Hello friends! Interested in the creative stuff that is tucked in all the corners, shelves and drawers in the studio? As always, we highly encourage you to use what you have, make notes and only invest in what you really need to add to your creative toolbox. XO, Danielle+Team
CREATIVE ESSENTIALS
- Artist-grade watercolors (pan or tube)
- Watercolor-only brushes
- Artist-grade paper (140 lb., cold press)
- Mechanical Pencil (.3 mm lead) and white vinyl eraser
- White ink marker
- Mixing palette (white porcelain dish works as well)
- Clear Jar/clean water
- Paper towels
- Table Salt
I love my big wheel o’ color! This is my go-to palette for the majority of my work. After a careful review of my big wheel of color, I decided to downsize from a round, 122-well palette to a 77-well palette. It was time to remove the colors that no longer work in my color-filled world. The following was my criteria for removal:
- Boring?
- Repetitive?
- Doesn’t work in pan format*
*Some tube colors don’t reactivate well as pans. I don’t use them straight out of the tube, they may be beautiful, but they must work as a pan.
In addition to the downsizing, I decided to organize the colors by creating color wheel rather than going in the order of the Daniel Smith color chart. I placed neutrals in the center and worked my way out, grouping like colors together like a slice of pie to create a better workflow.
Palette and Paints (Colors listed in PDF)
- 77-Well Round Palette/Liners/Lazy Susan/Lid Set (as well as my previous 122-Well Round Palette) can be purchased from Robax.com
- Daniel Smith Tube Watercolors are the mainstay of my work. I purchase my paint on Amazon or DickBlick
CLICK HERE to open DANIELLE’S 2022 PAINT PALETTE PDF. Once opened, you can save and/or print the PDF. If a simple click does not work, RIGHT-CLICK and choose SAVE AS and/or PRINT.
Let’s face it, the last couple of years have been a lot. So, I decided to reward myself with a new, rectangular 48-well palette with the intention of filling it with a new brand to give me the opportunity to thrive and push my art forward.
And then I decided to be brave and fill it with several brands to force me to work out of my comfort zone.
Some of the brands are well-known, others are not. They vary in price and quality. I’ll keep notes about what works and what doesn’t, and, at the end of the year, I can purge the stuff I don’t like and fill it with something new.
This palette consists of tube watercolors, gouache, and liquid charcoals. In addition, I treated myself to a set of acrylic gouache that I’ll use straight from the tubes.
Palette and Paints (Colors listed in PDF)
- 48-Well Rectangular Palette/Liners/Lid can be purchased from Robax.com
- Daniel Smith Duochrome Tube Watercolors are tricky and beautiful. The color they are in the pan are not at all what they look like on paper. I plan to use these to mix them in with colors I love to see what sparkly goodness I can come up with. I purchase my paint on Amazon or DickBlick
- SUI Gouache happened to show up in a search for new paints and is reasonably priced. The packaging made me so happy and the colors are yummy. I am excited to learn to layer them in my illustrations along with my watercolors! I purchased the large set on Amazon along with the duo sets (Rosey, Peach and Green) to complete my collection. I ended up with an extra tube of white but that’s ok with me! I’ll use it!
- Mission Tube Watercolors are a new and luxurious addition with stunning, rich colors. I carefully reviewed the colors they have available and choose three that compliment what I have on my round palette. I purchased my selections on Amazon.
- Holbein Tube Watercolors have some new magic in the form of four super-granulating sets. Again, how they look in the pan and on paper are vastly different. I am excited to use these but I can see that it’s going to be hard for me to intuitively know which one to dip my brush into. I am not a big proponent of spending time on making a set of swatches, but for these, it’s a must. I purchased all four sets on Amazon: Tundra, Galaxy, Forest, and Glacier. There is a fifth set (Deep Sea) that I haven’t purchased and will hold off until I try out the colors I have. Once I find the colors I like, I’ll pull what doesn’t work and add them in the empty spots.
- Schmincke Tube Watercolors are so luxurious! I added Gold and Silver to add a little more sparkle to my world.
