Art Supplies I Blame the Internet For Buying
I love watching videos of artists painting — their technique, their process, the materials they use. I don't own a lot of materials, but sometimes I see something cool and I get this urge to get it. Do you have that feeling too?
And because I don't like to spend a lot of money, I end up watching a million videos on that thing to understand if I really want it or if it's just a whim. Most of the time it's just a whim — and that magical feeling that this is the thing that will transform my artwork into masterpieces fades away pretty quickly.
But sometimes it doesn't. So here's a list of things I Blame the Internet For Buying, and how they're actually working for me.
Tabletop Easel
I saw this on an Instagram post and it looked great on the artist’s setup. Since I tend to bend my neck a lot while painting I thought it would solve that problem (excuses I create). Unfortunately I don't use it as often as I expected. The easel itself is great — the problem was that I ordered the wrong size. The artist mentioned in the comments that she used an A3 size but when ordering my brain stopped and I ordered the A2 size instead — and for me and my setup, it's too big. I still have it and use it occasionally, but not as much as I'd like. I'm actually thinking of reselling it and ordering the correct size instead. So, don't be like me — always check the sizes.
Brush Pens
I saw these in an Instagram reel by the artist @wouwouandthewormling and I became completely obsessed. The way the artist used them, and the look of the black ink on white paper, was mesmerising. The artist used a Pentel Fude brush pen but I also came across the pocket version and I just couldn't decide between them. Since they weren’t that expensive, I went a little crazy and got them both.
I think they're great tools and you can create beautiful art with them. The problem is that I'm not there yet. This type of brush pen requires technique and practice, and honestly I haven't been practising enough. Would I still buy them today? Yes — especially the red one, because I find it so beautiful. Now I just need to actually use them.
Fountain Pen
Alongside watercolour painting videos, I also watch people drawing. And it all started with watching artists sketch outdoors with fountain pens and then paint with watercolour on top. I loved the lines the pen produced and the effect it created with the watercolour. It reached me to the core — and if you know me, you know I have a thing for stationery, so the effect was very real.
After extensive research — and the world of fountain pens is genuinely complex — my first pen was a Platinum Preppy 0.2, because it was very affordable. And I really liked it. There's something about writing and drawing with a fountain pen that feels glamorous and a little indulgent. The issue was that I had bought Platinum cartridges and the ink isn't waterproof, at least not immediately (I found it the hard way — check video below). You have to let it dry completely before painting over it with watercolour, which defeated the whole purpose of doing a quick sketch and painting straight away.
For normal people, the obvious solution would have been to simply get waterproof ink — but after watching so many videos, my heart was already set on a Lamy Safari. It's considered the go-to beginner fountain pen, it looks great, and it isn't the most expensive option. So the ink situation became my perfect excuse to get one. I got mine in white with an F nib — and almost immediately ordered an EF nib as well, because I prefer finer lines. For waterproof ink I chose Rohrer & Klingner sketchINK, because it's easily available in my country, not the most expensive and I liked the available colors - I got the colour Olive | Lilly.
Now I'm a fountain pen aficionado (I recently got a very expensive one, but that's another story). I love both my pens and use them for different things — the Lamy with waterproof ink for sketching with watercolour, and the Preppy for drawing or everyday writing.
Sketchbooks
Finding the right paper takes experimentation — and the same goes for sketchbooks. It varies with paper type, size, and price, and you really do have to try a few before you find what works for you.
I've tried several sketchbooks and even made my own, which was a lot of fun. But using a traditional sketchbook blocks me a little. For some reason, I don't like to mix the paintings that didn't work out with the ones that did, and I sometimes have the feeling of not wanting to waste good paper on bad paintings. I think I'm also a bit too influenced by those perfectly curated artist notebooks we see online.
But I discovered that a simple ring binder works much better for my purpose — having a ready setup that lets me practice whenever the mood and time allow, without pressure. It lets me mix different types of watercolour paper and regular drawing paper all in one place. I now have two ring binders, in A5 and A6 sizes. Keep reading and you'll understand why.
Travel Palettes
I didn't have a travel palette until last year. Now I have two.
I got my first one before a trip to the Azores, because I wanted to be like those artists on social media who paint their travels. I even hand-made a little travel sketchbook for the occasion (and yes, I did paint while traveling). I got the palette from Etsy (shop StraumeWatercolor) because I couldn't find exactly what I wanted anywhere else — I'm picky — and the seller worked with me to customise it. Even though I tweaked it a bit, it ended up being perfect: very slim, easy to use, and with enough wells for my basic colours. It's now part of my paint-anywhere kit along with the A5 ring binder.
Later, I saw an Instagram post by artist @zeyucai_watercolor featuring this ingenious palette that fitted directly onto a ring binder. I really wanted it. I looked through the comments to find out where it was from — do you do this too, search the comments to find out what an artist is using? — but it was from Baoao, a Chinese site I couldn't register on. I searched everywhere online and couldn't find anything similar. But recently, while scrolling through AliExpress, it appeared in my suggestions — and I had to have it. Why? Because of the ring binder setup I mentioned above — it clips right onto the rings and it looks brilliant.
The only catch was that the size I ordered didn't fit as I wanted in my A5 binder (again with the sizes), so I had to get an A6 to use it properly. It might sound like I just ended up spending more money, but it actually helped me paint more. Now I use the A5 at home or when I'm out with my daughter painting outside, and the A6 with this palette in my work bag for quick sketches during lunchtime.
So there it is — everything I bought because the internet told me to. Most of it wasn't expensive, which is why I got it in the first place. The things that didn't work out quite as expected, I found a way to use anyway, and the things that did work out I eventually upgraded to better versions.
I can't say that I learned a lesson because I'll probably buy something else that looks really cool — but I think that in art as in life, if possible, sometimes you just have to try and see what works.
Now it's your turn — what are the art supplies the internet made you buy? And were they worth it? Tell me in the comments below, because honestly... I might need them too 💛
💛 If you’d like to see more of my work:
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Comments are welcome! Please keep it kind and on topic. 💛
