My Favorite Art Supplies
The following are the art supplies I use the most:
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My favorite plastic palette is small, light, has 20 color wells and 5 mixing areas. Perfect for plein air painting and vacation painting.
My favorite set of 3 warm and 3 cool watercolor primaries is made by Daniel Smith in 5 ml sizes. This is all I used for years when I started painting. I’ve bought 5 of these.
My favorite waterbrushes are by Pentel. This set comes in three sizes. They are easy to use, light, soft and don’t leak.
My favorite small watercolor sketchbook is 6.5” x 6.5”, perfect for a quick plein air painting, a sketch or a mini-portrait. It’s from Jenna Rainey. I have three of them.
My favorite portable lightweight aluminum easel for outdoor use aka plein air painting. I use it . It holds a 12” x 18” board. Its legs are easily adjustable.
My favorite portable drawing board is perfect for A3 watercolor paper. I use several of them outdoors with my easel and in my art studio to juggle multiple painting projects.
My Favorite Yellow. I used it for 90% of my Sunflowers For Ukraine paintings, posted over 21 straight months. It’s Daniel Smith Hansa Yellow Medium Extra Fine Watercolor.
My Second Favorite Yellow. I use it to give a glowing undertone to my watercolor portraits of some of the world’s most favorite artists. It’s Winsor & Newton Raw Sienna Professional Watercolor.
My Favorite Red is Quinacridone Rose. It is a cool red. Add water and you get a beautiful lasting pink. I use it to add rosy cheeks and lips to my artist portraits. It is Daniel Smith Quinacridone Rose Extra Fine Watercolor on Amazon.
My Second Favorite Red is Pyrrol Scarlet. It is a warm red. Add water and you get a beautiful lasting orangey red. I also use it to add rosy cheeks and lips to my artist portraits. It is Daniel Smith Pyrrol Scarlet Extra Fine Watercolor on Amazon.
My Favorite Blue is Manganese Blue. It is a rich but light sky blue. It is Da Vinci Professional Artist Watercolor Paint, Manganese Blue (Mixture) on Amazon.
My Second Favorite Blue is Cobalt Blue. It is a versatile medium to dark blue. It is Daniel Smith Cobalt Blue Extra Fine Watercolor on Amazon.
The first pigment I bought that wasn’t a primary color was Da Vinci Professional Burnt Sienna Deep. It tints out from deep reddish brown to a pale light skin tone. It also mixes with either cobalt blue or ultramarine blue to make a gorgeous black.
When I’m not using tubes of professional watercolor pigments, I use bottle of concentrated watercolors to make my most vivid abstract paintings. Dr. P.H. Martin’s Hydrus Concentrated Fine Art Watercolors come singly and in sets of 12.
My favorite picture frames are simple white on white 16” x 20” matted metal picture frames. They come in lots of other sizes, too.
My favorite drawing pencils are simple Bic mechanicals. BIC Xtra-Sparkle Number 2 Mechanical Pencils With Erasers, Medium Point (0.7mm), 15-Count Pack, Cute Mechanical Pencils for Girls, Boys and Adults
My favorite gentle for watercolor paper erasers are soft kneadable and from Pentel.
My favorite drawing journal has soft 80 lb. paper and 96 pages from Strathmore.
My husband Rand picked out “One Sketch A Day: A Visual Journal”. I use it to draw actors, actresses and Jeopardy contestants with my Bic pencil while watching TV.
My Favorite Tripod. I use it indoors every day. It holds my iPad Pro or my iPhone or both. It expands to 5.5’ high. It is called: UBeesize 67-in iPad Tripod Stand, 360 Rotating Tablet Mount & Phone Holder, Compatible with 9.9-15.7 Inches Tablets
Cindy Bale Tanner
Your Artist Journey Guide
Cindy Bale Tanner is a Southern California watercolor artist who picked up a brush at 63 after 43 years in corporate IT and never stopped.
Since 2019 she has won multiple watercolor awards at the San Clemente Art Association, an honorable mention at Paint San Clemente 2024, and placed third in the 2025 San Diego Watercolor Society International Plein Air Exhibition.
Since February 2023 she has taught more than 200 women to make original watercolor art. Her courses, including “Your 1st 5 Abstract Watercolor Paintings” (100+ students) and “Your 1st Watercolor Child Mini-Portrait (50+ students), are built on a single belief: paint-along videos teach you to copy. Cindy teaches you how to create.
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