Art Supplies for Kids

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Basic Art Supplies for Creative Kids

As an art teacher, I am asked what to include in an art kit for school-age children. Which markers, colored pencils, and paints do you need? What about paper and brushes and something to carry them all in?

This lens will give you some ideas for quality art supplies for your children and some ideas for how to organize them once you have them in your hands.

Start with the basics and then add some of the fun stuff as you can afford them! Quality art supplies are always a great investment and give great results.

Why Buy Quality Art Supplies?

Art Supplies for KidsI like to buy higher quality supplies so they last all year and the results tend to be better. The initial investment is well worth the extra dollars. Training the children to respect the art supplies is part of the process of learning how to draw.

Storing your art supplies properly and keeping the accessible are both important aspects of getting the most our of your quality art supplies.

In our family I usually have a small art supply budget that I will divide between buying something new to try with the children as well as restock our favorites. Year by year our art supply closet has been stocked with a wide variety of art supplies that we love and know how to use well.

Basic Drawing Supplies

See the Amazon links below for more details.

Here are the basic items to include to get your child started.
  1. Drawing pencils
  2. Kneaded erasers
  3. Sketchpad
  4. Tortillion
  5. Watercolor colored pencils

Drawing Supplies on Amazon.com

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How to Use a Tortillon (Blending tool)

Question from a reader answered.

Pencil blendingTortillons are made of paper and they are used to blend pencil, charcoal, or pastels for shading and shadows. You use them like you would use your finger to blend as you draw. After you put down your pencil, use the tortillon to smudge the graphite to blend and shade.

Al alternative to using a tortillon is to use a kneaded eraser or your finger. The paper tortillon is just another choice that artists can have on hand and children love to play around with them. They are so inexpensive that you can have several on hand at all times.

Quality Markers From Prismacolor - Artist Quality

Double-Ended for More Options

These are our special art markers that we use for art projects. If you train your children to use them properly, they will last a long time.

Two different tips on each marker stretch the variety of lines and shades you get with these quality markers. This means you get twice as many options for your money well spent. Be careful though, these will bleed through your paper so don't attempt to draw on both sides of a sheet.

Sanford(R) Prismacolor(R) Professional Art Markers, Primary/ Secondary Colors, Set Of 12

Amazon Price: $16.00 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

This set will give you great results right from the start.

Another Great Choice for Thin Tip Markers

We use these everyday!

Crayola 50ct Washable Super Tips with Silly Scents

Amazon Price: $6.81 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

Even though these are a Crayola kids product, my high school age sons love them the best out of all the markers we have on hand. There are a lot of great colors and they don't bleed through the paper.

Lots of great color choices!

Note: There are a few that are "silly scents" so if you are fragrance sensitive, you may not want to purchase this set.

Markers Can Be Used With All Ages

Art Copywork for Edward Hopper with Markers

Grant Wood - Recreated with Markers

My sons enjoy recreating great artwork with markers. In fact, they enjoy using Crayola Brand markers for most of their projects. The artwork above was done with Crayola Silly Scents linked above. Read more about art copywork on my blog Harmony Art Mom.

Playing With Color

Colored Pencils

Colored Pencil Tutorial

Here is one of my video tutorials.

Colored Pencil Tutorial
by harmonyartmom | video info

289 ratings | 165,396 views
curated content from YouTube

Fun Stuff Beyond the Basics

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Watercolor Colored Pencil Tutorial

My Prismacolor Tutorial on YouTube.com

Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils Demo
by harmonyartmom | video info

67 ratings | 58,367 views
curated content from YouTube

Keep Your Art Supplies Organized 

Rolling Carts With Drawers for Organization

We use two of these sorts of carts to hold our art supplies. You can view more about our art organization on my blog Harmony Art Mom.

Sterilite 28228002 4-Drawer Cart White with See-Through Drawers and Black Casters, 2-Pack

Amazon Price: $62.99 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

Keeping your supplies organized and close at hand is the key to using them regularly. We like to roll our carts to our work area for easy access. It also helps train your children to keep things picked up and organized when they are finished using their supplies.

Drawing Books to Use with These Supplies

This list would be my suggestion for a basic art supply list for using with Drawing With Children, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, or any Mark Kistler drawing book.

If you would like some step by step instructions in learning to draw, you can visit my Drawing With Children page here on Squidoo.
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Painting Supplies

Just a few Ideas

Look for all these sorts of products at your local art supply store. Try Hobby Lobby or Michael's or Joanns for the best prices. I always use a coupon!

Acrylics on a Palette
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art supplies, art organization, colored pencils

Keep Your Supplies Handy! 

Supply Organization is The Key To More Creativity

We keep our pencils organized by type in different Art Bins.
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Splurges for Your Art Supply Closet

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Watercolor Crayon Demonstration

My Own Watercolor Crayon Tutorial on YouTube.com

A short demonstration showing how to use watercolor crayons.
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Oil Pastel Demonstration

My Oil Pastel Tutorial on YouTube.com

Short demonstration showing beginners how to use oil pastels.
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Oil Pastels for Young Hands

Sakura Cray Pas Expressionist Oil Pastels, Assorted Colors, 16-Pack

Amazon Price: $4.40 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

This set will give you lots of color choices for art projects with your children. These are a little messy but the blending ability of the oil pastels makes them a great choice for beginners.

Oil Pastels or Cray Pas

Artist Reproduction with Oil Pastels

Oil Pastel Project - Degas's Ballet Dancers

Degas is the perfect artist to recreate with oil pastels. You can see how they do a great job of blending and covering. Give these a try with your next art project.

More Fun Stuff to Have on Hand

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How To Sharpen Prismacolor Colored Pencils

Short Information Video from DickBlick.com

You can find the featured sharpener on Amazon.com.
Prismacolor Oval Pencil Sharpener
How to Properly Sharpen Prismacolor Pencils
by BlickVideos | video info

121 ratings | 88,794 views
curated content from YouTube

About Me

Harmony Art Mom Blog
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I love to hear your comments!

  • naheedahsan Feb 17, 2012 @ 1:31 pm | delete
    Wonderful....,Awesome products.!
  • rottenpixies Jan 8, 2012 @ 6:51 pm | delete
    Wonderful post! I really enjoyed it. A lot of useful information and very inspiring. Squid-Liked!
  • grannyann Jan 8, 2012 @ 6:40 pm | delete
    This is a really great lens with tons of information. How about some SquidAngel dust as I leave. Have a great year.
  • leeleon Jan 8, 2012 @ 3:44 am | delete
    good article
  • Mar1anneC Jan 8, 2012 @ 2:20 am | delete
    Great lens!
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HarmonyArtMom

Mom of four, fourteen years of homeschooling, passionate about art, music, and nature study. See Harmony Fine Arts and my Squidoo Bio for more about me... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Need Some Art Projects to Work On? 

Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters (Bright Ideas for Learning)

Amazon Price: $11.40 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

This book will be sure to become one of your favorite art appreciation and art skill books for your children!

Would your child like to watercolor? 

This book will get you started.

Watercolor: For the Artistically Undiscovered (Klutz)

Amazon Price: $12.29 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

Our family loves this book because it takes you through simple to follow steps to learn various watercoloring techniques right on the pages of the book. Comes with watercolor paper, paints, and a brush!

Sketch Pads for Your Young Artists 

Canson Universal Sketch Paper Pad 9x12": 100 Sheets

Amazon Price: $4.73 (as of 05/27/2012)Buy Now

We like to use spiral bound sketch pads since they lay flat when you work in them. They are durable and easy to carry with you when you are outdoors as well.