An Art Supply Round Up

What I grab when I have to choose

Remember that scene in the very first Toy Story where Andy has to choose just one toy to bring with him to Pizza Planet? Not exaggerating, that’s how I feel when I go on a trip, or even out to sketch in the park, and cannot bring my entire art cart.

(Picking just a few colors, however, is less Toy Story and more Sophie’s Choice.)

There’s a few staple supplies I gravitate towards, and I thought it would be fun to do a little round up.

None of these are affiliate links, btw…I don’t know how to do that. Ha.

1. Kuretake ZIG Double Sides Brush Markers

These are my most recent acquisition. The marker feels good in the hand and the brush glides well. The colors are really beautiful. I do love that you get two colors in one marker, but part of me also wishes that one side was a brush tip and the other a marker or pen tip.

2. Stabilo Boss Highlighters

I’ve been obsessed with these since I learned of them last summer. I think I have most of the pastel ones (“pastel” is a bit misleading, though – they’re a bit darker than what I typically think of pastel colors to be). I just now discovered there are many more colors! The size is good for traveling, so I love bringing a few along on trips. Though I hate the part where I have to choose which pretty colors have to stay behind.

I like to use these with black ink for a nice contrast – although it’s worth noting that they tend to smudge over other materials, so it’s best to use these as a first/bottom layer.

Colored with Stabilo Boss highlighters (over black ink on the right - note a bit of smudging)

3. Zebra ClickArt Marker Pens

These have a special place in my heart because they were a gift from a friend in a care package during a tough time, and they got me back into daily drawing. They aren’t some fancy art supply – you can find them at Target and similar places. But they don’t bleed or smear, and they layer beautifully with each other. It creates such fun results that I just want to keep going every time I use them. And so many pretty color options!

Lots of layering experimentation with my beloved ClickArt marker pens

4. Pentel Standard Brush Pen

I got this bundle of 4 because I wasn’t sure what I would like. None of them are my favorite, to be honest. I used to draw a lot with a pen like this back in school, and really loved it. But either the brush tips are different, or my tastes have changed. They are still fun for playing around and making big inky strokes.

5. Pentel Pocket Brush Pen

This is my preferred inky brush pen these days. It has such a smooth glide, and I can switch between making thin and thick strokes more easily than with the Standard Brush Pen. The thin strokes come out much more delicate, so it’s better for fine lines. And I like that you can buy cartridge refills.

6. Kingart Gel Stick Crayons

The jury is still out for me on these, if I’m being honest. I keep getting mixed results. I really want to like them because they are fun to use – they have this “silky” feel to them when gliding across the page. But they are thick and have no taper, so they’re not ideal for capturing details. There’s a wide range of colors, which is a plus.

Drawn with Kingart Gel Stick Crayons (over tan highlighter on the left)

7. Royal Talens Sketchbooks

And finally, for a place to use all of these fun supplies, I’ve been enjoying the three different sizes of Talens sketchbooks I purchased last summer. The colors I got make me happy (pink, green, and baby blue), the pages feel good, and I love the size options. I take the green or pink ones if I’m going out of the house, while big baby blue tends to get most of my attention at home.

Mixing media in Talens sketchbooks – gel sticks, ink pens, and some highlighter

Feel free to comment any questions you have about the items mentioned. This is far from an exhaustive list, but these are my go-to as of late.

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Updates

• My essay “Getting Somewhere” was published in The Memoirist:

  Getting Somewhere

• I have a comic in an anthology project that’s coming out this summer, and there is currently a Kickstarter happening to raise funds to pay the contributing artists. The campaign ends May 2nd at midnight EST, so this is the last week to try to reach our goal. I would SO appreciate your help in any way, perhaps by backing the project or sharing the link with your network!

• And lastly, just a heads up that you can expect more of a biweekly cadence of Daydronk over the next few months, as I balance work and personal projects with my garden and that sweet, sweet Iowa summertime. 🌞