My Favourite Art Supplies List - 2025

Art materials are one of my favourite things to buy. There’s nothing like visiting an art shop, inhaling that special art shop smell and treating yourself to a crisp new sketchbook, or waiting for some gorgeous new tubes of gouache to arrive in the post. Over the years I’ve spent lots of money on art supplies, and tried and tested many different brands. I’ve discovered which ones I like the best, and which ones are worth the money.

I wanted to create a list of supplies for you, in case you’re curious about the materials I use, or just feel genuinely confused by the sheer amount of products that are available - this list will help to ease the overwhelm so you don’t have to waste your money.

I only use professional grade materials nowadays but if you’re just starting out and don’t want to invest in the higher priced stuff just yet, you’ll find that most well known brands offer a student quality range which is usually very good, as well as being excellent value for money.

Separated into categories for ease, you can find a comprehensive list of all my favourites materials below.

PAINT

My favourite paint at the moment has to be gouache, followed closely by acrylics and watercolours. Buying sets of paints can be very expensive, so if you don’t want to spend too much you can buy just a handful of paints to get started and still create a vast array of colours. Choose three primary colours to start your collection, along with a white and a black and then you can add other colours later as you feel you need them (making it a more cost effective way to buy). In this section you can find my favourite trusted brands:

GOUACHE PAINT

A quick note about gouache if you’re not familiar with this type of paint - there are TWO kinds of gouache, the traditional kind often known as Designers Gouache, and Acrylic Gouache. The traditional kind is water soluble and acts in a similar way to watercolour. Acrylic Gouache has an acrylic binder which makes it waterproof when it’s dry. Gouache dries to a soft, matte finish which is one of the reasons I love it so much.

TRADITIONAL GOUACHE

Winsor & Newton

Daniel Smith

Holbein

Schmincke

ACRYLIC GOUACHE

Holbein Acryla Gouache

Turner Acryl Gouache

WATERCOLOUR PAINT

Watercolour paint can be purchased in tubes or pans, and I have a collection of both. If you purchase tubes, make sure the lids are always on nice and tight as the air can get in and dry the paint out.

Daniel Smith

Schmincke

A.Gallo

ACRYLIC PAINT

Liquitex Heavy Body

Golden

Winsor & Newton

PENCIL CRAYONS

I was lured into buying some pencil crayons a few years ago after seeing other artists using them on social media. I was intrigued. I’d resisting using crayons for the longest time as memories of the awful variety we were forced to use at school, with barely any pigment in them, had put me off. But don’t worry, crayons today are on another level, buttery leads with sumptuous pigment and dreamy coverage, you’ll be like a child in a sweet shop, and I promise, you won’t be able to help yourself.

Caran D’Ache Luminance

Caran D’Ache Aquarelle (watercolour crayons)

Holbein Artist Coloured Pencils

Faber Castell Polychromos

Derwent Drawing Pencils

PENCILS AND GRAPHITE

Excellent for sketching, I use a pencil regularly to draw out ideas for new paintings. The tin of graphite is wonderful for adding detail and layers of grainy wash in sketchbook work.

Art Graf - watersoluble graphite in a tin

Blackwing pencils

PASTELS

I mainly use traditional soft pastels in my sketchbook work, to create backgrounds or texture, but I also love wax pastels which have become one of my favourite materials to date and can be used wither wet or dry.

Soft Pastels - Unison Landscape (set of 16 half sticks).

Neocolor II Wax Pastels

SKETCHBOOKS, PAPER & BOARD

SKETCHBOOKS

Sketchbooks are very dear to me and over the last few years I’ve accumulated (and tried out) quite a few. There are several that I return to over and over again though as the paper usually handles most mediums well, and these range from the affordable to slightly dearer options.

Royal Talens Art Creation Sketchbooks (all sizes)

Daler Rowney Ebony A5 Sketchbook

Pith Sketchbooks (I use Cara Cara, Lumia and Oroblanco)

Etchr Hot Press B5 and A5 Sketchbook

PAPER

The paper I like to use for my acrylic paintings and illustration work:

Arches Aquarelle Hot Press (gummed pad)

Cass Art Smooth Watercolour Paper

BOARD

Smoother than canvas and my preferred surface for acrylic paintings when I want to capture details and frame the art in tray frames:

Jackson’s Smooth Wooden Panels (various sizes)

PENS & MARKERS

A staple in my sketchbook art kit, marker pens and brush pens can be used to create background washes and juicy areas of colour. Some of them have dual tips, so you get a nice fat brush and a fine nib with which you can create various marks and strokes. Drawing pens are good for sketches when there isn’t enough time to start painting, or for adding detail. I like to use them for drawing as well, instead of a pencil.

Ecoline Brush Pens

Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens

Sakura Pigma Fine Liner

Tombow Mono Drawing Pen

Sailor Fude De Mannen (55 degree nib)

BRUSHES

I tend to use a mixture of brush types, including pointed round, filbert, flat, angled and rigger. In the list below I will give sizes of each type I use, followed by my favourite brands.

Rigger - 0 and 2

Pointed Round - 0/3, 0/2, 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10

Flat - 1/2”, 1”

Filbert - 6, 10

Angled - 6

Best brushes for watercolour and wash: Betty Hayways and the Squirrel Mop by Pro Arte

Best travel water brush for plein-air sketchbook work: Caran D’Ache Reservoir Brush (sizes M and L)

FAVOURITE BRANDS FOR GOUACHE AND ACRYLIC PAINTING

Daler Rowney Aquafine

Pro Arte

Escoda

Rosemary & Co

Raphael

I hope you’ve found this helpful, and if you’ve any questions just drop me a line I’m always happy to help.