Welcome to my art supplies & tech for artists page!
Here I’ve compiled my personal list of the very finest art supplies, computers and other technology, books, online resources, and more – the best and most useful artist tools of all kinds for both traditional and digital art.
Table of Contents
- Best Tech for Artists – Laptops, Tablets, Printers, Scanners
- Best Software and Apps for Artists
- Best Art Supplies for Artists – Paints, Brushes, Pencils, Pens, Markers, Paper
- Best Books for Artists
- Best Online Resources for Artists – Courses, Platforms, Subscriptions
This page will include many of my favorite products, the ones I absolutely love and use daily in my work.
It will also include other art tools, books, and resources I have tried and thoroughly tested and found to be really great and really useful, as well as many recommendations from friends, colleagues, and guest artists whom I’ve interviewed on my Art Side of Life podcast.
- Here we will try to answer some questions that you may have, like:
- What do you need for drawing?
- What do you need for painting?
- What do you need for digital art?
- What do you need for your art business?
- What do most digital artists use?
- What do most fine artists use?
- What do most commercial artists use?
- What brands of art supplies are the best?
…and a lot more!
As you may already know, the Art Side of Life Blog also has many, many buyer’s guides, with a wider range of reviews and suggestions for specific types of art tools, and wherever it makes sense I will include links to those articles. But here, on this Resources Page, you will find the best of the best – my personally curated and approved list of the greatest artist tools and resources available today. Enjoy!
If you’re looking for gift ideas for that special artist in your life, you might also want to check out my new buyer’s guide – Best Gifts for Artists!
Best Tech for Artists – Laptops, Tablets, Printers, Scanners
Section Quick Links
- Best Laptops for Artists
- Best Standalone Tablets for Artists
- Best Plug-in Drawing Tablets for Artists
- Best Printers and Scanners for Artists
This section answers the following questions:
- What is the Best Laptop for Artists?
- What is the Best MacBook for Artists?
- What is the Best Drawing Tablet for Artists?
- What is the Best Printer for Artists?
- What is the Best Scanner for Artists?
- What Laptop / Tablet do Professional Artists Use?
- What Supplies Do You Need to Make Digital Art?
Best Laptops for Artists
Apple M1 Pro chip with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
Colors: Space Gray | Silver
Budget Pick MacBook for digital art
macOS :: 13.3 Inch Retina Display :: Apple M1 Chip with 8 core CPU, 8 Core GPU :: 8GB High Speed RAM :: 256GB SSD :: WiFi 6 :: 2 Thunderbolt Connectors
CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 5 3580U or AMD Ryzen™ 7 3780U
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): Radeon Vega 9 or RX Vega 11
CPU: 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i5 processor 1035G1
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): Intel UHD Graphics
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Standalone Tablets for Artists
Best iPads for Artists
The best iPad for drawing and Procreate
Apple M1 Processor for next-level performance :: 12.9-inch liquid retina display for superior color, contrast, and brightness :: Light and extremely strong :: Up to 10 hours battery life :: Early 2021 model
Edit 2023: If you want absolutely the newest tech to get M2 chip and use Apple Pencil hover feature, get the 2022 iPad Pro 12.9″
10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color
64GB | 256GB
Second Generation Apple Pencil :: Best Drawing and Painting Experience :: Compatible with: iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th, 4th and 3rd generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd, 2nd and 1st generation), iPad Air (5th and 4th generation) and iPad mini (6th generation)
Best Windows Drawing Tablets for Artists
Best Professional Standalone Drawing Tablet
13.3 Inch WQHD Touchscreen Display :: Intel Core i7 :: 16GB RAM upgradeable :: 512GB SSD upgradeable :: Professional artists' choice :: Windows 10 :: Early 2020 model
The bigger model is Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16
