The TPK Top Ten List of Art Essentials

A week or so ago, someone emailed me requesting a blog post for true beginners: people who have recently developed an interest in creating. For a while, I wondered where to start — then I had a “duh” moment: art essentials. While I am a bonafide hoarder when it comes to art tools/supplies, I tried to imagine that I was going to be marooned on a desert island and could only bring ten art essentials {and unlimited food} with me. {In case you’re wondering, why, yes, I have watched Pirates of the Caribbean recently.} So: here are the ten essentials that I would recommend in the marooned-on-an-island-scenario, which also happen to be the ten supplies that beginners can consider procuring to begin their creative journey.

1. Pencils + Erasers

The humble pencil is the base of many genius works of art and has been for centuries. You’ll want to use it to sketch out ideas, draw guidelines, and create drafts to paint or draw over. You don’t need to get fancy here; any pencil will work. I prefer mechanical pencils since it’s easier to control the line width, and I love Mars plastic erasers because they clean up a piece neatly and efficiently without any smudging.

2. Rulers

This is another humble, cheap supply that will come in handy. Whether you are creating perspective drawing or wanting to draw guidelines, a ruler will help you immensely. I like having rulers in a variety of lengths, but you really only need one. My favorite rulers are metal rulers because they tend to stand up to heavy use better than plastic and wooden rulers, which get wonky and uneven after some time has passed.

3. Pens

I use pens all the time for general drawing and writing. Micron pens have quite the cult following among hand-lettering enthusiasts, and they are worth buying for a couple of reasons. First of all, they dry almost instantaneously, so you can erase your guidelines whenever you want to — no waiting for the ink to settle. Secondly, they give you a lot of freedom with line width {provided you have the 6 piece set}. I love using the 005 Micron pen because it’s super thin; this also makes for elegant general, “real life” writing. Additionally, you can use Micron pens to create pieces like the illustrated cityscape below.

Pilot G2 pens are really great, too. I get/prefer the 05 pen. These numbers {005, 05, etc.}, by the way, are just a measurement of how big the stroke of ink is that the pen makes. The smaller the number, the thinner/finer the stroke. I, personally, prefer finer strokes because I feel they give me a little more control. I use the G2s for almost all my general writing {i.e. letters, cheques}, and for specialized projects. If you use these pens to create art, remember that they tend to smudge if/when you erase pencil guidelines — unless you wait for a few hours. They will always bleed if you go over them with water {/watercolors}, which can work in your favor in projects like this fashion drawing:

But — please — don’t limit yourself to Microns or G2s. Use absolutely any pen you like and feel comfortable using! Art is not about using what works for other people: it’s about what works for you. So, if you like that Bic Rollerball, use it and embrace it!

4. Crayons and Colored Pencils

If you think these art supplies are just for children, you’re missing out! I really love using wax crayons to create crayon portraits. Wax crayons are accessible to everyone, which is wonderful because they have the capability to create such vivid pieces! I have Crayola crayons {which, yes, I keep completely and unabashedly disorganized in a plastic sack}; but any brand will work.

As far as colored pencils, you can go super premium with these if you’re a serious colored pencil user. I’m just a casual colored pencil-er, so I have and use a set that I bought for $1 at a garage sale. My current obsession is using colored pencils on black card stock for a vivid chalkboard-like effect!

5. Watercolors

You may have noticed that a lot of TPK tutorials include watercolor. I love this medium because it is capable of covering large areas, blends easily, and dries quickly. The disadvantage is you have to use a paper that can handle it; lighter papers {like printer paper} will “bubble up” from all the moisture. I use watercolor both for painting and writing {with a calligraphy pen}.

Watercolors — like the vast majority of art supplies — can be purchased on the cheap or premium. I personally love watercolors so much that I treated myself to a couple of professional sets from Greenleaf & Blueberry. However, if you just plan on using watercolors casually {e.g. not selling your watercolor pieces}, you should be fine with a lower-end or student set. To read more about how watercolors are made and which set is best suited to your personal needs, I would recommend reading this blog post.

6. Paintbrushes

Full disclosure: I am not picky about my paintbrushes. That said, I don’t do a lot of legitimate “painting” save for the very occasional acrylic portrait. Yes, I do quite a bit with watercolors; but those pieces are generally a mix of painting and drawing {using a calligraphy pen and watercolors}, like the piece below. They don’t require a a premium brush.

That said, brushes are a personal preference thing. If you’re new to art and you want to dabble with watercolors or acrylics, I would recommend going to an art supply store and picking out brushes in varying sizes. You will find that you develop favorites; for me, those favorites are the four below, probably because I like being able to paint small details.

I know that someone out there knows more about picking out a great brush and how to measure brush quality than I do. If you’re that someone, please comment below … this is something that I {and others, I’m sure} have an interest in and would love to learn more about!

