Drawing of Desk Covered in Art Utensils
The best art supplies in 2021, from sketchbooks to pastels
Updated
2021-08-16T22:17:53Z
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- Here are the best art supplies you can buy:
- The best sketchbook
- The best graphite pencils
- The best charcoal drawing set
- The best colored pencils
- The best erasers
- The best pastels
- The best watercolors
- The best acrylic paint
- The best oil paint
- The best brushes
- The best canvas
- Check out our guide to the best college supplies and dorm essentials
- The best art supplies can be expensive, but you don't have to spend a lot to get great materials.
- We've rounded up the best traditional art supplies you can buy online.
- Our list includes graphite, charcoal, pastels, watercolors, acrylic, oil paints, sketchbooks, canvas, and more.
If you're going off to art school or you just love to create, you need quality art supplies. While artists who've made it past the "starving artist" stage may use incredibly expensive supplies to create their masterpieces, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on top-tier materials.
Often, more affordable options can serve you just as well, provided you have the know-how to make them work to your advantage. We rounded up many of the basic art supplies you need in your studio in one handy guide.
As someone who's been drawing since I could hold a crayon, I've been through my fair share of graphite pencils, charcoal, sketchbooks, erasers, and paint sets. I've tried dozens of different brands over the years, and some are still my favorites.
Here are the best art supplies you can buy:
- Best sketchbooks:Strathmore sketchbooks
- Best graphite pencils:Staedtler Pencil Mars Lumograph 12-Piece Set
- Best charcoal: General 33-piece charcoal set
- Best colored pencils:Prismacolor Quality Art 48 Pencil Set
- Best erasers: Prismacolor Premier Kneaded, ArtGum, and Plastic Erasers
- Best pastels: Sennelier, Van Gogh, Koh-i-noor, and Prismacolor
- Best watercolors: Winsor & Newton watercolor paint and Derwent watercolor pencils
- Best acrylic paints: Liquitex BASICS Set and Winsor & Newton Galeria Set
- Best oil paints: Winsor & Newton, Gamblin, and Williamsburg
- Best paintbrushes: Da Vinci brushes
- Best canvas: Fredrix canvas
The best sketchbook
Strathmore makes excellent sketchbooks with all kinds of paper, including drawing, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, and more.
Pros: Sturdy sketchbooks, great paper quality, paper types for different media, affordable
Cons: Larger sizes cost more, specialty papers have fewer pages
I've used Strathmore sketchbooks for years. I typically buy the ones with recycled paper, but I've also used the pastel, charcoal, and watercolor pads for when I need a different texture. No matter which media you choose, these sketchbooks can handle it.
The standard paper will warp if you use watercolors on it, but for any kind of pen, pencil, marker, or another drawing implement, it will do the job — it's a good thickness and weight.
When it comes to Strathmore's watercolor paper, it's sturdy and strong enough to stand up to lots of water. The charcoal and pastel paper notebooks both have a wonderful texture to them that really works for the softer media and good blending. Strathmore's prices are fairly reasonable, too, so you can sketch away.
Besides the product shown at the top, here are other Strathmore products we recommend:
The best graphite pencils
The Staedtler Pencil Mars Lumograph 12-Piece Set comes with all the graphite pencils you need to draw like a pro.
Pros: Bold graphite pencils, 8B to 6H range, affordable, long-lasting
Cons: None
If you draw with graphite pencils, you know that not all graphite is the same. This Staedtler set comes with 12 pencils in different hardnesses from 8B to 6H. For the uninitiated, the higher the number in front of the B, the softer the lead. Conversely, the higher the number in front of the H, the harder the lead.
Most people will use 2B, HB, and B the most, but if you need deep dark blacks that blend well, you'll need 4B and up. For hard, light lines, H pencils are perfect.
The pencils come in a tin for safekeeping, and they're easy to sharpen and comfortable to hold — even when you draw for hours on end. I've used dozens of graphite pencils, but Staedtler's are the best for the price.
