SUPPLY LISTS
Below is a full list of the different supplies I use for each medium! Keep in mind that I don't use every supply listed for every tutorial, but occasionally I use different supplies depending on the subject I am working on, so I have included all of the options! You can check the descriptions for each tutorial for the exact supplies I used.
If you struggle to find certain supplies in your country, I have included links to Jackson's (a UK-based art store) because they ship worldwide and they stock a very large range of products! I order from them regularly because they ship to Australia for a very reasonable price!
If you purchase your supplies through the Jackson's links below, YOU get 10% OFF your first order at Jackson's and I also receive a very small percentage of the total sale which helps go towards my next art supply order! Win-win! 😊
*All links on this page are affiliate links
If you are just starting a new medium (or art in general) I have labeled the supplies that I recommend starting with using a ✅ symbol next to the title!
Keep in mind that these are the ideal supplies - you don't need to have all of them to be able to follow the tutorials! If you are on a budget, you can always start with a smaller set of supplies (learn to layer and mix your colours) and build up your set by purchasing single colours over time as you need them!
P A S T E L
PASTEL PENCILS
I mostly use a mixture of the Faber Castell and Stabilo. They are both really great pencils with different colours in each set. You won't go wrong with either of those sets! The Derwent are nice to use, but aren't my "go-to" choice. I only use the Caran D'ache very occasionally to get those really bright highlights/shadows.
PAN PASTELS
I have worked with Pan Pastel to create my own set of 20 colours - General Realism with Kirsty Rebecca!
This set comes with the 3 primary colours + black/white so you can mix any colour you need... but it also comes with 15 of my most-used pre-mixed colours so you don't have to mix every colour, every time!
You can use this set for a range of different subjects, and you won't need any additional colours!
For more information about my Pan Pastel set, click here
If you want to purchase a smaller set, I'd recommend the set of 5 Painting/Pure colours because you can learn to mix them just like paint to create any colour you need!
SOFT PASTEL STICKS
I only use these occasionally. The Conte are a much harder pastel, whereas the Rembrandt are soft and buttery and can lay on top of other types of pastel for more opaque applications
SURFACE
For my pastel tutorials (usually Pan Pastel combined with pastel pencil) I recommend using Clairefontaine Pastelmat which comes in pads, sheets, or boards.
Unfortunately, there are no other papers that are the equivalent to Pastelmat, so I highly recommend getting your hands on some! I know that it can be hard to get in some countries (including my own!) but Jackson's ship worldwide which is where I get a lot of my products from, including Pastelmat.
Pastelmat comes in pads, large sheets, and also boards. They are all the same surface but the boards are mounted so they are more rigid to work on - it's just a matter of preference! I usually choose a mid-tone colour for pastels.
* ✅ If you would like to follow the Pan Pastel combined with standard Coloured Pencil (not pastel pencil) tutorials, then I highly recommend LuxArchival sanded paper
MISCELLANEOUS
Extra supplies that you will need for your pastel drawings!
C O L O U R E D P E N C I L
COLOURED PENCILS
I mostly use a mixture of the Faber Castell Polychromos, Derwent Lightfast, and Derwent Drawing.
If you are on a budget, you can choose either the Polychromos or the Lightfast and purchase the largest set you can (even if it's only a set of 12 pencils) because you can mix/layer your colours to create the colour you need, then can purchase more colours individually over time as you need them.
I also recommend purchasing the Derwent Drawing set (or at least Chinese White and Black individually) because they are the most opaque coloured pencils I have found!
The other brands I use occasionally, but nowhere near as often as these three!
SURFACE
The main two types of paper I use are watercolour paper or Pastelmat. They are very different surfaces so you will get very different results with each! It depends on the subject I am doing and how I feel at the time as to which one I choose.
Pastelmat comes in pads, large sheets, and also boards. They are all the same surface but the boards are mounted so they are more rigid to work on - it's just a matter of preference!
You can use any hot-pressed (smooth) watercolour paper but these are my two preferences!
