Thought I’d share some of the materials I used for course/sketchbook work during the first module of the Children’s Book Illustration MA at Cambridge School of Art.
For the first module we went out drawing from observation a lot, so I mostly used sketchbooks and pencils to begin with. My range of materials broadened as I experimented further with pastels (but not just any pastels!), inks, paint, and mark-making tools.
Here’s a round up of some of the art materials I’ve found fun to play with, or valuable as a primary material to work with. Click through the links to see the product pages - I’m using affiliate links which give you 10% off your first order (and me a little credit) at Jackson’s Art! I try to balance cost and quality as effectively as possible (I’m a student after all!) so my recommendations are for materials that do a great job whilst still being as affordable as possible. This post is best viewed on a computer/large tablet due to the text/image layout.
Caran D'ache Neocolor II : watercolour crayons
These wax pastels/crayons were a game changer for me. They leave high pigment colour when used alone/dry, or you can add water to your drawing to produce watercolour effects. I enjoyed experimenting with drawing directly onto wet paper with these. My favourite colours are Light Grey, Light Olive, and Ochre.
Faber Castell Polychromos coloured pencils
As someone who did A/Level art in the late 90s, I was infatuated with Berol’s Karismacolor pencils. They discontinued those luscious, soft, blendable pencils and I’ve been mourning them ever since; to the point where I cried about it on Twitter and someone actually sent me some of their old stash! (Thanks Gavin!) I’ve never found another brand of coloured pencil with the same feel or effect, but Faber Castell’s Polychromos pencils are a close second and are available! On the course we’ve been blending and mixing colours using coloured pencils so they need to be fairly soft. I tried using Caran D’ache Luminance pencils for blending but they have a slightly more waxy finish and didn’t blend well - however they still have their place in my pencil case and heart (see next recommendation)! My favourite Polychromos colour is Indanthrene Blue.
Coloured pencil mixing page in my sketchbook.
Coloured pencil drawing using Polychromos burnt umber.
Coloured pencil drawing using Polychromos burnt umber and Karismacolor grey.
Caran D’ache Luminance coloured pencils
I really like these pencils for their flat colour and they are the most lightfast of all coloured pencils. I have read reviews whereby people manage successful blending with these - it wasn’t the case for me, but perhaps it was due to the colours I used or being a bit inept with blending at the time… they are still really good for professional level work and similarly to the Polychromos pencils, I know a lot of illustrators that use these. My favourite Luminance colour is Payne’s Grey.
Daler Rowney FW acrylic inks
I love the intensity in the pigments of these inks, and the effect they give when used for both washes and undiluted. Indigo is my current ink colour of choice, I like to mix it with a little black for a bluey-grey result, create washes, and add further details with concentrated ink on top.Winsor & Newton waterproof ink
It took me years of experiencing ink bleed with drawings when using water before stumbling upon a video of Quentin Blake describing his technique of using waterproof ink and then painting over it with colour. I immediately researched waterproof ink and found this gem: Winsor & Newton black Indian ink. After a quick drying time, you’re good to go with the watercolours on top!I would say these erasers that work like mechanical pencils are essential for erasing details. I’m currently using a Mono Zero ultra fine 2.3mm for my tiny pencil drawing details.
Tombow dual tip brush pens
I’ve been using Tombow’s brush pens for around 13 years now. They used to be the main media for my illustrations, especially for hand lettering, but during the MA I’ve mostly been using very pale grey Tombow brush pens as a foundation to quickly lay down the shape of what I want to draw on paper, then build the image on top with fine-liner, pencils, etc. This is an efficient technique when drawing things that might move very soon - thus was very useful for observational drawing out and about. I also obsessively draw elf hats with the red pens…
Pilot G-Tec C4 Microtip rollerball pen
This is the BEST black fine-liner I’ve ever used, and I’ve been using these for many years. Precision for detail is the main reason, and I draw tiny! The 0.4mm nib draws a 0.2mm line and the ink flows like a dream. Thankfully these days you can get refills for this pen, keeping costs down and more importantly plastic.
Left: A drawing in one of my Moleskine journals that I drew using a Pilot G-Tec C4 fineliner.
Posca paint marker pens
Despite having been around for years, Posca’s paint markers are a very recent discovery for me, and it’s all about the 8mm chisel tip in my opinion! When observational drawing, one can very quickly create a coloured background layer with an 8mm paint marker, and it dries quickly. Then add detail or other media on top. I use it in a similar way to the Tombow but the Posca is a flat, opaque paint effect, whereas the Tombow is more transparent and the brush tip is much smaller.
A college library illustration in my A4 sketchbook made using a dark blue 8mm Posca chisel tip pen & coloured pencils.
Daler Rowney & Seawhite stitched sketchbooks
Most of the sketchbooks I’ve used in the past year have been the Daler Rowney Ebony 150gsm sketchbooks, from A6 to an A3 (large one specifically for lifedrawing). For square or landscape formats I use Seawhite hardcover 140gsm sketchbooks. For very wet media I use inexpensive watercolour paper, as the aforementioned sketchbooks would suffer with warped pages.
I heavily rely on my little double decker toolbox by Pebeo when I’m out drawing. My inks, brushes, and larger items go in the bottom compartment, and pencils, and small bits and bobs in the top. I struggled with a pencil case when sitting on my little stool on a busy street. My toolbox came empty, but you can buy an identical one from Jackson’s Art if you’d also like the contents which are for fabric painting. If not, you can get a different sort with tiers by Daler Rowney.
I hope you’ve found my materials list useful. These are just my current favourite products and opinions, and I’d love to hear what your must-have materials are too! Feel free to leave a comment below :)