Some of you might have a permanent space for making art, while others will need to put your art supplies away after each session. Either way is just fine, but if you don’t have a permanent situation, we suggest having some kind of “art cart” to organize your mobile studio. This can be as simple as a cardboard box or as fancy as a cart with various levels and wheels for easy moving.

Since painting is often pretty messy, we also suggest covering your work surface. You can do this with butcher paper, newspaper, or even large sheets of watercolor paperthat you later cut up into smaller painting starters.

Now, let’s talk about the vibe in yourart-making space. Ideally, this is a place you want to be because it feels so positive, comfortable, and nourishing to your creative spirit. There are many ways to create a space like this, and this is a greatme to tap into what brings you joy and comfort.

You might consider building an intentional altar or placing meaningful objects that remind you of what’s important to you in your space. Candles, music, plants, photos, fabrics, and inspiring quotes can also make your space feel cozy, inviting, and personal to you.

It’s also important to make your space functional and body friendly. You might be most comfortable sitting at a table in your favorite chair, or you might want to spread out on the floor. We personally love to mix it up between sitting at a table and standing with our paintings either taped or pinned on a wall. You could even cut the legs off an old table and sit on the floor while working on a table at the same time. We encourage you to get creative with your creative space!

Lastly, be sure you have adequate lighting so you can see what you’re creating. Your lighting setup doesn’t need to be fancy. Some basic clip lights from the hardware store can brighten up an otherwise dim space, and a few strands of twinkle lights can bring a little magic into the room as well.

Like all creative processes, your art-making space is something that can shift and change over time, and in fact, this is a great way to breathe fresh energy into the space and your process. Have fun with it!

One of the best ways to develop a style that is unique to you is to explore a wide variety of materials in a lot of different ways.

Below, you’ll find a list of the materials we mention throughout the book, but it’s absolutely okay if you don’t have everything on this list. The most important things to have are a basic set of acrylic paints, watercolor paper, and your favorite brushes.

All the exercises can be modified to work with what you have, and you can always add in more materials as you go . . . follow your artistic cravings and trust your curiosities.

• 100 pieces of paper (or however many you wish be begin with) cut into squares, approximately 9 x 9 inches (23 x 23 cm) (See “Tips for Cutting Your Paper”.)
• Acrylic paints in a variety of colors, ideally including both fluid and heavy bodied paints—at a minimum, be sure to have yellow, red, blue, black, and white.
• A variety of paint brushes and foam brushes
• A collection of pens and markers such as permanent markers, colored paint pens, pigment-based ink pens, gel ink pens, and any other favorite drawing tools you love to work with
• Potatoes (or other vegetables) and a knife for carving them
• Rubber carving block and a linoleum carving set
• Manila envelopes and a utility knife
• Spray paint or spray ink
• Carbon paper or graphite paper
• Magazines or collage papers
• Acrylic gel medium for adding collage materials into paintings
• Any other paints or mixed-media materials you want to explore—it’s all welcome here!

We suggest buying large sheets of 140 lb (300 gsm), or heavier, watercolor paper and cutting them down into similar sizes such as 8 x 8 inches (20.5 x 20.5 cm), 9 x 9 inches (23 x 23 cm), or 10 x 10 inches (25.5 x 25.5 cm). The size and shape of your paper is really up to you. They also don’t need to match. Again, it’s your call.

There are a few ways to cut your paper. If you have access to a paper cutter, this will make the job quick and easy. We recommend premeasuring your paper and marking the measurements with pencil marks to make the cutting process easy. You can also use a box cutter or a utility knife together with a straightedge tool or a metal ruler. Good old-fashioned scissors are also an option, but this will take some time and might not give you the straightest lines. It’s also worth asking your local office supply store if they are able to do the cutting for you. Another option is to purchase precut watercolor paper in pads. Some common sizes that will work well for this process are 7 x 10 inches (18 x 25.5 cm) or 9 x 12 inches (23 x 30.5 cm), but again, you’re welcome to work on any size that works for you.