Art supplies I like/love, in no particular order:
Paper: I use cold press watercolor paper for original art. It works well for details and I’m a fan of these blocks. For pieces that I’m going to scan (book art, surface design, editorial, etc.) I use Bristol Board. There is some warping, but it can handle an okay amount of mixed media and minimal paper texture shows up in scans. If my painting involved huge swaths of washes and lots of layering, Bristol Board wouldn’t work. But as my illustrations are finished up in Photoshop, and I’m not using tons of water, it’s a system that works for me at the moment.
Paint: I love Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith, but my budget sadly does not. My workaround has been gradually phasing out the student grade brands I’ve used, replacing them with higher quality paints as finances allow. That said, I’ve found Van Gogh watercolors to be a cost-friendly alternative and I’ve been happy with the quality overall. I also have a Pelikan set from high school (!) that I use mostly for sentimental reasons (and the pretty terrific cad red). Aside from watercolor? I occasionally use gouache, very thinly. I like the texture it allows me to create with pencils layered on top. And speaking of pencils…
Pencils: I love, love, love Staedtler’s watercolor pencils. I actually use these like straight up colored pencils, with no water. They aren’t waxy and I’m able to get fine details with them. I have some Prismacolor from college also, as well as my late grandfather’s collection (which is mostly made up of sadly-defunct-but-amazing pencil brands). And for graphite, I’m all about the Mars Lumograph from Staedtler and just use generic brands for mechanical pencils.
Sketchbooks: I’ve tried a lot of brands over the years and always come back to this Canson sketchbook. It’s economical, spiral bound and you can get them pretty much everywhere. When it comes to a day to day sketchbook, this ticks all the boxes and I find because it’s affordable, I’m not as apt to become overly precious as I would with something pricier. That said, I do have a Handbook sketchbook that’s pretty amazing. It’s a splurge, but for travel I can’t recommend it enough. And I also have a small Moleskine that I keep in my purse.
So that’s that, in a nutshell.
And one important caveat? Art making doesn’t need to be expensive — this artist creates amazing portraits with Crayola markers and here’s a bunch of artists working in ballpoint pen. Start with what you have, add on as you can, but don’t get too hung up on the cost and quality of your materials. Nice art supplies can be a hugely helpful, but there’s lots of student grade options and products at your local craft store that will do the job nicely. Use what resonates with you and what helps you make the art that you want to make.
Happy art making!