For Surface Pro 8, 7, 6 Surface Laptop 3 Surface Book 2 Laptop 2 Surface Go Studio 2 Pro 5 Pro 4 | 4096 Pressure Points | Different colors
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
- Best iPad for Drawing
- Best iPad for Procreate
- Best Standalone Drawing Tablet
- Best Tablet for Photoshop
- Best Animation Tablet
- Wacom Tablet vs iPad Pro
- Best Drawing Tablet for Kids
- Best Android Tablet for Drawing
Best Plug-in Drawing Tablets for Artists
With Screen
Creative Pen Display – 4K Graphic Drawing Monitor with 8192 Pen Pressure and 99% Adobe RGB
NEWEST MODEL: UHD Graphics Drawing Tablet, Full-Laminated Screen Anti-Glare Glass 140% sRGB - Battery-Free Stylus 8192 Pen Pressure and KD100 Wireless Express Key, 23.8 Inch
13.3-inch FHD Pen Graphics Display :: Screen with anti-glare protector :: Wacom One Battery-Free Stylus Pen :: 4096 pressure sensitivity levels :: Up to 60 degrees of tilt for easy shading :: 99% sRGB color gamut :: Built-in stand :: Early 2020 model :: HDMI and USB-A connectivity :: Windows, macOS, Android, Chromebook
Without Screen
Screen size: Large
8192 Pen Pressure with Battery-Free Stylus 10 Shortcut Keys,Compatible with Chromebook, Android, Windows and Mac
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Printers and Scanners for Artists
Printer Type: Inkjet Color Printer
Maximum Paper Size: 9 x 13 Inches
Resolution: 2400 x 4800 DPI
Airprint and Mobile Device Printing | Ambient Light Correction | 8-ink dye based ChromaLife100+ system | Borderless prints up to 13x19 inches
Model in the UK / Germany - Pro-100S
If it's out of stock, get Pro-200 instead
Best Art Scanner for Art Studio and Professionals
- Superb scan quality
- Max 6400 x 4800 DPI & 48 Bit depth
- Scans artwork, photos, film, slides, negatives
- Max scan area 8.5 x 11.7" (A4)
- Price
Best Large Format Art Scanner for Artists and Professionals
- Superb scan quality
- Largest scan area 12.2" x 17.2" (A3+)
- Scans artwork, photos, film, slides, negatives
- Max 4800 x 2400 DPI
- Price
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
- Best Printer for Art Prints
- Best Cardstock Printer
- Best Canvas Printers
- Best Screen Printing Printer
- Best Printer for Stickers
- Best Heat Transfer Printer
- Best Sticker Maker
- Best Art Scanner for Artworks
Best Software and Apps for Artists
There are many software programs out there, for beginners or seasoned veterans, for every kind of art process, and at every price level from free to ridiculous, but here is a very short list of the apps I know and love.
- What Apps are Best for Digital Art?
- What Software do Professional Digital Artists Use?
- What is My Favorite App for Painting and Drawing?
- Adobe Creative Cloud – The most powerful art programs available today, the Adobe suite covers all kinds of work and processes and is a must-have – not just to take your work to the highest level, but to ensure it meets full industry standards on all levels.
- Procreate – Simple, fun, powerful, and really cheap, Procreate for Apple is the app I use most and easily My Favorite.
- Astropad – Built for creative professionals, Astropad turns your iPad into a professional working tablet, working wirelessly with your Mac (and soon Windows) in Photoshop and Illustrator..
- Clip Studio Paint – An incredibly powerful drawing and painting program designed by artists for artists.
- Medibang Paint – A free and super easy art app, especially popular for comic book artists but great for so much more.
- Paint Tool SAI – Not the most intuitive software, but for Windows users, Paint Tool SAI offers incredible control and precision – and it’s free!
- Krita – Really popular and surprisingly powerful free art software for Apple, Windows, and Linux.
- GIMP – Image manipulation software for editing photos and artwork, GIMP is also great for creating new work. Free and Open Source!
Best Art Supplies for Artists – Paints, Brushes, Pencils, Pens, Markers, Paper
This section answers the following questions:
- What Art Supplies do Professional Artists Use?
- What are the Best Pencils for Drawing and Sketching?
- What are the Best Pens for Drawing and Sketching?
- What are the Best Colored Pencils for Artists?
- What are the Best Colored Markers for Artists?
- What is the Best Paint for Artists?
- What are the best Paint Brushes for Artists?
- What is the best Paper / Sketchbook for Painting and Drawing?
