Sometimes we buy art supplies with excitement, try them once or twice, and then quietly return to our favorite materials. For me, it is not always because the supply is bad or low quality. Many of these materials are actually beautiful, professional, and loved by many artists. I simply noticed that my own sketching routine works better with tools that feel faster, easier, more flexible, and more natural for travel sketching.
So, what supplies I usually use in my sketching routine? All about them in this post.
Winsor & Newton Oil Paint
I always wanted to try oil paint, and Winsor & Newton felt like a classic and serious choice for that experiment. I made one small painting with them, and I actually enjoyed the rich texture, soft blending, and traditional feeling of working with oil. But after this first painting, I never really returned to them, not because the experience was bad, but because other art supplies attract me more. Oil paint takes time to dry, and the maintenance feels a little complicated for my regular sketching life. For quick studies, travel memories, and spontaneous sketchbook pages, I usually prefer materials that dry fast and let me continue without planning too much.
See my set here.
Sennelier Oil Pastels
After using Caran d’Ache Neocolor II, I wanted to try Sennelier oil pastels because they looked soft, rich, and very expressive. I made one landscape with them, and I could feel their creamy texture and strong color immediately. Still, for my personal way of sketching, they felt messier and softer than I expected, and it was harder for me to make small details or mix colors in a controlled way. Neocolor II gives me more options because I can use it dry, add water, create finer marks, and combine it easily with watercolor or pen. So even though Sennelier oil pastels are beautiful, I reach more often for water soluble pastels because they fit my sketchbook style better.
See my set here.
Ecoline Watercolor
Ecoline watercolor is bright, liquid, and full of energy, so I understand why many artists enjoy it for expressive work. When I tried sketching with it, I felt that it could be great for abstractions, mixed media, or bold color experiments. The set I had was very colorful, maybe even too colorful for my usual sketching taste, so I did not always know what to do with it. I do not like to think too much about how or where to use a material, because I prefer supplies that naturally become part of my process. I even tried to fill my dry markers with Ecoline watercolor, but this still did not make me use it more often.
See my set here.
Paint Sticks
Paint sticks feel a little like a kids’ art supply, but I wanted to try them because I saw people using them in creative ways online. I think they can be fun for drawing characters, filling large areas, and creating playful mixed media pages. The sticks are thick, so it is not easy to make small details, and this makes them less useful for the kind of travel sketches I usually enjoy. They are water soluble, which is a nice feature, and you can even touch the tip with a brush to pick up color. Still, for me, Neocolor II is a much better choice because it gives me more control, more detail, and more ways to combine it with other materials.
See my set here.
Micron Pens
I got a big set of Micron pens, around 10 pens, and at first it felt like a very useful purchase. After using them, I realized that I personally do not need such a large set for my everyday sketching. For me, three different sizes are enough: one small tip, one medium tip, and one larger tip for stronger lines. Of course, if hatching is your main technique, or if you enjoy very detailed ink drawings, then a big Micron set can be very practical. But for my sketching style, I prefer to keep my pen choices simple, so I can focus more on the subject and less on choosing between too many similar pens.
See my set here.
These five art supplies reminded me that a good material is not always the right material for every artist. All of them have their own strengths, and I am glad I tried each of them. But my favorite supplies are usually the ones that feel simple, flexible, travel friendly, and easy to use without too much preparation. I still keep these materials because one day they may fit a different mood, project, or experiment. Art supplies do not need to be used every week to be valuable, sometimes they simply wait for the right creative moment.