7. Dusting Brush

To be honest with you, I didn’t know what this thing was called until I had to strategically Google it for this blog post {“big brush for cleaning eraser pieces”}. However you want to refer to it, a dusting brush is wonderful for safely and effectively brushing eraser scraps off your paper after you erase pencil guidelines. I also use it to brush embossing powder off my desk. Yes, you can brush your artwork off with your hand, but there’s a higher chance of smudging and just general mess-ups. Best to treat your time-consuming and much beloved pieces with white gloves — er, dusting brushes.

8. Calligraphy Pens

You had to be wondering when this one was going to pop up on the art essentials list. As you probably well know by now, I am a huge fan of Rodger Mayeda’s artisan calligraphy pens, and I have several that I love. Really I’m just trying to stock up before Rodger decides he should be doing what “normal” retired people do … i.e. not working. If for some horrible reason I had to give up all of my wonderful RPB collection save for one pen, the pen below is the one I would choose to keep.

It’s a Bolivian Rosewood holder fitted for the Brause EF66 nib. I use this holder for practically everything; including the calligraphy in the first image of this blog post. I also use it for all drawings now; it really helps me to keep my hand out of the way, which is a weird thing to say, but it’s true.

If you’re not interested in calligraphy, of course a dip pen wouldn’t necessarily be logical for you. But: if you do want to learn, you can check out any of the Learn Calligraphy for a Latté worksheets. I would also recommend reading this blog post to see if an oblique pen is right for you {and/or to learn what an oblique pen is}. If you do decide you want a pen from Rodger, I would convo him on Etsy to chat a little bit about which holder and nib is right for you. Rodger is one of the nicest people on the face of the planet, and you’ll be so glad you reached out to him.

9. Black Ink

Walnut ink is totally gorgeous, but if I had to choose whether I had to use black or walnut ink for the rest of my days {I know, very dramatic scenarios in this post today}, I’d choose black sumi ink. I wouldn’t grieve too much over this decision because you can write with brown watercolor to get a similar — though not identical — effect to walnut ink’s beautiful depth.

You can use India ink or sumi ink. I like my black inks to be waterproof because it’s nice to have the option to watercolor over them if need be. Again, though, if you don’t have an interest in calligraphy, this probably isn’t a necessary supply.

10. Paper

I mean, you’ve got to have something to create your artwork on! Paper is one of those things that I pick up whenever I’m at the art supply store because … I don’t know why because. Maybe I have a problem, or maybe it’s because there are always sales going on. Anyway, I’ve got a lot of different paper, but I’ve only got two consistent favorites:

• Strathmore 70 lb. Drawing Paper – This is a great, all-purpose type of paper that can stand up to anything you throw at it, including watercolor {though I wouldn’t watercolor the whole page}. This is the paper I recommend to all calligraphy beginners because it’s really good about not letting ink bleed.
• Strathmore 140 lb. Watercolor Paper – This is a heavy-duty, low-absorbency paper that ensures your watercolors {and/or ink} stay super vivid after they dry. I like creating calligraphy on this, but it’s a little tough if you’re just beginning calligraphy because it’s got some “tooth” to it.

If you’re wondering what the “# lb.” means, it’s just the weight of the paper. The higher the number, the thicker {and usually more high-quality} the paper.

If you’re a true beginner, I recommend purchasing a sketchbook to start out with. I have a particular fondness for these Canson sketchbooks because that’s what I used in high school {you can download my old sketchbook and read about sketchbooking in general in this blog post}.

Sketchbooking is a fantastic way to get the courage to try/develop new art techniques while also making pieces that “speak” to you and are emotionally rewarding. I don’t make time to sketchbook anymore {though, really, I should!}, but when I was diligent about it, it was something I truly enjoyed. A couple of books that are worth checking out for inspiration are Spilling Open by Sabrina Ward Harrison {especially good for late teens and early 20-somethings} and Artists’ Journals and Sketchbooks by Lynne Perrella.

Bonus Essential Art Supply: A Scanner and a Printer {or Combination}

Several people have asked me what scanner I use. It’s an Epson Workforce 325, chosen randomly on Amazon for the printer portion’s ability to use generic inks. The main thing I love about it is the scanner, which I have used to scan images in at up to 650 dpi {read: very high resolution}. If you ever want to sell your artwork {or write a blog featuring your artwork}, a scanner is a must. And, of course, I love printables, so the fact that the particular scanner I have comes attached to a printer is just the icing on the cake. Note, though, that for professional printing, I always commission work out to a professional printer; a printer like this is not want you want to use to print artwork to sell.

And that’s it! My top 10 {well, kind of} list of art essentials. I already know that this is one of those posts I am going to learn so much from in the comments {and probably glean more than a few “instabuys” from}; so, please, if you have an opinion or a personal art essential, let me — and others — know! I’m always ready to find new favorites.

Thanks again for reading! I’ll catch up with you again soon.

Warmly,