Learn to relax with your watercolors to create abstract wash and ink pieces in a variety of styles.
If by chance you’ve reached this page before purchasing this course, come join the fun:
Abstract Wash & Ink
Join our community on Mighty Networks:
Learn to relax with your watercolors to create abstract wash and ink pieces in a variety of styles.
If by chance you’ve reached this page before purchasing this course, come join the fun:
Use PhMartin's Bombay Cleaner to keep your pen nibs in tip top shape! It even works on dried india inks and shellac based inks from technical pens, lettering pens, and brushes. Works in just minutes!
Sandy wrote two books! One is an instructional book with basic info about Bible journaling and many projects inside, lots of step by step. The other is a workbook, available for a limited time (they're almost out of print) that uses Bible-like paper to practice on.
This little tea strainer is one I found at my local grocery store - and is by my side all the time when working with colored pencil! Its fine grain mesh creates powdered pencil of any type that can be spread onto paper in a variety of ways to create soft backgrounds and more.Â
A smaller Kolinsky brush provides the detail I need when the needle brush is too out of control. A round 4 is often the smallest I use; anything smaller starts to feel like a pencil! This is a natural hair brush, which means it holds a decent amount of pigment; for less pigment try a synthetic brush.
DaVinci's Cosmotop Spin "Mottler" brush is my go-to for large areas; I'm less successful with a mop, and this gives me excellent control. It doesn't hold the pigment and water in this brush at all due to the type of spin hairs - it just releases it all. It's used in a number of courses here.
Kolinksky brushes by Winsor and Newton and DaVinci are lovely to paint with; they hold much water and pigment, releasing it in a satisfying flow. They are indeed pricey - I saved up for them a long time before purchasing them, and have never had to toss one as I have other less expensive brushes. Well worth a treat.
I use other sizes but the most common I reach for are my 8 and 10.
DaVinci's Inlaid Liner (needle) brush holds water and pigment in the belly, releasing it down the tip to make fine calligraphic marks on a painting. Used by Sandy for waves, trees, flowers, and any loose, scribbly detail. Â
Stillman and Birn makes a number of different types of sketchbooks -- each in the line is named for a letter of the alphabet. If you're shopping for an artist and can look closely at the embossed lettering on the back you'll know which is their favorite! I'm currently using a Gamma in spiral format - but you generally can't go wrong with any of their sketchbooks.
Daniel Smith's Titanium White Watercolor Grounds can cover over accidents on the paper in order to repaint over it; the substance dries and won't rewet. Can also be used to add snow, stars, highlights, etc. (In contrast to gouache, this will not melt away if painted over again, whereas gouache will become milky white and move again.)
Da Vinci's Cosmotop Spin Round Size 10 holds more water with fine, extra smooth spin-filament fibers that create a fine point, stable shape, and energetic spring. This watercolor brush features a rust-resistant nickel-plated brass ferrule.
Fabriano Artistico is a watercolor paper to treat yourself to for colored pencil! It comes in a "block" (glued on all 4 sides so doesn't require taping down) which makes it a little more expensive. But it can take many layers of pigment to build up color as desired! Marybeth recommends trying the hot press or even the cold press - the more texture, the more layers!
Strathmore Bristol Vellum is an affordable paper with a smooth surface that allows for a sharp pencil to show off its skills and precision with great detail.
Kum sharpeners are a great small tool for a colored pencil artist! With a two step sharpening process, one sharpens the wood, the other refines the tip of the lead.
A tea strainer is an excellent tool for creating pencil powder - grate the pencil tip and watch the pigment land on the paper, then spread it with a cotton ball, qtip, or blending stump - and use it with or without blending solution!
Marybeth pairs two erasers in her work - both by Tombow.
A sand eraser has a sandpaper-like feel to it, and can serve to remove pencil, and ink (even ballpoint and rollerball!) Made from natural rubber latex and silica grit.
