My 5 Favorite Art Tools (Plus One That Beeps at Me)
I get a lot of questions about my art materials, especially from students and fellow artists curious about tools that balance quality with practicality. So I thought I’d share a few of my favorites—the ones I reach for again and again:
1. Lamy Safari Fountain Pen
The Lami Safari Fountain Pen with a medium nib is my go-to for inking. I love the weight and width of it in my hand, the pretty colors it comes in, and the line quality has just enough variation to keep things interesting. Fountain pens in general feel more alive to me than technical pens—less uniform, more expressive.
I use a converter so I can refill it with my own ink—Platinum Carbon Ink. It’s rich, deep black, and waterproof, which is essential since I often add watercolor over my lines. My only gripe: the converter doesn’t hold a ton of ink, so I’m refilling it constantly.
2. Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
The Pentel Pocket Brush Pen is a little magical. It creates beautifully dynamic lines—from hair-thin to bold strokes—and the ink is both dark and waterproof. If I had to pick one pen to bring to a desert island, this would be it.
[Spouse/copy-editor’s note: A bonus here is that your family is unlikely to take it because they don’t know how to write with it.]
3. Koh-i-noor Bristol Smooth Sketchbook
I use the Koh-i-noor Bristol Smooth Sketchbook for my diary comics. They’re affordable, handle mixed media surprisingly well (I use both ink and watercolor in it), and the pages can both be easily removed and easily put put back in. That flexibility is great when I want to scan pages, but then put the art back inside my sketchbook.
4. Sumo Grip Eraser
The Sumo Grip Retractable Eraser is just a darn good eraser! It picks up graphite cleanly without shredding the paper. And I find the dispenser easier to use than an eraser on its own.
5. Microns (size 10 or 08)
Micron technical pens are reliable, archival, and easy to find in stores. I don’t love them quite as much as fountain pens for expressive lines, but they’re solid, especially when I need something quick and portable. A classic for a reason.
Bonus Tool: Helga II
Helga II is just an ordinary kitchen timer who I name Helga. But Helga II (named in honor of Helga I, who met her end after our cat knocked her over one too many times) might be the most important tool on this list. I set her for 25 minutes of focused work, followed by a 5-minute break to stretch, walk around, or just reset. It helps with my ADHD and keeps overuse injuries at bay—essential when you spend long hours creating.
Tell me in the comments: What are your favorite art-making tools? I love hearing and trying new ones!
Join me!
K’s Kettle: A Cozy Hour of Comic Making
I’m offering a free, low-pressure comic-making session on Zoom! I’ll give a simple prompt, and we’ll all draw short comics in response. I’ll be drawing live and talking through my process, and for those who want to, we’ll share our work at the end.
You don’t need to be a “real” artist or have any experience making comics—just bring a sketchbook, tablet, or whatever you like to draw with, and join us!
This one’s free, but future sessions may be for paid subscribers only. Join now to see if it’s your kind of space!
Kirkus Star!
My new book’s first trade review is in! Kirkus Reviews is famously tough on books, so getting a starred review for my upcoming Tuck Everlasting: The Graphic Novel feels pretty darn awesome. And they gave us this great quote too:
If you want to support me and my artistic career, please consider pre-ordering Tuck Everlasting! Pre-orders help demonstrate demand for books, which encourages bookstores to order it too:
Joy Bingo
A new Joy Bingo shared by Andrew Altenburg of Andrew’s Totally Awesome Substack. I love how many people are doing Joy Bingo with their family members!
Leif Love
Leif is always on the lookout for birds. Here he is at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge doing his best to only be a bird watcher and not a bird chaser.
Take care and keep creating!
— Katharine
I love Lamy Safari pens but I use a fude nib in a Sailor pen just as often. Not the green pen, the blue one - because the angle of the nibs is different and the green doesn't suit me at all. But it's so expressive, the line, and the ink flows beautifully in this pen. I fillmit with a syringe and you can buy blunt needle syringes from pen and ink suppliers online. I use De Atramentis Document ink - waterproof and many lovely colours but black and brown are my regulars. And I mix a grey.
Simple tools for your lovely art.
I switched to Kuretake fountain brush pen with a platinum converter instead of the pentel pocket ones because the ink flow seemed better controlled in Kuretake.