ART SUPPLY SUGGESTIONS!

Hello, artists!! The evolving art supply list below contains affiliate links through Amazon / Dick Blick, so I’ll get a small commission if you buy after clicking.

If you prefer to shop local, you can find most of these items in local art/office supply stores.

  • PAPER
    You’ll want heavier-weight paper to make pop-ups pop more easily! Here are some suggestions for construction paper and cardstock. You’ll need a good chunk of sheets for class and afterwards - we’ll do lots of playing around in class learning techniques, and then each card you make will use two full pieces.

    ENVELOPES

    If you want to create smaller cards that can be mailed, you’ll be cutting your paper in half, and you’ll want A2 size envelopes. Here’s one pack from Amazon:

    PAPER CUTTER:

    OTHER STUFF

    GLUE STICK:

    • Avery LARGE glue sticks - set of 6 (you absolutely don’t need 6! But the price of 1 is almost half the price of this set of 6, so why not? Or just find a single elsewhere. You CAN get the skinny ones, but I far prefer larger glue sticks)

    SCISSORS:

    You don’t need to buy new ones, AT ALL - just make sure you are comfortable using whatever you have!

    FOLDING TOOL

    You do not need to buy a special tool for this. But if you want to, here are a few options:

    Vegan-friendly:

    Definitely not vegan-friendly: traditional bone tools. They offer some on Amazon as well.

  • When I’m doing my Imagination Break classes, or just doodling, here are some of the things I reach for most often:


    Wax Pastels - Caran D’Ache Neocolor I non-soluble wax pastels are basically fancy artist crayons. They’re smoother than wax crayons, but not super chalky like chalk pastels. I adore them. Amazon may be quicker, but they are generally more affordable on Dick Blick, especially the larger sets.


    Black Markers - I cannot tolerate the smell of Sharpies, but love a good permanent marker! Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens are wonderful, non-water-soluble and completely odorless. They come in all different nib styles (the kind of point). My favorite is the 1.5 bullet tip. You can try out a multi-pack to see what you like best! These are cheaper on Dlck Blick than amazon.


    Inexpensive Markers - Crayola Washable Markers are great because in addition to being low-budget and coloring a lot of area quickly - since they’re water-soluble, you can simply use a paintbrush dipped in water to turn them into “paint” on your paper! I almost always use the broad line, because you can also draw thin lines with the very tips. But I’ll include fine line as well in case you are a fine-line type!


    Inexpensive Crayons - I generally only use these for wax resist, with watercolors, because I love to draw with my wax pastels (listed above), but these can be fun to blend with!

    Colored Pencils - I love Prismacolors - they are sooooo blendy. If you’ve never tried them, give them a go. I’ve included the smallest set below; you can always go bigger!

    Construction Paper - great to draw on with wax pastels or colored pencils; fun for collage projects. Tru-Ray is thicker and nicer than most other brands. Their classic assortment is a little boring (I perfer brights) but brights doesn’t give you brown/black. Both listed below. They sell MANY different assortmnets, though.


    Weighted Desktop Tape Dispenser - I like being able to just rip off a piece of tape with one hand! It makes it much easier to use tape in a project.


    Glue Sticks - brand isn’t super important. But get a FAT one!

  • Oil Pastels - 3 creamy, inexpensive brands, ranging from appx $7-$15. You can see my ‘review’ of them in the Skool classroom.

    Black Paper

    • Tru-Ray 9x12 Pack of 50 Sheets You really only need around 2 sheets for class, but Tru-Ray is good for collage, as well, so has multiple uses! (You can write notes or draw on it with a white or silver gel pen, or colored pencils!)

  • General notes:

    Watercolor Pan Set
    I would suggest AVOIDING the kind that come in “suitcase” sets).

    I no longer recommend Prang - which used to be my absolute favorite - but they reformulated and their colors are much duller now :(

    QUALITY NOTE: you can absolutely find other decent sets - but TRY THEM FIRST before committing to an entire painting with the! Cheap sets often have very low pigment-to-binder ratios. which makes it harder to get a lot of color on your brush.

    Watercolor Paper (make sure you get dedicated watercolor paper! I recommend 140lb over 90lb weight for a little extra heft - 140lb won’t curl up so easily)

    You can find lots of brands - here’s one I like.

    And a pricier/fancier one for when you start to feel more comfortable and want to try paper with a different feel: :

    And when you want to spend a lot more, for a treat - Arches 100% cotton paper is an experience.

    PLEASE NOTE: although thick drawing or multi-media paper in a sketchbook can work with watercolors for basic painting where you're not trying to use watercolor to full effect, special effects and gradations won't work well since the paper will absorb far more quickly than watercolor paper. When paper absorbs water quickly, the paint soaks in and then you can't do gradients or get special effects in the same way.


    Brushes
    You will need more than the tiny brush that comes with the watercolor set!
    You’ll want a bigger, thicker brush - and some variation (both round/pointy & flat/rectangular).

    You can find decent inexpensive paintbrushes - the biggest issue is making sure they don’t shed bristles super fast, so check reviews if you to just look around!

    See below for some simple suggestions.

    Royal & Langnickel make brushes that art teachers love - hold shape decently and actually have a nice soft grip. Acrylic instead of wood handles.

    The first set is cheaper, since it’s just 2 round & 2 flat brushes - it does not have a tiny brush. The second set has a large assortment.

    Crayola brushes are also surprisingly decent - just AVOID their “craft brushes” which are awful! I’ll paste an example of their Taklon sets below, which you can also find at Staples. Their sets have ONLY round or ONLY flat, though..


    OTHER THINGS YOU’LL NEED FOR CLASS (that you probably don’t have to buy!):

    • scotch tape

    • a water jar

    • paper towels and/or tissues

    • plastic wrap

    • wax paper (if you happen to have it)

    • crayons

  • For Upper Elementary/Middle School/High School:

    Elementary/Any age: