Its nice to fix my work indoors and not worry about choking myself out with toxic fumes. Non-toxic, workable, and fully archival, SpectraFix is a casein-based fixative that utilizes milk protein and grain alcohol to hold and protect your media without dulling or darkening colors.
I buy the concentrate and dilute it in vodka in a 4oz glass spray bottle and keep it on my studio tables. A MUST have!
Supply List continued:
Sharpie Pro Wax Pencil
I feel like I first saw these at my grandmother's house a long time ago and I never understood what they were for. I like the way they resist watercolor and how super dark black they are.
Sharpie's Peel‑Off China Marker (also known as a grease pencil) features a thick, waxy core that marks on any surface — china, glass, metal, plastic, photographs, films, and more.
Winsor Newton Watercolor- Tube
Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Tubes are renowned for their enduring quality and heritage dating back to 1832. I use them interchangeably with my Beam watercolors.
General's Wide Compressed Graphite Sticks
In the process of trying these!
Sakura Pen-touch Metallic Paint Pens
Who doesn't love a gold paint pen on occasion? Pen- touch is the best I have found so far, but I am always willing to hear your suggestions if you have a fave, let me know!
Schmincke Liquid Charcoal
This has been one of my most favorite art supplies ever. If you like watercolor and gouache, please try this product. It paints beautifully but, consider fixing it between layers as it does move once dry. The same as any other charcoal.
Schmincke Aqua Bronze
Aqua Bronze are five colors of dry metallic powders with a water soluable binder. Mix it with watercolors and gouache to add a bit of sparkle to use it alone to add areas of metallic shine to your work.