I want to give you an overview of a basic art kit. So these are some of my favorite products which I’ve been using for years and years and years.

Let’s start with the big things first, a cutting mat. Mine is from Utrechts, but it doesn’t really matter what brand it is. 12 x 18 inches is a pretty good size – It gives you a lot of room to work with and it’s still portable, for the artist on the go. What I like to do with my cutting mats, since I have like three or four now, is to reserve couple of them just for messy projects, like cutting really rough cardboard. But I keep one mat, just nice paper, where I want a really clean cut and I don’t want it getting stuck on hot glue or almost dry paint.

I recommend keeping one really clean cutting mat, for your really precise projects, and then a messier mat for all the other random stuff.

Next up is a hair dryer. A hair dryer is great for drying glue and paint when you’re working on a project which needs to be done in the next five hours and you can’t just sit there waiting for paint to dry for an hour. So you just hit it with a hair dryer and things will dry so much faster…

Up next you need colored pencils and markers. First, colored pencils, my favorite brand is Prismacolor. They’re kind of expensive, so you might not want to get all the colors available, but start with a smaller assortment of say, 24. Prismacolor is the standard for colored pencils they’re so pigmented. Just keep expanding your collection.

And speaking of coloring utensils, Prismacolor markers are also the standard for art supplies. If you’re doing a lot of illustration work, these will be your best friends. Add to your collection as you can afford to.

Another important basic art tool is the ruler and I suggest you have two rulers to start out with. Get one metal ruler with a cork backing, 18 inches long. You might want a longer one, but this length serves me well for most things. When you need to do a really straight line with an X-Acto knife having a metal ruler can give you such a nice clean line. The cork backing keeps it from moving around all over the place.

Your other ruler should be a clear one with the grid in the inside, 12 inches long and two inches wide. You can get them in all kinds of different sizes, of course. These are really useful for measuring out precise right angles, and those times when you need to be able to see through to what you’re trying to measure.

Next up, you want a nice pair of scissors. I have a titanium pair made by Scotch. I also recommend you buy a larger cutting tool from a hardware store for cutting wire, thin dowels, and anything too heavy-duty that might ruin your scissors.

As I am on the subject of cutting… another basic art tool is the X-Acto knife. Actually, I recommend having two different knives. One should be a box cutter, like those used in warehouses. This is nice for cutting through cardboard or really thick museum board.

But then when you need a really precise cut, out comes an X-Acto knife. They come with different shaped blades that can be switched out. Stock up on your favorite or most useful styles. It is really frustrating when you have to complete something now, but you are stuck with a dull blade…

Now, let’s talk about awls. This is an awl, a-w-l, and it’s just like a really pointy tool that you can use to poke holes in things such as paper or cardboard, or if you’re making a book, you can poke the holes in it to thread the book together. I first used an awl to put another hole in a leather belt. Pro-tip, if you don’t want to poke yourself on an awl, grab an old wine cork and just stick it on the pointy end.

An interesting item to add to your basic art kit is a bone folder. This is a piece of plastic, about 5inches long like and shaped like a thick rounded tongue depressor with one pointy end. They used to be made out of bone, and you use it to sharpen creases or to fold like construction paper or whatever something along the edge. There are all kinds of uses for this guy and they are pretty cheap. Pick one up.

Now let’s talk about paint and, specifically, a paint mixer. This is a little metal tool with a handle which looks like a tiny trowel. And it is used to mix paints together to get a specific color on a palate or even the canvas. This is a very durable painting tool.

In terms of storing your paint, I have two solutions. One is a reusable porcelain dish which looks like a daisy with small sections, so you can mix a bunch of different colors at once. Then wash the dish to get it ready for the next time,

The other idea is still get a bunch of small round soft plastic bottle with lids about the size of pill boxes or larger – you can use each one for a specific mixed color that you going to use over and over on a project. With the lid on the paint will stay fresh and you won’t have to mix a new batch each time you are ready to paint. You can buy them at art supply stores. You can get them in all kinds of different size. I like little ones… you can just throw your paint in them, close it up and then it will be good to go, the next time you need to use that color.

Here are some items I think are pretty self-explanatory: Get a good glue gun with extra glue sticks. Scotch tape and double sided scotch tape are always useful. These are useful with collages and posters and wherever your imagination takes you. You can also get Artist’s Tape. It’s a white tape typically, although it comes in a bunch of different colors, and widths, too. Because it is a low adhesive tape, you can stick the paper that you’re drawing on to your drawing board with this tape. And then when you’re done, you can just take the tape off and it won’t rip your paper.

