Daily Sketchbook Practice, Part 1: Gathering Supplies
An email subscriber (who also happens to be a friend) reached out to express her interest in starting an art or creative practice but felt unsure about how to begin. Her enthusiasm inspired me to write this post on launching a daily sketchbook practice.
In this first part, I’ll cover the recommended supplies. I always suggest starting by checking what you already have at home before purchasing a whole new set of tools. Once you feel more comfortable with your daily art practice, you can then consider investing in new materials.
Benefits of a Daily Sketchbook Practice
Before we dive into the supplies, let me share some benefits of maintaining a daily sketchbook.
Daily painting and drawing can be a wonderful stress reliever. It helps take your mind off challenges and can offer comfort during difficult times. For me, having a daily sketchbook allows for freeform experimentation—no plans needed. I’m often inspired to transform one of my sketchbook art into new patterns, digital illustrations, animations or more formal pieces.
Most importantly, my daily sketchbook practice brings me immense joy. There’s something special about filling the pages of a sketchbook and preparing to start a new one. It’s like a visual diary I can revisit year after year.
Now, let’s dive into the supplies you'll need to get started!
Supplies
Here are the basic supplies to help get you started, along with links to where you can find them.
Sketchbook
I recommend starting with a smaller sketchbook that is 5.5 inches x 8.5 inches (14 cm x 21.6 cm). The Canson Montval Watercolor sketchbook features cold press, 20 sheets of 140 lb/300 g paper, which I personally use.
Here are a few other options I’ve added to my favorites for future use:
Watercolor paint set
I started with this watercolor set and gradually expanded to other brands and tube paints. In a future post, I’ll delve deeper into different watercolor types, but for now, any watercolor paint set will work.
Here are a few other options I’ve used and liked:
Pencil
To begin, any ordinary pencil will do—start with what you have! I use both a regular HB mechanical pencil and a soft 4H pencil. The difference between the two is that HB leads draw darker lines, while the 4H leads create lighter lines. While I usually try to erase all pencil marks before I paint or add color, sometimes I don’t. In those cases, I prefer having light pencil lines show through instead of darker ones.
- Staedtler Mars Lumograph 4H graphite art drawing pencil, 6 pencils
- Pentel P207C Sharp Mechanical Drafting Pencil, Blue Barrel
Eraser
Any good-quality eraser will work. You want one that easily removes pencil lines without smudging or ripping the paper. Here’s the brand that I use.
Pencil Sharpener
I like this brand by Blick Art, but any quality sharpener you have is fine.
Sakura Black Micron Fineliner Pens - waterproof
Sometimes you may want to outline your pencil design with a black Micron outliner and then paint over it. Because it’s waterproof, it won’t smear when you apply watercolor.
These fineliner pens come in various sizes. While you can buy a 6-pack that contains a variety, you can also start with just one—try the 0.5mm size.
Gel Pens
I love using gold, silver, and white gel pens to embellish my sketchbook art. Uniball Signo is my preferred brand.
Paintbrushes
I usually use a few sizes of round paintbrushes—from large to small. Flat brushes are fine, too. Here are a few brands to consider:
- Yasutomo Fusion Brush 5 piece assortment (this is the set I currently use)
- Winsor & Newton Cotman Short Handle Brushes, Set of 4
- Fuumuui,Sable Watercolor Brushes, 8 piece set
And there you have it! This is the basic supply list to kickstart your daily sketchbook practice.
In Part 2 (which I hope to publish by mid-November), I will explain some basic watercolor techniques and provide prompts to inspire your sketchbook painting.
While you gather your supplies, I also suggest starting to collect inspiration. Look online, pay attention to your surroundings, and take photos. Focus on subjects or objects that are abstract, geometric, or feature interesting shapes, and don’t forget to notice patterns.