Section Quick Links
- Best Pencils for Artists
- Best Pens for Artists
- Best Paints for Artists
- Best Paint Brushes for Artists
- Best Paper for Artists
- Best Sketchbooks for Artists
Best Pencils for Artists
Best Drawing and Sketching Pencils
Assorted Degrees, 12-Pack. Professional Quality Graphite Pencil Set with Eraser and Sharpener
Best Mechanical Pencils for Artists
Best Mechanical Pencil Overall for Sketching and Drawing
Best affordable mechanical pencil set for artists and My Favorite
Best Colored Pencils for Artists
Oil based binder :: Hard lead :: Without waxy bloom
18 colors in metal tin :: Includes selection of colors from the Pablo pencil line :: Highest quality pigment for permanent color :: Non-smudge :: Resistant to fading :: Great for hatching, superimposing colors, shading, on all media (paper, wood, photos) :: Ideal for large-scale drawings with large areas of color :: Hard leads for break resistance and easy sharpening
12 colors in a paper case :: Includes selection of colors from the Premier Verithin pencil line :: Oil based binder :: Hard lead :: Without waxy bloom :: Non-smudge :: Resistant to fading :: Great for coloring, outlining, detailing, and lettering :: Break resistant and easily sharpened
12 colors in metal tin :: Includes selection of colors from the Polycolor pencil line :: Oil based binder :: Hard lead :: Without waxy bloom :: Create dense and precise strokes without pressure :: Great for blending and layering :: Water resistant and non-toxic :: 3.8mm leads for break resistance and easy sharpening
60 colors in metal tin :: Includes selection of colors from the Polychromos Artist pencil line :: Highest quality pigment for permanent color :: Oil based binder :: Hard lead :: Without waxy bloom :: Resistant to fading :: Great for lending, layering, highlighting and transitions :: 3.8mm leads for break resistance and easy sharpening
72 colors in metal tin :: Includes selection of colors from the Premier Soft Core pencil line :: Richly saturated pigment for permanent color :: Wax based binder :: Soft lead :: Resistant to fading :: Perfect for shading, delicate blending and shadows :: Strong enough leads for easy sharpening
Best Erasers for Artists
My favorite vinyl eraser - Clean, effective and incredibly controllable, for doing the most demanding and precise work easily - almost ridiculously useful!
Refill Round Tip + Square Tip + 4 Refills (Black Barrel)
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
- Best Mechanical Pencil for Artists
- Best Drawing Pencil for Artists
- Best Colored Pencils for Artists
- Best Watercolor Pencils for Artists
Best Pens for Artists
Best Fountain Pens for Artists
A truly premium and compelling pen that is luxurious and perfectly finished and feels just amazing in your hand. My favorite fountain pen!
High-quality stainless steel nib in width M (medium)
Equipped with a cartridge/converter system
Medium Nib Fountain Pen
Pleasant, soft feeling. A really special fountain pen, with an amazing look and a perfect design for writing and drawing. Not expensive, but just lovely in every way.
Best Fineliners for Artists
Staedtler Pigment Liner black fineliner pens, full professional 12 pieces artist drawing technical drafting sets
Best Budget Calligraphy Pen Sets
Micron Blister Card Ink Pen Set, Black, Set of 8
Best Brush Pens for Artists
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Color Markers for Artists
A wide selection of colors for full expressive possibilities, perfect for the working commercial artist or serious fine artist
Full range Bundle Set , Mitsubishi Poster Colour ALL COLOR Marking Pen Medium Point ( PC-5M ) 29 Colours ( 22 Standard & 7 Natural )
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Ink for Artists
ZIG Cartoonist Opaque Sumi Ink, BLACK, for dip pen, brush, art, illustration, smooth flowing ink, Smudge proof with alcoholbased markers, professional artists and amateur hobbyists
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Paints for Artists
Best Watercolors for Artists
Best Affordable Watercolors in Tubes Overall / Best Watercolor Set for Students
My Favorite Watercolor Paints in Pans
Lightweight Metal Sketchers Box Set : 24 Half Pans (24 Colors Set)
Best Premium Watercolor Paints in Pans
French Watercolor Paint, Metal Set of 48 Half Pans
Best Value Watercolor Paints in Pans Overall / Best Watercolor Set for Students
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Acrylics for Artists
Best Professional Grade Heavy Body Acrylic Paint
The basic acrylic painting experience and an affordable introduction to Golden quality
Best Liquid Acrylic Paint
Set of 12, 1.0 oz bottles with droppers and mixing palette
Best Value Liquid Acrylic Paint
Semi-Matte Finish, 12 Colors, Suitable for Canvas, Wood, Fabric, Leather, Cardboard, Paper, MDF and Crafts
Acrylic Gouache
Splendid paints with superior colors, finish and usability, and a real delight to use!
Acrylic Gouache
Surprisingly consistent and high quality colors, wet and dry, and quite long lasting and durable - best value!
