The Drawing Tools I Actually Use to Make My Stickers (An Honest Beginner's List)

When I decided to open my sticker shop, one of the first things I did was look up what tools other artists were using. I went down a rabbit hole of reviews, YouTube videos, and forum threads. It was overwhelming. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion and a very long list of things I apparently needed to buy.

I didn't want to do that to you.

So this is simply what I use. Not what's perfect, not what every sticker artist swears by. Just what's actually sitting on my desk right now, what I reach for depending on the design I'm working on, and how I honestly feel about each one after using them regularly.

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The Sketchbook

Everything starts here.

Before anything gets digital, before any marker touches proper paper, my sketchbook is where ideas live first. I use it to make rough drafts, jot down sticker concepts, work out compositions, and sometimes just doodle without any pressure or purpose. It's the most low-stakes part of my whole process and honestly one of my favorites because of that.

If you're starting a sticker shop and feeling like you need a lot of fancy tools right away, a simple sketchbook is genuinely all you need to begin. Start there.

The iPad and Apple Pencil

This is where my sketches grow up.

Once I have a rough idea I'm happy with from my sketchbook, I bring it into the iPad to digitize and refine it. I use Procreate, which gives me full control over clean linework, color, and composition without needing a desktop setup. Some of my sticker designs skip the sketchbook entirely and are drawn straight on the iPad when the idea is clear enough in my head from the start.

Between the sketchbook and the iPad, I have a workflow that feels flexible enough to actually fit into my life.

The Ohuhu Water-Based Markers

These were one of my first purchases when I had to rebuild my art supplies stock after moving to Hawaii, and I have zero regrets.

I draw a lot of my sticker designs by hand before anything goes digital, and I needed markers that would give me good color without bleeding through my paper when I do my sketches. The Ohuhu water-based markers do exactly that. The colors are vibrant, they layer nicely, and they don't smell like you're working inside a chemical factory, which matters a lot when you have a toddler in the house.

Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first because they're not the most expensive option out there. But that's actually part of why I love them. As a beginner who was still figuring out whether this shop was even going to work, I didn't want to invest heavily in supplies before I knew what I was doing. These let me start creating without that pressure.

If you're just starting out and you draw by hand, these are the ones I'd point you to first. You can find them here.

The Silhouette Portrait 4

This one felt like a big commitment when I bought it, and I won't pretend I wasn't nervous about it. It took me weeks to finally decide and remove it from my cart. It's expensive so I had to time my purchase and make sure I got the best price.

A cutting machine felt like the moment things got serious. It meant I was really doing this. I chose the Silhouette Portrait 4 after a lot of research, mostly because it's compact enough for a small workspace, which is all I have right now, and because the software gives you a lot of control over how your designs get cut. I was actually supposed to get the Cricut Joy, but I spent so long deciding that it sold out. Blessing in disguise, honestly.

The learning curve is real. I won't sugarcoat that. I wasted a lot of materials figuring it out. But once I got the hang of the settings and found the right pressure for my sticker paper, it became the most satisfying part of the whole process. Watching it cut cleanly around a design I drew by hand feels like a small miracle every single time.

If you're considering a cutting machine for a small sticker shop, this is the one I'd recommend for a beginner with limited space. You can check it out here.

The Printer

Before the Silhouette can cut anything, something has to print it. That's where my Canon printer comes in.

I'll be honest with you because that's the whole point of this blog: it has not been perfect. The wireless connection is inconsistent, and the colors came out much duller than I expected, especially compared to what I see on my screen. I've tried a lot of fixes and I'm still working through it.

But here's what I've learned from that struggle. I now test print every design before I commit to a full sheet, and I save the hex codes of colors that print accurately so I can match them in my drawing and editing apps. It's an extra step, but it's taught me a lot about color accuracy that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.

Every printer comes with its own quirks. Whatever you choose, test your colors early, save what works, and build your palette around what your specific printer does well.

How it all works together

Depending on the design, my process looks a little different. Some stickers start as hand-drawn sketches with the Ohuhu markers, others I design fully on the iPad and go straight to print. The mix keeps things interesting and means I'm not locked into one way of doing things.

It's not a perfect setup. It's a beginner's setup. But it works, it fits my space, it fits my budget, and it's produced real stickers that are now sitting in my Etsy shop waiting for their first home.

That feels like enough for right now.

If you have questions about any of these tools or you're trying to figure out what to start with, leave a comment below. I'm figuring this out the same as you, and I'm happy to share what I know so far.

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