The best charcoal drawing set
General 33-Piece Classic Charcoal Drawing Set has every kind of charcoal you need to create beautiful work.
Pros: Big set with many pieces, includes white and black charcoal; comes with an eraser, charcoal sticks, and pencils; affordable
Cons: None
If you're just getting started with charcoal or you want to try a new medium, this General charcoal set has everything you need, including 18 pencils, 12 sticks, a sharpener, an eraser, and a drawing pad.
Each pencil is labeled with its hardness level, and the set has white charcoal pencils for highlights, too. The kneaded eraser is a great blending tool, but it can also erase any mistakes fairly well. The charcoal sticks come in various thicknesses, so you can work big or small.
The only charcoal types that are missing are powder and vine charcoal, but those are specific tools that most people won't need right away. I've used General charcoal pencils for years, and they can produce some great sketches, even though they're relatively affordable.
The best colored pencils
The Prismacolor Quality Art Set includes 48 colored pencils that are rich in color.
Pros: Bold colors, lots of variety, long-lasting, eraser and sharpener included, affordable
Cons: None
The Prismacolor Quality Art Set comes with 48 colored pencils in beautiful, bright shades. You'll also get a sharpener and a Latex-Free Scholar Eraser in the set.
These colored pencils aren't like the basic Crayola ones you used in elementary school. — they're high-quality, soft lead pencils with rich colors. You can create extraordinary drawings with these Prismacolor pencils or color in an adult coloring book to make a black and white design come to life.
The best erasers
The Prismacolor Premier Kneaded, ArtGum, and Plastic Erasers will erase any mistake you make.
Pros: Three types of erasers, affordable
Cons: None
To err is human, and here to fix your mistakes are Prismacolor's erasers. This three-pack gives you a kneaded rubber eraser, an artist gum eraser, and a latex-free plastic eraser.
I personally only use kneaded erasers, because they work with all media and don't shed eraser bits everywhere, but the ArtGum eraser is great for stubborn graphite and the plastic eraser doesn't shed, either.
Since this set gives you all three, you can pick and choose which one you need based on the medium you're working with.
The best pastels
Sennelier makes the absolute best oil and soft pastels, but Van Gogh, Koh-i-noor, and Prismacolor are fine alternatives.
Pros: Beautiful oil and soft pastels, good variety of colors, strong pigments
Cons: Sennelier's pastels are expensive
One of my favorite mediums is pastel. The rich, bold colors and easy blending make for the perfect drawing experience. Of all the pastels I've used, Sennelier's are the best. Its oil pastels, in particular, are stunning. The richness of the colors is unparalleled and you can feel the oiliness of the pastel. I lust over them every time I got to the art store.
However, Sennelier pastels are very expensive, because they are among the highest quality ones you can buy. Since not everyone can spend hundreds on them — myself included, alas — Van Gogh makes great oil pastels for much less, Koh-i-noor sells wonderful soft pastel pencils, and Prismacolor makes great soft pastels for an affordable price.
I mostly use soft pastel pencils, because the fine tip gives you more control over your drawing and fine detail. However, when you're working big and you need to blend, Prismacolor's pastels are perfect. Van Gogh's oil pastels are nearly as pigmented and rich as Sennelier's and they blend very well. You can even thin them with linseed oil, just like you would for oil paint if you want a painterly look.
Here are the best pastels we recommend:
The best watercolors
Winsor & Newton makes wonderful watercolor paints and sets, while Derwent makes excellent watercolor pencils.
Pros: Bright colors, good variety in the sets, sturdy pencils
Cons: High-end tubes are pricey
While you may think about those plastic sets from elementary school, the best watercolors come in tubes like acrylic and oil paint. You can get good sets in plastic, of course, and there are wonderful watercolor pencils, too. We've got picks for all three.
The Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Color 12-Tube Set is best for the serious watercolor artist who wants a nice set of colors, while the Sketcher's Pocket Box is great for anyone on the go who want a travel-friendly plastic set. Both provide rich, lovely color.
