My (favorite) art supplies

A tour of my art supplies!

This page will continue evolving as I grow my collection, or as I try out new media. It is not entirely exhaustive, as I also have some scattered art supplies here and there that I can use at the office, or at my parents.

Since 2021, I have started to develop quite an addiction to art supplies... I keep wanting to test out new supplies and buy some new colors, upgrade some of my paints, etc. Here are all - or at least, most of - the supplies I am currently using in my art studio. I have tried to sort them out by medium. I will be adding to the list whenever needed, and adding photos&references when they are missing.

For my plein-air supplies, you can check out a complete version here.

Here are all of my main art supplies, always right by my side!
The first row is alcohol-based markers, water-based markers, oil pastels and a few convenient stuff (water, tape, etc.).
The second row is where all of my drawing&painting stuff is: pens, pencils, paint pens, brushes, palette knives, cheap markers, colored pencils, eraser, sharpener, blending stump, tortillon, etc.. There is also my watercolor palette, all of my gouache tubes, and my acrylic tubes.
The last row is where most of my current sketchbooks are, along with some different papers (acrylic paper, toned paper, etc.)

PAINTING STUFF

I first had this organized by type of paints, where I talk a bit about the paints but also the other supplies that I use with them (which type of brush, paper, etc.). However, I realized that it was a bit hard to keep it that way, as several brushes can be used with different media (and same for the paper). So I have added different sections going more into the details of specific materials that are "transversal". 

I have tried to add some information also about the lightfastness of the paint when I had some easily available. 

ACRYLICS

I have started acrylics only in 2023. I have bought a set of Winsor&Newton Galeria Acrylic. I have the set of 6, 60ml tubes: cadmium yellow medium hue, cadminum red hue, burnt umber, Winsor blue, phtalo green and titanium white. 

All of their acrylic paints are permanent (or extremely permanent for the white), and their lightfastness ASTM rating is either 1 or 2 (which are both considered permanent for artist use according to Winsor&Newton website). The lightfastness measures how much the paint will fade / change when exposed to sunlight. The permanency rating of Winsor&Newton is similar, but with other criteria (like stability of the binder, etc.), and basically rates the resistance of the paint to change when exposed to light/atmosphere. 

As the set did not have a very dark color, I complemented it with a Payne's Gray from Golden heavy body acrylics. The ASTM rating is also 1. 

First I used a plastic lid from one of the boxes as my mixing palette, but I lacked space and it was not entirely flat. So, I bought a transparent palette, and I also have some palette knives for mixing and cleaning my palette. I tend to scratch my palette quite a lot when cleaning it up, so some of my paint stays within the scratches. But, for now, it is not an issue for mixing or painting. I also have a stay-wet palette (from Redgrassgames), which keeps my paint wet for a longer time when open (so that I don't have to remix the same thing over and over again, just because my first mix dried out), and keeps paint wet for several days when closed (to continue working on a piece several days in a row). 

My stay-wet palette, and some of my favorite acrylic brushes.

I also bought the Gerstaecker Acrylic gesso to prep my painting surface (which can be paper, canvas, or whatever!). It is basically a cheap white acrylic paint, that seals the paper, so that your paint doesn't get soaked into the paper. You can also start building some brush texture with the gesso. To really be able to work wit the Gesso, I advice to stir it with a palette knife beforehand. I gives a better texture!

To protect my finish painting, I use a mix of Liquitex fluid acrylic mediums, the matte one and the gloss one.

Acrylic is not that easy to get off the paintbrush when you are rincing the brush in between two colors, so I bought a brush cleaner-water container. It has some texture at the bottom of the container to help clean the brush, and you can also hang the brushes from the sides of the container, so that it does not get too messy while you are painting.

All of my acrylic supply, with the corresponding brushes!

ACRYLIC PENS

I had some old Posca acrylic paint pens which I mostly use for mixed-media or decorating, as they are abit dried out. 

I also bought two 4Artistmarker (silver and gold) that I've used for Xmas decoration in 2022, but that have more or less died in the process (I've used them on non-sanded & non-prep wood... beginner's mistake!).

For adding some details or highlights in my paintings / drawings, I have a 1mm white acrylic paint pen from Molotow One4All.

