I absolutely love Ina Garten's cookbooks . . . with one exception.

It has always bothered me how she feels it necessary to state in each and every recipe that you must use good olive oil or good quality strawberry preserves. I can almost hear her in a nasally, Hampton-y voice stressing those adjectives which serve as an admonishment to anyone who would dare to use, say . . . Kroger brand butter (not that I ever would--kidding, of course I do).

But recently, I was talking with an illustrator friend of mine about my favorite materials to use when painting, and I found my self pulling a full-on Ina Garten. It went something like this . . .

"You know, you always have to use the best quality gouache. Those cheap student brands just don't have the pigment density. And don't even get me started on synthetic brushes. I would die without my Winsor Newton sable paintbrushes."

Yeah. Snobby much?

Sorry, Ina. I get it now.





So here are a few of my favorite things to use when illustrating (feel free to use your best Hampton's accent went reading through my list):


Prismacolor Pencils--blend perfectly with an almost clay-like consistently and great colors.
My Winsor Newton sable brushes. These are the only two brushes that I ever use and they are perfection. Mwah!
Strathmore series illustration board. This is hands down the best, most durable, non-pilling illustration board around. Love it. Seriously. Nothing else will do, dahlings.
Winsor Newton and Holbein Gouache are my favorite brands. I use gouache a bit like watercolors, but I like the density and opaqueness of the pigments in gouache. The cheaper brands are crap. Take my word for it--I had to buy some locally when I was in a pinch.

The bottom line is this (and now you can read in a Southern accent): If you use cheap art materials or materials that you're not comfortable with, you will wind up fighting against them when trying to create. Don't make the creative process any harder on yourself than it has to be.
Go forth and paint! And be sure to use the good stuff . . .
sf