With a stick eraser, you can erase only what you need with a high-quality, precision eraser that's soft and won't damage your paper.
Prismacolor pencils are a wax-based pencil with a softer lead that makes the feeling of drawing with them incredibly creamy, almost "buttery." An artist can achieve a solid, opaque effect with heavy pressure, or light color and beautiful texture with less pressure.Â
The board you need depends on the size you work. There are small, thin Ampersand Hardbord that some people paint on but they're excellent hard surfaces to tape your paper to. If you work larger format, the Incredible Board by Grafix is large but surprisingly lightweight, and easy to cut to a custom size with an xacto knife.
Art Impressions Stamps has a line of "watercolor" stamps - plants, trees, and other images intended to be drawn on with water-based markers, stamped, then the color moved with a brush.
Take this idea to a whole other level with a special gift: pick out some stamp sets from Art Impressions with small plant/leaf stamps. Get a set, even a small one, of water-based markers. And a pad of paper and a brush. Unwrapping that will make an artist thrilled, and once they get started on the Pattern Stamping class, they'll be making patterns of their own out of all kinds of supplies!
Black watercolor paper? Is there such a thing? Why yes! But since most watercolors are transparent, you'll need certain types of paints or pens to work with this unique paper.
Gold watercolors will show up, as will some opaque acrylic inks, and paint pens. Regular acrylics will work too, as will gouache! Gift a pad of this unique paper and perhaps a bottle of an opaque ink—and you'll be inspiring an artist who loves to play with unique supplies.
Colored pencils come in a range of opacity - which means some will be brighter or darker on a colored paper. Black is the easiest place to see that transparency level, but midtone papers can be lovely. Treat the paper color AS the midtone - creating darks and lights to create the image.
To give this as a gift, pick up the Tulip Basket Sketches, and print them out on midtone colored papers; Lawn Fawn's heavy cardstock has a great texture for pencil. There will be a tinted line that barely shows. The sketches come with a PDF with instructions, so print that out, wrap it all up with a pack of pencils and put a bow on it!
Combine an alcohol marker drawing or coloring piece with colored pencils on top - any brands of either will work just fine! Use a favorite marker paper, and test out some pencil on top to be sure you're happy with what your results will be.
The alcohol marker work need not be perfectly blended as the detailed blending can be done with pencil. And if you want to learn a lot of techniques to use these two mediums together, visit the Drawing on Nature page where you can select one animal at a time or all 10 for a big discount.
Alcohol ink plus colored pencil on Yupo paper? Yes please! In this video you can see how this beautiful piece in bright reds, pinks, and oranges came to be, and try it yourself!
Shoppers: Pick up a few bottles of ink for the artist, focusing on a few versions of their favorite color. (If you don't know their fave, you can't go wrong with pinks and purples!) Then a pack of colored pencils; need not be a huge set, 24-48 will do. Add a pad of Yupo Paper. Then share this link with them!
Watercolor pencils plus pen and ink are a fun combination to use together for journaling. Either start with drawing - whatever the subject - and add the pencil later. Or make a watercolor background to draw on top of. The possibilities are endless!
You can learn some techniques in the Travel Sketching Global Gardens class, or just play and make up your own combo techniques!
CheckOut Store's DVD cases are what I use to store my Art Impressions stamps - rubber ones that can't be stored in sleeves.Â
My Sweet Petunia's MISTIÂ makes me into the stamper I am not when just using a block! I love the ability to re-stamp atop the same spot, and to align things the way I want. Comes in a bunch of sizes, I use the Mini and Regular one. Yes I still have pink but they make them in black too.
Don't sleep on PAINTING on a stamped piece with fountain pen inks. Many times they're far brighter and more intense than any paint. Pilot's Iroshizuku Inks are a fascination to me, and I've linked to a few colors. Also linked to a glass pen, which you can use to put dots of bleach (regular old bleach!) to create dots of highlight as most of the colors do seem to lift with bleach.