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Oil Paints for Artists
My Favorite Oil Paint for Painting on Canvas
Set of 9 Colors, 37 ml tubes
Best Affordable Oil Paint for Painting on Canvas
Set of 12, 37ml tubes
Best Budget Oil Paint for Painting on Canvas
Set of 10x 37ml Paint Tubes
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Paint Brushes for Artists
Best Brushes for Acrylics and Oils
Best Natural Fiber Paint Brushes for Oil and Acrylic Paints
Chungking Hog Bristle Flats & Rounds, Size (Flat) 2, 8, 14 (Round) 2, 6, 12
Watercolor and Acrylic brush set :: Sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 :: Travel kit
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Brushes for Watercolors
My Personal Choice for Best Watercolor Brush Set
100% Kolinsky Sable Hair Brushes for Watercolor Gouache Ink and More - Professional 4 pc Round Watercolor Brush Set Sizes 0 - 1 - 2 - 3
Best Premium Watercolor Brush Set
Natural Hair and Synthetic Brushes with Wooden Storage Box and Brush Soap, Multiple Sizes, 5 Brushes (Series 36, 991, 5530, 5550)
Best Value Watercolor and Ink Brush Set
5 Aquarelle Artist Brushes - Assorted Paint Brush Sizes 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Paper for Artists
Best 140 lb Paper for Watercolors
Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper
9x12 12 Sheets | Made from 100% Cotton
Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper
9x12 12 Sheets | Made from 100% Cotton
Rough Paper for Watercolors
9x12 12 Sheets | Made from 100% Cotton
Best 300 lb Paper for Watercolors
Cold Pressed Paper for Watercolors
300 lb / 640GSM, 11" x 15", 4 Sheets
Hot Pressed Paper for Watercolors
300 lb / 640GSM, 11" x 15", 4 Sheets
Rough Paper for Watercolors
300 lb / 640GSM, 11" x 15", 4 Sheets
Best Paper for Acrylics
Sized Heavyweight No-Buckle Paper, Fold Over, 185 Pound, 12 x 16 Inch, 10 Sheets
290gsm Paper Block Including 10 Sheets, Size:50x65cm~20x26 inches, Canvas-Like Texture
11 x 14 Inches, 16 Sheets Each, Heavy 246-lb Art Paper, Art Supplies for Acrylic Painting, Oil Painting, & Drawing, Pack of 2
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
- Best Watercolor Paper for Artists
- Best Acrylic Paper and Canvas for Artists
- Best Watercolor Canvas for Painting
Best Sketchbooks for Artists
Make sure also to check out my artist’s guides:
Best Books for Artists
This section answers the following questions:
- What are the Best Books on Art Techniques?
- Which Books were Published by our Podcast Guests?
- What are the Best Books on Art History?
- What are the Best Books for Running an Art Business?
If you like listening more than reading, Audible is for you!
Get your 1 FREE Audiobook and FREE access to Audible Originals library for 30-days with this special offer!
Section Quick Links
- Art Books by Art Side of Life Podcast Guests
- Best Art History Books
- Best Books to Learn Drawing
- Best Books to Learn Color & Light
- Best Books to Learn Animation
- Best Books to Learn Character Design
- Best Books to Learn Anatomy
- Best Books to Learn Cartoon & Comic Design
- Best Books on Artistic Technique
- Best Self Development Books for Artists
Make sure to also check out my artist’s guides:
Art Books by Art Side of Life Podcast Guests
Best Art History Books
Hugh Honour & John Fleming :: Laurence King Publishing :: 7th Edition :: 2013 :: 996 Pages
Helen Gardner & Fred Kleiner :: Cengage Learning :: 16th Edition :: 2019 :: 1264 Pages
Robert Cumming :: DK Publishing :: 2nd Edition :: 2020 :: 416 Pages
Vincent Pomarède :: Black Dog & Leventhal :: 1st Edition :: 2011 :: 784 Pages
Thomas Campbell & Kathryn Calley Galitz :: Skira Rizzoli Electa :: 1st Edition :: 2016 :: 544 Pages
Mikhail Piotrovsky :: Skira Rizzoli Electa :: 1st Edition :: 2014 :: 288 Pages
Best Books to Learn Drawing
Discover simple step-by-step techniques for drawing a wide variety of subjects in pencil (Collector's Series)
By Barrington Barber; 2021 edition
Best Books to Learn Color & Light
Best Books to Learn Animation
Best Books to Learn Character Design
Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life
Tom Bancroft
Best Books to Learn Anatomy
Make sure also to check out: Human and Animal Anatomy for Artists
Best Books to Learn Cartoon & Comic Design
Best Books on Artistic Technique
Best Self Development Books for Artists
Best Online Resources for Artists – Courses, Platforms, Subscriptions
Section Quick Links
- Best Online Art Classes and Art Schools
- Best Tools to Increase Your Productivity
- Best Tools to Promote Physical and Mental Fitness
- Best Platforms to Sell Your Art
- Best Tools for Your Art Business
Art Side of Life – The best online resource for artists overall – ok, maybe I’m a little biased, but I do love my site, and it is definitely becoming one of the most complete and useful websites online today for professional and fine artists, art students and beginners and lots of other creative types!
