Mayad’s Recommended Art Materials
Welcome to our central materials page for students.
We update this page regularly so that links and recommendations remain current.
You don't need everything listed here to get started. We strongly recommend beginning with the “Start Here” section first.
Last updated: May 2026
Contents
Start Here Kit
Pens & Ink
Brushes
Paper
Watercolour Paints
Gouache
Accessories
Travel Sketching Kit
A little note for students outside the UK
Please don’t worry if you can’t find the exact products listed here. Most of these materials, or very similar versions, should be available from good art shops or online suppliers in your own country.
Jackson’s Art
We often link to Jackson’s Art because they have a lovely range of professional materials and they deliver internationally, but you absolutely do not need to buy from the exact link shown.
Amazon and local art shops
Amazon can be useful if something is tricky to find locally. Your local art shop may also be able to suggest a good equivalent.
Brush alternatives
Princeton, Da Vinci, Escoda and Winsor & Newton all make good alternative brushes.
Watercolour alternatives
Mayad mostly uses Daniel Smith, but Schmincke Horadam, Winsor & Newton Professional, Sennelier, Holbein and Rembrandt are also excellent artist-quality brands.
Most important of all
The exact brand is not the most important thing. Choose materials that feel comfortable in your hand and allow you to enjoy the sketching and painting process.
START HERE: Essential Beginner Kit
This is the small kit we suggest for getting started. You can always add extras later.
Pens
• Micron 005 Black
• Micron 003 Black
Paper
• Bockingford NOT A4 Pad
Brushes
• Pro Arte 203 Rigger Size 0
• Pro Arte 203 Rigger Size 4
• Pro Arte 101 Round Size 8
Watercolour
• Lemon Yellow
• Sap Green
• Deep Sap Green
• Neutral Tint
• Cadmium Red
• Ultramarine Blue
• Burnt Sienna
Gouache
• Titanium White
• Lemon Yellow
Accessories
• Kneadable eraser
• Mono eraser
• 30cm ruler - transparent
• 15cm grid ruler - transparent
• Masking tape - low tack, artist grade
• Kitchen paper
FULL MATERIALS LIBRARY
Pens & Ink
Micron 003 Black
Useful for very fine details and lighter sketching lines.
Micron 005 Black
Fine black pen for delicate architectural linework and details.
Micron 005 Light Cool Grey
A softer grey pen for gentle lines and subtle detail.
Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.2
A reliable fine liner for clean drawing and architectural details.
Platinum Carbon Ink
A waterproof black ink that works beautifully with watercolour washes.
Brushes
Pro Arte Series 203 Rigger Size 0
Useful for fine lines, branches, railings and delicate details.
Pro Arte Series 203 Rigger Size 4
A larger rigger for expressive linework and looser marks.
Pro Arte Series 101 Round Size 8
A versatile everyday round brush for smaller washes and detail.
Pro Arte Series 101 Round Size 10
Useful for larger washes and looser watercolour work.
Pro Arte Foliater Brush Medium
Helpful for foliage, trees and textured natural marks.
FUUMUUI Calligraphy Brush No. 3 Natural Goat Hair
A favourite expressive brush for loose, characterful watercolour marks. A studio favourite but beware, it holds a lot of water!
Paper
Bockingford NOT 300gsm (Cold Press)
Mayad’s preferred everyday cold press watercolour paper, ideal for pen, ink and loose watercolour washes. Available in a variety of sizes. A4 is probably the most useful.
Watercolour Paints
Alizarin Crimson
A deep red useful for rich mixes and shadow colours.
Brilliant Opera Rose
A bright pink for lively accents and floral colour.
Brilliant Purple
A vivid purple for accents and expressive colour mixes.
Burnt Sienna 5ml
A warm earthy brown, very useful for buildings and natural tones.
Buff Titanium
A soft neutral colour for stone, walls and muted mixes.
Cadmium Orange Deep
A warm orange for strong accents and glowing mixes.
