There are many avenues a person can take when creating art. It can be anything from pencil and paper to giant metal statues. I know there are people wanting to try their hand at making an art piece but feel overwhelmed when thinking about the purchases they need to make in order to make that happen.
I want to take the anxiety out of that experience.
When making something to free the mind, you don’t need 50 tools right off the bat. It takes time to accumulate these items. Most artists that have large quantities of tools is because they have found their niche. They have found what works best for them and what makes them happy.
I have put together for you some basic art supplies to give you a well-balanced experience in a couple of different art practices. Here is a short video to show you the items we are going to cover:
These products came from two of my favorite art supply stores: Blick and Michaels. The paints in the video were the only items to come from Blick in this post, the rest came from Michaels.
When I need to calm my mind, sometimes drawing is where I find myself. There are times when painting or creating designs tickles my fancy. My main point here is I might not want to play with the same media every time. After trying what’s in this little art kit, you might decide you despise pencil but love paint.
That’s the beauty of art. There are endless ways to be creative and set your mind free.
Supplies
- MIXED MEDIA PAPER
This is the best paper to have around, especially when experimenting with different mediums. It has a rough surface and can be used for acrylic paints, markers, ink, and dry mediums.
2. PAINT
The paint of choice for me is acrylic paint. It’s fast-drying, water-soluble and becomes water resistant once dry.
3. PAINT BRUSHES
I could write an entire post on paint-brushes alone (which might be in the near future). The paint brushes in the above kit are multi-purpose meaning they can be used for acrylic, oil, and watercolor paints. HOWEVER, If you come across a set of paint brushes you love and they’re specifically made for oil or watercolor, it is NOT RECOMMENDED to use those for acrylic paints.
4. DETAIL TOOLS
These are used for lining and spotting detail work. I love polka dots and patterns which is what I use them for. Previous to the discovery of these gems, the back end of my paint brush is what I used. Having these tools give a more precise dot and line which is worth the few extra bucks if you enjoy creating fine detail.
5. PENCILS
There are two main pencil types I want you to try out: charcoal and graphite. I have both in the kit, and as you can see, I use them frequently. The graphite pencils are used for more intricate lines and details while charcoal is better for larger images and those that require shading.
6. ERASER
This one is a must. As you know, I love to draw in pencil. I’ve gone through many erasers and this one is my top choice. It’ll take on the graphite color but works amazing. My recommendation is to store it in a separate space from your pencils if possible to avoid that from happening.
7. SHARPENER
This sharpener has two different sizes which makes it usable for all of my pencils (colored, regular, and graphite), with the exception of my large graphite pencils which I use an X-acto knife to sharpen by hand.
I hope to have helped take some anxiety out of purchasing art supplies for those of you who are just trying art for the first time. Art is an incredible tool that can be utilized anywhere. Take a sketch book and pencil with you to the park, paint in the back yard or on the patio, make a horse out of polka dots…the possibilities are endless.
Let the creative juices flow as they say.
Let your feelings and emotions pour out of your mind and into your art.
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