Here you will find a list of materials that I use and recommend. I earn a small commission if you use the links to purchase your art supplies (at no extra cost to you). If you find my work helpful and choose to buy supplies via the links below that would be super awesome! It’s a simple way of saying thanks and helping me develop the tutorials and keep this website going. I would never recommend anything that I do not use in my own artwork. In fact, please ask questions about any of these materials at the bottom of this page.
Thanks!
– John
Oil Painting
I love working in traditional oil paints and have been doing so for about 20 years now. I enjoy being able to blend the paint for extended amounts of time, heck I even like the smell! I’ve experimented with countless products and techniques and have even made my own mediums over the years. The following is a list of all the products I currently use in my own work.
- Windsor & Newton Oil Paints – I really like Windsor & Newtons “Artists” line of professional colors
- Gamblin Oil Paints – I also supplement my palette with a few Gamblin oil paints
- Masterstoke Sable Brushes – I use these brushes for small, delicate areas
- Bristle Brushes – My general purpose oil painting brushes for moving around large amounts of paint quickly
- Liner Brush – I have used this size 1 liner brush for years
- Gamblin’s Neo Megilp – I occasionally use this for glazing when I want my paint to dry fast
- Linseed Oil – My go to medium for most of my oil painting needs
- Turpenoid Thinner – For thinning and cleaning
- PVA Sizing – prepares raw canvas
- Oil Ground (primer) – I have really enjoyed painting on this ground; it’s marvelous
- Linen Canvas (raw)
- Cotton Canvas (raw)
- Palette Paper – If I want to test out some colors but not take up space on my wooden palette.
- Palette Knife – I like the #26 shape best
- Canvas Pad – I use sheets of this for painting studies and all my painting demonstration videos
- Transfer Paper – I use these graphite colored sheets to transfer drawings to canvas
Acrylic Painting
I like using acrylics anytime I paint something with many solid areas of color. Their speedy drying time and easy cleanup make working with them a joy. I use mostly Liquitex acrylics with a few Golden brand acrylics when needed and generally buy my acrylic paint in a tube.
- Liquitex Paint Tubes
- Golden Paint Tubes
- Acrylic Glazing Medium – I can’t even imagine painting in acrylics without this product
- Acrylic Retarder – When I need some extra time to blend
- Gesso
- Cotton Canvas (raw)
- Palette Paper – because who’s got time to scrape and clean a traditional wooden palette?
- Palette Knife – I like the #26 shape best
- Canvas Pad – I use sheets of this for painting studies and all my painting demonstration videos
Graphite Pencils
Pencil drawing takes many forms in my own work ranging from quick field sketches, preparatory work, to the occasional finalized drawing. When sketching I tend to use a single pencil and resort to a range of pencils only when completing more finalized pencil drawings.
- Staedtler Lumograph Pencils – I keep 4h, 2h, hb, 2b, 4b, 6b, & 8b handy
- Ebony Pencil – When I want to carry only a single pencil for quick field sketches this is the one I use
- White Vinyl Eraser – My general purpose eraser
- Kneaded Erasers – Gotta have these
- Eraser Stick– This eraser is indispensable for lightening tiny areas of pencil
- Strathmore Pad (400 series) – The 14″x17″ is big enough for me
Charcoal
Charcoal was the medium that really enabled me to learn how to draw well. Charcoal let me change my mind frequently and explore drawings much faster than graphite pencil. These are the charcoal supplies I have grown to love.
- Coates Willow Charcoal – This is what I use for 95% of a charcoal drawing; I always buy the 5-6mm diameter box of 25
- Alphacolor Compressed Charcoal (Char-Kole Squares) – This is the only compressed charcoal I have ever liked
- Kneaded Erasers – The work horse for charcoal erasing
- Eraser Stick – This eraser is indispensable for lightening tiny areas of charcoal
- Blending Stump – For blending small areas of charcoal
- General’s Charcoal Pencils – Good for a few small details; I’ll be honest I haven’t tried many brands, I always seem to buy these General’s brand charcoal pencils
- Strathmore Paper 500 series – I always use an 18″x24″ pad
Colored Pencils
I rarely do any large-scale, finalized drawings in colored pencils but I do use them quite often for small sketches and demonstrations. The three brands I have used and can recommend with confidence are the following:
Thank you if you used the links above to make a purchase, it helps pay for this website & supports my efforts to produce great content for you! – John