List of the best art tools for young artists.
Diving into the world of art can be exciting and confusing. As a self-taught artist, I am giving you all the information I know about art tools to get you started.
In this post, you will learn all about the types of art tools, art tools for drawing, art tools for painting, best art brands, palettes, brushes, and more.
By the end of this post, you will know the art tools you should get for yourself, depending on the art medium you want to explore.
Pens & Pencils
First and foremost, let’s discuss pens and pencils. Pencils are great for sketching, but attempting a sizable piece solely with a pencil requires patience. It took me about 3 weeks to achieve the desired effect in the example below.
Acrylic Paint
Second, let’s talk about acrylic paint. I usually use acrylic paint for big canvases and larger paintings. Due to its drying speed, I can make the layering effect I want quickly.
Soft Pastel
Following that, let’s explore soft pastels. My go-to tool when I want to create small, coloured art pieces. It is super easy to blend. However, you might need to go over the same spot a couple of times for a thicker effect.
Watercolour Paint
This is perfect for small paintings or experimenting with concepts. It should be noted that watercolour can be tricky for beginners to control, but once mastered, you can draw many cool and pretty pieces of art. Some watercolour techniques include:
- Wet on wet
- Wet on dry
- Dry on wet
- Blooming effect
Conté, Ink and Charcoal
My absolute all-time favorite materials for black-and-white drawings. They can easily cover large spaces, outlines with finesse, and even pull off a pop-up effect.
One fun pro tip I learned is to turn charcoal into powder-like form using scissors and then use a brush for a unique, soft effect. Although working with these mediums will most likely get your hands dirty, the final piece is worth it.
Other Art Tools
In addition to these, there are other essential art tools worth mentioning.
1. Kneaded Eraser
A kneaded eraser is usually used with Conté or Charcoal to erase parts, create patterns, or add light to an art piece. Not only is the kneaded eraser a great tool to erase small areas in the drawings, but it can also help create unique patterns and effects by playing with light and dark.
2. Painter’s Tape
Painter’s tape can typically be utilised with any medium. Personally, I used the painter’s tape in 2 main ways – for clean borders or creating patterns.
3. Sketchbook & Canvas
You should own various sizes of sketchbooks for different needs. Get the big ones for home and the small and durable ones for on-the-go inspiration.
For art canvas, depending on what sizes you like, get a few different sizes but not too many.
If you are just starting and working on your skills and techniques, I will recommend spending more on sketchbook vs canvas because they are slightly more expensive.
4. Art Palettes & Palette Knife
Art palettes are essential for mixing paints, especially if you are into watercolour and acrylic paint mediums.
Palettes are usually for watercolour painting. On the other hand, palette paper is usually used in acrylic painting. My recommendation is that you try out the palette paper if you haven’t already. You will LOVE them because no cleaning up is needed.
In addition, you may want to get a palette knife.
Unlike its primary function, which is to mix your acrylic paint easily, it can also be used as a brush to get a unique effect on the canvas. Sometimes, I omit the brush and use the palette knife for my whole painting.
5. Watercolour Brushes
We can’t forget about our brushes. Using a basic brush set like this is sufficient to get you started. It covers the whole range of brushes you will need, from the pointy, flat, small, and more.
6. Art Equipment
Lastly, we can’t forget about our art equipment – aprons and easels.
A simple apron like this will save you so much time to clean off paint from your newly bought dress. A messy artist should definitely get this!
Besides an apron, you can consider investing in easels. These are not a MUST-HAVE in your art tools, but you can consider buying them. I love the portable art easel stand that I got from KraftGeek. It can be used as both a table easel or a standing easel, depending on my mood. Use THELILIPATH15 at checkout to get 15% off.
This post is all about the best art tools every artist should have.
If you love to see more content like this, connect & follow me on social media to stay updated with the latest information.
Other posts you may like:
- Perspective Drawing Mastery: From Novice to Pro
- 7 Basic Shading Techniques for Beginners to Shade Anything
- Understanding Colour Theory & The Colour Wheel Simplified For Beginners
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