Faber Castell Albrecht Durer markers are by far my favorite of the water-based pens. They are SO. HiGHLY. PIGMENTED. I mean, everyone else just step aside. :) They water out beautifully, color in a stamp and make a background easily.
Silver Brush has a Black Velvet line of synthetic brushes that perform well for the money. I recommend a round 4 to begin with; also get a round 8 if you've got the budget. But larger areas can be covered with - believe it or not- a baby wipe! On Bible paper you don't want to put more moisture on the page than necessary, and a baby wipe can move the pigment without causing puddles of water.
Once a page is completed and wrinkly, put a few sheets of copier paper beneath the page, then iron it on cotton setting for about 20 seoonds, keeping the iron moving. That'll mostly flatten it, but no paper that's met water will ever be restored to 100% the way it was. Embrace it as part of the art!
Faber Castell's Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils are a vibrant, highly pigmented medium that's artist quality and lightfast. Plenty can be done with a set of 36 for someone just getting started - or a full set would be a treat too!
Note that you'll need a brush to wet and move the color but also try using a baby wipe when covering large areas - it puts less flowing water on the page, reducing wrinkling a bit. You'll hear more about that in my classes.
Sakura Koi watercolors in this small set are great for a new watercolorist; though if you want more artist quality materials, refer to the watercolor section above on this page. (That links to the Daniel Smith small set of colors and a palette to go with it.)
A set of Prismacolor pencils is my recommendation; the pencils come in sets of all sizes, but 48 colors is quite adequate for someone new to Bible journaling! (You can get up to 120.)Â They're the least expensive of artist quality brands, and you'll want quality so your BIble art lasts til you give it to your grandchildren.
Signo Uniball white gel pens come in handy for lettering on top of color - or adding details onto a piece of art on a Bible page.Â
A set of Sakura Micron pens has a number of pen nib widths to accomodate many of your Bible journaling pages. They are also waterproof - which means watercolor can be applied on top of a drawing with no bleeding whatsoever. They don't bleed through Bible paper - though if you color something solid black with layers to make it good and black, it will bleed through as any paper will when oversaturated with ink.
Journal the Word is my favorite of all the journaling Bibles I've tried - but honestly they are all about the same paper except a Gideon's newsprint version. So choose the translation YOU want. The print size YOU want. One column, two column, special cover....I've not found any that can't be used for Bible journaling.
If you'd like BIG blank space to work with, consider an Interleaved Bible - it has a blank sheet between each printed one.Â
Silver Brush's Black Velvet Travel Brushes feel like an elegant treat to a traveling artist! Turn the removable cover around on the backside of the brush end up with one that's near a normal size!Â
While three are listed, a sketcher can make do with one, as if they'll use pen and ink for the detail, a #6 round would split the difference between the 4 and 8.
A small travel palette can be a treasure for an artist hitting the road! The Schminke is a stripped down version of one; the Italian palette by Whiskey Painters has its own water container as well as being a little more sturdy.Â
Alcohol marker sketchbooks are sometimes different paper than are in "marker" sketchbooks. I've tried both the Copic and Olo and find them to be the best.
Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock, Solar White 80lb is my go-to for alcohol markers when making anything for cards. I love how it blends within the fibers of the paper!
It's pricey in a ream but keep it in your saved list on Amazon, it sometimes drops drastically for a few days. Â
Copic Sketchbooks and Olo Sketchbooks are my favorites for alcohol marker, but feel free to try any brand. It's a slicker paper than cardstock, and will bleed through to the back so protect the page behind the one you're drawing on.Â
Ohuhu Markers are a very inexpensive brand of alcohol marker; the color selection has more desaturated colors (less intense/bright) than other brands. The color numbering system is not one that makes sense, so be certain to pick up a hex chart to help get to know the pens!Â
Sandy's Curated Collection over at Olo Marker is a group of colors based on color theory - these hues blend together to form other colors.Â
The Chroma Coloring class uses these colors, so you can learn a little about how they layer!
