My Favorite Art Supplies

We all have our creative weaknesses. Well, mine are all art related! My favorite thing about being an artist is without a doubt, the art supplies. Over the years, I've used all sorts of supplies, but these are my tried and true favorites! 

My Favorite Traditional Art Supplies

mechanical pencil - The Graph Gear Mechanical Pencil is great for sketching my illustrations when I'm not using my iPad Pro.

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 faber-castell polychromes pencil set -Faber Castell Polychromos are my favorite brand of coloring pencils. Soft, but don't break as easily as the Prismacolor pencils. . .and then blend beautifully.

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primsacolor pencils -Prismacolor pencils are great for those just starting out that don't want to spend a lot of money. When I first started coloring, these are what I started with. I still use them, because they have more colors than the Faber-Castell colored pencils, but I find that the points break easily, which is very annoying.

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  -The 3 Drawer Wooden storage box is perfect for holding extra colored pencils. I label each of the drawers so that I know exactly where each color is.

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XL Color Index -If you're like most artist, sometimes you have a little difficulty choosing color. This helpful XL Color Index by Jim Krause is a must have. It also gives a wonderful description of primary, secondary colors as well as the importance of hues  & saturation.

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Colored pencil extenders-These Colored Pencil Extenders are a must have if you want to get every bit of use out of your pencils.

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Inktense pencils-I simply LOVE the rich colors that you get using these wonderful Derwent Inktense Pencils. I don't use them as often as I would like, but they are my go to for at home watercoloring.

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Watercolor set-For on the go watercoloring, I love this little Koi Watercolor Set. It even comes with a sweet watercolor pencil. Perfect to throw in my bag to do some urban sketching.

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Faber-castell pencil erasers -Faber-Castell Perfection Eraser pencils are the best that I've tried. They are easily sharpened in a regular or electric pencil sharpener and I really like the firmness of the eraser, meaning it isn't flimsy, which is great for adding details.

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kneaded eraser-These Faber-Castell Kneaded Erasers are also a must have. It's great for correcting & lightening up the colored pencils.

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pencil sharpener-You always want a great pencil sharpener, but you don't have to spend a ton of money. I love this Grip Trio Pencil Sharpener. It can be used with graphite, color & jumbo pencils. I prefer this over my electric sharpener (see below), when I want to get a sharper tip for details on my pencils.

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 electric pencil sharpener-I do love this little gem of an X-ACTO electric pencil sharpener. It has 7 different slots for different size pencils and gives you a nice long lead for coloring.

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Strathmore Bristol Board -My go to used paper for my colored pencil illustrations is the Strathmore Smooth Bristol Board.

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strathmore plate finish -For my illustrations where I use Copic Markers as the base and shading with the colored pencils, I use the Strathmore Bristol Plate finish illustration board. I love it, because there is no bleed through on the backside of the paper. Perfect!

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Sketchbook-As an artist, you can never have too many sketchbooks. There are all kinds of them out there, but the sketchbooks from Stillman & Birn have become my new favorites this year. I love the Mixed Media ones as they do well with all types of mediums.

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micron 005  -I love Microns for outlining my illustrations. My preferred size is the 005 Black Micron.

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Stabilo markers  - I LOVE these Stabilo makers. They are my favorite go to markers for adding details, such as patterns to the clothing, to some of my illustrations. 

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 Krylon workable fixative -To protect my artwork in-between coloring, I use a Krylon Workable Fixatif. Just remember, if you are sensitive to smells, it does have an odor.

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krypton UV protector -Colors fade over time if you don't protect the pigment, so when I am completely done with my colored illustration, I use a Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Spray. I usually spray it twice and wait about 30 minutes before applying the 2nd coat. Again. . . if you are sensitive to smells, it has a very strong odor. 

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