My Favorite Art Supplies & Products
We all love art supplies, and, as a long-time artist, I have collected my fair share over the years, but people always ask me about what I actually use to put together my sketchbook pages. So, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list on this page of what I use most when painting with watercolors. I hope you find it helpful.
* For your convenience, I’ve included links to each product. Many of them are affiliate links, and, if you make a purchase using one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
Drawing Tools
Pencils & erasers
Pentel Graphgear Mechanical Pencil – This is my favorite pencil, the one I reach for most often. I like the rubberized grip and the substantial feel of it.
Ebony Pencil – I use this pencil, with its soft, dark lead, for making homemade graphite transfer paper.
Kneaded Eraser – I’ve used kneaded erasers since my college days, and I couldn’t sketch without them. They’re gentle on my paper and good for covering large areas and erasing rough-draft pencil lines after a painting has been completed.
Pentel Clic Retractable Eraser – These are great for erasing small areas or details.
White Plastic Eraser – I use a plastic eraser when I have stubborn pencil marks that haven’t responded to lifting with a kneaded eraser.
Pens with waterproof ink
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens – Pitt pens are a reliable choice for sketching with permanent waterproof ink. My favorite sizes are the Superfine (S) and Extra Superfine (XS). I often use larger ones for lettering and borders, so a multi-pack is a good option.
Sakura Pigma Micron Pens – Micron pens have permanent waterproof ink, making them a good choice for watercolor sketching. I mostly use Size 01, and occasionally the Super-Fine 005 size.I also really enjoy the Plastic Nib (PN) option. A variety pack will give you different nib widths for varying applications. (Be sure to only buy official Sakura products. There are many imitators out there that are NOT waterproof.)
Staedtler Pigment Liner Pens – This is another reliable waterproof black sketching pen. I use the Size 0.1 mm most often, but I find it’s handy having a set with a variety of sizes for inking border design patterns.
Pens with water-soluble ink
Speedball Elegant Writer Calligraphy Pen – The Elegant Writer is a felt-tip chisel-point pen with water-soluble ink. I use it primarily for sketching. When the drawn lines are touched by water, they soften into shadowy greys with hints of green and magenta. (I only use the black pens, not red or green.)
Staedtler Triplus Fineliners – My favorite water-soluble colored pens for sketchbook journaling. I also like the Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner Travel Roll. I use both of these sets of water-soluble pens to add title lettering, journaling, and decorative details like borders and frames to my pages.
Sakura Gelly Roll White Gel Pens – Great for drawing lettering on signs in a sketch. They also come in handy for fixing errors when journaling on white paper.
Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen – These pens can be fickle, but when they work, they are good for adding highlights or covering lettering mistakes in a journal.
Fountain pens & inks
TWSBI Eco Fountain Pens – These are wonderful, reliable pens, available in a variety of colors and nib sizes. I prefer the Fine and Extra-Fine nibs.
Platinum Carbon Fountain Pen – A reliable, inexpensive basic fountain pen with an extra-fine nib that works well for sketching & journaling. The red one is fun and easy to find in my bag. Use Platinum Carbon Black Ink Cartridges with these pens.
Sailor Fude de Mannen Fountain Pen – I love this pen for sketching. It gives lines of varying widths depending on the angle at which I hold it. I recommend buying the version with a 55° degree nib. Use a Sailor Converter to fill the pen with your choice of ink.
Platinum Carbon Black Ink – Permanent waterproof black ink that won’t clog fountain pens.
DeAtramentis Document Black Ink – Permanent waterproof black ink for sketching with fountain pens.
Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White – Is it ink or paint? I’m not sure, but this opaque white liquid watercolor with a matte finish works beautifully for adding highlights to a watercolor sketch, or for covering paint, pen, and pencil lines. It can also be used as an ink for drawing and calligraphy.
Sketchbooks & Paper
Sketchbooks with 140 lb. watercolor paper
I make many of my sketchbooks so I can customize the size, paper, and cover design, but I also work in a wide variety of readymade watercolor journals. There are lots of good ones out there, and this is not an exhaustive list, but here are a few of my favorites. The sizes shown in these links are my top choices, but I use a variety of sizes and formats.
