Top 25 Must Have Art Supplies!
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One of the questions we get asked the most is what’s your favorite_________? So we thought it was about time we shared our must-have art supply list with you!
We are kicking off our must have supply list with two of our favorite products. These products weren’t around when I started teaching art 20+ years ago, but holy moly are they game changers. Consider them your write on anything, dustless, washable, mess free go-tos. Both Kwik Stix and Ooly make their own versions of these products and we have used them both. We can’t pick a favorite, but if we had to choose we might go with whichever one is offering the best discount or the best color selection when you go to purchase. Recently Kwik Stix released a pastel version and a skin tone set that we are having a lot of fun with!
3. Tempera cakes
Think of them as jumbo sized watercolors that are more opaque than translucent. These bad boys will be the workhorse in your stable of art supplies. They come in a variety of color sets. We always have neon, multi cultural and secondary color sets on hand.
4. Watercolor Palette
Most of you probably have a watercolor palette in your home or classroom but if you asking for what we use: let’s get specific. We love this ooly palette and these neon chroma blends. If you are looking for the best bargain this palette from Artist Loft can’t be beat.
5. Liquid Paint
We get asked A LOT (a lot) about what kind of liquid paint we use. We have tried and used them all, but we are faithful to the Blick Brand. We use their liquid watercolor, their liquid tempera (this is your washable option) and our personal favorite - student grade liquid acrylic. If you are an adult artist who is looking for the the best of the best, we love Golden brand.
7. Oil pastels
This might ruffle some feathers, but QUALITY matters for oil pastels and colored pencils. If you are teaching thousands of children in a public school setting these recommendations are likely not feasible, but if your PTA is taking wish lists, we definitely recommend investing in these products. They last forever and the vibrancy in color and the creaminess you are going to get with Caran D’ Ache is next level. Cray-Pas is an affordable choice and this set from Mont Marte provides a wonderful range of colors at a great price point.
8. Paint brushes
This Ikea set is our tried and true, go-to brush set for little ones. Budget friendly and they really hold up to frequent use.
These brushes from Royal Brush have a great grip and the bristles are soft and supple. We definitely recommend them when you are looking to upgrade your brush stash. We’ve also linked the big kids, pretty colorful pack, but it’s not always available with PRIME shipping.
Peach is not the only “skin tone”! Make sure that your art materials include a diverse array of colors and shades. If you don’t know about 9 year old super star Bellen Woodard and her More Than Peach Project, definitely go check her out! She is super inspiring.
11. Paint pens and chalk markers
Consider these your painting on small places/adding details magic wand! All the vibrancy of acrylic paint with the control of a marker tip. Don’t know how we survived without our Poscas. Have a little under the age of 6? We recommend chalk markers.
We have tried and liked a lot of different chalk marker brands over the years, but the colors in this new set from Arteza are too good to pass up and the quality is great! Did we mention that they come with extra tips and tweezers?
12. Stabilo Woodie
Colored pencil, water color and wax crayon! This 3-in-1 is such a beautiful material to work with and the size is just right for little hands. We love the 18 pack and the pastel set
13. Travel-friendly watercolor sets
The perfect travel or plein air painting companion! When selecting our fav on-the-go painting palettes we are looking for ease, vibrancy, and a nice color range. We are big fans of Jane Davenport’s mini palettes. We also love this line of beautiful Japanese watercolor sets and this wallet-friendly travel set gives you a lot of bang for your buck and would be a fantastic gift!
14. Modeling clay
Plasticine is a type of modeling clay that is oil based, squishable, and non-hardening. This means it’s a great material for young artists that like the process of playing with clay or sculpting but don’t necessarily need or want to commit to a hardened, dried, forever piece. Plasticine is what they use in claymation and also traditionally used when “hashing out” a design concept before moving on to a more permanent sculpting material. If your littles like play dough they will likely love plasticine.. and it wont dry out and crumble if you forget to put the lid back on the container.
15. Felt
No art room is complete without a stash of fabric and felt. Fiber materials are a key component for creative play, doll making, fashion design and we always include a big pile of them in our mixed media buffets.
16. Air dry clay
Model magic is amazing we lovingly refer to it as “marshmallow clay” it’s light and fluffy. You can use it in place of clay but because of the price point we use it for smaller clay projects only. Air dry clay is like traditional clay but it doesn’t need to be baked in a kiln. We usually have both on hand. If budget is an issue skip the MM and grab the air dry. You can also find bulk buy options if you are shopping for a large group.
17. The number 2 you know and love dressed in chic black
18. Fiskars scissors
After decades of teaching I have met a lot of “kid scissors” that are plain old duds. Fiskars is a solid choice. This is a good quality pair of scissors for under ten dollars and these are my favorite scissors for middle school - adult.
19. If you haven’t added a shape punch or two to your artsy tool bag you will have so much fun with them. Great for collage and mixed media projects. Have a stash of old art work laying around? Get to punching.. thank me later. This brand offers a great dot set and this is another quality punch brand.
20. Cord, twine, thread, yarn
Left to right: macrame cord, raffia, mason twine, twine, twisteez bendy wire.. yarn not pictured but this is a great bundle.
Tip: if you are having difficulty finding Twisteez bendy wire you can find plastic-coated 24 gauge copper wire here.
We use ALL OF THEM regularly. From hanging loops to adding fringe to jewelry design and packaging. They are on the must list for a reason.
21. Paper
Canson makes a really good quality student grade paper. If we had to choose one to recommend, it would be this mixed media paper. If you want an array, grab mix media, watercolor and maybe even a Bristol. We also always have a good stash of colored card stock on hand. Not pictured but frequently used white card stock in a 65 lb weight and copier paper for sketches and doodles.
22. Pom poms and pipe cleaners
I can take a pass on the glitter (more on that later in the list) but a pom pom? Nevah. Pipe cleaners will just never let you down from threading beads to buggy legs and under the sea plants. They make the cut.
23. Adhesive
Left to right: Mod Podge, clear school glue, glue sticks, glitter glue and low temp glue gun
Glue is glue but we happen to like the clear stuff and a simple glue stick. Mod Podge? It’s magic. It works as a glue and a sealer and you can even use it for decoupage and photo transfer. Glitter glue is our answer to glitter. It’s contained, it goes where we ask it to and it doesn’t get washed down the drain. On the rare occasion that we use the loose stuff we use biodegradable only. Last but not least, get yourself a low temp glue gun and teach the littles in your life how to use them ASAP. Both my girls were using low temp glue guns (with supervision at age 3.5-4.) The world of possibilities that open up when you have an instant bond is so worth the small risk of an owie.
24. Wood necessities
Top row left to right: wood panel, wooden beads, wood clothespin pegs, wood spoon
Second row left to right: wood cubes, peg dolls, wooden dowels, clothespins
Yes, you read it right: necessities. If I had to pair down the list to 3 it would be dowels and blocks for stacked sculpture projects and wall hangings and spoons for puppets, people and dolls.. but I love them all so don’t make me choose.
25. Tape
White painters tape and white masking tape are staples around these parts. We use them for masking sections, for creating border, for holding newprint armature in place and taping down table top coverings. Washi tape is included on every holiday craft table we have ever created, added to letters, and sketch books, used to add colors and prints to photo collage projects and beyond. Colorful dot stickers just make everything more fun..consider them your cherry on top. You could skip it, but do you want to? Remember that stickers make everything better even shots at the doctors office. Imagine what they can do for your art.
