Best Art Supplies for Beginners: Everything You Need to Start Creating

Starting out in art can feel intimidating — the supply aisle at any craft store is a wall of options, and it’s easy to spend more than you need to before you’ve even made your first sketch. The good news? You need far less than you think to get started, and the right beginner supplies will help you build skills faster without breaking the bank.

Quick answer: The essential art supplies for beginners are a sketchbook, a set of graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B), a kneaded eraser, and basic colored pencils or watercolor paints. Start with one medium, practice consistently, and upgrade gradually. Below, we cover every major category with specific recommendations for different budgets and interests.

Why Your Choice of Art Supplies Matters for Beginners

Low-quality supplies don’t just produce worse results — they can actually make learning harder. Scratchy paper, waxy colored pencils that won’t blend, or watercolors that look chalky and dull can make you think you’re doing something wrong when the problem is actually the tools. That said, you don’t need professional-grade materials either. The sweet spot for beginners is student-quality supplies from reputable brands — they behave predictably, they’re affordable, and they’ll serve you well for at least a year or two of regular practice.

In my experience, the single most important thing a beginner can do is commit to one medium first. Don’t try to learn pencil drawing, watercolor, and acrylic painting all at once. Pick one, stick with it for a few months, and then expand. You’ll progress much faster.

Drawing Supplies for Beginners

Sketchbooks

Your sketchbook is your most important purchase. Get something you’ll actually use — not so precious you’re afraid to fill it with bad drawings (because bad drawings are how you improve), but not so cheap that the paper bleeds through or tears easily.

For most beginners, a spiral-bound sketchbook with medium-weight paper (around 90–100 gsm) is ideal. The Strathmore 400 Series sketchbook is a perennial favorite in the beginner community for good reason: it handles pencil, pen, and light watercolor well, it lays flat when open, and it’s available in multiple sizes. Start with an A4 or 8×10 inch size — large enough to work freely, small enough to carry anywhere.

Avoid tiny sketchbooks at first. Beginners tend to draw too small, which limits how much you learn from each drawing. A larger page forces you to use your whole arm and develop better proportions.

Pencils

Graphite pencils are graded on a scale from 9H (very hard, light marks) to 9B (very soft, dark marks), with HB sitting in the middle. For drawing, a core set of three pencils covers almost everything:

• HB: Your workhorse for sketching and outlines
• 2B: Great for shading and softer lines
• 4B or 6B: For deep shadows and expressive marks

Staedtler Mars Lumograph and Faber-Castell 9000 series pencils are the industry standard for students and professionals alike. A set of 12 typically runs $10–15 and includes everything you need for years. Avoid cheap no-name pencils — inconsistent graphite cores make them unpredictable and frustrating to use.

Erasers

Buy two types: a kneaded eraser (the putty-like grey kind you can mold into any shape) and a vinyl eraser. Kneaded erasers are gentle on paper and perfect for lifting graphite to create highlights. Vinyl erasers (like the Pentel Hi-Polymer) erase cleanly and completely without damaging paper. Avoid pink rubber erasers — they smear graphite and often tear paper.

Blending Tools

A blending stump (also called a tortillon) helps you smooth and blend graphite for soft shading. They cost about $3 for a pack of multiple sizes. In a pinch, your fingertip works too — though it can leave oils on the paper over time.

Watercolor Supplies for Beginners

Watercolor is one of the best media for beginners because it’s portable, inexpensive to start with, and teaches you to work with happy accidents. Controlling water is a skill that takes practice, but the basic setup is simple.

Watercolor Paints

You have two format options: pans (small solid cakes of color in a palette) and tubes (liquid paint you squeeze onto a palette). For beginners, pans are easier — they’re ready to use immediately and don’t dry out if you forget to close the lid.

The Winsor & Newton Cotman set is the gold standard for beginner watercolors. The 12-color pan set costs around $15–25 and delivers consistent, vibrant color that behaves predictably. It’s a student-grade paint that mimics how professional watercolors work, so the skills you develop transfer directly when you eventually upgrade.

Avoid the cheap “kids’ watercolor” sets sold at dollar stores — they contain low-quality pigments that look chalky, fade quickly, and don’t mix cleanly.

