In this section, I’ll be showing you guys the tools that I use to create the artwork
you see on this website and on the PixelReason YouTube Channel.
I always try to keep things simple as far as tools are concerned. For aspiring artists, I urge you to believe that it’s not a magic brush or magic pencil that will make you a capable artist. It’s practice. And when you’re done with that, it’s… more practice. 😉
That being said, after establishing a solid foundation, it doesn’t hurt to have good tools. Good music to get you in the flow is always great too.
THE BRUSHES
I generally only use 2 brushes (Both brushes are sable/synthetic blends.).
WINSOR & NEWTON Sceptre Gold II Brush 8 flat 505 this is the larger brush for the large areas of the painting.
Note: For some reason, the sellers on Amazon tend to show pictures of multiple brushes for their products (even though it’s just for a single brush) so be sure to read your descriptions carefully when you buy from them.
THE PAINT
The set contains the following colors: Cadmium Yellow Hue, Cadmium Red Pale Hue, Ultramarine, Viridian Hue, Burnt Umber, Ivory Black.
I also have a tube of Chinese White and Burnt Sienna separately. .
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour 6 Tube Set
THE PAPER
I don’t like “bumpy” paper. There’s certain times that paper with more texture (more “teeth”) is good, but I’ve yet to run into those times. I like my paper as smooth as possible. So when I decided to use watercolor, I still wanted my paper to be as smooth as possible but still be able to handle getting wet (and not buckle or get super “wavy”). This paper stayed strong, smooth, and was pretty much exactly what I was looking for. There’s some paper out there that is probably even better, but the reason why I like this one is because it comes in a pad of 15 sheets (instead of having to buy a giant single sheet of paper and having to get it cut into smaller sizes) and because for the price, it really can’t be beat.
https://www.amazon.com/Strathmore-580-62-Bristol-Vellum-Surface/dp/B000KNMEJC/
iPAD
This is the 7th generation IPAD with an Apple pencil. The iPAD with Procreate was an absolute gamechanger. Now I can travel and produce art from anywhere without the added weight of my laptop and WACOM tablet setup.
SOFTWARE
Procreate and Photoshop.
DIGITAL BRUSHES
I use my own custom brushes that I’ve made for Procreate. I also use the default brushes that comes with Procreate. If there’s enough interest for my brushes, then I’ll probably make them available for purchase.
CAMERA
My current camera is a Fujifilm X-H1 with a Fujinon 35mm 1.4 lens.
I started this channel with a Panasonic LX3, then an Lx7, then a Gx85, then a Lumix G80. But please remember that the truth is- you don’t need a “fancy” camera to make interesting content. The smartphone you have in your pocket is probably more capable than the camera I used for my first speed drawing video.
Camera https://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-X-H1-Vertical-Power-Booster/dp/B079PTJ7RT/
Lens https://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-XF-35mm-F1-4-Fujinon-XF35mmF1-4/dp/B006UL00R6/
