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
- Tube of Artist-grade traditional white gouache
- Mixing palette (white porcelain dish works as well)
- Clear Jar/clean water
- Paper towels
- Table Salt
CURRENT STUDIO FAVORITES
GO-TO PALETTE EXPERIMENTAL PALETTE PAPERS BRUSHES PENCILS + PENS ODDS + ENDS WILDLIFE THE POTTING SHED GO-TO PALETTEI love my big wheel o’ color! This is has been my go-to palette for the majority of my work although my experimental palette (next tab) is gaining ground! I organize the colors by creating color wheel rather than going in the order of the Daniel Smith color chart. I place neutrals in the center and work 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 2023 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. Pssst… looking for the 2022 PAINT PALETTE? CLICK HERE
EXPERIMENTAL PALETTEMy 2023 experimental palette is a huge investment but has already won my watercolor heart! In 2022, I added a few sets of the Schmincke Super Granulating Tube Watercolors and fell in love. I expanded my palette to include all that were available as of 2022.
Palette and Paints (Colors listed in PDF)
- 48-Well Rectangular Palette/Liners/Lid can be purchased from Robax.com
- Schmincke Tube Watercolors have some new magic in the form of super-granulating watercolor sets. I purchased the following sets Amazon: Tundra, Galaxy, Forest, Glacier, Deep Sea, Shire, Haze, and Volcano. Please note as of 10/22, the Volcano set is only available as a set of three or a wooden box set. You can search for the colors individually as well.
- 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 three colors on Amazon: Grape Seed Black, Peach Stone Black and Cherry Pit Black.
CLICK HERE to open DANIELLE’S 2023 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. Pssst… looking for the 2022 PAINT PALETTE? CLICK HERE
PAPERSArtist-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!
PENCILS + PENSOne 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… (large marker and pencil sets are also sold individually and in smaller sets)
- Uni-Posca Markers 3mm and Uni-Posca Markers .7mm – especially the white PC-1M
- Ad-Art Markers
- Prismacolor pencils
- Faber-Castell Polychromos pencil set
- ChartPak Spectra marker set
ODDS + ENDS
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.
SUPPLY MENTIONS | The following are the supplies I mention in the videos and livestreams.
- Drawing Paper from Livestream No. 1
- Stabilo Aquarellable Pencil from Pip and Squeak the Sea Otters Lesson
- Dritz Disappearing Ink Pen (Fine Point) from Pip and Squeak the Sea Otters Lesson
- Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencil Set from Pip and Squeak the Sea Otters Lesson
- ChartPak Spectra Marker Set from Pip and Squeak the Sea Otters Lesson
- Fiskars Dual Tip Stylus from Pip and Squeak the Sea Otters Lesson
COURSE BINDER SUPPLY LIST | The following are the supplies you’ll need to set up your course binder.
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES | The following are the supplies I used regularly and encourage you to invest in.
- SEWING RULERS. Clear, flexible, red grid sewing ruler set used throughout course.
- HEXAGON ERASERS. I discovered these traveling overseas and am obsessed with them! The only bummer is that I can’t find singles or packages of just white erasers. The bolder colors leave marks on the paper. So, if you find singles online, let me know!
- HUION LIGHT BOX. LB4 Light Box Wireless Battery Powered Ultra-Thin Portable A4 Size LED Light – 12.6×9 inch. This brand has a newer model and several other sizes available now so be sure to find the one that you like best! This is a great tool for the Weed and Bonus Botanical Collections.
- WINSOR NEWTON DESIGNERS GOUACHE. Permanent White. I keep a separate porcelain plate nearby and squeeze a bit out of the tube when I need it.
-
PRISMACOLOR PREMIER PENCILS. I have been using these colored pencils for decades and still love them. They are waxed-based and have lots of light (closer to white) colors that I use often in this course. The big downside is that once they are on the paper, they are there to stay. This is a big reason why I don’t use them often and when I do, I know what the outcome is going to be.
-
FABER-CASTELL POLYCHROMOS PENCILS. For this course, I added big set of these colored pencils to my stash. They do not have as many colors, nor the light colors I depend on in the previous set. BUT. They are oil-based, and I can erase them for the most part if I don’t like the outcome.
