My Favorite Art Materials
Textiles, Threads and Fibers:
Three of my favorite shops that carry a variety of beautiful, ethically sourced fibers are LoveFest Fibers and Weaver House Co. and Maiwa.
Gorgeous hand dyed rope that I have cut up and used in my fabric meditation books from Unfettered Co. on Etsy.
Lovely handspun upcycled linen yarn from LoveFest Fibers.
Naturally dyed linen fabric from Ramble and Roots Etsy Shop.
Vintage Indian kantha quilt remnants that I find so beautiful and fascinating. I get them from this Etsy shop.
Vintage Japanese textiles: www.oldindustrialjapan.com and www.etsy.com/shop/ohayashiya and www.etsy.com/shop/Higashisakurayama/.
Mud cloth from Mali is one of my favorite handmade textiles to create contemplation cloths with. I find it from a variety of places including www.africanfabric.co.uk and www.etsy.com/shop/VTTextilesandHome.
Japanese sashiko and Japanese Kogin embroidery threads: I get them from Snuggly Monkey shop.
Naturally dyed threads from Honey Folk Clothing which is owned by Heidi Iverson, who lives in a redwood forest in California. She hand dyes thread from what she forages, makes clothing and sells other materials for textile artists: www.honeyfolkclothing.com.
Organic naturally dyed linen yarn (more like thread) in gorgeous colors from www.Maiwa.com, a company based in Canada. I have used the madder root, mulberry, charcoal, indigo and the undyed white and love them all. I use the thinnest weight yarn in my fabric meditation books and other fiber pieces.
Tibetan yak down yarn from LoveFest Fibers in San Francisco, California. This gorgeous, incredibly soft fiber is gathered off of the ground by nomadic people who live on the Tibetan Plateau and then spun into yarn there. The yak naturally shed their fur and because it is gathered off of the ground, it is an incredibly kind, ethical fiber to use. It also provides valuable income to the nomadic people of Tibet.
Natural handspun nettle yarn from the Himalayas that has such an incredible texture. I use this for weaving and other fiber projects. I get it from Weaver House Co in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Indigo dyed nettle yarn from the Himalayan region of India I bought here.
Needles:
Sashiko needles I get from this Etsy shop. They are very sharp and come in different lengths in the pack, which I like. I also have used tapestry needles and embroidery needles but find the sashiko needles work the best for getting through a variety of thicknesses of fabric. I also use tapestry and embroidery needles.
Papers:
I get a lot of handmade papers from around the world from this Etsy shop based in the UK. I have gotten Tibetan loktah paper, Islamic hemp paper, Bhutanese black earth paper and hemp papers from here.
Thin sheets of pretty mulberry paper that I use to create Korean joomchi I get from this Etsy shop.
Mexican handmade amate bark paper, this is such an interesting paper with a great story of how it is made. I love the texture!
Paints and Inks:
MozArt Komorebi Professional Metallic Watercolor Set (these are sparkly and magical!)
MEEDEN Gouache Paint Set (beautiful, bright and opaque, I love using these for art journaling)
Taotree Watercolor Paint Set (100 pretty colors)
Acrylic Gold Paint Pens, so fun to write and draw with!
Zenacolor White Paint Pens, great for outlining and detail work
Dr. Ph. Martin's Iridescent Copper Plate Gold Calligraphy Ink, this is so gorgeous to paint and write with!
Iron gall ink from Fox+Quills Etsy shop. I love this ink for asemic writing, mark making and painting on fabric.
Speedball India ink in black for asemic writing, mark making and painting on fabric. I love how luscious and dark it is.
Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Travel Pan Sets - Set of 36 colors. I use this set for dyeing tea bags and painting on fabric.
Natural Earth Paint pigments are gorgeous. They are completely non-toxic, pure pigments without any additives or fillers like most paints have. They can be used to create your own acrylics, watercolors, gesso, tempura and more. They have kits on their website, recipes and lots of resources to explore. They make kid friendly face paints too.
Sketchbooks:
I love using the gorgeous journals that Kathmandu Valley Company makes as sketchbooks. They are handmade in Nepal are so lovely. I have used this one and this one for mixed media collage work but they would be lovely to draw in too or explore printmaking.
Ohuhu Mix Media Pad: I love this one for mixed media art journal work including collage, painting, writing and stamping. It’s a nice size, about 8x10 inches.
Pens and Brushes:
I love drawing with the Faber Castell black pens in different tip sizes and Sakura Micron pens in all of the tip sizes. I only draw in black but they both come in many colors that you can experiment with and see what you like.
Heat erasable pen to use on fabric: Pilot Frixion Pen. You can draw on fabric, then stitch over your lines and if any show around your thread, you can apply a dry hot iron to it and the pen marks will disappear.
Rainbow brushes for painting, these are so fun for inner child art making and art journaling
Glitter Brush Markers for art journaling and inner child art making
I also love to paint with vintage Japanese calligraphy brushes that I find on Etsy (you can search for that and go on a scavenger hunt!)
Oracle Card Decks:
The Medicine Woman Oracle: Discover The Archetypes of the Divine Feminine by Catherine Maillard and Caroline Maniere
Spirit of the Animals Oracle by Jody Bergsma
The Spirit Animal Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid
The Angel Guide Oracle by Kyle Gray and Jennifer Hawkyard
Enchanted Earth Oracle by Jessica Lahoud and Amanda Clark
Goddesses, Gods and Guardians Oracle Cards by Sophie Bashford and Hillary D. Wilson
Reiki Divine Healing Card Deck by Brett Bevell and Ben Schikowitz
Spirit Animals Oracle Deck: Journey into the Wild by Relmi, Sacha and Silvia Damiano
The Secret Language of Light Oracle: Transmissions from your Soul by Denise Jarvie and Daniel B. Holeman
The Secret Language of Darkness Oracle: Soul Light Transmissions from the Shadow by Denise Jarvie and Daniel B. Holeman
The Green Witch's Oracle Deck: Embrace the Wisdom and Insight of Natural Magic by Arin Murphy-Hiscock and Sara Richard
Angelic Lightwork Healing Oracle by Alana Fairchild and Daniel Holeman
Sacred Rebels Oracle: Guidance for Living a Unique & Authentic Life by Alana Fairchild and Autumn Skye Morrison
Stencils:
Small Heart Stencils for all the love!
20 Reusable Tree Stencils, I using all of these stencils for art journaling and mixed media fabric projects