As artists, it’s no secret that we are also “collectors” of shall we say, tools of our trade. Not hoarders, no that is a harsh description. Suffice it to say, we like our stuff!

In this article, I’ll share more things that I use in the studio, and then in my part three of this 2022 round-up, I’ll share more equipment in my filming & photography of my artwork as a round-up of what I’d recommend if you were in the market to add to your “collection’ of studio supplies and equipment.

Before we begin-have you reserved your seat in my upcoming online class? Be sure to do so today to save off the regular retail price. Once the course begins on 1/25/2023 the price will go back to the regular retail price of $145.

Learn more

Let’s start off the list today by showcasing some basic supplies I use all the time and highly recommend keeping them on hand. Some of these supplies I have listed before but for those of you who are new to me or my classes, I wanted to be sure you were ‘in the know’, too!

Palette Paper & Sta Wet Palette

When I first started painting, any old palette paper would do. Now that I’ve been painting for well over 12 or so years professionally, I recommend using a GRAY-colored palette as it will showcase your paint mixtures true to hue. If you do like to use glass or plexiglass on your table, you can always put the gray palette paper underneath those toppers to achieve the same result.

Because I often use Masterson’s Sta-Wet Palette to keep my paints open for longer periods of time (often days), the 12 x 16 gray palette paper works best for me.

Masterson’s Sta-Wet Palette

This one does come with some specialty paper and a yellow sponge. Once the specialty paper is gone, I then start using the 12x16 gray palette paper.
Check out the palette by going here.

12x16 Grey Palette Paper

12 x16 fits perfectly into the Sta-Wet palette plus the size itself lends to more room for mixing.
Other sizes are also available if you don’t have that much room on your studio table.
Learn more by going here.

A staple in my studio has always been the Jerry’s Artarama Jumbo Jet Black Pencil. Unfortunately, that pencil isn’t easily available to those in different countries.

I’ve tried to find a substitute for my classes and low and behold, I’ve found an old classic that does a pretty bang-up job creating marks over and under my acrylic layers.

What’s that old classic you ask?

A peel-off grease pencil in both black and white. Once you get a hang out of peeling off the papers, you might fall in love with this inexpensive and widely available drawing tool.

While not technically water-soluble, they should still be fixed on your work prior to varnishing. See my part one article for suggestions on how to fix your drawing tools. on your work.

**Have you stopped by my shop lately? MANY new abstracts have been added over the last few weeks plus some fun mini-pieces to add some inspiration and joy to your home.

Take a moment and browse all of my offerings over HERE.

I probably have more brushes than the average bear, but I can not resist looking for the next ‘best’ one. Just about a month ago, I was introduced to a new-to-me PRINCETON brush and was easily won over. I have MANY Catalyst brushes and really love their heartiness but they aren’t always the ‘softest’ brush to blend with. That’s where the SNAP brush comes into play. These brushes are both hearty and soft, and true to their name, pretty much ‘snap’ back into shape

Snap! Princeton Brushes

In addition to the short handle, they also have long handle brushes in this new line. Whether you buy by the pack or your favorites individually, you can check out the full selection over HERE.

Spray Misters

Chances are you have one or two spray bottles in your studio that you use for dripping water & paint onto your surface, but a slightly newer one to the art supply scene are these continuous fine water misters.

Continuous Spray Mister

The reason I’m adding this style of water mister to the mix is that I like to use it to keep my acrylics slightly saturated on my palette. Not so damp that there are puddles of paint & water, but just enough so they don’t dry out when you are working on a project. I use this in conjunction with my Sta-Wet Palette. The trick is to keep the sponge underneath your palette moist, and the surface of your paint slightly damp and you will have workable paints for several days.
Take a look at this one over here.

One more drawing tool that I felt the need to shine some light on once again, is my beloved Stabilo Woodies.

Yes, they look like something you’d buy a 10-year-old to create fantastical colored drawings with, but they are super easy to use and leave great line work over or under your acrylic paintings.

Stabilo Woodies

These fun drawing tools are somewhat like crayons, softer than Neo-Color II water-soluble crayons, but easier to write over acrylic paint. I love to add scribble lines or other drawn elements in my work, and for the price, you can’t beat this set. You can buy the woodies individually but you need a specialty sharpener to keep the woodies ready to roll (onto your surface)!
I like to have a few of my favorite colors on hand that I use all the time in case something happens to them or if I’m teaching a class, others can use the favs too. Black, white, apricot gold, red or orange are some of my favorites.
Check out other sets or singles by going here.

Be sure to check back for the final edition of my favorite things of 2022 coming up next! I’ll be sharing some of the equipment I use in my studio for both photography and filming along with a couple of other goodies.

But before you go, I have a special treat for you!

From 1/1/2023 to 1/6/2023, take 23% off select courses with this coupon code:

newyear2023

Included in this offer are the following classes:

Zen Painting
Zen Houses
Zen Bundle
Dirty Birds
Grunge Ink
Podtastic
Absolutely Abstracts
Abstracts in Cold Wax
Crazy for Color
To register or find out more about these classes or any of my other courses including my newest workshop which begins on 1/25/2023, “Sticks and Stones”, be sure to go HERE.