As someone interested in art since childhood, I’ve experimented with various art supplies, and these five supplies have become my top five artist must-haves.
The first Item on my list is the Canson mixed-media sketchbook; this sketchbook is something I have bought repeatedly due to the high-quality paper that also has a nice weight to it so that I can play around with all sorts of mediums in my sketchbook. Cansons’ sketchbooks are generally really great quality and don’t tend to run you for a lot of money. I usually buy mine at Micheals because they’ll almost always have them buy one, get one 50% off, which is great if you intend to use your sketchbooks a lot. A 7 in. x 10 in. Canson mixed-media notebook is only going to cost $10 at any art supply store.
My second must-have is the Ohuhu dual tip alcohol markers; these alcohol markers have lasted me a good five years, and they are by far better than name-brand Copic markers. To start, in comparison to the name-brand markers, Ohuhu markers can hardly be told apart and appear to be far better quality. Ohuhus’ alcohol makers leave little to no streaking when drawing and blend very well. Another great note is the significant difference between the two prices; an Ohuhu pack of 48 colored markers with one colorless blender runs you only $40. Meanwhile, a 36-piece set of Copic markers costs a whopping $287.64. Ohuhu dual-tip alcohol markers are by far my go-to forever and always.
Another one of my must-have artist supplies is Micron fine liners; these are great for not only art and mark-making but also great pens to use for notes. I have personally used my Micron pens until they die and can no longer muster enough ink to work properly. I love these specific fine liners just because of the quality and longevity. The only trade is the steep price of only six pens being $15. Microns are also great for going back over watercolor or markers to add details and a little pizzazz to your artwork and bring the piece all together in the end.
My newest must-have is the Grabie acrylic markers which are a recent trend on TikTok. I decided to hop on the trend and will not get off now. Grabie’s acrylic markers are by far the best paint markers out there at the moment; the fine tip allows you to create finer details while also being able to cover larger areas and glide across the canvas. These markers are way cheaper, coming to only $40 for a set of 28 colors; all the while, the name-brand marker, POSCA paint markers, cost a larger sum of $54.99 for a set of 15 colors. Another thing to note is that Grabie markers can go right over each other within one to two coats. Meanwhile, I can barely get my POSCA markers to be that opaque with four passes.
My fifth and final artist must-have is the Artistro watercolor palette on Amazon. I received this as a gift, and I will never go back to the old Crayola set of 8 colors. The Artistro palette comes in an easy-to-pack tin—who doesn’t love a cute little tin—with all of your colors inside along with a sponge, a paintbrush, a swatch sheet with each color listed, a color label that doubles as a paint palette, and a water brush that is all easily portable. My favorite part about this set is its fluorescent colors and the metallics; these colors are generally hard to replicate with any art supply, but this palette does just that. I am so impressed with the visible sparkle of the metallic pink and have already abused it in my sketchbook. The full palette of 48 watercolors comes to a reasonable price of $25.99, which is still rather cheap.
These five art supplies will be my go-to tools for the foreseeable future. I love experimenting with different supplies, and, as of right now, Canson sketchbooks, Ohuhu’s, Microns, Grabie paint markers, and the Artistro watercolors are my must-have art supplies.
