resource Library
A Quick Note About Affiliates & Amazon
Some of the links below are affiliate links which means we'll receive a small commission if you purchase something after clicking – but I'd never recommend something I don't love or use.
Since 2020, I no longer affiliate for Amazon. My decision is based on their history of racist practices and dangerous warehouse conditions. For art supplies, we now proudly affiliate with Dick Blick and for books, we support Bookshop.org.
art supplies
Staedtler Pigment Liners
Sakura Pigma Micron
Faber-Castell Pitt
Tombow Fudenosuke Soft Tip Brush
Tombow Dual Brush
Sakura Gelly Roll (white)
pens
For Drawing:
Canson XL Drawing Pad
Strathmore Tracing Paper Pad
For Painting & Mixed Media:
Blick Watercolor Block (single sheets)
Kunst & Papier Sketchbook
Paper
Paint:
Winsor & Newton (gouache)
Holbein (gouache)
Holbein (acryla gouache)
Posca Paint Pens
Brushes:
Princeton Heritage 4050 Series
Simply Simmons Synthetic Brushes
Palettes:
Butcher Tray Palette
Rectangular Porcelain Palette
Paint & Ink
Derwent Graphic Pencils
Faber Castell Graphite Pencil Set
Staedtler Plastic White (eraser)
Staedtler Double Hole Sharpener
Drawing
Adobe Creative Cloud (software)
Apple iPad Pro (tablet)
Wacom Intuos Pro (tablet)
Epson V Series (scanner)
Technology
Books
Over & Over: A Catalog of Hand-drawn Patterns by Mike Perry
Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and American Patterns
by Susan Meller
Pattern Pulse: Exploring the Art of Australian Surface Designers by Rachel King
Patterns
House Industries Lettering Manual
by Ken Barber
In Progress by Jessica Hische
The ABC of Custom Lettering by Ivan Castro
The Art of Lettering by Brooke Robinson
Little Book of Lettering by Emily Gregory
Lettering
You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero
Get Rich, Lucky Bitch! Release Your Money Blocks by Denise Duffield-Thomas
Money Matters
The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist by Lisa Congdon
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
Craft, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Turning Your Creative Hobby into a Successful Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco
This is Marketing by Seth Godin
How to Style Your Brand by Fiona Humberstone
Graphic Artists Guild Handbook currently in the 16th edition
Art & Business
Drawing
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin
Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (& Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles & Ted Orland
Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley &
David Kelley
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
Personal & Artistic Growth
product suppliers
Although not the cheapest show in town, the quality of their product totally makes up for it! We get all my printed marketing (business cards, postcards, you name it) printed here.
Promotional Marketing: Moo
There is truly NO better place to get your trade show banners! Their products are beautifully printed and they provide top-notch customer service. Save 15% off your first order using our link.
Banner Printing: Smartpress
Great when you need a single book, but especially handy if you like to get new portfolio books printed each year. They even have a preview option you can share with clients…oooh!
Portfolio Printing: Blurb
Want to dip your toe into selling physical paper products? They offer fantastic printing and wholesale price points.
Gift Wrap: StationeryHQ
If you need invoices for trade shows or a multi-layer receipt book for in-person craft shows, they are an affordable option.
Carbon Copies: Lighthouse
You can get t-shirts, leggings, and more printed here and the quality is actually great (unlike many POD sites we’ve tried).
Garment Printing: Printful
Our go-to vendor for trade show giveaway items. You can get 100 buttons for less than $25 – oh yeah!
Buttons: Pure Buttons
A sister vendor of Pure Buttons, so you know they’ll have the same high quality products at an awesome price.
Stickers: Stand Out Stickers
print on demand
Spoonflower | RedBubble | Society 6 | Threadless | Zazzle
productivity tools
Besides your portfolio, the other must-have in my book is a nice website. And although there are lots of free options, nothing matches the beauty and functionality of Squarespace for us.
Website: Squarespace
We truly believe that every artist needs a newsletter. But you don’t need a bunch of bells & whistles and that’s why we love Mailchimp – it’s simple to set up and easy to use.
Email Marketing: Mailchimp
With this one app, you can organize & keep track of your portfolio, contracts, clients, calendar, and more. It’s a TOTAL game changer – we even have a class on how to use it!
Organization: Airtable
Jumping directly onto the ‘gram to post is fun, but sometimes it’s nice to take a break. And that’s when setting up your posts in advance really comes in handy!
Instagram Scheduler: Later
This free service not only lets you send invoices directly to your clients & allow for online payments, it sends reminders for you too – no more tracking down payments, yay!
Invoices: Wave
If you’re typeface hoarders like we are, you know how much they can slow down your computer. This software organizes and streamlines them so it’s a win-win.
