Basic setup

• Something to protect your surface (old towel, table-cloth...)

• Apron or old shirt to protect your clothes

• Ideally, a dedicated table where you can leave your work to dry. But many of us start on our kitchen table and that’s fine too!

• If you want to work on larger paintings, an easel is a must. If you can get a reclining one, it’s especially great as it allows you to paint and collage horizontally. It’s like an easel and table all in one!

Basic tools & materials

• Palette: I like to use a set of small, stackable ceramic palettes that don’t take up space on my table. As an eco-friendly alternative, you can re-use white or transparent plastic lids, or use a simple white plate.

• Craft heat gun / embossing tool: highly recommended to speed up the drying of paint and collage layers

• Water + Spray bottle

• Lint-free cloths: pieces of old t-shirts, cotton napkins etc.

• A good pair of scissors

Acrylic paints

This is the kind of paint I use the most, because it dries fast and permanent, which is great for mixed media layering. Here in France I most easily find the heavy-body kind, but the fluid ones are great too. Don’t forget that craft paints can be a great option too!

Here are some favorites:

Neutrals:

• Titanium white

• Raw Umber

• Buff Titanium

• Parchment

• Neutral Grey

• Payne’s Grey

• Green Gray

• Blue Gray

Colors:

• Turquoise Green

• Light Sky Blue

• Naples Yellow

• Portrait Pink

• Sap Green

• Green Gold

• Magenta

Acrylic inks

• Raw Umber

• Titanium White

• Turquoise

• Magenta

• Olive Green

• Payne’s Grey

Alcohol inks

• Wildflowers Set

• Assorted Browns

• Lettuce

• Butterscotch

• Pebble

Other paints & inks

• India ink

• Archival inkpad

• Walnut Stain Distress Ink

• Walnut ink granules

• Watercolors

• Instant coffee!

Tools from around the house

Some of the best mark-making tools are free and hiding in your cupboard! Look for:

• Bubble-wrap in different sizes

• Shelf-liner comes in a whole variety of textures that will create different marks

• Plastic mesh from fruit and vegetables

• Textured wallpaper can be used for stamping! You can usually get small samples for free at your DIY store

• Paper or textile doilies

• Corrugated cardboard

• Wood skewers and coffee stirrers

• Plastic cards & business cards are a great alternative to palette knives

• Feathers

… and so much more! Look around your house and use your imagination!

store-bought options

• Catalyst tools. These silicon tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes to create different effects with paint.

• Brayers are great to randomly spread paint and create unexpected marks.

• A Gelli plate is a wonderful tool to create a whole stash of unique papers with layers of marks and paint.

• Pottery needle tool / awl: fantastic to scratch, doodle and even write into wet paint!

• Stencils: look for patterns that are not too specific and so you’ll be able to use them in a variety of ways, like dots, diamonds, leaves, flowers etc.

• Stamps: Text and alphabet stamps are especially versatile. It’s also a good idea to have a few of your favorite symbols. For instance: alphabet letters, script text, print text, dots, butterflies…

collage basics

• Matte gel medium is the only glue I use and I highly recommend it. It’s acrylic (basically, it’s acrylic paint without any pigment in it), dries clear, permanent and won’t yellow with age, unlike cheaper craft glues. It also dries fast, which is essential when you’re working with mixed media layers. I recommend the matte gel, not gloss, because it will retain the “paper” look and feel of your collage. My favorite brand is Liquitex, as I find that it doesn’t smell much at all, but other brands are fine too. If there’s one art supply I encourage you to invest in, this is it!

• A flat, soft synthetic brush is great for applying your glue and smoothing over the paper without damaging it.

collage materials

Most are free! Ask around and look for:

• Old magazines with images you love & inspiring text, to use for backgrounds and cut-out words. Libraries are often happy to give away outdated issues.

• A variety of papers in neutral tones: tissue, book pages (preferably from a book that inspires you), sheet music, sewing pattern paper, paper doilies…

• A variety of colorful papers: gift wrap, backgrounds from magazines, wallpaper samples, printed napkins, junk mail, gardening and home decor catalogues…

• Vintage ephemera: photos, postcards, illustrations, greeting cards... A great resource for copyright-free printables is https://thegraphicsfairy.com/

• Textile scraps: old fabrics, cheesecloth, ribbon, lace, burlap...

• It can also be useful to have a few sheets of ready-made scrapbooking papers. Don’t buy anything too specific that you’ll get tired of. Instead, look for timeless florals and vintage patterns.