Complete list of materials
This was my first watercolour palette, made by the brand Pelikan.
They still make these colours (for kids :-D )
Throughout my career I have collected so many different paints, brushes, pencils and papers that I sometimes feel the need to stop and think about what the best combinations are in order to create an illustration. In this list you will find the materials I prefer and the reasons that push me to use, for example, one paper instead of another. This list is constantly updated as I like to experiment and often find new materials that join the ones I traditionally use.
Watercolor paper
There are so many watercolor papers that I think are wonderful. I'll mention three here: the first, the Canson, I use for sketches or drafts. It is not very expensive, holds color well and is sold in all types of formats, even very small ones, which are easier to transport.
The second, Langton, is the paper I use when I have to do projects that don't require a lot of layering or mixed techniques: it costs a little more than the first but allows you to obtain very professional results. The third is my favorite. I love the quality of this paper, very resistant, capable of absorbing even three or four layers of color without creating stains. Arches is a historic paper mill which, in addition to gummed blocks, also sells loose sheets (which clearly have a better price). If you have the time and desire to cut the sheets one by one, I recommend these. You will save a little and be able to afford the Ferrari of watercolor papers. The watercolours
There are many options when it comes to buying watercolors. Being a watercolour paints maker, I would invite you to try the colours that I make by hand. I have used them to paint all the illustrations of my latest books and I can't recommend you anything more than what I craft with love and knowledge, day by day.
If you are looking for a cheaper option (as for inks, brushes and other artistic materials), my favorite brand is Winsor and Newton. I've tried other industrial colors, but the WN ones are simply the most relayable (they are available pretty much everywhere). Initially, as a pre-Academic student, I started with the Cotman series, very economical. Then I moved on to the Artist's series. 
This is a picture of my desk from many years ago. I always liked to divide palettes in to little families of colours :-)
If you are looking for something more economical but still of good quality, I would recommend the brand Rembrandt. There are other brands with interesting colours (such as Daniel Smith) but they are very expensive, so, up to you.
I would suggest you to avoid any cheaper brands (or colours made by non professional painters). If you have a very limited budget remember that is better to have the greatest quality in a small, limited palette, rather than a poor quality huge selection of colours. Watercolor brushes
These were my beginner tools. Some of them, like the Series 7 brushes, are still used by me to these days. Quality is always worth it.
I would recommend you get yourself two sets of brushes, one for doodling and drafting and the other for the more professional works.
The Cotman series brushes, even though they are studio brushes, are fabulous. Their wide range of shapes and sizes allows you to create many effects and thus be able to make your style unique. I personally use 5 of different sizes. I highly recommend buying the complete package. It's worth having them all, especially when studying. Your best ally: the legendary 7 series from Winsor and Newton. I bought one when I was 19. It lasted me 13 years. Are you saying it costs a lot? I say it is an excellent investment for the future. Wash it with warm water and Marseille or neutral soap every time you use it and you will see that it will last a long time. This is also a great brush for inking, but be careful never to leave it with the "head" down in the water: the bristles are natural and would not survive. The mechanical pencil, The leads and the lead sharpener.
These are my travelling essentials. The watercolours are my handmade paints. I have recently discovered the Hahnemühle paper, which I recommend.
There are many good reasons to use a mechanical pencil. One of the most valuable is that by using it, you will not waste trees. But more simply, because it is very comfortable.
I always advise against buying single leads because, in relation to the price, the multiple pack is much more convenient. The lead sharpener may seem like a useless object but it is incredibly practical and has no rivals in making your lead sharp and precise to the right point (you can choose between two different "gradations" of sharpening - I always use the sharper one, anyway you round up using it). I have purchased recently a wonderful pencil sharpener: be careful not sharpening the whole piece of wood all at once but enjoy the delight of a truly sharp point. it's like another universe, compared to standard pencil sharpeners. Erasers
This is my desk nowadays. I have bought a breakfast table, cos it allows me to keep a better posture while painting.
