8 Essential Art Tools Every Artist Should Have When Starting Out

Strolling through the aisles of any art shop or hobby store can either entice your creative senses or be completely overwhelming. I’ve put together this short list which is a must-have for any creative starting out while also keeping within a reasonable budget. I am very familiar with the allure and pitfalls of an art supply store, going in for one item but leaving with far too many and spending too much. So let me help you, not only save money but get you started on the right track.

1. Art pads

The item you’ll use to create your masterpieces and let your wonderful ideas come to life is the canvas or paper. You can get almost any type of art pad suited for any medium of your choice. Size will be your only limitations. Commonly available in either A5, A4 or A3. I would suggest getting one of these first before using a canvas. But if you’re like me and want to create your vision on canvas, I would suggest a hardboard canvas over a stretch material canvas. My preference of canvas is the hardboard canvas and not the canvas stretched over a frame.

Prices for the pads depending on the medium one decides to use can range from $8 – $80. You can certainly find a reasonably priced art surface pad for any application of choice.

Canvas prices will vary on size, quality and type. Although I wouldn’t usually recommend a particular board canvas, Windson and Newton are certainly one of the better art surfaces to go with, especially with the thin edge (hard board) canvas types.

2. Easel

The easel, an often-overlooked item, could quickly blow the budget. But investing in a small desktop one is all that is needed when starting out. It not only helps with viewing your creation of artwork but also helps with maintaining proper posture. Below are some resoanbly affordable desktop easels with price ranges from $12 – $20.

3. Pencils

Every person who starts on their artist journey, starts with some sketches and doodles. The famous HB we all used as children is the go-to and a must have to include in your pencil case. However, having softer B type pencils is my preference, and the higher the number in B, the softer the pencil and darker the shade. My suggestion for pencils to include in your pencil case are; HB, 3B and 6B. You can get some reasonable pencil sets from most stores with price ranges from $12 – $20.

4. Colour wheel

Selecting colours is as varied as the pallets they create and, when starting out, it’s important to become familiar with blending colours to create a specific colour. Seems simple enough, right! Though, for some this may not come naturally. As a handy reference tool, you should invest in a colour wheel which can help as a reference guide so that you’ll always know how to broaden your colour scape with lighter and darker shades or new colours altogether.

Sooner or later though this will become second nature and experimenting with colour choices is what creates some unique pieces. These are relatively inexpensive items, some can be found online for $2. I have seen some for $24 but honestly that seems a bit exorbitant. Shop around, these are definitely worth having and you don’t need to break the bank to obtain one.

5. 3 Primary colours of paint + Titanium White

With the colour wheel in the bag, you should now be looking to expand your available colours and really, all you need at the beginning are the primary colours: Red, Blue and Yellow. With these, all other colours are possible. Your colour choices are endless when knowing how to mix them, a little more red with blue will give a more crimson colour and adding white may result in a pretty, pastel pink. And so, it goes without saying how important white can be for your art box. It provides more variable hues to your colour palette.

There is a difference between white and Titanium white. I suggest Titanium white as this yields a richer white mix to your colours. A future post is certainly coming, keep checking for my exploration on the many colours of white. Price ranges for this would depend on medium preference, acrylic paints are usually the most cost-effective paint whereas water colours are one of the more expensive paint choices.

6. Brushes

Big ones, small ones, fat ones, skinny one, long hair, short hair…whew, selecting the right brush can be a daunting task for the beginner. So many to choose from and which brush for which paint. I would say the best first-time investment would be the hog bristle brushes. These types of brushes are suited for acrylic paints and oil paints. Giving you a wider range of use then the softer bristles more commonly used for water colours and some acrylics.

The next choice is whether to have a round or flat brush. This is certainly a preference, but using a flat brush will give a more impressionist type stroke and better-defined edge lines. Brushes are usually numbered, the higher the number, larger the brush.

For finer details, softer smaller brushes are a must have. These can be used with any paint medium. I personally have around 4 or 5 different sizes ranging from 10/0-2.

Therefore, for the most varied styles of painting the beginner should consider:

• 4 and 6 Flat head Hog bristle brush
• 10 Round Hog bristle brush
• 00 brush

You can get an assortment of brush sets for reasonable prices online ranging from $9 – $65. Every penny spent on these tools are worth it, together with your medium choice on paints, brushes will be the one of the more expensive investments in your art box. Shop around some quality brush sets can start at around $20-$30. I suggest staying clear of very cheap brushes and brush sets. My experience with these are bristles tend to fall out a lot quicker and if they are made from faux material which is more plastic, the brush stroke quality is compromised. This is the one item, cheaper is not better and investing a bit more is beneficial in the long term.

7. Palette

This particular item is something you need, especially when mixing paints, but its not something you need to invest money into straight away. With some creative thinking you’ll find that many free options are available to use. Some of the palettes I’ve personally used when starting out have been:

• You can use an old chopping board, wood or glass. You can use a plastic one but ensure it’s a smooth surface and not serrated. If you are using acrylic paint be sure to clean after every use though. Oil paints, depending on brand, can sometimes last a few days before going hard, so if you plan on painting the next day, no need to wash the surface clean. As for water colours, I would suggest the plastic or glass surface board for this.
• For the more eco-conscious, you could repurpose junk mail and magazines, no longer in use. These pages are perfect for squeezing your paints out onto it and throwing it away afterwards. You may need to use a few pages at a time but it is a great way to repurpose and recycle.

If you do decide to spend a bit on a palette, my best suggestion is the palette sheets as opposed to plastic palettes with holes for paint and mixing in the middle. The palette sheets provide more freedom when mixing and allow for more paint choices to be laid out. These also provide a mess-free cleanup, and you’ll never have to worry about cleaning up any of that sticky or dry paint.

Palette paper sheets are available for as little as $5 and usually come with at least 20 sheets.

8. Brush cleaner

This item is probably the one item which is not entirely essential immediately. But if you want to maintain those expensive brushes when painting, it becomes more highly recommended. Keeping those brushes clean will only ensure their longevity and since they are one of the higher upfront costs, its worth ensuring they are well maintained.

Some brush cleaners come with a serrated bottom which helps clean the brushes better. One can get these for around $9-$10.

If on a very tight budget though, reuse some of those glass pickle jars.

That’s it! Your art box is now ready for your unique creative expressions. All within a reasonable budget range of *$100-$200.

If you are looking to start your creative journey or want more inspiration for your art, check out U R U Studio’s art box kits. Which provides all the necessary tools plus more to inspire and help you create art works covering different themes every month.

*Price will vary depending on paint choices as well as canvas sizes