-
DRAWING PERSPECTIVE: HOW TO SEE IT AND HOW TO APPLY IT, by Matthew Brehm. This book is a great reference and I have used it often!
- MR. PEN CIRCLE TEMPLATES. This set has tiny to giant circles.
- PEBEO MASKING FLUID MARKER (4mm). If you have ever used Liquid Frisket, you’ll love these pens!
- PICK-UP ERASER PACK. I grabbed a set to be sure I could stash some away, but you could certainly find a smaller set.
- BEINFANG DESIGNER GRID PAPER PAD. Grid paper is a helpful alternative to sketch paper to practice perspective drawing.
- TOMBOW MONO ZERO PEN-STYLE ERASER. The rectangular shape on this eraser is more exact when working within a structure drawing.
- DANIEL SMITH WATERCOLORS. It’s always exciting when brand new colors are added to the Daniel Smith line of watercolors! Kings Royal Blue and Chrome Titanate Yellow are beautiful! They are not yet available on Amazon, but you can grab them at your favorite artist supply website.
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!
Filming Equipment- 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?
ONLINE INSPIRATION
PODCASTS WEBSITES INSTAGRAM PODCASTS WEBSITESMy Blank Paper – Rebecca Green
INSTAGRAMBOOKS
HOW-TOHow to be a Childrens Book Illustrator, by Publishing 3D
BIOGRAPHIESThe Art of Beatrix Potter, by Emily Zach
SELF-HELP & MOTIVATIONALConcious Creativity, by Phillipa Stanton
CHILDREN’SPantone Colors, by Helen Dardik
JUST FOR FUNAm I Overthinking This? Over-answering life’s questions in 101 charts, by Michelle Rial
WILDLIFE: A CURATED COLLECTIONOne of the best parts of creating a big course is the opportunity to add new books to my creative library! Some help me look at my own illustrative process in a new way, others inspire me with their beauty, and a few help me tap into my imagination in sparkly, new ways. Once the course is complete, I review my curated collection and shelve some in my rainbow-order library system. Another stack gets tucked away in my collection of children’s books for my grandson, Teddy, when he visits. Another stack is offered to my neighborhood or to charity for someone else to love. Check back every once in a while, the list will get updated as the course progresses! (Books listed in random order)
- Illustration School: Let’s Draw Cute Animals, Sachiko Umoto
- How to Draw Animals for the Artistically Anxious, Faye Moorhouse
- How to Draw a Unicorn and Other Cute Animals, Lulu Mayo
- Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals, by Carla Sonheim
- The Imaginaries, by Emily Winfield Martin
- Animal Anatomy, by Sophie Corrigan
- Photo Ark Wonders, by Joel Sartore
- The Photo Ark, by Joel Sartore
- Geninne’s Art: Birds in Watercolor, Collage, and Ink, by Geninne Zlatkis
- Nature’s Palette, Patrick Baty
- Drawing Lessons for Cute Animals, by Ai Akikusa
- Animal Friends of PicaPau, by Yan Schenkel
- An Anthology of Intriguing Animals, by Ben Hoare
- Big Book of Drawing Animals, by P. Rodriguez and T. Beaudenon
- Encyclopedia of Strangly Named Animals: Volume 1, by Frank Colting and Melissa Medina, illustrated by Vlad Stankovic
- Anima Animals, Mark Ryden
- Animalium, curated by katie Scott and Jenny Bloom
- Colorful Creatures, by Anita Ganari
One of the best parts of creating a big course is the opportunity to add new books to my creative library! Some help me look at my own illustrative process in a new way, others inspire me with their beauty, and a few help me tap into my imagination in sparkly, new ways. Once the course is complete, I review my curated collection and shelve some in my rainbow-order library system. Another stack gets tucked away in my collection of children’s books for my grandson, Teddy, when he visits. Another stack is offered to my neighborhood or to charity for someone else to love. Check back every once in a while, the list will get updated as the course progresses! (Books listed in random order)
- tbd
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.