Materials List.
If you are wondering what supplies and materials I use in creating my illustrations, I have listed out a few of my favorite traditional and digital art materials below. I have also compiled a list of materials and supplies that I use in my studio set up and for streaming and recording video content.
Traditional Materials.
Watercolor.
I buy my watercolors as tubes and then make my own pans for my palette. Some of my favorite paints are:
Daniel Smith Extra Fine Essentials Introductory Watercolor, 6 Tubes
Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor 66-Dot Try-It Card (this is a GREAT way to try out their watercolors without spending a ton of money right off the bat)
Daniel Smith Essentials Mixing Watercolor Paint, 9 Piece Set
For brushes, I go for the Princeton brand. They are cheap but well made and hold a good point for a long time. And they are so cheap I don’t have to break the bank if my dogs or toddler gets a hold of them.
For my final illustrations I love to use Arches cold press watercolor paper. If you prefer a smoother surface the hot press will be your favorite. I prefer working on the watercolor blocks as they help prevent my paper from warping.
Arches Watercolor Block 9x12-inch Natural White 100% Cotton Paper - 20 Sheets of 140 lb Cold Press
Arches Watercolor Block 12x16-inch Natural White 100% Cotton Paper - 20 Sheets of 140 lb Cold Press
Arches Watercolor Pad 9x12-inch Natural White 100% Cotton Paper - 12 Sheets of 140 lb Cold Press
Arches Watercolor Block 9x12-inch Natural White 100% Cotton Paper - 20 Sheets of 140 lb Hot Press
Arches Watercolor Block 12x16-inch Natural White 100% Cotton Paper - 20 Sheets of 140 lb Hot Press
I mostly use metal travel watercolor palette cases as my palettes, they hold all my pans of watercolors that I have, and I can easily swap out colors if I want to. They have built in mixing trays as well which makes painting in the studio and on the go so much easier.
FCLUB Empty Watercolor Tins Palette Paint Case - Large Watercolor Palette Box Metal Tin with 28 Full Pans (more budget friendly than the Schmincke)
Creative Mark Butcher Tray Palette - Triple coated Enamel Tray Palette for Painting (great enamel tray for mixing as well)
Honbay 24PCS Plastic Empty Watercolor Paint Pans Full Pans (White)
Drawing.
For my graphite underdrawings I use:
StaedtlerMars Rotary Action Lead Pointer and Tub for 2mm Leads
Staedtler Mars Carbon Leads
My favorite erasers:
All around basic erasers:
Prismacolor Premier Kneaded Rubber Eraser (great for not leaving behind eraser shavings)
Detail erasers with fine tips
Eraser for light erasing of watercolor and ink that won’t lift (this one is like a tiny sand block so use carefully especially on watercolor paper as it can sand away the paper texture)
For inking I use both of these (Microns are more budget friendly and disposable, but the Rapidographs are refillable):
For adding highlights and details over my watercolors and gouache paintings:
Digital Materials.
Though I am in love with my traditional mediums, I do most of my preliminary sketches, layout sketches, color comps, value studies and digital color on some pieces in Procreate on my iPad Pro, I highly recommend it as it gives me the freedom of sketching and painting anywhere like a sketch book.
Apple iPad Pro 11-Inch (M4): Built for Apple Intelligence, Ultra Retina XDR Display, 2TB
Apple iPad Pro 13-Inch (M4): Built for Apple Intelligence, Ultra Retina XDR Display, 2TB
When working digitally on my PC I currently use a tablet monitor from the company XPPen. I find them to be a great alternative to the Wacom Cintiqs if you are looking for a more budget friendly option.
Studio Set Up and Streaming/Recording Supplies.
Cameras and Microphones.
For my desk camera I use a mirrorless Sony camera to make sure the art is at the best viewing quality possible, and I use a Logitech webcam for my face camera while streaming.
The microphone I currently use for streaming and recording videos is the Blue Yeti:
Lighting.
Great lighting is not only important for creating the illustrations themselves, but it is also crucial to a good quality stream or recording of your process and artwork. A basic ring light is a great budget friendly way to achieve good lighting results as well, and some can mount right to your working surface.
Lightboxes are the best way for me to transfer my digital layout sketches to the paper I am working on. here are the two I have and use frequently:
Monitor Stands and Arms, Microphone Boom Arms, Camera Desk Mounts.
My XPPen Tablet Monitor is on a special adjustable desk mounted stand that allows me to bring it close when working and set back when not in use.
I have a small studio so my working space is important, a similar concept to my monitor stand is this microphone boom arm that swivels compactly away when not in use"
I use this sturdy overhead camera mount on my drafting table to hold the Sony Alpha a6400:
And if I am using my iPad at my computer desk I also purchased this little laptop stand to hold it at a more ergonomic angle while I work.
Streaming Accessories for Sony Alpha a6400.
In order to use a camera that is not a webcam to stream on your computer you will need a capture card of sorts. I have the internal kind built right into my PC but there are external ones that plug in as well.
Sometimes my recordings and streaming sessions last a long time so I purchased a dummy battery for my Sony camera to keep it continuously plugged in so I don’t have to change out batteries mid recording.
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