Must-Have Unique Art Tools for Every Artist

If the world did not have as many art pieces as it has now, the world would’ve been emptier, and more colorless. Art is a priceless form of expression for us. It helps us present our views, thoughts, or ideas through our artistic creations.

Whether you’re an artist that has mastered an artistic form, or someone who is just starting their art journey as a beginner artist, you require the proper art tools to unleash your full potential and create art better than you have ever before. All great artists understand how valuable each art tool is.

In this article, you will see the different tools used for painting, architecture, or sculpting. Continue reading to find out the various art tools available to you.

Unique Art Tools

1. Watercolor Crayons

Watercolor crayons are not your typical crayons. These are unique in the sense that they have paint pigment compressed into them. So, when you draw like you usually do with a pencil or normal crayon, just take a wet brush and blend the colors in. Not only are you able to draw neatly and with great details, but you also get a water paint effect on your art piece.

2. Glitter Watercolor Set

Glitter watercolors are a pretty rare sight in art stores as these have special shimmering effects added to them. These glittery watercolor sets are pre-mixed with an iridescent medium within them. Thus, if you want to add a shining effect to your painting, you can easily achieve it with this tool. You can find these paints in 24 sets that come in portable packaging.

3. Paint Marker Pens

Paint marker pens are similar to watercolor crayons, as they too help your paintings have a paint-like effect on them without creating a mess. These opaque markers can be used on many surfaces, such as:

• Glass
• Plastic
• Metal
• Wood

You may think that such markers will start to bleed through paper, but they don’t and work perfectly on different papers as well. Just be sure not to drown the paper in water.

4. Paper Punches

Paper punches allow you to create uniform shapes on paper. This is great for people who enjoy scrapbooking and creating a collage. There are different types of paper punches available in the market. Some help you create simple shapes, while others make more complex shapes. Paper punches can also be used as a standard hole punch.

Fixatives

Fixatives are resins that are dissolved in a colorless spirit solvent. This is great for individuals that use pencil, charcoal, or other soft pigments for drawing as it prevents your drawings from smudging. When you are done drawing, all you have to do is spray the spirit solvent onto your artwork. The spirit will evaporate and leave a thin coat of resin behind.

The resin will then bind with the pigment dust with the support. Once the resins are fixed, you will not be able to alter the drawing even with a rubber. However, you can draw again over the fixed drawing. This is common practice for individuals who wish to change their work once it has been “fixed,” and many people even use this solvent during the drawing process, as smudging is reduced.

Fixatives should be applied with CFC-free. For spraying, use a bottle with a hand-operated spray and mouth spray.

1. Conté Sticks

Conté sticks are natural pigments that bind with gum arabic. These are the best things to use for colored sketches. Some of the most popular color tones for Conté sticks include:

• White
• Black
• Gray
• Brown
• Sanguine
• Sepia

Conté sticks are available in a wide range of colors, and they work amazingly on paper or any other dry drawing media. Conté pencils are most often used for line work, but Conté sticks are used to block the larger areas of tone within a drawing. This item can easily be blended or smudged, but erasing it is not easy.

Conté pencils are also available in many colors, such as:

• Black
• White
• Sepia
• Sanguine
• Terra-cotta
• Bistre

Conté pencils look similar to traditional graphite pencils and also come in a rectangular profile. Some Conté pencils have wax content blended within them, which allows them to not get smudged. But there are other types of Conté pencils that are chalkier and need fixatives to prevent smudging.

2. Special Effects Palette Knives

Every artist knows about the basic palette knife that is often used to mix paint. But many artists also like to paint with their palette knives. Fortunately, there are newer palette knives in the market that as capable of adding special effects to your art piece. Usually, the sides of special effects palette knives have some sort of carvings in them that help add texture to your painting. This unique palette of knives can even be used to carve clay.

3. Acurit Proportioner

Acurit Proportioner is an analog tool that will allow you to get the perfect drawings. This tool can be used to measure your original drawing to transfer it into a new drawing. You will not have to do any calculations, as Acurit Proportioner will give you the correct proportions. This is great for comic creators as they often need to replicate their characters in different frames.

4. Water Brush Pens

This unique tool is great for artists that are traveling around and cannot carry separate water for their paint. Water brush pens are paintbrushes in the form of a pen, and they are able to hold water in them. These water brush pens come in all different shapes and sizes.

Conclusion

You do not need to own all sorts of art tools available in the market. However, you should try some of them to get an idea of how you can utilize other new art materials to really make your art stand out. If you do not own any of these unique tools and are new to the journey, just start off with the regular materials. Utilizing new art tools can really help you develop your artist brand.

Once you have started collecting art materials, you can upgrade your collection more as time passes. You’re more likely to utilize these art tools once you get a hold of the basic ones since these can help you enhance your art. Don’t buy all of them at once! Start exploring different materials gradually to save money as an artist.