Watercolor Paper

This is where beginners often make an expensive mistake: using regular printer paper or notebook paper for watercolor. These papers warp, buckle, and fall apart when wet. Watercolor paper is non-negotiable.

Look for paper labeled “100% cotton” or at least 300gsm (140lb) weight. Canson XL Watercolor paper is an excellent budget option for practice. For finished pieces, Arches is the professional standard. Cold-press texture (slightly rough) is most forgiving for beginners; hot-press (smooth) is better for detailed illustration work.

Brushes for Watercolor

You need fewer brushes than you think. Start with just three:

• A round brush in size 12 (large washes)
• A round brush in size 6 (details and mid-size work)
• A flat brush in size ½ inch (backgrounds and edges)

Princeton Velvetouch synthetic brushes are fantastic value — they hold water well, snap back to their point reliably, and cost a fraction of the sable brushes professionals use. You don’t need natural-hair brushes until you’re working at a very advanced level.

Colored Pencil Supplies for Beginners

Colored pencils are probably the most accessible art medium for complete beginners — no water, no mess, and you can use them almost anywhere. But not all colored pencils are equal.

The key quality to look for is pigment density and wax/oil binder. Cheap colored pencils (like the classic 64-pack crayons you had as a kid) are mostly wax, which looks waxy and won’t blend smoothly. Artist-grade colored pencils have much higher pigment loads that blend, layer, and burnish beautifully.

For beginners, Prismacolor Soft Core pencils and Faber-Castell Polychromos are the two most recommended options. Prismacolor Soft Core pencils (around $25 for a 24-set) are creamy, blend easily, and are ideal for beginners who want immediate results. Polychromos are oil-based rather than wax-based, which means they resist fading and can be layered more precisely — slightly harder to blend immediately but excellent for detailed work.

Acrylic Painting Supplies for Beginners

Acrylic paint is incredibly versatile: it can mimic watercolor when thinned, or oil paint when used thick. It dries quickly and cleans up with water — making it much more beginner-friendly than oil paint.

Paints

For a beginner, you only need a few colors — the primaries plus a few key extras:

• Titanium White
• Ivory Black
• Cadmium Red (or Naphthol Red for budget)
• Cadmium Yellow (or Hansa Yellow)
• Ultramarine Blue
• Burnt Sienna (incredibly useful for mixing earth tones)

With these six colors, you can mix virtually any color you need. Liquitex BASICS and Golden Open acrylics are both excellent beginner choices. The “heavy body” formulation gives you thicker paint that holds brushstrokes; “fluid” or “soft body” acrylics are thinner and better for washes and fine detail.

Surfaces for Acrylics

Canvas boards and stretched canvas are both good options. Canvas boards ($10–20 for a pack of 10) are great for practice because they’re cheap enough that you don’t feel precious about ruining them. Stretched canvas is better for finished pieces you want to display. You can also paint on thick watercolor paper (300gsm+) or gesso-primed cardboard for budget practice.

Brushes for Acrylics

Unlike watercolor, acrylics need stiff brushes that can push thick paint around. Hog bristle brushes or synthetic “stiff” brushes work best. A flat brush in size 12, a round in size 8, and a small detail brush (size 2-4) covers most beginners’ needs. Princeton Catalyst brushes are popular with acrylic painters for their durability and value.

Ink and Pen Supplies for Beginners

If you’re drawn to illustration, comics, or line art, ink pens are a fantastic medium. The key choices are:

• Technical pens (Micron, Staedtler Pigment Liner): Consistent line width, waterproof, archival. Perfect for illustration and combining with watercolor washes.
• Brush pens (Pentel Pocket Brush, Tombow): Flexible tips that mimic traditional brush calligraphy. Great for expressive, variable-width lines.
• Fineliners: Similar to technical pens but less precise. Good for sketching and journaling.

Sakura Micron pens are the most recommended ink pens for beginners across virtually every art community. They’re waterproof (so you can add watercolor washes over them), fade-resistant, and available in line widths from 0.2mm to 1mm. A pack of 5 mixed sizes runs about $12–15.

