Skills matter far more than tools, but good tools can definitely make a difference. And even though a higher price does not necessarily mean higher quality, I think that art supplies are definitely a worthwhile investment. Over the past 19 years I’ve used all kinds of brands and qualities of materials for drawing, from the cardboard packed crayons they give out in restaurants, to color pencils coming in beautifully packed wooden cases, and not only have I come to develop my collection of art supplies, but I’ve also definitely come to decide on some favorites that I believe are the best art supplies for drawing. I want to share those with you today.
Here are my favorite art supplies;
Oil based color pencils: Faber-castell Polychromos
I’ve had my Polychromos for several years now. They were a birthday present and I’ve loved every minute of working with them. They are oil-based, and not wax-based, which is what makes them great. Wax-based pencils usually cause wax build up when layering the colors, but with oil-based color pencils, you can keep layering colors, without worrying about the wax. And what makes Polychromos my favorite oil-based color pencils is that their colors are really vibrant, and the leads rarely ever break. I think all of Faber-Castell’s color pencils are oil based so there are different price ranges available, but if you want the best, Polychromos are definitely it.
Wax based color pencils: Caran D'ache luminance
The first Caran d’ache color pencils I bought were from this small art store in Florence. I think that was one of the best nights of my life. I went into the store, looking around and not seeing anything from Caran d’ache, then I suddenly stumbled upon an ENTIRE shelf full of all kind of Caran d’ache products. Best. Night. Ever.
Although it might not be as well known publicly as Faber Castell’s brand, this could be because it’s more for professionals, and with it’s high quality, it also has a higher price range. It is wax based, but the colors are so incredibly vibrant that I could never choose my favorite between the two brands. In a lot of my drawings I combine the two brands,but if you want to see the vibrance of these, check out my Moana drawing for example.
Markers: Copic
Copics have two tips. I mainly just use the brush tip, which lets you color smoothly. The colors are really nice but it definitely requires some getting used to. And you have to make sure that you either use thick paper (there is paper that is specifically made for copies and it’s perfect for it), or to not layer colors/press hard, because like any other markers, you’ll ruin the paper. It’s really good if you want to color quickly, and it makes the drawing look perfectly finished. It can also be used in combination with other media, like color pencils. Here’s a video of a drawing I colored with copics.
Colored pens: Sakura Gelly roll
These are my favorite pens. They are so good for adding small bits of detail or highlights to a drawing, or for doing entire detailed drawings with them. I’ve done a few mandalas with them, these ones for example, and they are great to work with. I’ve worked with them for many years and they are still my favorite. I love the glitter ones but the matte ones are my favorite. A while ago one of the artists I really liked on instagram sent me a few of the white ones (which are perfect for highlights) as a gift and I still use them all the time.
Pastels: PanPastels
You can’t imagine how excited I was when I found PanPastels on my trip to Turkey in 2015. I’ve made several pieces with them, and I like to combine them with color pencils a lot. For example for this Lime drawing (Sour X Green), and this portrait, I used PanPastels for base colors and then went in with color pencils for the details on top. Different applicators come with them and it’s very interesting to work with them. It’s completely different to any other type of pastel and even though there is some dust, it’s much less messy. Sometimes artists feel their material is so precious they want to leave them untouched and not use them… I feel that way about these.
When I was a kid I used to mix all the different types of shampoo to create my own special mixture. If I were to say what type of artist I am now, I would probably call myself a mixed-media artist. In almost every piece I make, I somehow combine different media together, so I don’t think I could ever (at least for a long time), decide on one favorite medium, because the fact is that my favorite medium to work with is a combination of the ones I’ve mentioned above.
Have you every tried any of these? what’s your favorite medium? And let me know if you want more detailed reviews of these!