In today’s ultra-competitive professional landscape, artists need to capitalize upon every available advantage in order to resonate with the public and achieve their full potential. And these advantages include high-quality art supplies, which make it easier to produce stellar work and bring creative visions to life.
To help artists be as successful as possible, here’s a list of expert-recommended tools and supplies.
Paints
Paints play a significant role in art careers, and when it comes time to spearhead an especially meaningful project, artists should have professional and personally suitable products – in terms of brand and style alike – available. Regarding the style side, paint types include but are not limited to acrylic, oil, watercolor, and gouache.
But for artists who are just starting out – and artists who are experimenting as opposed to creating pieces for sale – student-grade paints will do the trick. Test different paints, palettes, and brushes to determine which combination feels best.
Graphite Pencils
Graphite pencils are must-have tools for artists, as they play a key part in everything from quick sketches to detailed works. Many types of graphite pencils are available to purchase, and each comes with unique characteristics and darkness/lightness profiles. Experimenting with these options to find the perfect variation is recommended.
For artists who are looking to dive into projects and focus on the art before embarking on this in-depth pencil selection process, the HB (or even a simple mechanical pencil) should be sufficient.
Stencils
Extremely affordable and available in a variety of variations, stencils come in handy for paintings, drawings, and hybrid art projects, enabling the creator at hand to produce uniform shapes. Many artists use stencils for backgrounds, which often feature repeating (or extremely similar) objects, for consistency’s sake and to emphasize perspective within the work’s foreground.
Brayers
Brayers aren’t discussed nearly as often as the above-mentioned items, but they are extremely important for artists. Perhaps the most underutilized tool today, brayers function as essential rollers for painting and, besides creating unique textures, allow artists to evenly apply paint across large areas in a comparatively small amount of time.