favorite supplies

watercolors

    • Available at Blick | Da Vinci Website
    • Made by a family-owned company in California
    • Most colors are lightfast; refer to Kim Crick's problem pigment lists to cross-reference your selections
    • Set up nicely in pans with very little shrinking
    • Re-wet easily
    • Wonderfully pigmented colors which are not "inky" at all
    • Excellent, moderately priced, artist quality paints, especially for those living in the US

 

  • Da Vinci 12 Full Pans

    • Available only on Da Vinci's website
    • Typically under $60
    • Made by a family-owned company in California
    • Most colors are lightfast; refer to Kim Crick's problem pigment lists to cross-reference your selections
    • Hand-poured full pans in standard size
    • Tin provided
    • Color selection is excellent, including a Quin Rose and Sap Green, but there is no grey so you'll need to mix that when needed
    • 92% single pigment
    • 100% lightfast (I or II)
    • Re-wet easily
    • Wonderfully pigmented colors which are not "inky" at all
    • Excellent, moderately priced, artist quality paints, especially for those living in the US

  • Van Gogh 12+3 Watercolors

    Van Gogh watercolors are lightfast and made in The Netherlands
    • Available on Amazon | Jackson's

    • Typically under $30
    • Manufactured in The Netherlands
    • Extruded half pans in a traditional size
    • Box includes thoughtful lift-out mixing tray
    • Included pocket brush is serviceable to start, but you'll want to collect other brushes for everyday use
    • Color selection is fantastic, including a nice Quinacridone Rose and Sap Green along with cools and warms of all primaries and helpful earth tones
    • 60% single pigment 
    • 93% lightfast (the only color which is possibly not lightfast is Prussian Blue which can shift in any brand)
    • Zero colors ping on my UV fluorescent brightener test (most likely to fade quickly)
    • Disperse very well in water
    • Re-wet extremely easily
    • Vibrant, highly pigmented colors
    • Can run on the more opaque side when painting on journaling notebooks and planners, but seem much more transparent on actual watercolor paper
    • Van Gogh bridges the gap between cheap student grade paints and ridiculously expensive artist quality watercolors; it sits somewhere in the middle and is an ideal starting point for beginners; there may be better values at $100 or $200, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better, more complete set from a reliable brand for under $30


notebooks

    • Leuchtturm1917

      • Available at Amazon
      • 251 pages
      • Available in dot grid, plain, 6mm rule, and square grid
      • Hard cover
      • 80gsm paper which resists bleeding and has very little ghosting
      • Can go without a cover but will easily slip into popular leather options
      • Ink dries faster than on Tomoe River Paper used in the Hobonichi and Nanami lines
      • Takes most watercolor (especially paints with good quality pigment rather than dye-based wet media)
      • Elastic closure, rounded corners, numbered pages, two bookmarks, and back pocket
      • Acid free and FSC Certified
      • Made in Germany

    • Paper Sunday
      Paper Sunday personalized scripture journals and planners make a wonderful Christian gift

      • Personalized scripture journals and planners
      • Dozens of cover choices
      • Kids' styles offered as well
      • Coil bound, soft cover, and hard cover formats
      • English and Spanish options
      • Thoughtful gift, as your recipient's initials are placed on the front cover and their name is incorporated in every verse
      • Made in the USA
      • Use coupon code KEYLIME22 for a 10% discount

    • Stalogy 365

      • Available at Amazon
      • 368 pages
      • Best all-around bullet journal with square grid pages
      • Sturdy, water-resistant soft cover
      • Bible-thin paper which resists bleeding and ghosting
      • Can go without a cover but will easily slip into popular leather options
      • Ink dries faster than on Tomoe River Paper used in the Hobonichi and Nanami lines
      • Takes most watercolor (especially paints with good quality pigment rather than dye-based wet media)
      • Rounded corners
      • Acid free
      • Made in Japan


    • Wanderings

      • Available at Amazon | Etsy
      • Traveler’s notebook inserts available in passport, standard, A5, and larger sizes 
      • Cardstock softcover 
      • Choice of dot grid, plain, 8mm rule, and square grid
      • Takes everything except juicy Sharpie markers 
      • I’m able to work extensively with ink and wash watercolor; there’s absolutely zero bleed-through on the other side of the page 
      • Rounded corners
      • Acid free, tree free paper made of recycled cotton


    journal covers

    • Apple Pig
      Apple Pig traveler's notebooks are custom made to order

      • Available on Etsy
      • Many stock sizes available
      • Custom design ideas and sizes welcomed
      • Leather
      • Made in Taiwan by a master craftsman named Ting
      • All projects are made to order; worth the wait

    • Elizo

      • Available on Amazon
      • Journal covers in Large (for Moleskine Large size), A5 (generously cut), and XL (for composition books) 
      • Leather (I like Chestnut the best)
      • Usually in-stock and ready to ship

    • September Leather / Newestor

      • Available on Amazon
      • A5, Standard, and Passport size traveler's notebooks 
      • Card pockets and folio pockets
      • Reinforced spine
      • Four elastic bands
      • Leather
      • Economical
      • Usually in-stock and ready to ship

    • Wanderings

      • Available on Amazon 
      • Standard size traveler's notebook
      • Card pockets and folio pockets
      • Leather
      • Economical
      • Usually in-stock and ready to ship



    pens


    resources for writers

    • Grammarly 

      • Free accounts: correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
      • Premium accounts: scan your work for tone, readability, confidence, and inclusive language and check for inadvertent plagiarism

    other blogs for inspiration