- Schmincke Kohle Liquid Charcoal is not new to the art world, but new to me! I am so excited to try it out as a painterly compliment to my detailed mechanical pencil-work. I purchased two colors on Amazon, Peach Stone Black and Cherry Pit Black.
- Holbein Acrylic Gouache Set curated by Rebecca Greene. This was an impulse buy for me but I LOVE Rebecca Greene and wanted to channel a little bit of her creative world into my own. This set is gorgeous and I am really excited for a little time in my schedule just to play!
Artist-grade paper makes a huge difference in your creative experience! Be sure to avoid watercolor paper that comes in blocks, they are frustrating to use. Oh, and if you have trouble remembering whether you want hot or cold press paper, just equate cold press with the term, goosebumps, and you won’t’ forget! -Danielle
- Canson Heritage Watercolor Paper (9×12 14o# cold press)
- Canson Heritage Watercolor Paper (10×14 14o# cold press)
- Canson Moulin du Roy (140# cold press in full sheets)
- Fabriano Tiepolo Printmaking Paper (full sheets)
While I have used a ton of different brands, I have finally (for now anyway) found a line of brushes that have my color-filled heart!
One of the most asked questions on social media is, “What kind of pen do you use?”. They are always surprised with my answer – a mechanical pencil! Here are a few that you can find on my table right now…
- Pilot AirBlanc mechanical pencil with .3mm lead
- Pilot Fure mechanical pencil with .3mm lead
- Uni .3mm HB Lead Refills
- Staedler White Vinyl Erasers
- Tombow Eraser Set
I am a collector of pens and pencils though, so here is a short list of what is finding its way into my art right now…
- Uni-Posca Markers 3mm and Uni-Posca Markers .7mm – especially the white PC-1M
- Ad-Art Markers (these are also sold individually and in smaller sets)
- Prismacolor pencils
This is where you’ll find a rather odd conglomeration of stuff that helps me do what I do…
TOOLS
- Micro cotton swabs | These come in all shapes and sizes to clean up when you go out of the lines or to make patterns. You can find these in the model car section of a hobby store as well as the beauty section for nails and lashes.
- Ranger Craft Dryer | You don’t need it, but you will want it. Hairdryers and embossing guns are not safe and don’t really work well so splurge on one of these to speed up the drying process!
- Stylus Tool | This is my go-to tool for eye placement on my characters. It makes for great patterns, too!
- Artists Tape | When I want to create clean lines and a nice, white border I always use tape.
- Brother Sewing Machine | Easy-to-use, with lots of stitch options, this sewing machine is used for all my mixed-media work.
- Cutting Tools | Paper Trimmer and Detail Scissors
SUPPLIES
- High Flow Acrylic Paint (Golden, White)
- Acrylic Gouache Paint (Holbein, White)
- General’s Sketch and Wash | This pencil is making its way into my work to create some deeper, more painterly drawings.
PRETTY STUFF
- Jen Osborn Journals | I am not a journaler and I hate bound journals. Jen makes the best fauxdoris ever and I love that I can take pages in and out of them!
COURSE BINDER SUPPLY LIST | The following are the supplies you’ll need to set up your course binder.
STUDIO EQUIPMENT
Every online artist/instructor has a different space and needs in terms of equipment needed to produce quality video content. I am not even close to a pro at it and am always learning and looking for new ways to make a better product. This list is just my version of what helps me get the job done!
- Lighting | I use four lights to evenly cover my filming area. this set and two of these.
- Camera and Mic | I love using my camera and this mic. It takes a minute to get the settings right (actually hours of research and lots of notes) but the combination work well.
- Equipment Stand | This is made specifically for overhead filming and is a new addition to my studio. So far so good!
- Software | To edit my videos, I use Adobe Premiere Elements right now and hope to transition to Premier Pro soon. A girl can only do so much, right?
BOOKS
How to be a Childrens Book Illustrator, by Publishing 3D
The Art of Beatrix Potter, by Emily Zach
Concious Creativity, by Phillipa Stanton
Pantone Colors, by Helen Dardik
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE | These are supplies, books and tools I use and love. If you click a link and make a purchase, I’ll earn some money to buy even more amazing stuff to share with you. Please note that as much as I would like to, I can’t control fluctuations in price or availability.