A common saying is that “the tool does not make the artist.” Is this true? What limits are set on our creativity by the art supplies we have access to? What would your art look like if you only had Renaissance materials?
While making my recent class a question popped into my mind: Which modern art supplies would Leonardo da Vinci love? The following is my list and my rationale.
Some Caveats…
Obviously, I can not test all the art materials that are on the market. If there are some things that you think of that I have missed please mention them in the comments. Additionally, I will focus mostly on what he could have used in his journaling and sketchbook practice. I will not delve into the vast world of oil and acrylic paints which I have limited knowledge of. I will also leave out sculpture. If you know about either of those, again please share in the comments.
Also, I have included amazon affiliate links in case you want to buy any of these supplies and send them back in time to Leonardo. I get a small fraction of your purchase if you buy using these links. However, if you can shop at a local art store that is even better.
Isometric Graph Paper
This type of graph paper allows you to easily draw things in a perspective that makes them look three dimensional. Unlike linear perspective, all the objects in the drawing will retain their original proportions instead of shrinking towards the vanishing point.
Leonardo occasionally used something that looks close to isometric perspective in his architectural and engineering drawings. However, if he had access to this type of paper I think he would have made full use of it. You can learn more about isometric paper and how I use it in this rabbit hole article.
Here is the isometric graph paper that I use.
Fountain Pens
Much of Leonardo’s drawings and writings are in ink. At the time, dip pens were the norm. The artist or writer had to repeatedly dip the tip into a jar of ink. The ink would run out after a sentence or two. There is some evidence to suggest that Leonardo may have invented and used a pen with a reservoir, like an early version of a fountain pen (see the drawing above). However, even if true, it would have not been as functional as modern fountain pens. He would have certainly loved modern fountain pens, their portability, and not needing to dip constantly into an open ink well on his desk.
Here are two fountain pens that I used in my class on Leonardo. These are both very affordable pens and they both have the bent nib style that allows you to get a lot of line variation.
Japanese Brush Pens
These pens were originally designed for Japanese calligraphy but millions of people use them for drawing around the world. This design would have been novel for Leonardo bu I think he would have really liked them. They can often be more convenient for left handed people because it is easier to draw in multiple directions and they dry very quickly. I really like using the gray ones and I think that Leonardo would appreciate having a value range also.
Here is a set that comes with several brush pens.
Fine-liners such as Micron Pens
These are one of the most widespread and well-loved drawing tools today. Especially Micron pens. They come in a wide range of sizes including some ultra fine tips. I think Leonardo would have loved the very fine tip ones and the convenience of these.
I personally prefer brush pens because of the line variation they provide but I still use Microns every once in a while. I especially like this brown one.
Here is a set with 6 pens ranging from 005 to 08.
Sticky Notes
Leonardo was a rambunctious thinker. His mind was all over the place. People like that need sticky notes. He was also a incurable list maker. If he had sticky notes I’m sure his journal pages would be full of them. He would probably also come up with some crazy new ways to use them. (that is an idea for an upcoming class by the way: Crazy Ways to Use Sticky Notes).
Here are the sticky notes that I really like. The adhesive is perfect. It can even withstand getting wet multiple times but when you need to move them and re-adhere it is not a problem.
Mechanical Pencils
Last but not least, I think Leonardo would have loved mechanical pencils. A drawing tool that never has to be sharpened would have been very practical for him. The erasability would have also been very helpful for his work. There are a lot of poorly designed mechanical pencils on the market but I really like the Twist-Erase Click by Pentel. The button to make the lead come out is not built into the eraser which makes the eraser much more functional.
A Final Note
What would happen If Leonardo had access to all of the supplies we have now? Would he abandon the color palette and all the supplies we associate with him? Would he eschew modern versions of charcoal, conté pencils, and earth tone pigments in favor of bright new colors and modern tools? Or maybe he would switch completely to digital drawing on an iPad. How much time would he spend shopping for supplies? How would his final product change?
If you want to go down the rabbit hole about the renaissance materials that Leonardo actually used I highly recommend this article.
If you want to learn more about Leonardo’s journaling techniques check out my class on Skillshare. Below is an image of some of the work from that class.
