I engage in affiliate marketing whereby I receive funds through clicks to my affiliate program through this website, and receive funds through the sale of goods or services through this website. This disclosure is intended to comply with the US Federal Trade Commission Rules on marketing and advertising, as well as any other legal requirements which may apply.
[
]
Tools + Materials
If you've ever wondered what materials I use to make my art and design, here's all of it.
My bread and butter. I use this on almost anything and everything – paper, wood and even shells. Smooth and sexy, and even shiny when applied thick.
I use a variety of dip pen nibs to achieve the different strokes in my drawings. I recommend this set of nibs, which comes with two holders as a great place to start. Just remember to clean the holder and the nibs after each use – something I'm just now learning to do!
While everyone seems to use these, I do love these pens for quick projects, or projects on-the-go!. They travel well and come in a wide range of tip sizes. The tips even hold up well with regular use!
I use these mechanical pens when creating a highly detailed piece or a piece with lots of hatching. Heads up – these are high maintenance pens that require frequent refilling of the ink reservoir and deep cleaning after each use.
For digital projects, I couldn't live without my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Perfect for quick sketching and final vector artwork, and easy for working on the go!
Oh my Gouache! This might just be my favorite medium for color! Gouache can be thinned down with water for a watercolor effect, but can be opaque like acrylics. Even better is that it can be reconstituted with water so you'll never ruin a brush again by leaving it on the workbench! (That's a frequent occurrence when interrupted by kiddos.)
Soft and buttery, I use these high quality colored pencils for added details in my paintings and illustrations. You'll find almost any color you need in the full set.
Wood requires proper treatment before painting and drawing on it. I use two-to-three coats of clear gesso per piece, with one coat on the backside to prevent warping.
A vital step! I use my light box to trace a rough sketch super cleanly onto a paper surface. This allows me to work with clean outlines with minimal erasing on the final piece.
For larger pieces that are too big for the light box, or for my wood pieces, I use a projector to trace the sketch onto the final substrate.
Acrylic Paints
Golden Heavy Body Acrylic
Acrylics are king. I use these for base layers, shadows and highlights in my pieces, and then apply the gouache, ink and color pencil for the details. Heavy body is a very thick paint, which I use water to thin it down into a workable viscosity. The high flow acrylic is great for outline details and hair, or for layers of thin color. All come in a wide range of colors.