Our Favorite Art Supplies
Shannon and Bar have tested out pretty much every art supply under the sun. We strongly believe that you don’t need much to give your child a creative childhood. The following are our favorite art supplies, organized from Basic Supplies (all you really need to stock your art space) to Specialty Supplies (wishlist items to collect over time). Wherever possible we try to link to Blick Art Supplies which is a family-run business that ships internationally. We participate in Blick’s affiliate program where we earn a small fee at no cost to you by linking to Blick products. However, we would not recommend any products that we haven’t tested ourselves and that we don’t fully endorse. All photos are taken in our homes with the products we are recommending and using every day.
Basic Supplies
Blick Student Grade Tempera Paint
Blick Student Grade Tempera is thicker and brighter than other economy brands. It’s made with high-quality pigments, has high color strength, is lightfast, and won't flake, chip, or crack, and it washes up with soap and water.
Formulated with safety in mind, Blick Student Grade Tempera is non-toxic and contains no latex, dairy, casein, soy, egg, gluten, peanuts, or tree nuts.
Made in the USA.
We recommend:
16 oz (pint) bottles in 7 colors: red, yellow and blue (the primaries), purple, orange and green (the secondaries), and black
32 oz (quart) bottle in white
Watercolors (dry in pan)
We use many different brands of watercolors. Here are our top three with descriptions of their pros and cons. You only need one to start!
Niji Aquarelle Watercolor Pan (36 colors)
This set features the most colors, which is often very enticing for children. Since this is a dry watercolor set, teach your children to count to 20 as they circle their color with a very wet brush. This will give them a rich color. Otherwise their colors will be very light. We often take our lids off, but they can be used as a mixing palette.
Click here to order the Niji 36 color pan
Lyra Opaque Watercolor Pan
Opaque colors are bold and rich. Although there are fewer colors in the pan (you can get 12 or 24), they are bigger pods and will last longer. The colors are also more brilliant than the Niji watercolors.
Click here to order the Lyra 12 or 24 color pans
Crayola Semi-moist Watercolor Pan
These bright, economically priced watercolors in semi-moist oval pans are easy to apply to a wide range of surfaces. Unlike the dry pans, these watercolors don’t need a lot of water or circling around to get a deep color since they are already moist. Perfect for very young children.
Blick Liquid Watercolors
These dye-based watercolors can be used directly from the bottle for intense single-stroke color, or diluted with up to four parts water to create a wash effect. Formulated with safety in mind, Blick Liquid Watercolors are non toxic and contain no latex, dairy, casein, soy, egg, gluten, peanuts, or tree nuts. It is made in the USA.
We recommend:
8oz bottles in the following colors: blue, yellow and red (the primaries), green, orange and violet (the secondaries), black, and specialty colors fuchsia, blue-green and metallic gold.
Brushes (synthetic bristles)
Royal Langnickel “Grippers” Brush Set
Intended for young artists' hands, these brushes have thicker handles and a rubber Soft Grip for easy handling. We find that these brushes are great for watercolors, tempera, and acrylics. Plus, the plastic handles hold up even when sitting in water or paint for a long time.
We recommend:
Variety Pack, a set of 15 which includes all different shapes and sizes. We are partial to the Deluxe Round shape in size 8 (the green ones). Although Blick does not sell this size individually, you can get a set of Deluxe Round in a variety of sizes.
Brushes (Ox hair bristles)
Blick White Bristle Brushes
Ox bristles fill these excellent-quality brushes by First Impressions. They are especially useful for painting larger surfaces because the bristles are thick enough to push heavy paint around with ease. They also have longer handles which are easier for small hands to grab from a glass paint jar.
We recommend:
We buy these individually in size 8 (yellow handle) and 10 (orange handle).
Click here to learn more and order First Impressions brushes
Drawing Tools
These are the basics that we recommend you keep in your child’s art area. Take them out of their boxes and place them in baskets or jars for easy access.
Crayola Crayons
Crayola Crayons are the most economical and are as good as any other crayons. We like to soak them and then peel the papers off (kids love this activity), then display them in color families, or in an open basket. We recommend the pack of at least 64 crayons or more.
Click here to order Crayola crayons
Blick Essentials Colored Pencil Set
Blick colored pencils are an economical choice, prefect for children. Quality pigments result in bold colors that young artists love. These are non-toxic and easy to sharpen.
Click here to order Blick colored pencils set of 24
Crayola Washable Markers
These markers feature a unique, durable tip that's smooth, not scratchy. The side of the tip is ideal for coloring in large areas, and the end fills in details. We recommend the set of 20 or 50.