And I think this is a good place to stop. Of course there are paints and brushes and other items you will want to have, but these artist’s tools will come in handy no matter what kind of art you are producing now and into the future.

As found on Youtube

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Here is a great artist’s Supply Set I found on Amazon: US Art Supply 133pc Deluxe Artist Painting Set with Aluminum and Wood Easels, Paint and Accessories

What are the my most commonly used art supplies? Here are my go-to drawing and painting bits and bobs; pens, paper, the whole lot. But it is not that many things. My style is quite simple and I don’t need that many different supplies.

To start off with, let’s take a look at paper. Sketchbooks are a must, because it is a struggle to keep a handle on lots of loose bits of paper all over the place. And as I mainly use paint and ink in my artwork, I like to use either watercolor or mixed-media paper.

I don’t mind textured paper, but since you can also find watercolor paper that’s a lot smoother, prefer that. So at the moment, I’m using a Daler Rowney mixed-media sketchbook as well as a smaller Strathmore sketchbook. They’re both pretty similar in quality. The Strathmore feels a little bit sturdier. Sometimes I use a Leuchtturm1917 sketchbook because it does well enough with wet application. Ink from my brush pens does feather slightly into the paper, but it’s not something that you notice when you’re looking at the finished drawing, it’s more just how it feels when you’re drawing, like less control over line thickness.

In the past I’ve also really enjoyed using moleskin sketchbooks, especially their watercolor ones. Finally, I always have at least one really rough, cheaper sketchbook for on the go, to encourage me to draw things without worrying about getting it wrong and wasting paper.

For everyday practice I use the A3 sketchbook from Muji and then for doodles and just as a sort of train of thought art journal, I use this SeaWhite Eco sketchbook which is super-cheap! And deals surprisingly well with ink.

Speaking of ink, let’s move on to pens and pencils. I really only use one pencil. It’s this Staedtler mechanical pencil with millimeter graphite and I think HB refills. I just prefer the convenience of not having to sharpen it and always having a really precise line.

If I’m ever doing a proper pencil sketch, like maybe a life drawing study that needs better shading and all that, I use a pencil set I got somewhere, but you can find a lot of different pencil sets, so choose one that fits your needs.

I’d say the main focus of my art is in the inking and linework so the pens I use are really important. I have this white gel pen that I use for details that I’ve seen quite a lot among artists. Um, it’s very basic and it’s very affordable.

I really love my Pentel Pocket Brush pen. I’ve tried a few brush pens over the years and this one has always been the one that I go back to. It is water resistant and it is refillable.

I’ve also been using this Zig Clean Color brush pen which is not water resistant or refillable. I’ve already been through two of them in a few months while I’ve had the same Pentel brush pen for at least a couple of years now. But, something about the brush tip of the Zig pen gives me a lot better control over my line thickness.

When I need to vary my lines or fill in big spaces, I will also use India ink which is water resistant and a lovely and deep black and can have a bit of a glossy finish. I decant the ink into a little jar and then the use whatever paintbrush that fits my needs.

My paintbrush collection is nothing special. I’ve never been good at taking care of brushes, so I’ve always just had this system of buying cheap brushes and then replacing them whenever I need to.

Which is a bit wasteful, I know but I also know that I’m too lazy to give proper brushes the care that they need.

I use flat brushes a lot. I like that you can cover large spaces with them, but also use the pointed edge to get into tight spots. I also have a set of very small precision brushes that I use for line-work and detailing.

My current favorite paint right now is the gouache I use for my paintings, where I sometimes add in watercolor if I’m in the mood. The brand of gouache I use is Winsor and Newton. I also use Reeves, mainly to mix with the Winsor and Newton as the quality of the Reeves paint can be a bit hit and miss. And I have this big tube of white Pebeo gouache paint because I use a lot of white.

I mix my paint on a plastic palette and I wash my brushes in a glass jar.

And that’s kind of it for my basic supplies. If you are uploading your artwork online, you will need a scanner. After a bit of research I ended up being very happy with the Canon Canoscan scanner. This does seem t be a beginner’s scanner and isn’t necessarily the best scanner out there for quality art. The size of it is quite limiting, but it gives me a much truer digital copy of my art than any other scanner I’ve used so far.

Once my art is in the computer, I don’t do too much digital reworking but whenever I do, I use Gimp which is a free software that’s quite similar to photoshop although not as extensive. To learn more about Gimp check out the tutorials here on youtube of how to use it.

There are always other art supplies – eraser and markers and acrylics and so on to have – but I hope this gives you an idea of things to try out and keep on hand.

As found on Youtube

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