Art Materials

I use a lot of different materials for my artwork, but I do have favorite brands that I just keep coming back to. In case you're curious, I'm listing a few of my favorites below:

FOR COLORED PENCIL DRAWINGS

• Prismacolor pencils - I use Prismacolor brand almost exclusively. You just can't be their creaminess and blend-ability.
• Koh-i-noor Magic FX pencils - These colored pencils have multiple pigments in the same pencil, which produces some cool effects. They're best used on white paper, and give an artsy/abstract feel to any sketch.
• Strathmore paper - I like the Strathmore pads for good quality paper in classic shades like toned tan, toned gray, and (my favorite) black. This is what I typically use for basic drawings that are 9"x12" or smaller.
• Canson Mi-Teintes paper - Canson has some great options for colored paper, like canary yellow, raspberry, and royal blue. The other upside? You can get any color (including staples like black) in large format sizes. This is what I used for my 19"x25" "Stronger Together" colored pencil series.
• Cardstock - For a sketch on white paper, especially if I'm looking for a really smooth texture to work with (which is often best for the Koh-i-noor Magic FX pencils), believe it or not, I just use basic printer paper or cardstock. Something heavier like 110# makes it nice for a finished piece.

FOR WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS

• Daniel Smith watercolors - They have a wide variety of colors and lots of great quality pigments (they even make iridescent/metallic colors!) and are definitely my preferred brand.
• Winsor & Newton watercolors - When Daniel Smith watercolors start to get expensive, or if I plan to use my watercolor pigments for smaller works or just having fun experimenting, I might use my cheaper but still beautiful Winsor & Newton watercolors.
• Arches and Fabriano papers - These two brands have great quality papers and are relatively easy to find. If I'm making something the size of a full sheet (22"x30"), I'll definitely use one of those two brands. For smaller works (including my popular 8"x10" custom bouquet paintings on Etsy), I'll still use Arches or Fabriano if I have them (they're infinitely easier to use and maintain control), but they can get expensive, so I also sometimes supplement with 8x10 or 9x12 watercolor paper pads by Winsor & Newton, Strathmore, and others.

FOR ACRYLIC PAINTINGS

• Liquitex Professional Heavy Body acrylics - Easy to find, easy to use, and they come in a variety of colors. "Heavy body" means that the paint is really thick and will stand up on its own if you want to give your painting a bit of a 3D effect. I typically keep my acrylic paintings pretty flat and don't add in extra textures, so these tubes can last me a long time.
• Daniel Smith acrylics - Really, I only purchase Daniel Smith brand acrylics when I need something like their iridescent/metallic watercolors, but in acrylic form. They're more expensive than other brands, and are usually only available online. That said, the iridescent/metallic acrylics are gorgeous.
• Golden and Winsor & Newton mediums - Another option for getting shiny acrylic paints (rather than investing in expensive iridescent acrylics) is to use an iridescent medium to blend in to any color. They also have gel mediums to give acrylic more transparency, and mediums to add coarse textures, or gloss, semi-gloss, or matte finishes. I don't use these often (so far), but they're definitely fun to experiment with. I've used Golden and Winsor & Newton brands.

I wasn't paid by any of the above companies; these are all my honest opinions based on my experiences. That said, if any of the above companies want to send me some complementary samples... I definitely wouldn't turn them down! ;)