Tru-Ray White Paper for Drawing and Painting
This paper is a denser, smoother version of construction paper. Made with long, strong, 100% sulphite fibers, this heavyweight paper is tough enough to take scoring, folding, and curling without cracking or tearing. It can also take water without tearing and works well if you don’t have access to watercolor paper. It’s a perfect, all-around good paper to have in the studio for all of your needs. Paper weight is 76 lb. Contains 50% recycled fiber content.
We recommend:
We use two sizes, both linked below. Each packet contains 50 sheets.
Canson Watercolor Paper
Canson XL Watercolor Pads feature 30 sheets of 140 lb (300 gsm) student-quality paper, ideal for a variety of watercolor and mixed-media techniques. The paper is acid-free with a cold press texture.
We recommend:
Watercolor paper is not a must-have, it’s a nice-to-have. Watercolor paints lay so nicely on this thicker paper made just for watery paints. The paper won’t curl and will lay flat once dry.
Neenah Astrobrights Colored Paper
We love the vibrancy, weight and density of this paper. Light enough to roll and fold, but heavy enough to cut collage shapes without tearing.
The sheets are acid-free and lignin-free, so they won't yellow over time.
Made in the USA.
We recommend:
Get the Spectrum Assorted pack of 150 sheets for the full range of colors.
Adhesives
Masking tape
Blick Masking Tape sticks quick, holds fast (even at high temperatures), and removes cleanly. This crepe paper tape is removable and easy to tear. Get the 3/4” or 1” in natural.
Click here to order Blick masking tape
White glue
Elmer's School Glue launders out with soap and water — even after it dries. Its non-toxic formula is safe for even small children to use. We use the 4 oz bottles and buy the bigger refill bottles.
Click here to order Elmer’s glue
Glue stick
Blick Glue Sticks dry clear and permanent. Use them on paper, cardboard, foamboard, and fabric. The glue is washable when it gets on clothes. We use the .28oz sticks in white.
Basic Office Supplies
Scissors
We feel strongly that children need good scissors. By age 4, they are capable of using adult size scissors. Fiskars has the best scissors in multiple sizes. For toddlers, get the 5” scissors, for preschoolers get the 7” scissors, and for elementary and beyond get the adult 8” scissors.
Click here to order 5” / Click here to order 7” / Click here to order 8”
Sharpies
Click here to order the 5-pack Black Sharpies
One-Hole Puncher
The Officemate One-Hole Punch makes round 1/4" holes and has a 1" reach.
Click here to order the one-hole puncher
Stapler
This Stanley metal stapler easily handles up to 20 sheets at once.
Click here to order the metal Stanley stapler
Pencil sharpener
This Duet Pencil Sharpener toggles easily from battery to manual mode.
Specialty Supplies
Faber-Castell Oil Pastels
With a unique, easy-to-handle triangular shape, these oil pastels are perfect for the young artist. Rich, bright, opaque colors blend together easily. They are perfect with watercolors for a classic watercolor-resist art experience, and work beautifully on natural materials such as sticks, shells, rocks, and leaves. They are also a superb choice for coloring cardboard, creating bright and rich colors with little effort.
We recommend:
Set of 24 in the plastic carrying case.
Richeson Fluorescent Tempera Cakes
We love the vibrant and opaque colors that tempera cakes have to offer. They work just like watercolors but with a bigger surface area which is ideal for small hands. They’re packaged in heavy-duty, reusable, muffin-style trays. Offering low waste and low mess, they're perfect to keep out in a visible area in the art room so your child can help themselves whenever they want.
We recommend:
Start with the fluorescent cakes. Richeson has a wide variety of cakes, from skin tones to metallic, which are all wonderful to stock in the art room if you love the big cake presentation more than smaller watercolors.
Click here to order fluorescent tempera cakes
Click here to learn about the many different tempera cake palettes
Kwik Stix Tempera Paint Sticks
For those days when you don’t want the mess, take out the Kwik Stix and some cardboard and your child can “paint” to their heart’s content. These are water-based — different from oil pastels but with the same, smooth hand. They have a translucent quality so they’re great for layering. You can use water and a brush to blend even more. Non-toxic and completely safe for kids, the unique formula dries in less than 90 seconds. Works well on any surface, but we especially love using these on cardboard, wood and paper.
We recommend:
We love the 12 pack of primary colors. The neon and metallic are also popular with kids. The Thin Stix are better for more detailed paintings.
