Art Supplies I Use

I use a lot of different art supplies here on this blog and I wanted to create a blog post where my readers can find what art supplies I use in my drawings and paintings.

I buy art supplies from various stores, whether online or in-person.

I’ll try to include where I bought the item if I can remember.

I hope you find this helpful and enjoy!

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Sketchbook

If you are wondering what sketchbook or paper I use for my drawings, it is the Canson Mixed Media Sketchbook.

I really like this sketchbook because the paper isn’t thin like for sketching sketchbooks.

I get mine from Michaels or Walmart (if they have it). It is also available on Amazon if you’d rather buy it online.

sketchbooks art supplies canson grumbacher

For my watercolor and gouache paintings on paper I use the Canson Watercolor Sketchbook.

This one is even thicker than the Mixed Media paper so it’s perfect for mediums that use water.

I have also used the Grumbacher Watercolor Sketchbook as well, but I kind of prefer the Canson because the Grumbacher has a more pronounced texture to its paper.

The Canson is not smooth (still cold-pressed) but the texture isn’t as obvious.

It all comes down to personal preference though.

Below is a photo I took to show the texture comparison.

grumbacher canson watercolor paper comparison

The Grumbacher is also slightly a brighter white in-person.

They are both pretty close in color though.

In the photo, the Grumbacher is closer to the window so it looks a lot brighter.

Black Ink Pen

Many of my drawings are created using black ink pens and the ones I primarily use and love are the Sakura Pigma Micron Pens.

I got it from a set on Amazon.

I primarily use the 02 and 03 sizes in my drawings, however it changes depending on the size of the drawing and the amount of detail work.

sakura pigma micron pen art supplies black ink

The sketchbook I used in the photo above was a one I picked up from Walmart for drawing and sketching.

I believe it’s from Royal & Langnickel.

Lead Pencil

I will usually create a pencil sketch of my drawings before I create the final drawing using ink pens.

The pencil I use is the Zebra M-301 with 0.5mm lead.

I probably bought mine from Walmart a while back but it is also available on Amazon as well. It’s pretty affordable.

Eraser

Sometimes it can be hard to find a eraser that doesn’t leave streaks.

So here is my favorite eraser that I use for my pencil drawings.

I use the Pentel Hi-Polymer Eraser.

I got mine from Walmart but I believe they sell this at various stores that sells office supplies.

Camera

The camera I use to take pictures of my drawings and artwork is the Canon G7X Mark II.

I bought mine from Best Buy, but it is also available on Amazon.

I also have used it to take videos that I use in my Youtube videos in the past.

I really like this camera because it’s pretty easy to use and I love the warm colors it captures.

The cons I would say is that it doesn’t have an external mic, but I believe the newer version (Canon G7X Mark III) of this camera does.

Also, when the camera auto-focuses, you can hear the camera autofocusing if you are taking a video and the environment is very quiet.

Aside from that, I can’t really think of many cons of this camera. It’s a pretty good basic camera if you are looking for one.

Drawing Software

I use Adobe Photoshop to create all of my digital drawings and do general photo-editing work.

2-In-1 Laptop

I use a 2-in-1 laptop to create my digital drawings and for all of my computer-use.

A 2-in-1 laptop can act both as a laptop and a (drawing) tablet.

The reason I bought a 2-in-1 laptop was so that I could create digital drawings directly on my laptop instead of buying a separate drawing tablet. It is very handy.

The laptop I have is the Lenovo Yoga 730.

Honestly, I can’t say I recommend this laptop because there were/are several annoying issues with this laptop.

For instance, at the beginning the internet would constantly cut off so I had to download a new driver or something. I can’t remember what exactly I did but it fixed it after much sleuthing.

The Lenovo pen that comes with this laptop constantly stops working and I have to unscrew and screw back the pen’s battery part to get it to work again. Maybe it’s just getting old?

The laptop’s fan also gets loud.

Despite its downsides however – it helps me create art so I am grateful for it!

I believe this exact laptop is no longer available but hopefully the later models don’t have the issues that this model has.

Colored Pencils

The colored pencils I use to sometimes color in my drawings are the Cra-Z-Art 24 pack colored pencils.

I can’t find the exact ones on Amazon, but I believe I bought mine from Walmart.

I think they’re made for children but I’m happy with them as they give me a good amount of colors and I don’t really need professional-level colored pencils.

Gouache Paint

The gouache paint set I have used in some of my painting blog posts is the Miya Himi Gouache Jelly Paint Set in the yellow case.

I also wrote a detailed review of this gouache set here if you are interested.

Overall I really enjoy this Gouache set and think it’s very fun to paint with!

Acrylic Paint

I have A LOT of acrylic paints because I used to create a lot of abstract paintings.

Nowadays I focus on my blog, but I still have the paints whenever the urge to paint comes 🙂

The brands I enjoy are Golden, Liquitex, Derivan Mattise, Amsterdam, Winsor & Newton, and Holbein.

I get most of my paints from Michaels, Blick, Utrecht or Hobby Lobby.

Acrylic paints can be pretty expensive but you can find great deals if you wait and buy during sales or clearance times.

Watercolor Palette

Whenever I feel like using watercolor paints, I like to use my Sakura Koi Watercolor Palette.

What I like about this palette is that it has a variety of colors included and it comes with a refillable watercolor brush.

This makes it a great travel kit for anyone wanting to paint on-the-go.

I enjoy using it because I don’t have to get that many supplies out to start watercolor painting.

I essentially just need this palette, watercolor paper, a paper towel, and some water in the brush to get started.

Paper Cutter

I will sometimes cut my paper into small sizes using a Guillotine paper cutter from Swingline.

I got mine from Walmart, but it is also available on Amazon here.

It’s pretty handy. Even my siblings use this for their paper cutting needs.

I only cut 1 piece of paper at a time so I can’t say whether it’d work great for cutting 10 sheets at a time.

However I’ve had this paper cutter for at least 4 years now (as of 2022) and the blade hasn’t dulled. It still cuts very smoothly.

It is also very safe. It has a locking mechanism for when you’re not using it and I’ve never cut my hand with it. I can tell it was made with safety in-mind.

It’s also kind of fun and satisfying to cut paper with this ^^

Canvases

I like buying my larger canvases from Michaels whenever they have sales or deals.

I find out about these sales by signing up to their email promotion list.

I like the Artist Loft Level 1 canvases.

I don’t buy the higher levels because they are more expensive and I like the back stapling so that I can remove canvases from the wooden frame if I want to.

Tip: When shopping for canvases, make sure to check all sides and corners of the canvas and wooden frame for damage.

I really like Michael’s Artist Loft canvases because they aren’t cheap quality, I don’t see damage often, and the canvases are a nice experience to paint on.

I don’t like it when the canvas and gesso is too rough, but that’s personal preference.

I also buy canvas panels or mini canvases from anywhere I find them (even Walmart carries them).

They’re nice to paint on as well for smaller works.

Thank you so much for stopping by this blog post!

I will continue to add more art supplies to this blog post as I discover more things to draw, paint, and create with! (or if I simply forgot to add it to this list)

I hope this list was helpful for those who wondered what art supplies I use in my blog posts.

Feel free to take a look around the blog for creative inspiration, whether it be drawing or painting ideas.

And I am wishing you a wonderful day or night!

Keep creating and have fun!

Artist Tips