My 12 Favorite Painting Tools

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12/29/2021

I am often asked what items I use to create my art. Several people have asked what are my favorite tools to paint with. I thought it would be fun to share with you My 12 Favorite Painting Tools. You will notice a lot of my supplies are not even marketed as art tools! You can think outside the box when it comes to your tools!

Here is the list and explanation for each one. You can download the list here.

Trowel-I love using a trowel to spread paint on to my work surface. I use a large one, since I usually work with large canvases. You may use whatever size you are most comfortable with. I got mine from the hardware store!
My Resource Binder-This is something I put together and show in my Art with Adele Academy. It is full of mark making ideas, patterns, artist references, color swatches, and color combinations. I keep everything in sheet protectors. I reference this binder to get inspiration for the next steps of a painting or I use this to get inspiration to start creating! Your resource binder can be full of items that you are inspired by.
Bondo Spreaders-Another great hardware store item! I use them to create collages. I like to use Bondo spreaders to flatten an item I am gluing down. I also like to use them to wipe paint off the canvas. They come in several sizes and come in very handy!
Restaurant trays– I love restaurant trays to hold all my collage papers. I use them to hold torn up bits of paper, art scraps, acrylic skins, and to keep my different colors of paper organized. Anytime I want to work with “green” I can reference my tray and use items right away.
China Markers- These are grease markers. You are able to go over them with watercolors without disturbing your markings. I usually work with black and white.
Spay bottles– I have several spray bottles I work with. I like to use spray bottles to add texture to a painting. While the paint is still wet, I spritz with my spray bottle (with water) and it creates drips. I also like to use spray bottles to keep my acrylic paints moist on my paper palette.
Plastic palette knives– I have at least 15 palette knives. I love them! They are great for mixing paint, smoothing it out on your canvas, and they make great mark making tools!
Saran Wrap– I love Saran wrap! I like to use it to cover my palette and keep my paints from drying out. I also like to use it for print making. You can move the Saran wrap to create texture too.
Squeeze bottles-I like to use these with my liquid gloss or matte medium. I like to buy large bottles of the matte or gloss medium, then I pour a smaller amount into these bottles!
Large Post-Its – I love large Post-It notes. I like using them on the walls and use them to plan out my week. You can use them to plan out a painting, and use them to sketch on.
Brushes– I use these fine haired paint brushes because they do not leave behind a heavy brush stroke and they come in so many sizes. I use so many, I buy 5-6 packs at a time!
Richardson’s Palette paper– I love the gray! I like to use the gray because it gives me an idea of what my colors will look like with a mid-tone. I also love the gray palette because it comes with very useful information on the inside cover of the palette.