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Best Art Supplies for Drawing, Coloring & Creating (Artist-Approved Picks)
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items A curated list of high-quality art supplies I actually use and recommend - featuring reliable tools for drawing, coloring and creating. These supplies deliver smooth performance, rich color, and consistent results, whether you're a beginner or an exp...
Sections
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Core Drawing & Coloring Essentials
Paper and Sketch Surfaces
Best Starter & Versatile Art Kits
Specialty Tools and Extras
Core Drawing & Coloring Essentials
Perfect for foundational art and everyday creativity - these tools are versatile for drawing, sketching, coloring and illustration.
Artist-favorite colored pencils with soft, blendable cores and rich pigment - ideal for detailed coloring and layered shading that I love!
I am a lifelong fan of these Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils - Set of 150
Classic graphite pencil set with a range of hardnesses - perfect for sketching, shading and the lead has never broke on me when I sharpen.
I've used Faber Castell since I was a teenager! These pencils have always had the best quality.
Affordable, vibrant colored pencils with reliable quality - great for students, hobbyists, and colorists.
I love Staedtler Colored Pencils for budget-friendliness that are effective.
Professional-quality charcoal and graphite pencils with tools for blending and erasing - these are excellent for fine line work and deep contrast when I sketch.
I love Winsor & Newton Sketching Pencils for fine detail!
Great smaller set with rich pigment and smooth laydown, absolutely great for drawing portaits.
I love Prismacolor Portrait Colored Pencils for drawing life-like true skin tones
Waterproof, quick-dry ink pens loved for fine details and illustration work. I swear by these.
When I do dotwork and fine pen sketch, Sakura Pigma Micron Pens are the best!
These brush pens are fantastic. I was so surprised that they didn't bleed through the page. Brush tips + pigment pens are ideal for expressive line work and mixed media.
Leakproof! Staedtler Pigment Arts Brush Pens Are Like Magic!
Paper and Sketch Surfaces
Great paper makes all the difference - these papers and pads are reliable for pencils, ink, markers, and more.
I love this drawing pad for being acid-free, smooth surface that holds graphite, ink, and markers WITHOUT tearing.
As a Lefty - I approve of this Strathmore Drawing Paper Pad
This is fantastic for big projects with sketching. Continuous roll paper for tracing - excellent for practice and layouts.
I love this for big projects! Canson Tracing Sketch Roll is perfect!
This set is super handy for traveling; it comes with a pad and pencils - perfect for anywhere!
Great for on the go! I use this Royal & Langnickel® Keep N' Carry™ set a ton!
I love this paper for watercolor, graphite, oil pastel, gouache, painting and marker!
If you are looking for the best 4x4 vehicle of the art paper world, this is it!
Best Starter & Versatile Art Kits
All-in-one sets make it easy to start creating - especially great for beginners or as gifts!
This set is a great all-purpose starter kit blending sketch, color and charcoal tools. I personally love this kit.
Fantastic Drawing Set and Case that is well loved by anyone!
I love this larger set that offers lots of tools for experimentation. Creativity is endless!
I can tell you - this set has quite a large offering of art options!
This is a balanced kit of sketching and coloring tools - perfect for mixed media. Great for beginners!
Well organized and ready for the next drawing adventure, my teenager loves this set!
This is a big value art set with a nice range of materials to explore for every artist!
Jam packed with options for art! I love the variety that comes in this set!
Specialty Tools and Extras
Add Finishing Touches, Detail Work, and Versatility to Your Art with these Specialized Items!
This amazing kit comes with pencils, sketching tools, and more - perfect for anyone in the art world!
The Best All-in-One Kit for Any Stage Artist
These colored pencils are beyond incredible. Words don't even describe how actually amazingly pigmented these are - smooth blending and rich color!
Ohuhu Halawa is the bees-knees! I love this brand SO much!
This set is solely lasered focused on Manga and Illustration Styles, and it is perfect for it!
This Prismacolor Scholar Manga Drawing Set is fantastic for those who love to draw characters!
This teeny little travel paint set is serious business because I cannot tell you have many times I have been somewhere that I want to capture on canvas. This is genius!
Cutest portable paint set I have ever seen and it is on my wish list!
Fast drying? Vibrant colors? AND a colorless blender? I have tried many brands, and Ohuhu takes the title. I will recommend these all day long!
I have tried a lot of Alcohol Markers, and these are hands down, the best!
My ultimate dream is to have the complete set, but since quantity makes the wallet get lighter, the best overall pick I have for your most used colors, are these in the Posca Pen realm. The colors are insanely vibrant, I never usually have to do more...
The grip these have on me - I could draw forever with these marker pens!
I've tried a ton of glitter gel pens, since I was in 7th grade when they became hugely popular. These are THE best I have used. Not only does the ink apply seamlessly (without having to scratch up the paper to do multiple layers of color to get it sh...
I was in search of the ultimate truly sparkly gel pens for years, and then these immediately impressed me!