My favorite watercolor pencils are Derwent's because you can get a nice variety of colors without paying too much. The watercolor pencils give you more control over fine details in your paintings, so they may be a fun addition to your supplies.
Here are the best watercolor art supplies we recommend:
The best oil paint
Winsor & Newton, Gamblin, and Williamsburg Handmade oil paints represent very different price points to satisfy any budget.
Pros: Strong colors, affordable options, high-quality options, sets offer good value
Cons: Small tubes, can get expensive if you go with the high-end paint
The most expensive art form you can get into is oil painting, but it's also one of the most flexible. Oil paint is richer than acrylic and it stays wet longer for better mixing, blending, and use over the course of long-term projects.
Winsor & Newton make a good oil paint that's suitable for beginners or artists on a budget. Gamblin falls in the middle, while Williamsburg's handmade oils are considered among the best. They're sold by tubes and not by sets, so you can pick the colors you need.
The differences are in the richness of the pigments, the oils used to make the paints, and the process by which the paint is made. You can spend hundreds on small tubes of the best oils, but these three options will serve you well until you become as famous as Picasso.
Here are the best oil paints we recommend:
The best brushes
Da Vinci makes great brushes for watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting.
Pros: Brushes for all media, relatively affordable, no shedding, sets offer good value
Cons: Real hair and bristle cost more
The main advice we have on brushes is don't get cheap terrible ones that shed all over your canvas.
No matter what medium you paint in, da Vinci Brushes has the brush you need. There are more brushes out there than can be put in a simple guide like this, but da Vinci's wares are relatively affordable and long-lasting, so we've included them here.
Some of the brushes are synthetic, but others are made from real animal hair and bristle. There's a lot of argument over what materials are best, but we've included a mix at different price points.
Here are the best da Vinci brushes we recommend:
The best canvas
Fredrix makes good canvas, and it's almost always cheaper to stretch your own canvas than to buy pre-made ones.
Pros: Canvas is cheaper when you make your own; good quality canvas material, available in primed or unprimed
Cons: Canvas is expensive and time-consuming to make
If you're working in oil or acrylic, it's tempting to buy pre-stretched canvases and have it done. However, you can save loads of money — especially if you paint on huge canvases — if you make your own canvases.
To do it yourself, you'll need wood for the frame, canvas, a staple gun, and canvas pliers to stretch it properly. I've made canvases before, and it may be hard work, but it's worth it.
Fredrix sells canvas in many forms and sizes. You can get it primed or unprimed if you prefer to do it yourself with a giant bucket of gesso or if you just want a raw canvas.
Here are the canvases and accessories we recommend:
Check out our guide to the best college supplies and dorm essentials
The best college supplies and dorm room essentials
Sending your kid off to college is nerve-wracking. The best you can do is impart a few life lessons and outfit your kid's dorm room with all the essentials. We rounded up everything your kid needs for their dorm room from bedding and decor to tech and school supplies.
Malarie Gokey
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Malarie Gokey is the lead training coordinator on the managing editor team at Insider. She works with the director of editorial training to develop trainings, workshops, panels, and other educational resources for the newsroom. In 2017, she joined Insider to create a brand-new buying guides section for the Reviews team with all the best products you can buy online. As guides editor, Malarie edited and published more than 1,500 buying guides. She also served as the Reviews team's first deputy editor, overseeing multiple teams, leading strategy, and managing freelance operations. Learn more about how the Reviews' team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Previously, Malarie was the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends. She led tech coverage for DT at major tech conferences, including CES, IFA, and MWC. She spoke on panels at CES and Digg South, and she has also appeared on CNBC, Fox Business News, Good Morning America, and Cheddar to discuss trends in technology. Apple CEO Tim Cook once quoted a line about the Apple Watch from her guide to the best smartwatches during a keynote presentation. Malarie is also an artist and speaks three languages (so far). Drop her a line at mgokey@insider.com or on Twitter @MalarieGokey. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.
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Drawing of Desk Covered in Art Utensils
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