Every artist needs a tool kit. There are a few supplies that are essentials and some that are just favorites. Find out what my go-to tools are in this article!
For traditional artworks
- Acrylic paint
I love acrylic. It is a bright and fast drying paint. It is water-soluble but becomes water-resistant when dry. The fast drying time allows for efficiency. You can correct mistakes very easily and when done, an acrylic painted piece can be framed on hanged directly. For my pet portraits, I use acrylic almost as watercolor: I soaked my paintbrush in water, add some paint, and splatter on the canvas, which gives the paintings that watercolor feel.
- Canvas Panel
A canvas panel is a piece of canvas attached to a flat board. Canvas panels are much sturdier than stretched canvases and provide good support and stability. They are also much easier to ship and allow me to cut on shipping costs.
- Paintbrushes
No need to go fancy, just a small and regular paintbrush will do most of the work! I tend to use the same three a lot: a flat brush for splattering and/or large areas, an angular flat brush for the details, and a small pointed round brush for finer details.
For digital artworks
- Computer
A good computer is essential. I need to be able to seamlessly run Photoshop, internet, and more often that not, a graphic tablet, all at the same time. Performance is important. My computer has a good processor, RAM, high resolution display, and a good graphic card.
- Photoshop
My go-to software for digital painting. Photoshop is great at everything: painting, drawing, photo editing, designing… I just love it! You may want to take a look at Paint Too SAI if you are looking for another painting software. I used it once and thought it was great but I’m just so much more familiar with Photoshop. Find out my top tips for digital painting.
- Graphic Tablet
I couldn’t live without. You just can’t draw with a mouse. Well, I’m sure some people can, but really, it’s so much easier with a graphic tablet. I treated myself to a drawing pen display graphic monitor a couple Christmas ago and it was the best buy I ever made. Instead of looking at the screen while drawing on the tablet, I can draw directly on the tablet! A regular tablet is completely fine at the beginning but as my art business was growing, the drawing monitor was a huge plus.
The thing I need no matter which painting method I use
My headphones so I can listen to awesome music while working!
What about you, what is in your tool kit?
