GOOD STUFF: TOP 5 MUST-HAVE ART SUPPLIES FOR KIDS
Every year around the holidays, without fail, I get a text from a friend or follower asking what my favorite art supplies are for kids. I have to admit, I might not be the best person to ask as I was raised with an artist for a dad who, for better or worse, let me use all of the tools and supplies in his workshop. I’ve passed down that tradition to my girls, almost nothing is off-limits in my studio. They have access to most of my supplies save my exacto blades, toxic paint colors and paper cutters. I’ve learned over the years that buying nicer art supplies for the kids is *mostly* worth it and I generally find no concern for them using my professional-grade supplies in moderation.
There seems to be a big gap between student-grade supplies and professional supplies. I have noticed a few newer brands – you’ve probably seen them in all of the bookstores and boutiques lately– are trying to find themselves in the middle there but still seem to fall short on quality. But because not everyone reading has the time or know-how to use professional mediums – or you might be cost-concious which is totally valid as art supplies aren’t cheap – I’ll post a few options below for various ranges**.
Do you have favorite supplies that you keep stocked? Or something special you purchased on a whim and is now a favorite tool of yours?
**Most of these supplies are available on Amazon, but for the sake of trying to save and support small businesses, I’ll be linking to art supply shops for purchase. Of course, if you are lucky enough to have a specialty art supply shop in your city or town, please consider being a patron of theirs. They’ll be so grateful. I don’t make money off of these links either, just sharing because we need to support our little artists in the world!
LYRA GRAPHITE CRAYONS
When I was in high school I purchased these graphite crayons by Lyra at Texas Art Supply in Houston on a field trip and I’ve kept them in my kit since then. They are probably my number one recommended tool to lost parents at an art supply shop. And in the $1.50 range, I feel like they’re worth the investment. I’m pretty sure I still have the first one I ever bought! There are two different types, water-soluble – meaning you can use a brush and water with them and use them like watercolor, and non-water-soluble – where you can draw with them and then use paint or water with them and they won’t budge. You can see in the picture above where I’ve used both. They’re just good fun to play with and come in various grades of hardness, 2B being the lightest - 9B being the darkest.
STAMPS
If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen me rave about stamps. I try to collect basic shape stamp sets for me and for my kiddos. I love them because they can be used again and again for all ages, but also because I think they inspire artwork with a little help. Sometimes a blank page can be intimidating, but if you have a shape to start with it can help get your creative juices flowing. Got a square stamp? Can it be a cat? A vase? A house? A tree? A shoe? Have a circle and a triangle stamp? Boom, now you have an ice cream cone or a head with a party hat! What about a bird? The possibilities are endless. I recommend picking up an Ed Emberley How to Draw book to go with them for a really fun gift set. I have a few in my shop but a quick Google search of his name and you’ll find some of the many he’s made – I recommend the Make a Face or Animals for beginners.
Here are a few of my fave stamp sets:
And as for stamp pads, I recommend any labeled “kid-friendly” ones. They’re typically washable, and I hear that’s important hah!
Colored Paper
Colored paper is a staple in my studio and in our house! And no, not construction paper. Don’t get me wrong. I love construction paper. But if you want work you can keep that won’t fade *as much* over time, I suggest getting some better quality colored cardstock paper. I’m sure you’re thinking about the sheets you see at hobby stores in the scrapbooking section and I’d say yes and no. I prefer to buy a big pack of AstroBrights or if you have a Daiso near you, they have great sets of colored paper for cheap. AstroBrights are made by a papermill called Neenah Paper and they’re a fan-favorite of graphic designers far and wide. They have deeply saturated colors in a wide range and though they’ll fade with direct sunlight, they stay pretty vivid. I’ve linked to Ugly Books above because as far as sketchbooks go, they have beautiful colored paper. They’re pricey, so I wouldn’t recommend for the tiny ones, but if you have a middle-schooler or high-schooler, these are – despite their name – beautifully made and the paper is heavy enough to take a little paint!
Ink
WARNING: FOR BRAVE SOULS ONLY! It’s true that these have been a favorite tool of my youngest since she was 2. Yes, you read that right. At 2 year old she was learning to squeeze ink and drop it on paper or canvas and move it around to make her own little abstract paintings. If you decide you have the patience and a space that invites a little mess, I’d say these are probably my kids most favorite thing we have in the studio next to color pencils. When we use inks I monitor them closely. I make them wear clothes I don’t mind getting dirty and provide plenty of cover for the surface they’re working on. An old cookie sheet with some parchment paper underneath is great at keeping the ink contained. You can find these at most hobby and art stores and they range in price, typically about $5/bottle and up. Which I hear you, that is a bit steep when you’re trying to build a set for them to use. I like to consider these a treat and let them pick one at the art store every once in a while to add to their set. We have India inks which are a little thinner and work like watercolor, and acrylic inks which are more opaque and do not lift when re-wet. I also have a few Sumi Inks which are very rich in color.
