When I was in 7th grade I took my first art class. That was the beginning and the end of my career search. From there on out I knew I wanted to be an artist of some kind. It wasn’t until college that I pinpointed graphic design as my major, but having taken so many fine art classes through jr. high and high school and college, I definitely love every aspect of art. I think that is why I have had so many side-businesses in the arts. From painting murals in homes, to interior design and designing stationery as well as designing websites and other print materials. Everything requires the same skills. Creative problem solving, color, balance, scale. But, it took years of practicing, approval from my parents that art could be a viable career (it helped having a dad that was an architect) and having the right tools available.
How do you cultivate creativity in your home with your kids but also yourself, especially if you yourself don’t have an artistic bone in your body (or so you say)? Be open to exploration. Encourage play (especially the messy kind). And last but not least, have the right art supplies on hand. To help you with that, here are my top 10 picks along with shopping links to help you get them in your house asap. All these picks are inexpensive, so stocking up on all 10 is a doable thing and will lead to hours of creative fun and play!
1. Tombow Dual Brush Markers
One of my new favorites, Tombow markers come in 96 colors which you can buy in one big lot or in smaller more manageable bite size chunks of 10 pens. There are two sides to this pen. The brush tip with is a rather long, really flexible tip that allows for calligraphy and specialty effects such as watercolors. The other side is a finer tougher tip that is good for more detailed drawings, outlining your drawings or fonts.
To make it easy to get started, here is some free downloadable lettering pages.
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Tombow Marker full kit
Bright Kit
Pastel Kit
2. Sharpies
Like the Tombow brush pens, Sharpies come in a multitude of colors. But unlike the Tombow’s above, these have rigid tips, so there isn’t that brush like flexibility that the brush tip has. That allows for a different type of art, and somehow, they feel more permanent. It might be the “permanent” label that they have etched on their side, or it could be the fact that the drawings tend to be thicker, heavier and more dense. I was just able to pick up a pretty large pack of Sharpies for one of our kids from Costco for about $18. It was around the holidays, so they don’t have the deal now, but if when they do, snatch it up. Some of the great modern artists are using Sharpies to create some of their art, maybe someone in your household can join the ranks!
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3. Watercolors and Brushes
This is a two part-er. I have to say, I just got the Pentel water brushes for my birthday and I love them. They come in three different widths and the best part is that the water is in the stem of the brush which not only makes it easy when you are loading your brush but clean up is a snap because it’s essentially self-cleaning. And of course, to go with your new fabulous brushes, you have to have some good watercolors. You could of course, go with the inexpensive Crayola watercolors that come in 8 colors or go with a more extensive pack for more variety. I have a 32 pack and I love it.
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Water Color Pallet
Pentel Water Brush
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4. Colored Pencils
There is a reason that colored pencils are a staple for every classroom. Not only are they super colorful but easy to use, don’t make a mess and you can shade to create more realistic pictures. They are also really inexpensive which is what you need when you are building up your art supplies.
5. Graphite Pencils
Talk about simple, inexpensive and portable. This is hands down the #1 art tool. Somehow, this tool helps make you free to draw, write, create. It might have to do with the fact that you can erase it easily, so it doesn’t feel so permanent and well, permanent! Get a variety of weights to allow for really super lightweight drawing lines, to thicker, heavier lines for shadows.
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6. Ink drawing pens in different widths
Pen and ink drawings are some of my favorites to look at. From simple sketches of buildings to portraits to landscapes using a pen is a step up from using a pencil. Creating lined drawings are an easy way to take a sketch and finalizing it. They can be so effective, they are fun to frame and use as art. My favorites are the Micron pens, but there are a ton of different options and different weights.
7. Erasers
I think most of us are so afraid to even try our hand at drawing or painting because we are afraid of it not looking right, or of failing in some ways. It’s a good thing that we have erasers because I think just having an eraser around allows us the freedom to make a mistake because we know we can just make it disappear. Ah, if only life was like that sometimes!
8. Art Paper
Of course, with all these different types of mediums you need paper to go along with it. Different papers offer a lot of surfaces that are needed for all the different mediums. Buying several different types to keep on hand allows for success with all your different new pens, pencils and markers.
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Sketch paper – great for pencils and lightweight pens
Watercolor paper – great for water based mediums such as watercolors and using your Tombow pens with water
Marker Paper – Smooth dense paper great for using with markers and making sure they don’t leak through the paper.
9. Books & resources… to learn just about anything!
As you know, there are books on pretty much everything, learning different art techniques is no exception. In addition to books, there are so many online resources. Doing a quick search on Pinterest for “learn brush lettering”, “learn sharpie art” or “learn tombow brush pens” will bring up tons of tutorials. You can also use subscription based companies such as skillshare.com (one of my favorites) to learn other artistic endeavors. Anyway you learn is fine with me, but, learn you must!
10. Kraft Paper to Protect the Messes (which are bound to happen)
Part of learning how to use your new markers/paints/pens or water ever you are learning is making a mess in the process. The best way to feel fully free or let your kids explore and be free when using their art supplies is to protect your area. That could mean laying down a cheap sheet, kraft paper on the table or any other kind of protection. The fun of learning something new shouldn’t be dampened by the scare that you might make a mess. I would actually argue, that if you weren’t making a mess, then you weren’t really exploring and learning something new. So protect away so you can practice!
I hope that all these suggestions will get you on your way to learning something new. These are all tools I love and use and can’t wait till you can learn something new too! Comment below if you have any other tools that you would suggest!
Great list of supplies! I have many of these on hand for myself and my 8-year-old daughter!
Thanks Jen!