Outlined below are all the tools you need to be prepared to attend a Draw Botanical workshop.
Please note that the listed products are what we recommend, but you can follow along with any supplies you have (your result may just end up looking a little different). Our lessons are about a combination of fundamental 3D art concepts and colored pencil and watercolor technique, so you can skip the supplies-specific tips and still learn a lot about perspective, light source, composition, etc. One of the main points we teach is colored pencil and watercolor technique for slow, continuous toning, but as long as you are able to achieve the same blending result with your chosen materials, we think you can still benefit from our course lessons.
Get Started
We have spent countless hours testing supplies to find what works best for us. Below, we’ve outlined all of our favorite art materials based on their excellent quality, low price, and effectiveness of use.
To get started with the Draw Botanical Method, you’ll need the following basic supplies:
– Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper (140 lb) (Stonehenge Aqua and/or tan Kraft Paper)
– Colored Pencils (professional-grade; Faber-Castell Polychromos oil-based colored pencils) (*For recommended list of colors, scroll to bottom)
– Graphite Pencil (H lead)
– Erasers (kneaded and/or white plastic) (Tombow Mono Zero Round Size 2.3 is perfect for fine details)
– Ruler (see-through rulers provide more accurate measuring)
– Pencil Sharpener (Sharp points are crucial to our method! The Muji Desktop Pencil Sharpener (auto-feed hand-crank sharpener) is our favorite. We also like Faber-Castell F582800 Double Hole Sharpener (hand-held))
– Watercolors (professional-grade; Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils) (**For recommended list of colors, scroll to bottom)
– Watercolor Brushes (Sable or Synthetic-sable watercolor brushes sizes 0/3, 2, 6; Interlon 1026 #6)
– Palette for watercolor pencils (Caran d’Ache Aquarelle palette, or Grafix Dura-Bright White Pad or Sheet)
Grow Your Practice
Beyond the bare necessities of paper, pencils, and essential tools, here are some other useful tools we recommend for the Draw Botanical Method:
– Container / Cup (to hold water for watercolors)
– Embossing Tools (different sizes allow for use in creating patterns and subtle light tone variations on fine details such as veining, roots, and numerous stamens)
– Tracing Paper (inexpensive roll or sheet) (for sketching rough thumbnails and arranging compositions)
– Wax Paper (for embossing technique) It’s similar to parchment paper, but clear, and has one side waxed. (Here’s a link to one common brand of wax paper.)
– Frog Prong Flower Holder (to hold your flower steady as you draw and hold water to prevent your flower from wilting) Frog Prong Flower Holder
– Magnifying Glass / Jeweler’s Loupe (to study botanical details)
– Draftsmen Mini Duster (brush for wiping away debris without smudging your work)
– Eraser Shield (for precise and controlled erasing)
– Prismacolor Premier “White” Colored Pencil (good for getting deep whites on Kraft Paper)
– Prismacolor Verithin Pencils (for fine linework) Prismacolor Verithin Pencils Set of Black & Grey
– Schminke Aqua Masking Fluid (to keep small areas and thin lines white when painting on watercolor paper) (Note: All other brands of masking fluid we’ve tried do damage to the Stonehenge Aqua watercolor paper that we use, but Schminke Aqua Masking Fluid does NOT cause damage.)
– Speedball Hunt 513EF Nib (for applying thin lines of masking fluid)
– Speedball Standard Pen Holder (to hold 513EF nib)
– Portable Lamp (to light your subject, even a small goose neck lamp works)
Recommended Text – Only need one of these:
– Botanical Drawing in Color, A Basic Guide to Mastering Realistic Form and Naturalistic Color by Wendy Hollender
– The Practice of Botanical Drawing by Wendy Hollender
– The Joy of Botanical Drawing by Wendy Hollender
Some of these supplies are still available in the drawbotanical.com shop (until current supplies sell out). You can find many of these supplies on dickblick.com, jerrysartarama.com, amazon.com, opusartsupplies.com (in Canada), or other art supply stores.
Can’t find some of the products we listed? Don’t worry! Our recommendations are guidelines, but you can follow along with any supplies you have (your result may just end up looking a little different). Our lessons are about a combination of fundamental 3D art concepts and colored pencil and watercolor technique, so you can skip the supplies-specific tips and still learn a lot about perspective, light source, composition, etc. One of the main points we teach is colored pencil and watercolor technique for slow, continuous toning, but as long as you are able to achieve the same blending result with your chosen materials, we think you can still benefit from our course lessons.
*Polychromos Colored Pencil Color Suggestions
Primary and Secondary Colors
Cadmium Yellow Lemon 205
Cadmium Yellow 107
Pale Geranium Lake 121
Middle Purple Pink 125
Madder 142
Ultramarine 120
Cobalt Turquoise 153
Dark Cadmium Orange 115
Purple Violet 136
Earth Green Yellowish 168
Permanent Green Olive 167
Earth Green 172
Darks to Mix for Deep Shades
Dark Sepia 175
Dark Indigo 157
Chrome Oxide Green 278
Red Violet 194
Olive Green Yellowish 173
Lights for Tints, Highlights, and Burnishing
Warm Grey IV 273
White 101
Ivory 103
Salmon 130
Earth Tones
Burnt Ochre 187
Venetian Red 190
Light Yellow Ochre 183
Burnt Sienna 283
Additional Colors (not included in the set of 25, but they come in handy)
Bistre 179
Cream 102
Cadmium Orange 111
Paynes Grey 181
Naples Yellow 185
**Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils Color Suggestions
(same color names and pigments as the Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils above)
Cadmium Yellow 107
Permanent Green Olive 167
Pale Geranium Lake 121
Middle Purple Pink 125
Purple Violet 136
Dark Sepia 175
Dark Cadmium Orange 115
Burnt Sienna 283
White 101
Light Yellow Ochre 183
Warm Gray IV 273
Earth Green 172
Ultramarine 120
