Art Materials
"What pen do you use?"
This is the most frequently asked question I receive from other artists and I know the feeling. Finding a reliable tool is valuable, so I've made a list below of the ones I use.
That said, if you want to learn more about how to use these materials (which is far more important) I recommend joining my Patreon channel here.
Paint Pens
The pen you see me using 90% of the time was, in a previous lifetime, a Molotow One-for-All, which is very similar to POSCA.
However, in four years of use, it's been dropped a hundred times and run over by two cars in Bruges, so all of the inner parts have been replaced and it's more like a custom pen at this point.
If you're interested in acrylic markers, I suggest keeping in mind that, whether your pen gets run over by a car or not, you'll need to refill the ink and replace the nibs often. Not all art stores have matching parts and ink, so sometimes the flow is less than ideal after a change.
Artistro is another brand that has several good packages at lower prices, so you may want to start here before investing in Molotow or POSCA. Use this link and the coupon code KevinZych to get an additional discount.
Sketchbooks:
My favorite sketchbook, the Moleskine Watercolor Notebook, checks every box except for cost, which I still swallow. I strongly prefer black, hardcovers and thicker pages. (I tend to pile layers of paint and collage paper on top of each other, and this can handle it all.) I also like the size, which is perfect for carrying around, as well as the portrait orientation.
Next up is the Talens Art Creation Sketchbook. These pages are thinner and sometimes my acrylic pens bleed through to the next page, but the lower price point makes them a good street sketchbook, especially if you're really interested in practicing and not too concerned with the end quality. On the other hand, that's often how the best drawings are made.
Urban Sketching Chair
I finally got a chair, and it works well!
Do yourself (especially your spine) a favor and invest in one too. There are several like this, but the one I have is from Hesanzol on Amazon. The main benefit is that it can collapse into a disc that can fit into my backpack.