Do-a-Dot Markers
With large, round, spongy tips, young artists can apply dots of paint in various patterns to form images or blend colors to create their own designs. They’re washable, made with a special non-clogging formula that won't dry out, even if the markers are left uncapped.
We recommend:
Start with the Rainbow Set of 6 which include the primary colors. There are also smaller “mini” dotters that you can experiment with.
Dual-Temp Mini Glue Gun
Compact, lightweight, and easy to handle, this Surebonder Mini Glue Gun is equipped with a built-in stand that keeps the tip safely elevated while in use. We prefer the dual temp which can operate at either 300°F or 230°F. Select the higher temperature for bonding metals, plastics, and ceramics and the lower temperature for delicate materials such as fabric and ribbon. The lower temp won’t burn little fingers so your youngest children can learn to use grown-up tools.
Paper Cutter
Swingline Classic 15” Trimmer
Easily create clean cuts on documents, photos and artwork with the ClassicCut Lite Guillotine Trimmer. Its sharp guillotine blade and alignment grid make this trimmer simple to use, while the lightweight base makes it easy to move from room to room. Guard rail keeps fingers safely away from the blade while the trimmer is in use. Cuts up to 10 sheets at once.
Cardboard Cutters
Fiskars PowerCut Shears
Featuring heavy-duty, stainless-steel blades with up to 2X more cutting power than traditional scissors. Their curved blades make it easy to cut challenging materials, including cardboard, cork, decorative metals, and leather.
Click here to order Fiskars Shears
X-acto Knife #1
This is the best cutting knife out there. Use an X-acto knife to cut thicker board, foam core, and intricate cardboard shapes.
Click here to order an X-acto knife / Click here to order extra #11 blades
Klever Cutter
This tool works well for straight cuts, like when you want to break down a big box into smaller cardboard pieces.
Butcher Paper
We use brown butcher paper in lots of different ways: to cover the table before art projects (the paint-filled papers can be cut up afterwards and used as wrapping paper), for tracing children’s bodies for life-size portraits, and for birthday banners that can be painted and decorated at parties. This Scotch Postal wrapping paper is the perfect roll for 2 such projects. It’s inexpensive enough that you can buy several rolls to store for your next big art experience. Roll measures 30" wide × 15 ft long.
Rollers
A brayer is used in printmaking. It rolls out the paint and makes it easier to roll onto the “plate” or surface that you’ve created for printing. It is made from latex and has a rubber surface that spreads the paint evenly and doesn’t absorb the paint.
A foam roller is less expensive, absorbs paint, and can be used in a similar fashion. However, it’s meant to roll paint onto a wall so it holds the paint.
Both can be used in children’s art making. We use lids to hold the paint. Brayers are more professional and if you are making bigger prints, these would be more efficient. Foam rollers are less expensive and perfect for little hands.
Paper Punches
Kids love punching paper and making shapes — and grownups do too! Make shapes to use as collage material, or let your child punch shapes to work on hand strength while creating artwork using a glue stick. We often use the Neenah colored paper listed above, patterned scrapbook paper, or recycled artworks.
There are two types of paper punches: lever punches where you press down to cut the paper, and squeeze punches where you squeeze the two handles to cut the paper. Lever punches are a little easier to use for small hands, with the added bonus of being able to see the paper you are cutting.
Click here to order lever punches (out of stock at the moment)
Yarn
There are so many different yarns you can buy for crafts. We recommend not spending too much as these yarns will be used for crafting, not sweaters. Here are 5 brands that we use.
This 4-ply, 100% acrylic knitting yarn is machine washable, non-allergenic, and moth-proof. This is a more expensive yarn but they have great colors and it’s a HUGE skein.
Caron Simply Soft Acrylic Yarn
Another 4-ply acrylic yarn that is less expensive than the One Pound yarn but with fewer color choices.
With its chunky, wool + acrylic blend, this yarn is fun to have on hand since and is inexpensive with a decent array of more pastelly colors.
This 100% acrylic, multicolored roving yarn is lightweight, super soft, and creates a subtle ombré effect.
Lion Brand Recycled Cotton Yarn
Super soft and eco-friendly! Made with 100% recycled cotton, Lion Brand Re-Up 4-ply Yarn was created with the environment in mind. Perfect for those who want a natural fiber. These skeins are smaller and the yarn is a bit thinner than the acrylic yarns.
Felt (from Etsy)
While you can certainly purchase polyester felt sheets at your local craft store (we do all the time), we also appreciate a nicer felt that is a wool/polyester combination and has a softer, more supple hand. For projects that rely solely on felt (like felt flowers or felt collage boards), we recommend shopping for nicer quality and a bigger color selection.