Be sure to check out these great Art Side tools, articles, podcasts and buyer’s guides:
- The Ultimate Self-Taught Artist Guide
- How Much do Artists Make 2021 Guide
- Art Prompt Generator
- 50+ Art Challenges Guide
- Guides to Drawing Books, Art History Books and Color Theory Books
- Over 200 (!) Video Interviews with Working Artists
- Tons of Buyer’s Guides and Reviews
- And Many Other Resources as well
Best Online Art Classes and Art Schools
As you may already know, I am both a working commercial artist and an art teacher, and I think I do a pretty good job of teaching not only art techniques, processes and theory but also how to manage an art business. At my site, Art Side of Life, I have partnered with a couple of really great online learning platforms:
Move your creative journey forward with Skillshare, an affordable online learning community with hands-on classes for creative and curious people.
★ Click below to get a FREE Month of Skillshare
Join Evolve Artist Program, the world’s simplest art training method with results guaranteed!
★ Use my coupon code to get a special discount
This way I can not only offer my courses right on my own site, but through their institutions as well, and hopefully reach and help as many people as possible. Here’s a list of some of the most popular and highly rated courses that I teach:
Learn from my easy-to-follow online classes such as Making Money as an Artist, Color & Light, Color Palettes, Perspective & Composition, Instagram for Artists, and more!
Best Tools to Increase Your Productivity
FREE 2 weeks trial with this link
Specifically curated- and produced music designed to improve your focus on the work in front of you
If you like listening more than reading, Audible is for you!
Get your 1 FREE Audiobook and FREE access to Audible Originals library for 30-days with this special offer!
- Blinkist – book summaries on demand. Whether you’re an executive or not, check out Blinkist to get summaries of the most influential books out there.
- Google Apps – one of the most popular – and maybe the easiest to use – suites of cloud-based applications – Docs, Sheets, Slides, Mail, Calendar, Drive – Google Apps are available in a free version. Once you try them, I bet you’ll never go back!
Best Tools to Promote Physical and Mental Fitness
- Headspace – a brilliant guided meditation program for increasing mindfulness, clarity and concentration, Headspace is also a wonderful way to enhance your creativity.
- Calm – Calm is Headspace’s competitor and they are great thanks to their sleep stories, narrated by famous actors. It’s good to listen to when you can’t fall asleep.
- Relax Melodies (20% off with this link) – relaxing at the end of the work day, or during breaks, is a great way to make the day more productive, as well as making you feel more clear, positive, energized and motivated, and Relax Melodies is one of the most effective relaxation tools I’ve found.
Best Platforms to Sell Your Art
- Redbubble – a small giant in the POD (print on demand) industry, Redbubble offers a huge range of products, with particular focus on the latest and hippest trends. This is the New York of PODs!
- society6 – if Redbubble is the New York of PODs, society6 his is the LA, and is the oldest print on demand site out there, with a great range of products and an established customer base.
- INPRNT – by artists, for artists, INPRNT makes gallery quality art prints at their studio, handling all aspects of printmaking, shipping and customer service.
- Threadless – specializing in custom-printed t-shirts and clothing, Threadless is constantly expanding their lines and offerings – and their artist’s support team is amazing!
- Displate – Displate produces only one thing – beautiful metallic prints – so you can imagine just how much they care about their product!
Best Tools for Your Art Business
- Siteground (Get up to 65% off with this lnk) – SiteGround is what we use for Art Side, and is the fastest and the most reliable internet hosting service we’ve tried (and believe me – we’ve tried lots and lots!).
- Freshbooks (Get FREE 30 days trial with this link) – Freshbooks is the most intuitive accounting software in the clouds. Track income and expenses effortlessly, create invoices quickly and get paid on time. Genius!
- Shopify – If you want to run your own online shop, Shopify is your tool of choice. With Shopify, you will open your online store in no time!
- MailerLite – a superior email marketing tool, Mailerlite does everything that Mailchimp does and even more. It has lower SPAM scores than Mailchimp, so your campaigns will reach their targets more often and with more effect.
- Thinkific – if you are an online teacher, or want to be, but don’t like the idea of turning over the content and control of your lessons to one of the teaching sites, Thinkific lets you set up your own online classes and teaching platform.
- Wise (formerly TransferWise) – if you work with international clients, Transferwise lets you set up a “Borderless” account, virtually based in the US or the EU, making international transfers much less expensive!
- PayPal – still the number 1 online payment processing platform, and the most trusted, PayPal is a necessity for any successful online business. And it works great in conjunction with TransferWise borderless accounts!
- Stripe – a great way to easily offer your customers the option of paying via credit card, used by both the smallest online shops and Fortune 500 companies. Make sure to ask for your “startup” discount when you apply!