My Supply List

This supply list contains some of the items I use in my art every day. I have compiled this list for you to use at your convenience and will add to this list as I try out new supplies.

Note: some of the links on this supply list are affiliate links to Amazon, which means if you use the link I will get a small commission. This, of course, is at no additional cost to you. Using these links allows me to keep this website running. Thank you so much for supporting a fellow artist.

Oil Painting Supply List:

If you paint in water-soluble oils or acrylics, you should be able to find similar colors in a brand you enjoy. At this time I use a lot of Gamblin oil colors, but I have also use other brands as well.

Zorn palette oil paint colors

The Zorn Palette colors with warm white. Titanium white is usually used as the white oil color.

Limited Palette Essential Pigments (Zorn):

This is the very basic four colors you will need to get started painting.

Additional Pigments I Use:

Liquin Detail, Liquin Original and Liquin Impasto

Mediums, Mineral Spirits & Solvents:

Color finder wheels

Color finder wheels

Canvas & Other Helpful Tools:

Murphy Oil Soap

I love pouring some Murphy Oil Soap into a jar to soak and clean my brushes

 

Colored Pencil Drawing Supplies:

Paper:

You can draw on just about any kind of paper with colored pencils, but the paper may not be able to hold up against multiple layers. You get much better results with the papers listed below.

Image of New York Central 100% Cotton Watercolor Paper Block

New York Central 100% Cotton Watercolor Paper Blocks – Hot Press Acid-Free 9×12

Fabriano Artistico 100% Cotton Extra White 140 lb. Hot Press 20 Sheet Block 9×12″

Image of Fabriano acquarello hot press watercolor paper 140lb

A very popular choice with professional artists.

Colored Pencils:

I’m listing sets of colored pencils, but you can buy them individually as well.

Budget friendly starter pencils: Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, Soft Core. These colored pencils are wax based and may leave a wax bloom when applying layers.

Derwent Studio Colored Pencils set: A wax-based sturdy pencil that sharpens to a fine point and doesn’t crumble easily. These pencils create a crisp, precise line and are perfect for detail work. These can be purchased in different sized sets or individually. If lightfastness is important to you, research these pencils before purchasing. They don’t all have a high lightfast rating.

Derwent Round Drawing Pencil Ivory Black: It’s worth it to get this pencil on it’s own. It has a very dark black which is hard to beat.

Faber-Castell Polychromos Artists’ Color Pencils – Tin of 120 Colors. A set of 36 Faber-Castell Polychromos is great to start with. You can always add individual pencils to expand your collection. These are an oil based pencil that are vibrant and blend smoothly. They also have a high lightfast rating.

Caran D’ache Luminance Colored Pencil Set of 40: These pencils are expensive, but a dream to work with. They are extremely lightfast which is great if you are selling your work. If the sticker price on a set of Luminance is too much for your budget, you can always buy them individually.

Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle set of 12 colors. These are gorgeous watercolor pencils. They are vibrant on their own but when water is applied, they explode with color. If you are feeling like spending money, you can also get a set of 76. These also have a high lightfast rating.

Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Watercolor White Crayon: I’m adding this as I like being able to dip a fine tip brush into water, dab on the crayon and add a bit of white to my work if it needs it. I primarily do this when working with watercolor pencils. I don’t know how well this would work with oil-based pencils.

Erasers:

There are many erasers to choose from, so if you have one already don’t feel like you need to get new ones. I would, however, highly recommend getting an electric eraser. It makes erasing so much easier.

Faber-Castell Kneaded Eraser with Case

Derwent Plastic Eraser

Faber-Castell Dust-Free Vinyl Eraser

AFMAT Electric Eraser Kit

Miscellaneous Colored Pencil Supplies:

Slice 10548 Craft Knife, Finger-Friendly Edge: perfect for scraping away or adding texture like fur.

X-ACTO Pencil Sharpener: this pencil sharpener is on my wish list. It saves so much time and is heavy duty.

Wax Free Transfer Paper

 

Image of and iPad Pro 12.9" 6th generation screen

Digital Painting Supplies:

iPad Pro 12.9″ (Wi-fi, 256 GB)

Authentic Apple Pencil 2nd Generation

Budget friendly iPad pencil which has a selection of colors. (Black, pink, purple, red & white)

FREE Painting Tutorials:

Below are some of the painting tutorials I’ve done using many of the supplies on this list.

progression of sunflower painting from sketch to completion

Click the image to learn how to paint a sunflower.

 

progression of oil painting of a black and white dog

If you’d like to learn more about how to paint a dog portrait, click the image above.

 

How to paint a landscape in oil step-by-step social media graphic

Learn how to paint a colorful landscape. Click the image above.

 

Tips for how to paint black fur social media graphic

Black fur can be tricky to paint. Click the image above to see the step-by-step article.

 

image shows a four part progression of a white German shepherd painted in oil. Text reads "how to paint white fur in oil step-by-step"

White fur can be tricky. Click the image to see the step-by-step tutorial.

 

image show a 4 part progression of a German shorthair dog painted in oil. Text reads "how to paint an older dog in oil, step-by-step.

Senior dog faces have unique features. Click above to see the tutorial.

 

image shows a four part progression of a man with wrinkles and grey hair painted in oil. Text reads "how to paint wrinkles and grey hair".

If you are unsure about how to paint wrinkles & grey hair, click the image above for 12 tips & tricks.

 

image shows a four part progression of a man painted in oil from unfinished to finished. Text reads "paint a realistic portrait - avoid these 11 mistakes!"

Portraits of people are difficult to paint. Here are 11 mistakes to avoid.

 

image show a four part progression of a yellow lab puppy portrait painted in oil. Text reads "how to paint a puppy portrait from a photo"

Learn how to paint a puppy portrait from a reference photo. Click the image above for puppy portrait tips.

 

image shows a four part progression of a white pit bull portrait painting in oil from sketch to finished painting. Text reads "how to paint a portrait with a limited palette"

Click the image above for tips on painting a pitbull portrait using a limited palette.