A metal Schminke palette may come with pans (half or full size) or you may need to purchase them separately; check websites so you'll be prepared. Tube watercolors are squeezed into these pans and allowed to dry.
An alternate palette is the Whiskey Painters palette made in Italy; it has beveled mixing wells to pull more of the color into the center so it doesn't collect at the edges, not permitting it to be puddled.
Silver's Black Velvet line of brushes are a nice synthetic brush great for those starting out. They're relatively inexpensive, and they hold onto much of the water in the belly of the brush so it won't explode onto a painting.Â
Recommended: a size 8 and 12. Yes you may want tiny brushes, but the rule of thumb is to try to use the largest brush you possibly can for the task at hand. Watercolor is a liquid medium, not intended to be exacting as would be colored pencil.
A set of Sakura Micron pens includes a variety of nib sizes that can be used for various drawing techniques - and an artist can select the nib that'll work best for different sized art pieces.
These pens are waterproof - which means watercolor can be applied on top of a drawing with no bleeding whatsoever.
Gamsol is a liquid that breaks down pigment in colored pencils so that it is somewhat liquefied; it can be painted on with brushes, applied with cotton balls, or use blending stumps to move pigment.Â
Recommended: Get a small container, place a cotton ball inside, and some drops of liquid on it. That way there's no spillable bottle in your workspace, and you can control how wet the cotton ball is. Sometimes just damp is enough, other times add more liquid.
Generals Charcoal Pencils come in various hardnesses - softest is a 6B, which is easiest to blend. Get a pack with a few black, a white, and a sharpener, and you're good to go in starting drawing!
Note you can sharpen "old school" style using an xacto blade to carve your pencil into the desired shape - many artists still do that today, despite the availability of sharpeners!
Leniar Paper in Poland makes a marker/pen/ink pad that's 200 g/m2 - and Magdalena loves it! If you're there, head over to Paper Concept and try some!
She's also tried some Neenah Solar White - and also recommends!
Dorland's Wax is applied by either a palette knife (often too thick) - or a soft cloth, buffing onto the surface. Coat the gouache well, and let it dry. Once it's rested for 24 hours, buff well again, and the gouache will be waterproof! Water will literally bead on the surface. (Add more gouache on top if desired, but not washy paint.) This wax doesn't discolor but will darken the values in the painting.
Mini Canvases can accept gouache paint without prep - as long as the base layer is thick enough to adhere (washy paint can bubble otherwise). pick up a few to try, and some miniature easels as well.
Pentalic Aqua Journals are perfect for gouache with a paper strong enough to stand up to moisture, smooth enough to paint on easily, and they come in a variety of sizes. My preference - 5" x 8".
A small sketchbook is sometimes all that's needed to get started - and as a new gouache painter gets underway, a little painting is less intimidating! A book this size is all that's needed for the Gouache Jumpstart class - pick one up and consider decorating the outside too!
Jack Richeson Travel Brushes are an excellent investment in your gouache journey. Synthetic brushes, they don't hold much water, which is needed for gouache. They come in a travel case for easy storage, and are in a handy range for small studies.
NOTE: any inexpensive brushes will also work great. Save your money for paint if needed!
Gouache by Daniel Smith are my favorites; they do remain creamy months and months longer than any brand tested. As for colors - start out with a warm and cool yellow, red, and blue, a black, and a few tubes of white (because you never have enough white!)Â
Winsor & Newton's Intro Gouache set has all the colors I'd want to tell anyone to begin with! Warm and cool primaries, plus a few most-oft-used colors. While these don't stay "creamy" as long as my favorites (Daniel Smith), this is an EXCELLENT set to begin with to save some money on your first gouache. Highly recommend.