My paint pens: mainly Posca, two dried out 4Artistmarker (silver and gold) and a small One4All Molotow white acrylic pen.

ALCOHOL-BASED MARKERS

I have started with Winsor&Newton promarkers. I bought a 24 set (Arts & Illustration), then a second one (Architecture set), then a third one (Designer student). And then I started to buy smaller and more specific sets (the 6 set Skyscaper 1 and the 6 set Pastel Tones). All these markers have a point nib and a chisel nib.

Then, I bought a set of 48 Ohuhu Honolulu brush markers to complement my collection.

I bought some specific marker storage to keep them organized (and I took me long while to have them all organized). 

All of my alcohol-based markers, sorted by colors! Isn't it pretty ;)

COLORED PENCILS

I started with a set of 24 Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor colored pencils. I am now buying some extra Faber-Castell Polychromos to complement my color range. I don't use colored pencils by itself that often, I mostly use them for mixed-media. 

My colored pencils in their jar. The wooden ones are the Lyra and the ones with the colored barrel are the Faber-Castell.

GOUACHE

I have a collection of Shinhan Professional Designer Gouache: primary white, lemon yellow, quinacridone red, deep ultramarine.

I also use the Linel extrafine gouache from Lefranc Bourgeois. I have: primary yellow, persan yellow, primary red, red ochre, primary blue, ultramarine, Payne's Gray, black and white. I pretty much always keep them for my plein-air painting, as they are much more convenient than my other lower quality gouache when I'm outside (basically, I don't have to keep stirring the gouache to remix the pigment with the binder).

I found out two old tubes of Pébéo gouache (a black and a white), which were still in very good conditions, so I use them!

I also have a big set of Daler Rowney cheap gouache (not their artist quality), but they are really bad quality. The binder fills most of the tube and the consistency alternate between crumpy and liquid... 

I basically use the same things as for watercolor (tape, spray bottle, etc.) but I have to put my paint on a palette as they come in tubes (not pans). I prefer to work gouache with flat brushes, but I do the detail work with small round brushes. The nice thing is that gouache can work on most papers (mixed media, watercolors, etc.), and even on other surfaces if you prep them with gesso. 

Most of my gouache supply, with my palette! I usually reactivate with my spray bottle whatever paint is left on the palette from one painting session to the other.

My gouache tubes (mostly the Daler-Rowney ones, as the Linel are stored by the door with my plein-air setup).

OIL PASTELS

I have started oil pastel with a set of 12 old Pebeo oil pastels. I have then bought a bigger set of 36 Jaxon oil pastels. The Pebeo are really nice quality, but the Jaxon are very waxy and I cannot get a lot of pigment down.

To get artist quality oil pastels, I've bought a small set of Sennelier oil pastels: permanent intense red, Delft blue, lemon yellow, green medium, black, white. These are highly pigmented. To complete the set, I've taken some "fun" colors of the Caran d'Ache Neopastel (which are also artist quality): turquoise green, granit rose, violet and bister. 

I use a variety of tools with oil pastels, like palette knives or metal nibs to scratch some of the excess oil pastel. I also use blending stumps, tortillon and cotton but for blending. 

I'm experimenting with Winsor & Newton linseed oil to dilute them. I've had issues with the oil staining the paper (and the other side), but with a underlayer of gesso if can be fixed (although the pastels will not react the same). 

And always keep a makeup brush at hand to clean up the mess of oil pastels! I can use them on many different surfaces, althoug I prefer on quite thick and textured paper. 

My oil pastel sets and the linseed oil.

All my sets of oil pastel, from hobby to artist quality. 

WATERCOLORS

I have started watercolors with Winsor&Newton. I still use their Cotman paints (student quality). I have the big palette of 46 paints (which is, in fact, quite unecessary). As it is student quality, the lightfasteness is not perfect on all colors, but I always spray my finished piece (that will get some light) with some Schmincke universal fixative, anti-UV filter. 

I have also tried out the White Nights watercolors (professional premium artists' watercolors) with a small tin palette of 12 full pans. I did a specific post on those watercolors that you can find here. I have transfered these full pans into a spare metal box, so that I could use the small palette for my dry gouache.

I mostly use them with their Cotman round brushes (size 0, 2, 4, 8 and 12), but sometmes also with flat brushes (see on the specific "Brush" section). 

