Whether you’re buying yourself art supplies, picking out supplies for your classroom, or purchasing a gift for a fellow artist, here are some tips on how to pick which art supplies to purchase.




Here are some of our favorite art supplies.


A Method to the Madness

Having a methodology for selecting art supplies will help reduce feelings of overwhelm from the vast choices! Here’s how we do it:

Start with “Student” grade

  • This is below “Professional” grade but is a giant step up from the least expensive kid-craft type of art supply.
  • I want to make sure my art supplies aren’t so cheap that they’re holding me back. However, I also don’t need to spend tons of money on high end supplies that won’t make any difference at my skill level.
  • Almost all my recommendations will be within the “Student” levels.
  • Once your art is at a “Professional” level, you’ll probably have a lot of personal opinions about the art supplies that work best for your specific style.

As you delve into a specific medium (like watercolor), you’ll start to learn the vocabulary and HOW that particular supply jumps up in quality. For example, the lightfastness of a paint or thee intensity of color in a paint.

Look for Ways to Test Out Certain Tools.

  • Some art stores allow you to test out certain supplies.
  • Artist friends will usually enjoy ‘talking shop’ about their favorite supplies and are often very generous in sharing.
  • When you take a class, often the instructor and your classmates will have some supplies that are different from yours and allow you to try them out.

Here are some of our favorite art supplies.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This