Whether you plan to sketch and paint in your home studio, during stolen moments at the office or prefer to create al fresco, these essential supplies will help you transform whatever inspires you into a personal work of art. Keep full-sized versions of these essential sketching supplies at home and tuck smaller-sized ones in your bag so you can sketch anywhere, anytime.

Sketchpads and Sketchbooks

Look for sketchpads and sketchbooks with paper weights designed for the media you work in. If you’re looking for watercolor pads, for example, you’ll want a minimum paper weight of 90lbs. Purchase a variety of sketchpads and sketchbooks that meet your needs, including travel-sized versions with hardbound covers that withstand your travels.

Be sure to touch the paper before you buy. Unless you’re looking for specific textures, you’ll want the paper to feel smooth, not toothy. Otherwise, your ink drawings may look as though you did them on paper towels. Most art supply stores have paper samples available for you to test in your preferred medium.

Keeping a travel-sized sketchbook with you is one of the best ways to nurture your creativity, capture ideas or sources of inspiration in the moment and eliminate reasons why you didn’t sketch today. Look for paper weights that are suited to the media you most commonly work in and sketchbooks that have pockets to hold ephemera, magazine or newspaper clips or other found objects you might use in your art.

Consider tossing a glue stick in your bag if you often work in mixed media or use your sketchbook as more of an art or inspiration journal—you never know what you might find that may become part of the drawing you’re working on.