Copic Markers are the brand that brought alcohol marker art to the forefront! Nibs are replaceable, and reinker bottles mean constant replenishment keeps the art flowing. Need an idea of what colors to purchase for a starter set? Select some trios (light/medium/dark) from this chart to begin.
Arches Watercolor Paper is among the highest quality paper for painters, and this "rough" paper is the most textured of their different types of paper. The peaks and valleys move pigment in that fascinating way that only watercolor can do; even for a beginner, trying out some textured paper might help an artist gain the results desired in painting.
Herend's brushes are Win's go-to! They're made of Blue Squirrel hair and she recommends a number 12 round.
This zipper case is compact - 9"x 6-1/4" x 2-3/4" with a handle, and slots for 72 pencils (36 slots, 2 pencils each). The interior sleeves are detachable for ease of use.
PanPatel Sofft Tools - the "Starter Set" is a great little tool group to try out very soft blending with graphite, colored pencils, pastels and more.Â
 Canson Universal Hardbound Sketchbook is a durable, leather-textured hardcover workhorse of a sketchbook with 08 sheets (216 pages) to sketch on. Pages are acid-free 65 lb (96 gsm) white paper...
Caran d'Ache Grafwood pencils come in a wide graphite range that explore all the shades of black. These extra-fine graphite pencils contains 15 gradations (including 9B, the deepest black on the market), enabling artists to produce an infinite range of techniques and effects, uniform darkening of large surfaces, and regular and intense line drawing.
Strathmore's Hardbound Art Journal use binding that allows the books to lay flat when open. They hold multiple sheets of 90 lb (190 gsm), acid-fre , 500 series mixed media paper, internally sized for wet media with a durable vellum finish for drawing techniques. 100% cotton fiber is lignin free and archival.Â
Blick's Black Cat India Ink is a dense black, opaque, pigmented ink. It won't smear and is permanent and fadeless.
Stillman & Birn Nova Series Mixed Media sketchbooks feature heavyweight 93 lb (150 gsm) toned art papers in your choice of beige, black, or grey.  Ideal for use with colored pencils, ink, gel pens, paint markers, gouache, chalk pastels, and more, these durable art papers have a medium grain surface texture that withstands multiple erasures without pilling, supports light layered washes of wet media, and holds ink lines without feathering. Acid-free, chloride-free, and lignin-free for timeless results.Â
Arches Watercolor Sketchbooks are available in the range of hot press, cold press, and rough. Kelly recommends trying the cold press or rought which are more textured; a dip pen will skip on the surface, creating serendipitous splatters!
Liquitex Acrylic Inks are fluid colors with super-fine pigments suspended in emulsion. Quick-drying, permanent, water-resistant, and non-clogging. Use for watercolor effects, color blocking, and under-painting. Since they don’t require dilution, they’re also ideal for airbrushing, calligraphy, and stamping.
Kuretake's Sumi ink is a professional-grade are the same ink in traditional sumi ink sticks, but with less mess! The ink flows smoothly and works for use with alcohol-based markers.
Deleter's Black 4 Manga ink is waterproof when dry. Ink for dip pen use ONLY. Do not use in fountain pens.
A 10-pack of Nikko nibs is Kelly's recommendation for a good set! They're "Comic" nibs and produce strong, crisp lines for detail in drawings.Â
J.Herbin's Belle Epoque set comes with the nib holder, a nib, and ink - everything in one box! This is a weightier pen holder.Â
These pens are waterproof - which means watercolor can be applied on top of a drawing with no bleeding whatsoever.
Kelly's go-to pen holder is a Tachikawa Comic Pen Nib Holder - it's inexpensive, but note it doesn't come with nibs, so try out some of the ones she recommends. And you'll need some ink to dip into as well!
Arches Cold Press is the paper I recommend all artists begin with; while starting with "cheap" paper sounds good when just starting, you'll teach yourself workarounds for techniques, and then need to re-learn them once you get to using quality paper! Start with a pad of cold press, and if you have some sheets that are just "playtime," use both sides to get the most out of it!
