Not everyone has the ability to drop an entire paycheck worth of money into their creativity. These are some of the best supplies out there that are budget friendly, and will provide you a pleasent creative experience.
Sections
6
Acrylic Painting Kit
Oil Painting Kit
Watercolor Painting Kit
Drawing Kit
Ink & Illustration Kit
Gouache Painting Kit
Acrylic Painting Kit
This version of the Liquitex BASICS line is more of their heavy body acrylic. This would be the next step up and color matches to the more expensive Liquitex line.
Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paints and Sets
Same as the standard BASICS line but in a more fluid acrylic form similar to the more premium Golden Fluid acrylic.
Liquitex Basics Acrylic Fluid Paints and Sets
A step up from both the Blickcrylic Student line and Liquitex Basics. More pigmented and highly mixable.
Blick Studio Acrylic Paints and Sets
A great canvas alternative. Also no worry about the canvas sagging down the line and it holds a decent archival quality.
Blick Premier Heavyweight Cotton Archival Panels
More geared toward sketches and studies, but this heavy weight paper holds up to acrylic washes well.
Canson XL Mixed Media Wirebound Pads
While not my personal favorite it is a good starter wet palette. Make sure that when you prep the sponge you use either distilled water or a few drops of white vinegar with the water to prevent mold build up in the palette.
Masterson StaWet Handy Palette
Is this palette geared toward watercolors? Yes. But it can also help keep your acrylics workable overnight with a spray of water over the surface of your paints. They will still dry out but the lid also helps prevent messes when working in a more res...
Meeden Airtight Leakproof Watercolor Palettes
Golden Taklon brushes are my go to and these provide the experience but at a lower cost. They come in sets of brushes so you can try a few new brush shapes without breaking the bank.
Princeton SNAP! Series 9650 Golden Synthetic Brushes and Sets
A little pricier in the budget realm but the quality is a step up to go along with the price.
Royal & Langnickel Zen All Media Brushes and Sets
Really key for the more heavy body acrylics but no need to break the bank with metal palette knives with acrylics.
Blick Essentials Palette Knife Value Set
The little brother to their Ultimate rinse cup. Add one of these to any cup you have for some extra cleaning power to your rinse cup.
Paint Puck Brush Cleaner
Little pricier than the mini pucks but if you don't have a dedicated space and you don't want to ruin your favorite mug, this is a great option that is portable and does the same job as their Ultimate Rinse Cup.
Paint Puck CollapsiBowl Portable Brush Cleaner
Oil Painting Kit
A great starter set of colors. The pigmentation load is great and the overall chemistry is less caustic then others. (Oil paints are more naturally chemical intense with the additional chemicals you need to work with them)
Gamblin 1980 Oil Paints and Set
Another great Oil color option. A bit waxier than others, but it makes up for it for color matching to the more premium versions of Windsor & Newton colors.
Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Paints and Sets
These work great for acrylic too, but with the heavier body of paints compared to acrylic, these shine with oils. Canvas panels are also great as well (see the Acrylic Painting Kit).
American Easel Gessoed Wood Painting Panels
The paper palette is great for beginners who don't want to get and store a full blown palette.
New Wave Grey Pad Disposable Palettes
A solid budget wooden palette that gives the vibes of classic artists. This is an unfinished palette so you will need to prime it with oil to make sure your paints to not absorb into the palette itself. A few coats of linseed oil with a paper towel w...
Kingart Oval Wooden Palette
A staple for not only priming your palette, but also thinning your paints to a more workable consistency or for glazing methods.
Gamblin Refined Linseed Oil
While you can use the plastic palette knives, you'll get a better experience using a full metal palette knife. These are great for their value when just starting out.
Blick Palette Knives by RGM
You cannnot clean your brushes with just water. You'll need to use a solvent to remove the paint. Additionally this will also condition your brushes so you can make the most out of your investment.
Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits
Watercolor Painting Kit
A great starter set of tube acrylic paints to test the water so to speak. The pigmentation is not as strong as the premium Windsor & Newton Watercolors, but the color matching is there.
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Paint Tubes and Sets
If your more comfortable with the prefilled pans of watercolors from grade school days, this provides that familiarity but with a more customizable palette.
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Pans and Sets
Great paper for practice. The heavy weight can take the watercolor paint well. Not as highly textured as other options but the price is great.
Canson XL Watercolor Pads
Still in the budget wheelhouse, and the same weight as the Canson but more highly textured like your more premium watercolor papers.
Bee Creative Watercolor Book
A great option for tube watercolors. Can't accept pans but with the built in mixing tray it goes the distance.
Meeden Airtight Leakproof Watercolor Palettes
While most watercolor palettes include a mixing tray, this is a great budget upgrade for those wanted to try a ceramic palette. Its easy to clean and versitile.
Meeden Porcelain Mixing Tray
These soft brushes are great for washes but maintain a great tip for finer work. Again, buying in packs helps save money and lets you test multiple shapes of brushes.
Princeton Neptune Series 4750 Synthetic Squirrel Brushes and Sets
R&L are one of my favorite brushes and this budget option is a great entry point for those starting out.
Royal & Langnickel Zen Synthetic and Natural Blend Watercolor Brushes and Set
Not a requirement but great for doing watercolor studies on the go. No need for a well of water as you can just fill up the pen.
Pentel Aquash Water Brushes and Sets
Drawing Kit
Great set of basic tones for graphite drawing. Sturdy pencils that will carry you far.
Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencils and Sets
A step above crayola colored pencils, but not as pricy as their Polychromo line.
FaberCastell Goldfaber Color Pencils and Sets
The last stop before you hit actual Prismacolor Premeir line. Soft and blendable.
Prismacolor Scholar Art Pencil Sets
A toothier surface great for graphite and ink application. But keep your watercolor and acrylics away from this.
Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Paper Pads
If you are looking to blend your dry and wet mediums this is the material for you. Great overall working surface.
Canson XL Mixed Media Wirebound Pads
This is a workhorse of an eraser. There is not much more to say about these as they can do it all.
Blick Kneaded Erasers
A bit more of a splurge, but not as much cost. These thin erasers do a lot of milage getting into small areas that the kneaded eraser can't always conform to.
Tombow Mono Zero Refillable Eraser
Not much to say, you need a solid sharpener when it comes to your dry mediums.
Lyra Twin Hole Metal Sharpener
Ink & Illustration Kit
A great set of budget fineliners. Coming in just below Sakura Microns.
Uni Pin Fine Liner Pens and Sets
A great brush tip pen to work on your beginning strokes. Can easily achieive fine and broad lines.
Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
This is the pen that most people think of when starting with inking. And it is super budget friendly too.
Sakura Pigma Micron Pens and Sets
If you are using inkwells then you'll want to get a basic pen and nib set. This gets you the basic shapes for both inking and caligraphy.
Speedball Sketching Project Set
Speedball Super Black is the standard no mater your price range. Nothin really holds a candle to its quality.
Speedball Super Black Waterproof India Ink
Bristol Board is the best for inking. Its standard in all illustration and comic drawing. This is not as heavy as others but the price is great and quality is still there.
Strathmore 300 Series Bristol Board Pads
If you want to try your hand at ink washing, having a ceramic wells palette is key. Easily thin your ink to the consistency and you can use any of the Acrylic brushes for application.
Yasutomo Flower Porcelain Dish
Great for those fine highlights in the inking process.
