Many artists I follow on Substack are creating posts like this inspired by Samantha Dion Baker’s own stickied post about her favorite art supplies, which has inspired many people, including myself. I wanted to be part of it too!
I started sketch journaling in 2022 partly in response to seeing my girls inherit my artistic ability and also wanting to have something else to do in the evenings besides glasses of my favorite alcoholic beverages. Rewiring your brain to relax without substance is hard, but the reception of my efforts has been so warm and affirmative from my family and friends, that it continues to motivate this practice.
Life is busy and I have a lot going on at home and at work. Aspirationally, I would love to #DrawMyDay like Sam talks about in her books but I find that some days I don’t have any creative juice left. And I am too much of a perfectionist to just draw anything…It has to have purpose, or beauty, or relate to my day. I can’t bring myself to just draw….the salt shaker or my keys. If we lower the bar to those objects, I afraid my sketchbook would be filled with the ordinary, insignificant, and uninspired.
For those new to the practice, I would highly recommend all of Sam’s books, but I have a special fondness for her first book: Draw Your Day. I’d recommend starting there. Here are a few examples of my pages from the past few years:
Pencils: Caran d’Ache Grafwood HB and F: Link (Also, if you can find them, Swiss Wood set is amazing!)
Ink Pens: Platinum Prefounte with a .02mm UF Nib (taken from a Preppy) and Carbon Black Ink. I also prefer Sakura Pigma Micron (08,05,03 - Black) if you need a really consistent line, but I have really enjoying the Fountain Pen journey! (Derwent has nice fineliners too if you can’t find Sakuras.)
Color-Accent Pens: I have two Sakura paint pens for Gold and Silver, which make drawings at Christmas just *pop!* I also have a “Gelly Roller” in white which I use for white highlights occassionally. I keep in my bag a Pilot G2 0.5mm in black, which is my go-to pen for life and work.
Watercolors: Windsor and Newton Pro and Cotman in select colors in a small, metal travel tin I got on Amazon. It’s not fancy but it works. It’s good for my smaller-style drawings but doesn’t have a lot of room for mixing lots of paint.
Brushes: I actually prefer the synthetic Windsor and Newton Cotman Brushes line. I find they are nicer and easier to handle than Sable / more expensive brushes. I also paint on the dryer side of watercolor, so I use smaller brushes too! My go-to is a #3 round.
Paper: Handbook Journal Co. has been my most-frequently used sketchbook, typically in Portrait with 200gm paper (Link). If you like wetting your paper more, I would recommend the 300gm version.
Bag: Patagonia Black Hole Cube (legacy size which is a bit smaller): Current Here. I like this bag because it’s easy to carry along with my sketchbook, they are both about the same physical size.
Misc Supplies: Masking Fluid, Glue Stick, Cloth, Water Mister, Multiple erasers, pencil sharpener, small ruler
Masking Fluid Pens. Great idea, poor execution. The tip becomes clogged wicked easy and the blue-colored dye used in the fluid sometimes is left behind on the paper. Skip it. Get regular, white masking fluid in a bottle and use an old paint brush to apply it.
Thank you for reading and good luck out there!
-Gordon
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