NOTE: Buying paper by the sheet is less expensive per square inch; "tear" it down to a smaller size by folding and refolding it in half to make it tearable, then do it again to each half until you're happy with the size. Message me if you need more instruction in how to do that!
The Daniel Smith Essentials Set (6 colors)Â may look small and unimpressive; but it packs a punch! Mixing warm and cool primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) creates an endless supply of colors, teaching the artist the foundation of color theory. Especially great paired with Watercolor Jumpstart - with excellent teaching on basic color mixing and techniques to get any painter started.
While many sets of colored pencils come in tins; they can be unwieldy, as trays need to be placed carefully. A zipper case solves that! Get one large enough to accomodate the size pencil set purchased, with some room to grow hopefully.Â
Rustic Town Leather's zipper pouch will hold an artist's collection of pencils or pens for a sketch outing, or just for a visit to the kitchen table to do some drawing! Any zipper pouch will find a use in an artist's studio, though, so keep an eye out at local stores for small storage solutions like this one.
Essentials by Ellen Storage Envelopes come in several sizes - and any stamper can always use another pack of them! Made of heavyweight material, they'll stand up to storing dies as well - they'll last a good long time, keeping the investment in stamps and dies safe and organized for years to come. 5.25 x 9.325 in
"No Line Ink" by Inkon3Â (sometimes called disappearing ink) stamps a light, neutral colored line, so that once color is added to the image, it can be colored as if there were no lines at all! It's a hybrid ink and works for most mediums. Pick up a reinker bottle too!
Copic's Acrea Paint Pens are a marker used covering over other mediums. The mostly-opaque pigment is water soluble while wet, but can also cover the art beneath. Particularly good for stampers who like to draw scenes but then stamp the image on top; shading isn't possible with these pens but with small images, the effect is still really nice atop a colored background. The "Essentials" color set is one to prioritize - Black, White, Gold and Silver plus a grey and a brown. Useful in a lot of imagery!
Legion's Stonehenge 90lb (250 gsm) cotton drawing paper pads and sketchbooks contain a lovely paper for drawing with pencils of all kinds. The texture is retained with dry blending usage, but also looks velvety with liquid blending too. Also suitable for mixed media including light watercolor, and stamping. Covers come in both green and chipboard, but both contain identical paper.
Quality colored pencils will mean the most for any artist; purchasing a student quality brand will only hamper the mastery of technique. I recommend Prismacolor or Polychromos to beginners, as a full set of colors is reasonable cost-wise, though plenty can be created with a smaller collection!
Ultrafine Sharpie markers have countless uses in an artist's studio - from marking swatches and journaling notes to doodling and drawing too. Waterproof, they are wonderful for wash & ink work, though always test pens out on the planned paper to check for feathering.
For stampers who like to watercolor, Versafine Onyx Black ink is perfect for a crisp stamped outline to apply the paint to. It's waterproof, and once stamped and dry it won't bleed or feather. (Don't use with alcohol markers.) Versafine can be embossed, too, for a higher "wall" around the watercolor to hold it in. Get a reinker bottle so the pad remains juicy.
Dye stamping inks work best for alcohol marker artwork; linked are Memento's and Lawn Fawn's black inks. These won't bleed or feather with the application of color. Give the ink a moment to dry before using markers. Also listed is Inkon3's No Line pad to stamp a light outline that visually "disappears" as color is added for an implied-line appearance.
A set of multiliner pens is excellent not just for those who draw their own blackline work; sometimes a small element in a stamped scene needs just a little something, or a line needs completed, or, well, anything else! A set with various nib sizes is recommended. The regular multiliners are disposable; the "SP" are refillable and nibs can be replaced.
Tweezers help an artist with marker maintenance when removing nibs full of color is involved (it is not needed for some brands). This little mighty pair has teeth that can pull a soft nib out by its base without damaging it or getting fingers dirty.
