We all have our favourite tools of the trade.

Those old faithful things that we come back to again and again.

Here’s the 5 Bits of Colouring Kit I use every day.

 

Pencils:

Faber Castell Polychromos. These colouring pencils are divine to use, but pricey. Let’s be honest, I would never have been able to afford them at Art School which makes me hesitant to recommend them, but they really are lovely to colour with. The pigment is rich and dense whilst the leads are firm enough to sharpen to a good point but luxuriously soft enough to blend like a dream. They have a HUGE range of colours and also offer the option of ‘open stock’ (so you can buy individual pencils, more green anyone?!). Lastly, they are oil based as opposed to wax (like say Prismascolor) so no yucky wax build up or bloom will appear over time.

 

Another great pencil option:

Not as expensive are the Staetler Ergosoft range. I’ve loved these pencils for a long time. They are a great entry level pencil, soft enough to blend, hard enough to sharpen nicely. Admittedly Staedtler don’t do a huge range of colours, but the joy of pencils is that you can blend and mix your colours to create a wide range of shades. These are a great set for anyone just getting into colouring or if you are gifting a book and want to give some pencils with it.

 

Staedtler Sharpeners.

I’m going to cheat and recommend 2 things here. Firstly the simple double hole sharpener. Does what you need it to do. Great for pencil cases. But if you sharpen a lot of pencils, treat yourself to the Rotary Sharpener that clamps to your desk. Blister free sharpening, oh the luxury!

 

Sakura Jelly Roll White Gel Pen.

Sakura do a great range of gel and glitter gel pens (for when you are feeling fancy!) but if I had to recommend getting one, it would be a white. Adding a few little white highlights can make berries look shiny, eyes glisten and treasure sparkle!

 

Prismacolor Colourless Blender Pencil.

I find this wax blender is the softest and best for smooshing colour about when blending.

 

What are your go-to Colouring Kit items?

And what can you live without?

(I’m on the fence about battery powered sharpeners!)

 

Part of the fun of any creative practise is experimenting and discovering the tools you like.

 

Have fun and Happy Colouring!

Johanna x

 

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