♻️ denotes eco-friendly choices
🌿 watercolors
- I typically use a custom palette of my favorite 40 colors. I've spent years collecting these from artist quality brands like Da Vinci, Isaro, Jackson's, Roman Szmal, Schmincke Horadam, White Nights, and Winsor & Newton. Learn more about my setup in this blog post.
- If you're just beginning, would like to gift a set to someone, or prefer the ease of a ready-made set, I highly recommend the following:
White Nights Watercolors (35 set, lavender tin) at Amazon - artist quality paints at an exceptional value
- 31 out of 34 colors are lightfast
- fugitive colors as determined by an independent test in Florida sunshine are ruby, geranium red, orange, and May green
- 31 out of 34 colors are single pigment resulting in cleaner mixes
- fantastic color selection including cools and warms of each primary along with useful convenience colors and decent quality earth tones
- much more transparent than their older 36 set in the white box
- full pans are easier on my brushes and rarely (if ever) need refilled
- individual, open stock pans can be purchased at ArteMiranda (ships from Spain) or Etsy (ships from Utah, USA)
- tin is good quality and standard size so I can switch out pans from other brands
- I've tried nearly every student and artist grade available, and I keep coming back to this specific White Nights set in the lavender tin for the vivid colors, lack of bronzing or blooms, and economical price point
🌿 watercolor brushes
- Princeton Aqua Elite Series on Amazon | at Blick
- Comfortable grip
- Holds both water and color beautifully, snaps back nicely, and keeps a fine point
- Paints exceptionally smooth
- Synthetic and vegan but performs like a real Kolinsky
- The Long Round No. 8 is my favorite all-around brush: at Amazon | Blick
- I also like the other sized rounds from both the Princeton Aqua Elite and Princeton Velvetouch lines: at Amazon | Blick
🌿 notebooks
- these take watercolor well for my ink & wash style; most of the time I can use both sides of the page
🌿 drawing pens
- Tombow Mono, Size 03 at Amazon | Blick
- ink dries instantly, so perfect for watercolors
- jet black
- tips hold up longer for me than Sakura Pigma Micron
🌿 writing pens
🌿 journal covers
- Apple Pig Leather Art
- custom traveler's notebooks made by a master artist and craftsman named Ting
- read years of past reviews at Etsy
- shop at his new website
- Speckled Fawns
- artisan traveler's notebooks made by Terri
- read years of past reviews at Etsy
- shop at her new website
- Fiolofax Malden
- ochre A5 cover at Amazon
- I purchased mine used and already de-ringed from a buy / sale / trade group
- I use this to hold and protect my journaling Bible
🌿 printer