My Must-Have Art Supplies

I have a lot of art supplies here in my studio, and many of those supplies have come from Cheap Joe’s. I was so sad to hear that the store will be closing.

I have a lot of supplies — definitely more than I need — because early on I put myself in a position not of an artist, but that of an art student, and — to a degree — an “art teacher”. Most artists, I suppose, know who they are and what they enjoy creating long before they set up a studio. But, throughout my life, I’ve had a penchant for doing things backwards, so I had a “studio” (of sorts) set up long before I truly even thought of myself as an artist.

Or, maybe it would be more accurate to call it a “classroom” — that’s the purpose it served as I first began this journey. At first, it was an actual room — a spare room in our home that might have been a “guest room”, but instead became “my little art room”. I had bookshelves there, a small storage area for art supplies, and a computer where I could watch online tutorials or take part in online art classes.

Gradually, though, my art studies outgrew that little room. One of my daughters found an awesome easel at a great price, and I needed more room for that. So, part of our kitchen became my first “unofficial” art studio. Oh, I remember those days and the challenges posed by painting in the kitchen, trying to find places to set canvases while they were drying, and the frustrations of trying to clean up my mess after every painting session. By that point, you see, I’d started learning to use oil paints and discovered my genuine passion for landscape art.

Four years ago, we purchased a new home — a much larger one. Now, I have a large studio with storage bins filled with various art supplies. I have bookshelves, computers, a sink, two closets, and along with my easel, a convenient “art table” my husband built for me.

I do think of myself now as an artist, and while I’m reminiscing about Cheap Joe, I recall a decal that came with one of the first orders I placed from the store. It proclaimed “Artist.” Yes, Cheap Joe made an artist out of me!

I now know that landscape painting in oils is my “niche”, yet I still approach art with a student’s mindset. Especially now as I re-acclimate myself to “doing art”, I want to learn and grow as much as I can.

In the past nine years, I’ve dabbled with just about every medium there is. Acrylics, inks, watercolors, oils, oil pastels, soft pastels, charcoal, conte, graphite — and more. I’ve never tried encaustics, although I’m intrigued by the process. I’ve played with clay, learned basic book-binding, and even tried my hand at basket-weaving.

I would never want to part with any of my art supplies, although, in truth, many of them go largely unused. I rarely use colored pencils. I don’t use my “mermaid markers” — watercolor pens — too often, and the only thing I do with acrylics is “pouring” — and I haven’t done that for several years.

Some things, however, are absolute “must-have’s” in my studio.

Even though I haven’t yet resumed landscape oil painting, I would say those tubes of paint are the number one priority to have in my studio. I use water-soluble oils which I love.

Of course, if we’re going to paint, we must have a palette, so that’s my second top priority. I’ve tried many different palettes — metal, plastic, paper plates, and “palette paper”. Ultimately I found glass to be the most useful and easiest to clean.

My third priority? I should probably say good quality paintbrushes designed for use with oils, but instead I’m going to list “canvas panels” here. I’ve painted on stretched canvases before, but I’m just not comfortable with the feel. I prefer working instead on more solid canvas panels — which come in a variety of sizes.

There are dozens of other important supplies — pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, of course. And yes, I do need paintbrushes. I need my easel. Oh, there are so many little things that are important.

There are value scales and color wheels. There are “view-finders” and art mannequins. There are wooden blocks and portable easels. There are portfolio cases, and on and on and on.

I guess everything in my studio is important, and I would hate the thought of having to choose only a few “essentials” — at the expense of all others. If I did, however, I would opt for the oil paints and related supplies. Landscape oil painting is where my heart really is. It took me a long time to discover my love of landscape painting, simply because I was so intimidated at the thought of oils! Once I tried them, however, I knew I’d found my little corner of the art world.

All the same, I still play around with other media and other art genres. I think everything we try — especially those things that are a bit “out of the box” for us — makes us better artists, gives us new ideas and inspirations, and keeps our creative fire burning brightly.

Now, let me throw this question back at you: What are the 3 most important tools or supplies for you in your art? It’s not an easy question to answer!