Shopping for art supplies and books is one of the best things about being an artist but it can also be overwhelming if you haven't figured out your favorites yet. Below is a list of sketching supplies that I love and recommend. You don’t need to buy all of these supplies or even any of them. You can bring what you have on the first day of class and figure out from there what you would like to buy.
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Sketchbooks
There are a lot of sketchbook options out there! And picking one is really a personal choice, everything from the size to the type of paper. Since I work mostly with watercolors in my sketchbooks, I use sketchbooks that are specifically for watercolors (as opposed to mixed media). There are a lot of great brands out there and they come in a variety of sizes. It can be overwhelming.
Here are my favorites and at my favorite sizes:
My favorite sketchbook: the Pentalic Watercolor Journals. They come in a variety of sizes so think about what size you would like to work in.
Stillman & Birn watercolor sketchbooks (Beta (contains cold press watercolor paper) and theZeta (contains hot press watercolor paper)) are great too.
And my third alternative is the Moleskin watercolor sketchbooks
You should get the size that you think you will enjoy the most!
Pens
My all time favorite pen though is the Platinum Desk Pen. Get some extra ink cartridges for it. The ink is waterproof and therefore doesn’t bleed when I use my watercolors over it.
If a fountain pen like the one I listed above doesn’t appeal to you, shop for waterproof ink pens in black ink, in various sizes. Many brands claim to be waterproof but end up smearing and ghosting ink when we paint over them so I prefer the Black, Pigma Micron Pens which are truly waterproof. It's good to have a variety of pen sizes for various weights of line. I like the:
Black, Pigma Micron Pen 01/.25mm
Black, Pigma Micron Pen 05/.45mm
Black, Pigma Micron Pen 08/.50mm
Watercolor travel palette
There are a lot of options out there. Below are some of the most popular with a great range in prices.
I recommend Winsor & Newton Cotman Sketchers' Pocket Box 12-color Half Pan as a starter set. If you are not sure how much you will enjoy sketch booking and don't want to spend much, this set is one of the best for a student level watercolor set.
If you are feeling a bit more luxurious, there are several professional grade watercolor kits that are just wonderful. Here are some of my favorites.
Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Deluxe Sketchers' Pocket Box
Sennelier Watercolor Metal Box 12 Tube Set
Schmincke Half Pan Watercolor Pocket Set
All these travel palettes are smaller and perfect for sketchbooking.
If you prefer the idea of picking your own colors, then I recommend getting this economical metal palette or this luxurioustiny palette and filling it with your favorite paints.
Watercolor paints
My favorite colors for my travel set include these Daniel Smith watercolors:
Daniel Smith Quinacridone Rose
Daniel Smith Transparent Pyrrol Orange
Daniel Smith Hansa Yellow Light
Daniel Smith Phthalo Blue Green Shade
Daniel Smith French Ultramarine
Daniel Smith Quinacridone Gold
Watercolor Brushes
I recommend having at least three travel brushes of various sizes. It’s important that they are travel brushes (they will have caps on them so that they don’t get ruined when you put them in your bag).
A affordable and convenient option is the Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush Assorted Tips, Pack of 3. These brushes can be filled with water and are quite convenient.
On the high end side of options I recommend the wonderful da Vinci travel brushes set. They are a joy to paint with.
Other incidentals for a good sketchbook set are:
A water container (like an empty yogurt container or something more artsy like this Art Advantage Double Water Cup With Lid or this fun little clip on container.
If you want to add color pencils to your sketchbook supplies, I recommend Prismacolor Premier pencils. I don’t carry any color pencils in my sketchbook kits but many artists do.
Paper towels
Mechanical pencil (so you don't have to worry about a sharpener)
Faber-Castell Perfection Eraser Pencil with Brush (this magical eraser erases ink!)
A ruler (preferably clear)
A bag or purse to keep all your supplies organized. There are so many options out there. The one I use is the Field Case from Etchr but I’m still looking for the perfect set up.
And that's a list of my favorites. Enjoy!
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