Spiral bound sketchbooks: Handbook Field Watercolor Journal 7″ x 10″ and 8″ square
Hardcover sketchbooks:
Pentalic Aqua Journal 7″ x 10″
Hahnemuhle 100% Cotton Watercolor Book 7.7″ square
Handbook Artist Watercolor Journal 8.25″ square
Lightwish 4.7″ square Watercolor Journal and 6.3″ square
Hahnemühle ZigZag Books – Great for travel journals or everyday sketching. I prefer the 6″ x 8″ and 5.5″ square sizes.
Sketchbooks with lighter paper
Stillman & Birn Zeta and Beta Series 7.5″ square mixed media sketchbooks. These popular softcover sketchbooks have sturdy paper that is a bit lighter and less textured than 140 lb. watercolor sketchbooks, but I like them for casual quick sketching.
Aquabee Super Deluxe Sketchbooks – These are good budget-friendly sketchbooks that handle light washes of watercolor well. They do not accept a lot of layering. I use the 9” x 9” size as a catch-all studio journal.
Other watercolor paper
Fabriano Artistico Extra White Cold Press Blocks – This is the brand of 140 lb. 100% cotton watercolor paper I use most often. I buy the 9″ x 12″ blocks because the paper dries nice and flat without having to stretch it. I also use the full-size sheets when I make my own sketchbooks.
Stonehenge Aqua Cold Press Blocks – Another favorite brand of watercolor paper. I use the 9″ x 12″ size most but always take the 7″ x 10″ block when I travel. It’s lightweight & easy to carry for quick on-the-spot demos when I’m teaching. I also like their Hot Press for certain projects when I want a less-textured paper.
Tracing paper
Strathmore 300 Series Tracing Paper Pad, 9″ x 12″ – Tracing paper is an indispensible tool when I’m working in my sketchbook. Any brand will do, but Strathmore is the one I usually use.
Watercolor Paint
Professional watercolor paint in tubes
I squeeze tube watercolors into a metal or plastic palette and let them dry. A quick spritz with water reactivates them when I’m ready to paint. Brands I like include Daniel Smith, Holbein, DaVinci, Schminke, and American Journey.
Professional quality paint sets
If you’re just starting out, you may want to buy a prefilled watercolor palette rather than investing in a large quantity of tube paints. Here are some good options that come filled with artists’ quality watercolor paints:
Daniel Smith Essential Introductory Tube Set – A good six-tube starter set of warm and cool primaries. Add a small metal palette so you can carry them anywhere.
Winsor & Newton Field Pocket Set – A set just like this was my very first watercolor purchase, back in my college days, and I’ve been using it ever since. I like the compact, efficient design and the multiple mixing areas. Perfect for travel!
Daniel Smith Introductory Set – Includes 12 hand-poured colors of high-quality paint in half pans plus 12 empty pans to fill later when you want to add more colors.
Daniel Smith Set of 24 Colors – Get a rainbow of colors in this complete set of excellent Daniel Smith paints plus 24 empty half pans and an extra palette as a bonus. Having more colors in your palette can save you time mixing colors.
Sennelier L’Aquarelle Pocket Set – Compact set of high-quality watercolors in a compact metal palette.
Schminke Horadam Aquarell Compact Color Box – This set of high-quality watercolors comes in a metal palette and includes a DaVinci travel brush.
Student-grade paint sets
Winsor & Newton Cotman Field Watercolor Set – This has the same plastic palette as the artist’s quality Winsor & Newton set listed above, but the price point is lower because the paints, while acceptable, are not professional-grade.
Sakura Koi Pocket Watercolor Set – This handy set comes with a water brush, and, although the paint quality is not the best, it’s a good starter set for those who want to give travel journaling a try without investing too much.
Palettes
Mijello Fusion 18-well Watercolor Palette – I use this palette for painting in the studio. It holds a generous selection of paint colors, has a good-sized mixing area, and doesn’t take up too much room on the table. I fill it with artist’s quality tube watercolor paints and glue in extra half pans in the mixing area using rubber cement.
Metal Travel Palette – This compact travel palette holds 20 half-pans in a small space, making it perfect for packing in a travel sketch kit. Comes with a total of 50 pans, so you can switch out colors whenever you like. When I set up my palette, I included a few Half Duo pans for colors that I only use occasionally.
Brushes
Regular watercolor brushes
Escoda Prado Series Brushes – These brushes have the perfect springiness for me. They hold plenty of water and have fine points, making it easy to complete most of my sketches with just one size 8 or 10 round brush.
