I was recently in the Boston area visiting family and celebrating my brother’s Bar Mitzvah. Of course, I couldn’t resist stopping by my favorite art stores to pick up a few supplies that are harder to find here in Brazil. In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite new art materials, journaling goodies, and printmaking tools — plus a peek at what’s next in my creative projects!
Favorites
I restocked on some basics (painter’s tape, pencils, and a sharpener), a few long-time favorites (gray-toned paper, colorful inks, cute washi tape, white Conté, and pastels), and some new materials to experiment with — like watercolor bookmark paper, refillable paint markers, and sample oil paints I got as a gift.
Specs:
- Painters tape: BLICK branded
- Pencils: Stabler graphite, 2B + 3B
- Pencil sharpener: Generic metallic one 🤷♀️
- Paper: Strathmore Gray Toned Paper pad (love this brand) 15pcs, 9x12in sheets (300g/m2)
- Ink-Cartridges (for fountain pens): Blue and Purple from LAMY (5pack of large cartridges); Pink from KAWECO (6pack of smaller cartridges)
- Washi Tape: Mitsou Masking Tape, 20mmx7m
- Conte: Conté à Paris – 2pcs, white.
- Pastels: Alphacolor – Soft Pastel, 2pcs.
- Bookmarks: Hahnemühle – Bookmark Pad, watercolor paper (300g/m2, 2.2×7.9in), 100% cotton.
- Refillable Paint markers: Angelus Empty Paint Markers (14pc. set)
- Sample oil paints; Utrecht Oil Colors samplers
Journaling/Planner Supplies
I treated myself to a new notebook and fountain pen — and I’m obsessed with this adorable guava-colored duo! I’ve been journaling and doodling a lot more thanks to them. The pen writes so smoothly and feels perfect in my hand. Definitely a little splurge that’s been totally worth it.
I also picked up a few planner accessories like a pen loop and sticky calendar notes.
Specs:
- Notebook: Moleskine Classic Collection – pocket size; blank pages; hard cover; lime green
- Pen: LAMY safari Fountain Pen in Sunset (with a Fine Tip)
- Pen loop: Leuchtturm1917 Pen Loop XL in Forest Green
- Calendar sticky notes: MUJI’s Monthly Sticky Note
Printmaking
My main goal for this haul was to find some affordable linoleum and new carving blades — and I got lucky!
I grabbed two sets of “V” blades (sizes #3 and #5) to replace my old rusted ones, though I’m still hunting for a 0.5 tip to replace my favorite. I also found a large BLICK pouch (12x16in) to carry my studio tools — a much-needed upgrade from my overstuffed plastic folder.
For linoleum, I got a range of block sizes and one clear carve block, which I’ve used before and loved. Working on compressed wood has been hard on my hands lately, so I’m looking forward to testing these softer alternatives.
These should keep me busy for quite a while! I’ll be sharing the results of my printmaking experiments soon — stay tuned for updates on my carving process here.
Specs:
- Blades: Speedball ‘lino cutters‘, in sizes #3 and #5
- Pouches: BLICK branded 12×16 in.
- Linoleum: BLICK branded, sizes: 6×6, 8×10, 12×12 in.
- Clear Carve: Jack Richeson in 8×10 in.
Sewing
This trip was also a big one for bringing back some of my things from my dad’s house — sketchbooks, planners, my comic collection, my guitar, and my sewing kit (finally reunited with it!).
I’ve been reorganizing my sewing supplies and planning to post more about my collections soon — from stickers and postcards to old art, sketchbooks, and comics. It feels amazing to finally have most of my creative tools in one place for the first time in years.
Specs:
- Spewing needles: Realeather Crafts – Repair Needle Pack; & DAISO – 27pc. Repair Needle Pack.
There’s some really interesting projects and perhaps a interest shift coming real soon.
Stay tuned or subscribe to learn more!