Remember to pick up some watercolor paper for these. If you have a 5 Below near you, they always have inexpensive watercolor pads and I like to have those on hand for my kids. Definitely practice good brush cleaning etiquette. Rinse really good, never leave your brushes in the water and never leave your brushes in a jar with the bristles facing up or down for that matter. We don’t want water and paint/ink seeping into the farrows and ruining the glue that holds the bristles to the brush or messing up the shape of the brush itself. Even for cheapy brushes, remember to rinse well, re-shape your brush and lay them flat to dry. This is something that is easy to teach at a young age with a little patience and a few reminders.
Colored Pencils
Ahhh, my kids favorite supply to steal from my studio. My fancy color pencils. They know the good stuff. They are not dummies. There are a few brands of pencils that are far superior to Crayola and Ooly and once again, they cost a pretty penny if you buy the larger sets but hear me out – these colors are rich and lucky for you, the smaller sets are easily found in art and hobby shops as well as Target too. The smaller sets run about $12-15 for a dozen pencils. Individually, they come in so many shades and they are a nice treat at the art store as well. I’ll often let my girls each pick out a pencil or two to add to their/my bin – you can find them sold individually at places like Michaels for about $2.30/pencil but they always coupons and that helps! It’s true that Prisma pencils tend to be soft, which means they do dull faster and need to be sharpened more which leads to needing to be replaced more often. Sigh. This is a common complaint amongst the art community. But without the softness of the lead, they wouldn’t produce the beautiful, rich, saturated colors that they do and they wouldn’t be a fave of pros everywhere. If you have a high-schooler or serious artiste in your life, I’d recommend a splurge on Caran’dAche Luminance. Beware, they’ll give you a bit of sticker shock but they’re such a gift because most artists who love them find them hard to buy for themselves. I myself, only have a few, but my dad knows I love them and treats me with a few colors every time he swings into the art store. I also love Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. They don’t dull as quickly but still have beautiful color even if they aren’t as deeply saturated as the Prismas and Luminance pencils.
Alternately, you can also find water-soluble colored pencils in most of these brands and my kids love those too.
For the little, little ones we bought some Stabilo Woody Pencils in Cleveland a few years back and they are so versatile and worth the buy! They can be used on a variety of surfaces, including glass! We use them on our windows during the holidays and they clean off pretty easily with window cleaner and paper towels. They are also water-soluble and very opaque and provide a really nice texture to draw with. Pro-tip: buy the set with the sharpener and then add individual colors to it. The sharpeners are sometimes hard to find and since they’re big, fat pencils, they need a big fat sharpener!
Bonus Freebies
OLD CREDIT CARDS AND GIFT CARDS
These are great for squeegeeing paint. Just have them do a few dollops of paint in different colors in line and have them drag the old card over them. See below for reference.
OLD COOKIE SHEETS OR BUTCHER TRAYS
These are good for paint palettes. If you’re using an old cookie sheet, just line with parchment paper or foil for their paint. It keeps it contained and is useable again and again.
OLD JARS AND PLASTIC TAKE-OUT CONTAINERS FOR LIQUIDS.
We save these for water when painting. The bigger the container, the better. This is so that the paint water doesn’t get too murky which can taint their paintings with an unwanted muddy color and it gets in the farrows of their brushes and is a fast way to ruin them.
PAINTER’S PAPER & PAINTER’S DROPCLOTHS/ROLL OF BUTCHER PAPER
This is probably a duh moment, but a roll of painter’s paper is very inexpensive. We always have several on hand stored in the garage in white or kraft colors. They’re great for rolling out and letting them draw and paint on and also work great to cover a workspace. Same with the canvas dropcloths that you can find in the paint section at Home Depot or Lowes. They are typically lined with plastic so they’ll water-proof your surfaces against spills and stains. These of course aren’t free but very worth the investment.
A friend of mine bought a giant roll of butcher paper from the Costco or Sams deli for me in college and I still have and use that roll!
I am many things, but one thing I’m not is concise with my words. If you’ve been patient enough to read through this list, bless you. I’d love to hear what you keep in your kids art supply closet that aren’t your average “kid” supplies! Happy art supply shopping and thanks for reading my very first blog post <3