The shop we use on Etsy has always delivered beautiful felts in a huge variety of colors. The sheets are 12”X12”.
Buy single sheets for $1.90 each
Buy a set of 10 sheets for $16
Click here to see all the listings in TaDaa Studio Felt shop on Etsy
Craft Wire + Pipe Cleaners
18 Gauge Copper Craft Wire
Blick copper wire is soft and bendable with a bright finish. Note — the finer the wire, the larger the gauge.
Click here to order 18 gauge copper wire
Pipe Cleaners
These come in packages of 100 and are available in individual colors, as well as assorted. We recommend the 12” stems.
Beads
Beads are a wonderful material to have on your art shelves. We usually stock pony beads, colorful assorted beads, and some unfinished wooden beads that the kids can paint with watercolors.
Blick does not have a huge assortment of beads. They are more of an art store than a craft store, but they do have one assorted pack which is wonderful.
This 1 pound pack of 1800 pony beads will last you quite a while. Pony beads are the perfect bead from preschool on up because they have a large opening which makes beading less frustrating, plus they are inexpensive and colorful.
This pack of 250 beads comes in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Use watercolors to paint them.
Washi Tape
The best place to buy washi tape is on Etsy. We have experimented with different shops over the years. These stores produce the best tapes — easy enough to peel for little fingers, but sticky enough to hold on paper.
Sticker Labels
Kids love stickers! And we love providing ones that are non-representational and all about shapes and colors. We get our labels from our local packaging stores because they are a bit hard to find online. We will continue sourcing the best website, but for now you can click on the Walmart link below. They have the best variety of color-coded labels.
Colored Masking Tape
Blick Artist Tape is a paper tape with a repositionable adhesive backing that does not leave residue when removed. We use this tape to hang artwork, in collage, when constructing with cardboard, and more.
We recommend:
Get the 3/4” or 1” tapes.
Craft Supplies
We use these supplies for collaging and making stuff every day! Click below for the best sources for our favorite craft supplies.
Pom-poms
The best source for a giant bag of multi-sized pom-poms is Discount School Supply. Sizes range from 1/2” to 2” and there are about 1,200 pom-poms in one bag.
Click here to order Colorations Big Bag of Pom-poms
Craft Sticks
Hardly a day goes by where one of our art students doesn’t grab a craft stick to make a person. Set them out with washi tapes as a wonderful open-ended and playful invitation.
Click here to order Jumbo Craft Sticks
Paper Straws
Cut them up to make beads or to use as collage material. Or use them as a stem of a cupcake liner flower.
Click here for a set of 4 colored striped straws
Click here for a larger selection on Etsy
Cupcake Liners
These are a great material to have on the shelf. Kids can cut them up or use them whole in collage work.
Click here to find a variety of patterned cupcake liners
Jovi Plasticine Clay
Jovi Plastilina is a pliable, non-hardening modeling clay that is excellent for young artists and small hands. Ideal for making clay figures of all kinds and stop-motion animation figures, this reusable clay holds fine details. Best of all, it won't dry out between uses, even if it’s left on the table for hours. Composed primarily of vegetable material, this clay is gluten-free and non-toxic. Each box contains two of each color.
Made in Spain. This clay is not for baking.
Sculpey Polymer Clay
Perfect for everything from sculpture to bead making, Sculpey is ready-to-use straight from the package. Smooth and pliable, it's easy to knead, yet stays firm enough for detailed work without crumbling.
Oven baking hardens your creations, yet they remain flexible and durable, harder to break than those made with other clays. Start with a set, or choose your own individual colors!
Clay Flattening Machine
The Sculpey Clay Conditioning Machine will be the most popular tool in your house. It was designed to soften polymer or plasticine clay, but is also a magical way to create a marbled effect when mixing different colors. The Sculpey Clay Conditioning Machine includes nine thickness settings, non-skid feet, and a C-clamp, plus corrosion-resistant, non-plated stainless steel rollers (for smoother rolling), and a durable, high-quality keyed gearing system.
Magnifying Glass
Children are natural explorers. Add a magnifying glass to your art or play area, and they’ll be sure to look at the world around them more closely. We keep a bin of these on the art shelves. It’s amazing how often the kids use magnifying glasses to look at their creations more closely, or to bring them outside to explore natural materials.
Lazy Susan
This is a fun item to pull out for any art class. Not only can the Lazy Susan be used to share materials when spun around, it can also be used to paint 3-dimensional artworks with ease. Plus, taping paper to your lazy Susan and offering markers alongside it is a great way to introduce kids to spin art!