Christine in Print: Favorite Art Supplies

This summer I was able to finally get some new supplies!

Favorite Tools

Starting from the top:

Aquash Water Brush, Fine Point Medium

Great for watercolor, especially if you like to take it outside. The water is stored inside the brush. You can buy them in different sizes. I got the medium to try it out and so far I like it. I prefer it for large washes or painting outside.

Winsor & Newton Cotman 111 Round Brush Size 6

My new watercolor brush - the old ones were no longer cutting it. This is a great brand, I knew that before buying it. I use it for details and coloring. You only really need one or two good watercolor brushes!

ZEN Royal & Langnickel Z73A 3/8 10mm Brush

This one is used for acrylic paints. I'm slowly rebuilding my acrylic brush set, as they are roughed up now from years of usage. It's angled - which I use almost as often as my round brush. I find it's best for organic shapes and lines. I'm not familiar with this line or brand for acrylic brushes. So far, so good.

Pentel Arts Pocket Brush Pen

Ahhh! I could rave about this all day. One of my favorite artists uses this pen and so I decided to try it. It's waterproof and permanent, so it doesn't smear when I color with watercolor or markers. The brush part is perfect. Seriously, it flows like magic.

I used the first ink capsule within weeks of buying the pen because I was drawing with it that often! It's great if you enjoy writing Japanese, Chinese, or Korean script, too. I need to buy 100 refills.

Sakura Pigma Micron Pen 03

I bought a whole set years ago and it's still going. It's archival ink and dries quickly. I use the 03 size the most often these days. I love most of what Sakura makes anyways! Their pens are good for drawing, comics, and other work requiring fine detail. Sometimes I even write in my journal with them.

Arches Watercolor Paper Hot Pressed 140 lb Block

I finally coughed up the money since the cheaper papers weren't cutting it. This is an paper block, which means the edges are glued together, so the paper doesn't warp while you're painting. Its surface is so smooth.

Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint

This is technically considered a student quality paint, but many a professional uses it. They tend to have matte finishes, which looks better in my opinion. Liquitex makes good paint for affordable price. I just bought a starter set because I was out of the basic colors. If you watch for sales you can get them for less than $30 US. They last a while too. I actually just run out of my paints in the middle of a dog portrait project and freaked out. Next I'm going to buy the other colors a nature artist needs: umber's and sienna's. But with the primaries, you can make almost all colors you'll need.

I prefer Liquitex over the store brands because the colors don't shift (change color over time).