A Signo Uniball White Gel pen can add little pops of white to alcohol marker art - for buttons, snowflakes, flower centers, stars, or the shine on a balloon! Watch this video for how to unstick a stuck pen:
A TWSBI Eco fountain pen is an excellent drawing and writing tool that functions beautifully and is quite affordable. A smooth, generous flow of ink makes drawing a dream! Recommendation for a first pen: a "Fine" nib; but dedicated pen lovers get a few with different nibs, with pen bodies in different colors to remember which is which! Fill your first pen with a waterproof ink like Platinum Carbon Black by submerging the tip into the ink bottle, twisting the piston using the back of the pen, drawing ink up into the barrel. Inks can be changed out anytime.
Brush pens with a piston-filler are lovely for drawing; they're great for varied lines as well as drybrush effects. To fill, dip the brush end under the liquid level of your favorite ink, and turn the piston. Ink will move up into the clear body (like a turkey baster), and you'll always know just how much ink remains since it's a clear acrylic pen body.
Small white ceramic dishes, as those used for dipping sauces, can be wonderful for specialty mixing. Creating a large quantity of a color for a big wash in a container keeps it from being contaminated in an open mixing palette. Keep an eye out at thrift shops for pretty little dishes for this use too!
Winsor & Newton watercolor postcards are a lovely practice surface to keep an artist creating daily. A smaller format can feel less intimidating when there's no time for a large painting. Plus it can be mailed out to make someone smile!
An airtight palette is wonderful for gouache, which works better when creamy; this one will allow a good brand to remain mostly creamy though all will eventually harden. Watercolors may be kept in this palette but it's much less a concern, as watercolors can rewet very easily for painting.
Alternatively, squeeze out a little onto a white plate, or a $2 tile from the hardware store. Paint will be re-wettable later on that palette, but the majority of your color remains IN the tube.
Daniel Smith White Gouache is for more than gouache painters! Since it's opaque, it can help repair small errors in a watercolor painting, create pastel hues for painting, or can be flicked from a toothbrush for a starry sky or snowy weather painting. Remember gouache can be re-wet after it's dry - so don't use watercolor on top of it.
Proconsole's white artist tape is highly recommended! Whether 1/2" or 3/4" wide, it surrounds your art with white to keep color distraction to a minimum; colored tapes can distort color perception. 1/4" is linked for those working very small, like postcards or stamping work.Â
Masking Fluid Pickup - sometimes called Rubber Cement Pickup -Â is a tiny yellow square, but a powerful little tool that lifts masking fluid after applying color. Using one instead of a finger keeps the oil from your hands from getting on the paper. (Masking fluids shown are the ones I recommend).
Masking fluid is used to block out white areas before painting to reserve the white of the paper; this can be done through painting techniques but also with this fluid. Grumbacher's Miskit is an orange-toned fluid so the artist is able to see where it's been applied (white ones disappear!). Similar is Pebeo's Drawing Gum, a blue-toned fluid which is even less expensive. Both work great. Dip an old brush in a bit of dishwashing liquid to make it last longer with masking fluid. Pair with a "pickup" square to lift the residue after painting.
Atomizers (spray bottles) are helpful to wet a palette before painting, for keeping watercolor from drying too quickly, to add texture, or any number of techniques. Different brands as each will have a different spray radius to try out with various painting techniques, and some may work better with smaller watercolors, and others with larger paintings.
Richeson blending stumps are made of soft, tightly-wound gray paper, and are used for blending graphite or colored pencil. Once "dirtied" they can even be used to draw and shade! These can be used with blending solutions or dry, for various effects. Pair with some cotton balls as well for softer blends. A blending stump sharpener is convenient to keep sandpaper at hand to clean and sharpen a stump.
