5 Of my Favorite Art Tools

 In 5 Ways to Art Archives
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The first tools

 

This is what I know: It’s good to have the right art tool for the job.

We come from a long line of tool users. Tools are so thoroughly woven into our lives they’re like natural extensions of ourselves – like the pen I used to write this post.The art world is virtually exploding with new kinds of tools. New drawing implements, new gels for your paint, new types of paper and on and on and on. It’s impossible to keep up.

This is what I think: It’s really about the doing. The creating. The work.

I’ve created in lots of different media over the years – and when I carve stone I swoon over a hand-made Italian rasp; when I paint with oils, Williamsburg has my heart; for acrylics I side with Golden – most of the time.

I want a paintbrush that helps me achieve the nuance of a stroke; paint that can offer me subtle layering of color; a pen with the precise point and glide to help me express what’s in my mind and heart. I don’t need all the stuff out there. What I need is the right art tool to get the job done.Here are 5 basic tools I keep in my art toolkit.

5 of My Favorite Art Tools:

1. Colored pencils: Prismacolors. They’re the best – well worth the price. Cheap colored pencils are waxy and won’t layer the way good ones do, and it’ll make a huge difference in your drawing. Prismacolors come in a couple of grades. I love the ‘Premier’ grade. You can replace pencils individually, so once you’ve made your initial outlay you can buy new pencils as needed.

2. Oil pastels: no need to pay a lot for these. Most of them are very similar and work just fine. But if you want something smoothe and delightfully luscious, I’m a Sennelier fan. And if you’re ever in Paris, visit the historic but still in business Sennelier shop on the Seine – where Picasso and Cezanne got their art supplies! Incroyable!

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3. Watercolors: Pelikan is my favorite beginner brand. They’ve got good color and are inexpensive. I’d get a set of 24 colors, which you can also travel with. But my very favorite watercolors are Maimeri. They’re beautiful paints and worth the price if you’re really into watercolors.

4. Watercolor brushes: you don’t need the best to get started. Watercolor brushes have soft bristles that can hold a lot of water and snap back nicely. They vary quite a bit in price, but you can be happy with an inexpensive brush. For travel, my all time favorite brushes have a water reservoir in the handle! No need to bring a bottle of water. They’re awesome! They come in a variety of brush shapes and sizes but I like a medium round just fine.

My travel Maimeri set & water brush

My travel Maimeri set & water brush

5. Pens: I’m a little fickle with pen love. But lately my faves for drawing are Micron pens by Sakura. I like an 02 for drawing but they come in lots of point sizes.Well, that’s the art supply roundup for today. I’ve included a variety of places to purchase from – I like buying from real art supply stores to keep them alive.

What are your favorite art tools? Do tell!

In my next post, I’ll share 5 Ways to Rock Out In the Studio! See you then!

To all you are,
Lauren

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Showing 13 comments
  • Rebecca Petillo
    Reply

    Wonderful Lauren, I completely agree the right tools make all the difference! You know I love my Blackwing pencils!

    • LSRader
      Reply

      Thanks Rebecca. I know you love a good tool! And your Blackwings! Thanks for adding those to our list!

  • Debbie Pollack
    Reply

    I’ve got my Plaza 30% coupon printed out and I’m on my way this weekend to shop for Micron pens!

    • LSRader
      Reply

      Yay!!! Enjoy Deb. Try them out at the store to see what kind of point you’d like. Yippeeee!!!

  • Jennifer Gold
    Reply

    What could be better than going into an art supply store and looking at all the products?! A personal guide to help steer our attention to the good stuff! Thanks for both the practical information AND the reminder to experiment with different tools and names.

    • LSRader
      Reply

      You’re so kind, Jennifer. Happy to talk about art and art supplies day and night. Never gets old. Thanks for writing.

  • Tara
    Reply

    I’m printing this out and taking it with me to Plaza! Thank you!

    • LSRader
      Reply

      You are welcome!! I can’t wait to hear what you get!

  • Jaime B
    Reply

    The best tools are the ones we use! Thank you for constantly reminding us to make art a regular habit!

  • Dana Fishman
    Reply

    Loved the blog… I saved this particular one to my computer for future reference. All good information. I already have a groupon for plaza and plan on getting a new watercolor paint brush you talked about in the blog.

    thanks for all the good tips.

  • Joanne Kovener
    Reply

    Lauren,
    Thanks for these great tips. I plan on visiting Plaza this weekend and I know that I will purchase at least one of these items.

    Joanne

    • LSRader
      Reply

      You’re welcome Joanne! Enjoy your art store visit!

  • Jennifer Gold
    Reply

    I second Jaime’s wise words — that the best art supplies are the one we use. When my daughter came home for the summer after a year at college, she announced that her goal was to use (up?) all her art supplies. YES! Use ’em up!! Don’t be parsimonious. Too often I have come upon some very special pen (or something) that I was saving for just the right occasion or project — only to discover that the ink had dried up, or something similar. So no one got to use it at all.

    P.S. I like Koh-I-Noor supplies.

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