Traditional Art Tools

What's in my Art Bag? I use the equipment below for traditional sketching, inking, and coloring. This is the short list of tools that I use.

Staedtler Mars Technico Lead Holder (780 C)

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – $9 USD

This is a fancy mechanical pencil. I thought of it as the best of both worlds. I liked the sharpness and thinness of a mechanical pencil lead and I also wanted thicker lines when shading, and I didn't want to keep shaving away at a pencil. The lead holder can contain a 2mm thick lead. It can be sharpened to a point for gentle lines but tilted to shade with a wide stroke.

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STAEDTLER Mars Carbon Lead, 2mm, 2B, 12 Lead (200-2B)

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – $9 USD

This is the lead for the Staedtler lead holder. The carbon lead will last a long time.

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Staedtler 502 BK A6 Mars Rotary Action Lead Pointer and Tub for 2mm Leads

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – $12 USD

This is the lead sharpener (i.e. pencil sharpener) for the lead holder.

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SAKURA Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – $12 USD

I use these to do inking. If you want to save money you can also get these individually. I tend to get a .5 mm and a .3 mm for a thicker and thinner line.

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Pentel Fude Brush Pen

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – $6 USD

A brush pen is useful for filling in spaces or creating a stroke with texture.

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Copic Sketch Alcohol Marker 5 Colors + Multiliner SP Set

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – $39 USD

I like using the copic alcohol markers for shading. Since they're not water based they won't smudge and they dry fast. If you're patient with your shading you can get something very smooth looking.

There's a ton of color copics too. You could spend hundreds of dollars on those markers. I use the grayscale ones for shading quickly and I don't worry about color. If you do want them, there are other sets to consider. You could buy a set of 200 or so of these which is crazy expensive. Or you could go to your local art store and pick out the colors you want from their display -- that's what I do to avoid paying a ton of money for these markers.

Note: Alcohol based markers will bleed through the paper, so you'll want something behind it to blot the ink or you'll want a thicker mixed media paper to draw on.

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Copic Ink Refills

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – N0-Neutral Gray Refill - $6 USD
Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – N2-Neutral Gray Refill - $6 USD
Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – N4-Neutral Gray Refill - $6 USD

Eventually you'll need to refill your copic markers, and you can buy these ink refill injectors from copic. I tend to use N0 and N2 for light shading so that marker runs out faster for me. So I just buy the refills for the markers that I use most often to keep the cost down.

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Canson XL Series Mixed Media Drawing Pad, Side Wire, 7x10 inches

Buy on Amazon (Affiliate Link) – $9 USD

I use a mixed media sketchbook. You could go for something thinner, but keep in mind if you use alcohol markers (or any markers) they will bleed through the page. This paper will also allow you to experient with other media types.

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