my favorite supplies
♻️ denotes eco-friendly choices
🌿 amazon & etsy lists
- Many of my most frequently used supplies are available at Amazon and Etsy. I've posted handy shopping lists for both:
🌿 watercolors
- I typically use a custom palette of my favorite 40 colors. I've spent years collecting these from trusted artist quality brands like Da Vinci, Isaro, Jackson's, Roman Szmal, Schmincke Horadam, Sennelier, White Nights, and Winsor & Newton.
- 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 sometimes Etsy (shipping from Utah)
- 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
- Wanderings traveler's notebook inserts at Amazon | Etsy
- Acid free and FSC Certified ♻️
- These handle watercolor better than any other inserts I've tried; I can paint on 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