I have bought back in 2021 a big pack of 100 sheets of Hähnemühle watercolor paper. It is 100 % cellulose paper (fort he longest time I thought it was bamboo... idk why!). I have been using it both for "final pieces" and also to make sketchbooks. Now that I can afford 100 % cotton watercolor paper, I mostly use it for gouache and other medium.

I have also used several sketchbooks of Canson Montval watercolor paper.

When I want to use a better quality paper, I use a 100% cotton Winsor&Newton watercolor paper or a hot pressed Arches paper. 

I only do watercolors on 300gsm paper. When I'm sketching first, I mostly use graphite pencil (a HB or 2H) and only erase with a kneaded eraser.

To keep my whites on some of my paintings I use some drawing gum, which I apply with an old brush. 

I sometimes use some salt to create "blooming" effects on my watercolor paintings. I usually try to collect the remaing salt and store it for future use with watercolors.

I also use two jars of water, a spray bottle, and some paper/tissue towels. All of these are also useful for some of my other paints, like gouache or acrylics.

My watercolor supplies: brushes, palette (with half-pans), water jars, towel, tape, spray bottle

My White Nights watercolors, with a stock of full pans and half pans.

My big Cotman watercolor palette, with a little color chart underneath.

WATERCOLOR MARKERS

I have also tried watercolor markers with really cheap markers, that you can find in Action shops: the Aquamarker. These markers are OK, but don't expect to do anything too fancy with them. I also find that they behave very differently depending on the paper, and that they are not always that easy to reactivate with water.

My selection of colors for Aquamarkers. I have one of their basic set + a couple of extra greens.

WATERCOLOR PENCILS

I have a variety of watercolor pencils, that I use from time to time, but mostly for mixed media pieces. Those were old colored pencils from Faber-Castell that I had as a child and found back in some of my old drawing supplies. I actually used to use them as regular pencils, as I did not know what were watercolor pencils at the time.

BRUSHES

I have only recently realized how much the brushes can impact what you are painting, and I am now slowly ganing more awareness on the different types of brushes and their characterisics. I try to only use synthetic brushes (I only have one that is not, and it bought it by mistake). 

Whenever you buy new brushes, I find that you need a time to learn them: learn the types of marks you can do, how well they hold the pigments / the water, how soft they are, etc. I am now trying to do "sigle brush paintings" with each of my new brushes, to force me into learning them more. 

I have my basic watercolor round brushes, which are Cotman round brushes (size 0, 2, 4, 8 and 12). 

I also have a DaVinci Casaneo round brush in size 6, and a DaVinci Kolinsky-Rotmarder round brush in size 0 (this one is not synthetic). Compared to the Cotman brushes,I find them extra soft. I like the nb 6  for watercolor washes, even if I am also working on using it with different techniques (like dry brush).  

Now for the flat brushes (which I use mostly for gouache). I have bought some Raphaël flat brushes (size 4 and 10). I also have a DaVinci Casaneo flat brush in size 8, which is - again - softer than the Raphaël ones. I have bought a very cheap Daler-Rowney Graduate flat brush in size 8 also (which was, I think, labelled as an oil brush). It is stiffer than the "water" brushes, but works very well for details, and I enjoy using it for the final stages of gouache paintings.

Speaking of oil brush, I have a second Daler-Rowney Graduate flat brush in size 8 and a Daler-Rowney Graduate round brush in size 6 which I plan to use only with linseed oil for my oil pastels.  

I also have a full set of brushes from Sarah Burns, which she designed with Craftamo. They are specifically designed for gouache, but you can also use them with watercolors or acrylics. 

For my acrylic paints, I love using a size 12 acrylic flat brush from I love art (Gerstaecker). I actually have two of them, along with a size 18 and a size 8. I also have one of their acrylic round brush in size 10. I also own two stiffer brushes from the line Raphaël Textura: a round one is size 0 and a filbert brush in size 2. These brushes have long handles, as I couldn't find any acrylic brushes with smaller ones at my art shop. 

For cleaning all of my paint brushes, I am using Lieberge soap cleaner. I use them each time on acrylic paints, as it is harder to clean thoroughly. For my water-based paints, I usually just use water, and clean them with paint soap from time to time to take care of them. I also use the soap when I buy new brushes, to get rid of all the glue on the bristles. 