Essential Tools and Accessories

A few accessories that make a real difference:

• Pencil sharpener: A good handheld sharpener (Staedtler or KUM) keeps a precise point. Electric sharpeners are convenient but wear down pencils faster.
• Reference holder or art board: Something to prop your sketchbook at a comfortable angle prevents neck and back strain during long sessions.
• Water containers: For watercolor and acrylics, use two containers — one for rinsing brushes, one for clean water to mix with. This prevents muddying your paint with dirty water.
• Palette: A ceramic or plastic palette with wells for watercolor and acrylics. The IKEA plate trick (use a white ceramic dinner plate) works perfectly in a pinch.
• Fixative spray: For graphite and charcoal drawings, a light coat of workable fixative prevents smudging. Winsor & Newton and Krylon both make reliable versions.

Building Your First Art Supply Kit: Budget Options

Practical Tips for Beginner Artists

1. Buy less, use more. A beginner who fills three sketchbooks with cheap supplies learns more than one who has a pristine set of expensive tools they’re afraid to use.
2. Learn color theory before buying more colors. Understanding how to mix colors from a limited palette is a fundamental skill that makes you a better artist — not just a more efficient one.
3. Use references. Drawing from observation (real objects, photos, life) is how you improve. Drawing purely from imagination before you’ve built fundamental skills leads to plateaus.
4. Keep your workspace tidy. Acrylic paint and ink are permanent once dry. A dedicated art space with easy cleanup — even just a plastic mat on your desk — protects your home and your sanity.
5. Date your work. Looking back at old work after a few months is one of the most motivating things you can do. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ve improved in ways you didn’t notice day-to-day.
6. Find a community. Whether it’s an in-person class, an online forum, or just following artists you admire on social media, being around other creative people accelerates your growth significantly.

Common Mistakes Beginner Artists Make

• Buying too much at once. The excitement of starting leads many beginners to stock up on every supply imaginable. Most of it will go unused while you focus on one or two media. Start minimal and add as you need.
• Using the wrong paper. Printer paper is fine for quick scribbles, but it’s not ideal for any art medium. Even a cheap sketchbook is meaningfully better. For watercolor especially, the right paper makes a massive difference.
• Skipping fundamentals. It’s tempting to jump straight to your favorite style or subject matter, but spending time on basic observational drawing, value (light and shadow), and color mixing will pay off enormously.
• Comparing your work to professionals. Social media is full of artists at the peak of years of practice. Compare your current work to your work from three months ago instead.
• Treating expensive supplies as a motivational tool. “Once I get the good paints, I’ll really start practicing” is a trap. The quality of your supplies matters far less than the consistency of your practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the easiest art medium for absolute beginners?

Graphite pencil drawing is the most forgiving starting point — it’s cheap, requires minimal setup, and the skills (observation, line control, value) transfer to every other medium. Colored pencils are also an excellent choice for beginners who want color immediately without dealing with wet media.

Do I need expensive art supplies to improve?

No — but you need supplies that behave consistently. Student-grade materials from established brands (Winsor & Newton, Faber-Castell, Prismacolor) are sufficient for years of development. Professional-grade materials become meaningful only when your skills have outpaced what your supplies can achieve.

How much should I expect to spend on a beginner art kit?

A solid beginner drawing kit costs $20–35. Add watercolors for another $15–25. Colored pencils in a quality 24-set run $20–30. You can build a versatile multi-media kit for under $100 that will serve you well for 1–2 years of regular practice.

Is it worth taking an art class as a beginner?

Yes, if the option is available. Even one semester of a fundamentals drawing class provides structure and feedback that accelerates progress significantly compared to self-teaching alone. Many community colleges and art centers offer evening classes at affordable rates. Online platforms like Skillshare and Proko also offer high-quality instruction for self-taught learners.

Your Creative Journey Starts Simply

The best art supply for a beginner is the one that’s already in your hand. Start with a pencil and a sketchbook, commit to regular practice — even 20 minutes a day makes a meaningful difference — and add to your toolkit as your skills and interests grow. The most important thing isn’t finding the perfect supplies; it’s starting, making lots of imperfect things, and letting yourself improve slowly and consistently over time.

Looking for gift ideas for a young creative in your life? Check out our birthday gift guide for 7-year-olds for age-appropriate creative supplies and kits that make excellent presents. And if you’re looking for creative hobbies that go beyond drawing, our guide to outdoor creative activities has ideas for getting creative outside the studio too.