Princeton Aqua Elite Series Brushes – An all-around favorite at a good price point. The ones I use most are the rounds in sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Plus flats in sizes 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″.
Da Vinci Series 5080 CosmoTop Spin Wash Brush – I use this size 20 flat brush to wet my paper when painting skies or doing watery background washes.
Travel brushes
Princeton Aqua Elite Series 4850 Travel Brushes – The perfect set for travel journaling. If I could only take one brush on a trip, it would be the Aqua Elite Size 10 Round. See the entire Princeton Aqua Elite Series here.
Other brushes
Pentel Aquash Water Brush Set – I’ve been using these handy water brushes since I started sketching. They’re great for painting on the go – no water container required! I have other brands of water brushes, but these are the ones I reach for most often.
Blending Brushes for Stenciling – These soft brushes work amazingly well for stenciling with watercolor. They hold the paint (or ink) within the bristles and make crisp, clean lines when rubbed over a plastic stencil pattern.
Other Useful Tools & Materials
Pebeo Drawing Gum Masking Fluid – Simply the best I’ve found for masking. This set comes with rubber cement pickups, which are used to remove dried masking fluid from sketches.
Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White – This opaque white liquid watercolor is your best friend when it comes to making corrections to journaling or ink drawings done on white paper. It covers paint, ink, and pencil beautifully and can even be tinted with watercolor.
Ruling Pen Set – A ruling pen is a great tool for applying masking fluid to watercolor paper.
Grafix Dura-Lar Wet Media Film – An indispensible tool for previewing colors and styles of lettering and borders on finished sketches.
Sticky Notes – I use 4×6 sticky notes in my travel journals to jot down notes and write a rough draft of the day’s events.
Corner Clips – Use these clips to hold down page corners in a sketchbook while you’re working.
Frog Tape – A winner in the masking tape category, Frog Tape makes sharp masked lines, and I’ve never had it tear a sketchbook page. I also use Blue Painter’s Tape in a range of sizes.
Nova Precision Craft Knife – I like the clever design of this knife with its adjustable retractable blade.
Supply Case – This case is a good option for carrying pencils, pens, palette, travel brushes, etc. when you’re on-the-go.
Stand-up Brush Holder Case – Holds plenty of brushes and stands up when working at a table, allowing easy access.
Brush Tube – This plastic brush tube by Holbein offers an efficient way to carry brushes upright in a backpack.
Roll-up Brush Holder – This fabric roll-up protects brushes when traveling, and has a large capacity. The fabric covering allows air movement so brushes can dry while stored. This Bamboo Brush Holder functions the same way and has the added bonus of a stiff bamboo outside layer.
Westcott 10ths ruler, 12″ – I use this transparent ruler every day in my studio. The 10ths divisions make figuring out spacing for border designs so-o-o much easier. And one edge has metric scale, which gives me even more flexibity when measuring. The 6″ size is handy for carrying in a sketchbook.
Collapsible Silicone Cup – I use this to hold water when I’m sketching outdoors.
Folding Foam Seat Pad – This compact waterproof foam pad comes in handy when sketching outdoors. It offers protection against wet grass, dirty benches, and pebbly ground. Not as comfy as a stool or chair, but much better than nothing!
Book Light – I use this rechargeable book light when painting in a dimly lit studio or hotel room. You can also use it for reading books. 🙂
Viva Paper Towels – These cloth-like paper towels are super absorbent, soft, and extremely durable.
Scott Blue Shop Towels – The best heavy-duty lint-free paper towels. I use these mostly when painting with acrylics but also for blotting my brush when painting with watercolors. They seem to last forever!
Templates
Westcott Ellipse Template #1, Large – Use for drawing perfect elliptical frames on a composite sketch.
Westcott Ellipse Template #2, Large – It’s helpful to have a range of sizes and shapes when drawing ellipses, so it’s good to have both Westcott large ellipse templates in your sketch kit.
Westcott T-826 Jumbo Circles Template – Use jumbo circles to highlight images on a composite sketch or set up a gridded page with circles.
Westcott T-831 Large & Small circles Template – Circle sizes range from 1/16″ to 2 1/4″ diameter on this template.
Stencils
Patterned Plastic Stencils – I use commercially available stencils for creating patterned watercolor backgrounds and borders on my sketches. You can find them at many online retailers such as Amazon, Stencil Girl, Joggles, and Crafter’s Workshop.
