5 of my favorite art supplies and why you should try them too

Me: “See, I can finally fit all my art supplies into one box!”

Husband: “Stop calling our house a box.”

That’s {almost} a true story. What can I say, I love buying {and hoarding} art supplies! Acrylics, inks, watercolors, fabric paints, acrylic mediums, gel mediums, crayons, pastels, pencils, brushes, brush pens, paint pens, foam rollers, glues, scrapbook papers, embellishments…the world of art supplies is vast and ever growing and filled with shiny beautiful things!

Add in the fact that I enjoy creating mixed media paintings, and that opens up a world of possibilities – suddenly, every medium is fair game for trial and experimentation and painty play! Despite this, I gravitate towards a few supplies over and over again in almost all of my paintings. So, without further ado, I present to you…

5 of my favorite art supplies

FW Acrylic inks: I love these to create drips, for glazing, and to add bursts of intense color. Depending on how you apply inks, they can be transparent, translucent, or almost opaque. And a little tends to go a long way. Acrylic inks are also excellent for adding fine line work and details. (Buy on Amazon)

Charcoal pencils: I love everything about charcoal pencils. The intense black line work. Smudging the charcoal to create shadows. And painting over charcoal with white to create grey or even a lovely rich black. Charcoal lines smudge and dissolve with water, and I love the unpredictability it creates when I layer over my line work. (Buy on Amazon)

Inktense pencils: I use these for everything! They’re waterproof once dry so I use them to ink in drawings before adding paint. They’re excellent for shading, mark making, and drawing in areas of interest in intuitive paintings. I also love to lay down some inktense pencils and then blend them in with acrylic inks to create shade and depth in my paintings. (Buy on Amazon)

Catalyst wedges: These silicon wedges are fantastic to scrape on paint and to add texture and interest on your canvas. I rarely use them in my art journal, mainly because I use thinner layers of paint in them. But on canvas or watercolor paper, where I apply thicker layers of paint, I love smooshing the paint and creating texture with these wedges. They’re pricey, but I haven’t been able to find a good substitute for them. (Buy on Amazon)

Uniball Signo White pen: A good, opaque white pen is an absolute necessity. Although the Signo isn’t waterproof, it features in almost all of my paintings. I use it to write and add in highlights or doodles; always making sure it is the last layer on my paintings. Often times, the judicious addition of a white pen can make an entire painting come alive! (Buy on Amazon)

So there you have it – 5 of my favorite art supplies! What are your favorite art supplies? Do tell me in the comments!

Please note: This post contains affiliate links, which means that I earn a tiny commission if you purchase anything using these links at no extra cost to you.

Pin for later