Pencil stubs, no more! Short pencils get to live a longer life when added into an E&M Peanpole pencil extender, The 5" hexagonal shape mimics the barrels of pencils, so it feels just like the original pencil. The metal ring secures the pencil to the holder; if using a slightly thicker pencil, lower the ring, insert the pencil, then raise it. Have a few extenders on hand for when you've been making a lot of art.
Westcott's horsehair dusting brush help artists to keep erasure bits, excess graphite, fibers, or pencil powder off their work. 2" soft bristles pair with the artist's light touch to tidy up - but don't use this with charcoal or pastel, or pigment will be smeared all over.
Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils are an affordable quality pencil - whether this 6-pencil set or a larger one. These are break-resistant, and easy to erase. A variety of hardnesses of lead allow for lighter, sharper lines or darker, softer marks, depending on the need. An artist can always use more graphite pencils for sketching, plotting, and drawing along with any medium.
Tombow's Mono Stick Eraser will create detailed erasure marks in graphite or colored pencil without damaging the paper.Controllable small marks can be made in a field of color for textures and patterns. Refillable. Â
A Staedtler plastic eraser easily removes graphite marks from drawing papers and other surfaces—and can do so completely with minimal crumbling and no discoloration of the paper. As edges lose their sharpness, use a knife to cut a slice off the end to restore sharp edges for refined erasing.
Mont Marte's electric eraser is a workhorse among electric erasers, and is quite inexpensive! It comes with a set of replacement erasers which will last an artist a long time. This eraser is not just for those who focus on graphite drawing, but works with colored pencil, and for anyone sketching a subject before applying another color medium. Refine the tip by letting it spin against a hard desk surface, or carve it into a sharp point with detail scissors or sharpen it on sandpaper or a nail file. Note: the spinning action may damage paper surface so test first. Â
Kneaded erasers - an artist in any medium can't have too many! The Faber Castell are pliable yet not so "wet" they stick to art..the perfect combination. They come in cases or without, but I recommend the cases -- the plastic won't stick to the back of a sketchbook and disappear. Five stars.
Generals' All-Art sharpener can sharpen anything, but especiallythose pencils that can crumble or break in other sharpeners....try this one with charcoal and pastel pencils. Get a few tiny handheld ones to keep around the studio, and perhaps consider a bowl or sandwich baggie to catch shavings. Or get one in a round case to keep the mess contained.
AFMAT's electric sharpener has become my go-to in 2025. I mean, seriously. It provides a long point but has also been a consistent workhorse! One USB charge lasts ages - take it with you to class or drawing group and everyone will ask you if they can use it. It's got a "whistle" sound but it's not overly loud.Â
The hand-crank version is also quite good. This one's just faster!
AFMAT's long-point pencil sharpener forms the pencil wood into an extra-long, tapered point. It appears elegant, but the sharpener itself leaves the very tip somewhat blunted - which in most cases still perfectly fine for drawing with. If small details require an extra fine point, a square of sandpaper resides inside the sharpener for honing the shape of the very tip of the lead; otherwise use one quick turn in a handheld sharpener to create that laser-sharp point while retaining the long point of the pencil.
This sharpener cannot accept some of the thickest of colored pencils, like Luminance or Derwent Lightfast.
An M&R hree hole sharpener is for artists picky about the perfect pencil point! It provides 3 options: 1) the longest sharpens both the wood and lead for a very long point, 2) the medium shapes only the wood, and 3) the smallest refines only the tip of the lead. Or combine them for just the right point. It's inexpensive enough to seem disposable - but it's a workhorse so don't toss it...just get new blades.Drawback: Keep a sandwich baggie or a small dish on hand to catch shavings. NOTE: The same sharpener is sold under a few brand names.
A set of Sakura Micron pens includes a variety of nib sizes for various drawing techniques - smaller for details, thicker lines for larger pieces or big elements in a smaller drawing. Ink in Microns are waterproof, so watercolor or water-based markers can be applied on top of a drawing with no bleeding or smudging.