* ✅ If you would like to follow the Pan Pastel combined with standard Coloured Pencil (not pastel pencil) tutorials, then I highly recommend LuxArchival sanded paper
BRUSH AND PENCIL PRODUCTS
I occasionally use these products in my coloured pencil drawings. The Titanium White and Touch Up Texture Liquid can be used to "paint on" white highlights. These products are not necessary when starting out with coloured pencil but they are very helpful for bright white highlights!
I use these two products (Titanium White Powder & Touch Up Texture Liquid) more often than the other products by Brush and Pencil because they can be used on a variety of surfaces whereas the Powder Blender along with the Textured Fixative and Final Fixative are intended to be used on sanded papers and requires a whole different process of blending in comparison to my usual method of blending with solvent!
MISCELLANEOUS
You can use most solvents that oil painters use such as odorless solvent, odorless mineral spirits, gamsol, Zest it etc so you don't need to have this exact solvent.
The Derwent Superpoint sharpener is amazing for coloured pencil, but you can honestly use whatever sharpener you prefer!
W A T E R C O L O U R
WATERCOLOURS
I mostly use Schmincke Horadam watercolours but you can use whatever brand you prefer (Winsor and Newton are very popular and I also like the Van Gogh watercolours for a cheaper but still archival option!)
You'll be able to get very similar results with whatever brand you prefer! I always attach a scan of the colour swatch chart from Schmincke to my tutorials so you can compare the colours I am using from my set to the set you have!
SURFACE
I use both Hot-pressed and Cold-Pressed papers depending on what subject I am doing. The Cold-pressed has more texture and tends to stay wet a little longer and I like it for the more expressive pieces. Whereas Hot-Pressed is a bit smoother for finer details or if you want to use coloured pencils/fine liners on top, it's just a bit smoother to work on!
If you are interested in using coloured pencils in general, I sometimes use the Arches Hot-pressed for coloured pencils by themselves so it would be beneficial to go with that option to use for both watercolour and coloured pencils!
BRUSHES
To be honest, I haven't tried many brands of brushes because I was gifted most of mine, so these may not be the best/most affordable options out there, but this is what I have been using for my artwork!
MISCELLANEOUS
I will occasionally use tablet salt to create some different effects and coloured pencils/archival fine liners for details in some tutorials!
I use a Winsor and Newton white gouache paint for white highlights in some tutorials but you can use whichever brand you prefer! I also use some of the other gouache colours occasionally as well (you can see the exact supplies I use in the description of each tutorial to check)
C H A R C O A L & G R A P H I T E
CHARCOAL PENICLS
You can use whichever brand of charcoal pencil you prefer, but these are the pencils I have been using recently!
I don't use charcoal sticks very often as I prefer using pencils!
GRAPHITE PENICLS
You can use whichever brand of graphite you prefer - both the Faber Castell 9000 and Derwent Graphic are quite similar!
I used to use a black coloured pencil or the Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black 8B for some of the dark areas on occasion until I discovered the Faber Castell Matt Black graphite pencils which are amazing for getting those deep, dark shadows without the shine as well!
SURFACE
I use a variety of different surfaces, depending on how I feel or the subject I'm working on. Whichever paper you choose, just make sure if you are working with charcoal that the paper has a little bit of tooth/texture to it to help hold the charcoal better!
lately, I've been using the Arches Hot-Pressed watercolour paper quite a lot because of it's smooth result as well as the ability to add a lot of layers
If you are interested in working with coloured pencils or watercolour, you could purchase the Arches Hot-Pressed watercolour paper to use with all 3 mediums!
CHARCOAL POWDER
You can use whichever brand of charcoal powder you prefer (doesn't have to be these three!)
General's Charcoal Powder
(this is the powder I have but I don't know if they make it anymore)
GRAPHITE POWDER
You can use whichever brand of graphite powder you prefer (doesn't have to be these three!)
General's Graphite Powder
(this is the powder I have but I don't know if they make it anymore)
ERASERS
MISCELLANEOUS
W A T E R C O L O U R P E N C I L S
WATERCOLOUR PENCILS
Honestly, I have only used a couple of brands but I like them so I haven't tried other brands as of yet!
SURFACE
I use a variety of papers depending on what subject I am doing but the Arches Hot-Pressed is the one I used most often!
Fabriano Artistico Cold-Pressed Watercolour Paper 300gsm