Cadmium Red
A strong warm red for accents and colour mixing.
Cadmium Yellow 5ml
A warm yellow for sunny mixes and bright highlights.
Cerulean Blue
A soft blue useful for skies and pale washes.
Cobalt Blue 5ml
A classic blue for skies, shadows and gentle washes.
Ultramarine Blue
A core blue for shadows, skies and mixing natural greys.
Phthalo Blue
A strong blue for vivid mixes and intense colour.
Lemon Yellow 5ml
A fresh yellow for greens, light mixes and bright accents.
Sap Green 5ml
A very useful green for foliage and natural details.
Deep Sap Green 5ml
A deeper green for stronger foliage and shadow areas.
Naples Yellow
A soft warm yellow for stone, light walls and gentle mixes.
Naples Yellow Reddish 5ml
A warm creamy colour for buildings and soft architectural tones.
Yellow Ochre
A classic earthy yellow for stone, brick and warm shadows.
Natural Sienna
A warm natural earth tone for buildings and landscapes.
Neutral Tint 5ml
Useful for quick shadows and darkening mixes. Another firm favourite!
Oxide Black
A strong dark for deep accents and tonal work.
Payne’s Grey
A blue-grey dark useful for shadows and moody washes.
Phthalo Green
A strong green for mixing vivid foliage colours.
Quinacridone Magenta
A bright cool pink-red for vibrant mixes.
Quinacridone Rose
A beautiful rose colour for florals, accents and mixing.
Sepia
A rich brown for dark architectural details and warm shadows.
Transparent Pyrrol Orange
A bright orange useful for lively accents and warm colour pops.
Transparent Red Oxide
A beautiful earthy red-orange for brick, roofs and warm shadows.
Violet
Useful for shadow mixes, accents and expressive colour.
Raw Sienna
A warm earth colour for buildings, stone and natural washes.
Gouache
Lemon Yellow Gouache
Useful for opaque yellow highlights and small accents. Studio favourite!
Sap Green Gouache
Useful for opaque green accents and foliage details.
Titanium White Gouache
Useful for highlights, corrections and final bright details. Studio favourite!
Accessories
Kneadable Eraser
A soft eraser useful for gently lifting graphite without damaging the paper.
Pebeo Drawing Gum / Masking Fluid
Useful for protecting small highlights and preserving white areas before painting.
Mono Zero Eraser Round Tip
A precision eraser ideal for tiny details, highlights and fine corrections.
Travel Sketching Kit
FUUMUUI Travel Palette
A compact travel palette ideal for sketching on location and travelling light.
FUUMUUI Calligraphy Brush No. 1
Useful for delicate expressive marks and finer loose washes.
FUUMUUI Calligraphy Brush No. 2
A lovely all round travel brush for expressive sketching and washes.
FUUMUUI Calligraphy Brush No. 3
Mayad’s favourite larger expressive brush for loose watercolour and characterful marks.
FUUMUUI A5 Sketchbook
A lightweight sketchbook size that is easy to carry whilst travelling and sketching outdoors.
FUUMUUI Watercolour Block Paper
Useful for travel sketches, plein air studies and quick colour work on location.
Micron 005 Black
A reliable fine liner for travel sketching and architectural details.
Micron 003 Black
Useful for finer details and delicate sketch lines on location.
Sailor Fountain Pen
An optional fountain pen that Mayad enjoys using for expressive travel sketches and loose linework.
Kitchen Paper
Simple but incredibly useful for lifting colour, controlling washes and cleaning brushes whilst sketching outdoors.
Small Water Container
Useful for painting on location whilst keeping your kit compact and lightweight.
Clips or Bulldog Clips
Helpful for holding sketchbook pages steady outdoors in windy conditions.
Spray Bottle
Useful for reactivating paints and keeping washes soft whilst sketching outside.
A little tip
Travel sketching is not about carrying lots of materials. A small lightweight kit that you genuinely enjoy using is usually far better than carrying too much.