Among the various erasers on the market, these are the ones that I recommend you buy without thinking twice. The first is very useful for defining the details. Thanks to the fact that it can be held like a pen, it allows for control that other erasers don't give. The second is the kneadable eraser (always buy one with a box to store it away, cos it collects dust quite easily) and it is used to clean up the sketches before inking them. It must be changed often because, by absorbing the graphite, it becomes dirty and after a while it no longer "cleans" the sheet. I change one about every two months. The third is fundamental and is especially useful for bringing the paper back to the initial stage when you make a drawing that you don't like. Excellent for large surfaces. You will consume whole kilos of this white eraser (and you will find them all on the floor, in nice gummy strips). I always buy multiple packs of each one of these erasers.
Inks
This picture is from many years ago. I was working on a little booklet called Abyss.
Depending on the type of work you are about to do, there will be certain inks that are more suitable than others. I personally mostly use Winsor and Newton's ink, because it is very opaque and "thick". If you are looking for a more fluid type of ink, my advice is to dilute it with distilled water. I also like very much the Roher and Klingner ink, which has also a beautiful range of waterproof colorful inks.
The colored inking pens.
A little work in progress from my book "The Moon".
Inking pens come in all brands, colors and shapes. I personally have been using these for several years and I'm very happy with them. There are different sizes in the package, which will give you the opportunity to have a lot of fun inking your drawings in different styles.
The masking liquid.
A masking fluid can used for example to leave white areas and paint freely, without worring about coloring them.
This small bottle of very smelly yellowish fluid (it no longer stinks when dry) will be indispensable for creating countless effects (try applying a little bit of fluid on the paper sheet, let it dry and then paint over it with a dark color). It will also allow you to isolate parts of the drawing that you want to keep a certain color while working with other layers of pigment in the surrounding areas. To be applied with silicone brushes and NEVER with bristle brushes (unless you hate your brushes and want to punish them). It can be removed by gently scraping it off or pulling away the film or you can help yourself with the clean silicone brush.
Collapsible cup and natural sponges.
I also paint large canvases with acrylic and oil paints so I use many many sponges, rolls and big brushes.
The collapsible cup, I admit, was a purchase I made on a whim. But then it turned out to be very useful: it is ultra stable (not like the plastic picnic cups I used before), it closes on itself becoming smaller and more transportable and, above all, it has a shape that allows you to place brushes on it , so that they "rest" in the right position, without getting damaged. The natural sponge is used for a thousand things, from effects (very convenient for creating the textures of trees and lawns) to collecting excess water and cleaning the palette. It needs to be changed every now and then, but unless you dip it in paint and then let it dry without washing it (with castile soap and warm water) it should last you a long time.
The refillable penbrush.
Flat layouts are just so beautiful and they help in the organisation process.
This little tool is proving to be very useful, especially when I am out of my studio: it allows me to wander around the rooms of the Museum while sketching, without having to mess around with water and various brushes. I always use it with clean water inside.
Never put water mixed with color or ink in it or you will soon find yourself with the filter clogged with pigments. If you have already done this and want to clean it, try soaking it in warm water and vinegar overnight. Thankfully theu are not expensive, so they can be easily replaced if needed. The brand I prefer is Pentel. Useful books
These books will open your mind, they will teach you things that you will hardly find around and that it would take you a lifetime to be able to experience on your own. Many of these authors were artists themselves, some of them were also professors. I became aware of these titles because of my lessons at the Academy of Fine Arts. I loved them and I studied them and I kept them all in my personal library, because they are precious. They are not simply printed paper, they do not contain simple lessons on color theory and the history of art: they are windows on the history of humans as a creators of dreams. I wish you a good read. (the list is constantly growing).
Wassily Kandinsky E.H. Gombrich Johann Wolfgang Goethe Bruno Munari Johannes Itten Paul Klee Michel Pastoureau (I would recommend also the other books in the same series) Vincent Van Gogh |
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