For varnishing my acrylic painting, I only use my Softacryl 30mm from Raphaël. For now, I rince it with water and soap right after using it, so that the varnish doesn't have time to dry, but I may have to find a better cleaning option in thge future if I want to keep my brush clean! I dont really want to go for hard chemicals, so I'm still scouting for different solutions (don't hesitate to comment if you have any tips).

For applying the gesso, I also use a separate brush. It is just a basic 30mm painting brush from the hardware store (made for applying wood stain). Same, I rince it thouroughly with water right after use. 

Most of my brushes in their bamboo roll, and some additional drawing supplies. I also have other storages for brushes, I try to keep them by "type": watercolor brushes, acrylic brushes, etc.

PAPERS & PAINTING SURFACES

I use different sketchbooks and a whole variety of pads of papers. I will only list the most used ones here.

Sketchbooks (the one I am currently using, not the past ones):

• Homemade watercolor sketchbook (made with Hänhemühle paper) - a bit bigger than A5
• Strathmore mixed-media serie 400 - A4
• Clairefontaine alcohol-based markers sketchbook - A5
• Basic drawing sketchbook (whatever cheap brand I find) - A5

Pads:

• Acrylic paper - A4
• Toned paper from PaintOn (a grey and a natural beige - both A5)
• Arches cold pressed watercolor paper - 10x14in (26x36cm)
• Arches hot pressed watercolor paper - 10x14in (26x36cm)
• Winsor&Newton 100% cotton watercolor pad - 7x10in (17.8x25.4)

Others:

• Gesso boards
• Wood panels

Some of my paper pads & sketchbooks.

OTHERS

I have a set of graphite pencils, from 5H to 8B, for sketching. I also have some soft pastels, to sketch out on my canvases before painting with acrylics. I have a step of four JAXELL pastels: light ochre, raw sienna, light umber, light turquoise blue.

To prepare my work, and have a nice clean edge, I use some painter tape. Basically, it is just tape that you can peel off easily. Depending on the papers you have to be careful, as it can tear off some paper. Usually, heating up the tape whilme peeling it off will really help (with a heat gun or a hairdryer). 

I also have a variety of water-based markers, colored pencils and erasable colored pencils, that I use for doodling, coloring or sketching. I especially like erasable colored pencils to sketch out alcohol-based markers or watercolor pieces, as those are transparent medium and graphite pencils can be seen through it.

I always keep a ruler and some erasers at hand, as well as some fineliners and other basic drawing tools.

Some of my basics: palette knives, ruler, eraser, Pigma Micron fineliners, pencils and makeup brush!

Basic art stuff: clips, tortillons, kneaded eraser.

To finish my artwork, I have an anti-UV spray from Schmincke. I use it for the watercolors/gouache/oil pastels, but also for some of my prints.However, when spraying some prints you really need to wait until the ink is fully dry, otherwise you'll get some spots! I always to this on a well-ventilated place (preferably outside) and wearing a mask. 

My anti-UV spray.

I also use Dorland's cold wax medium to seal some of my prints / watercolors / gouache! It works pretty well and enhances a bit the colors. I use a clean bamboo rag to apply it. I always open all windows when dong this, and go wash my hands immediatly after (even if I don't put any directly on my skin). 

Dorland's cold wax medium.

COMING SOON?

There are still tons of things I want to test out! Of course, I would love to update my watercolor paints to professional quality ones. I also want to try out new brands of gouache.

The next medium I would love to try is... water mixable oil paints! I need to buy a studio easel to do so, some canvas or boards and some oil brushes... So this may not be in the very near future.

And of course, I will always need more specific stuff, like oil pastel fixative (Sennelier makes one), different brushes, etc.

I'm still working on completing the list. If there are any supply you're interested in, or that you've seen me used somewhere but you don't know what it is, just let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to add it to the list!

Also, if there are some art supplies you would like to hear more about / see in action (in a video, or a separate blog post), don't hesitate to let me know. I have swatch sheets for most of my supplies, so if you'd be interested in having a post about that, let me know!

And finally, if you have any tips, advice on art supplies, I'm all ears out :)