…when it comes to making art? It can be a bit daunting for us to find the time to make art living in society that promotes constant productivity. Here in the US where I live we are celebrated for being exhausted and put down for taking breaks, let alone making art just to make art. Then sometimes when we do find the time to create it is difficult to know where to begin and what materials to use. It does not have to be that way. We can approach making art with playfulness and without expectations for the outcome. We can make art just for fun!

Today I am going to share with you what I believe to be the basic art materials and supplies needed to get your creative juices flowing for 15 minutes or 15 hours. I’ll share my go-to art supplies plus alternative options with a variety of price points. As you read through this basic yet extensive list Remember two things:

You don’t have to call yourself an “artist” to begin carving out the time and space for creating.
You do not have to collect or buy all of these materials at once. Start with what you already have and add to your collection slowly. Or, if you already have some of these materials you may purchase some of the items on this list that you are really drawn to and from there, build your collection of your own go-to art materials. Cheers to moving at your own pace!

Now let’s get to the list..

art materials from left to right, paint brushes, hole puncher, glue stick, pencils, pencil. sharpener, fountain pen, tube of black paint, tub of white paint, water cup, bottle of turquoise paint, bottle of yellow paint, bottle of magenta paint, scissors, sketchbook with Inktense blocks on top

PAINT BRUSHES: If you have the desire to make art for the first time you may have thought of painting. Or maybe you are a graphic designer ready to work with brushes and paint, or you remember when you were little how fun it was to push bright colors along paper to create fantastical scenes. Here I will share my favorite brushes and a few fun options.

My favorite brushes are the ones that can stand up to sitting in paint water overnight from time to time. Those that are made of wood without painted coating are the best:

GOOD BRUSHES: Princeton Real Value Brush Sets

ECO-FRIENDLY BRUSHES: Eco-friendly Fine Art Brushes

SPLURGE ON THESE BRUSHES: Da Vinci Cosmotop Spin Watercolor Brush Quill

SMALL BUSINESS BRUSHES: Creative Mark FX Effects Taklon Brushes

PAINT: I order most of my paints from Blick.com because they have a huge variety of colors and brands. There is no such thing as eco-friendly acrylic paint so I am also sharing some of my watercolor favorites and here is an important link to how to properly dispose of acrylic paints .

GOOD ACRYLIC PAINTS: Blick Studio Acrylic Paints and Sets

MY FAVORITE ACRYLIC PAINTS: Golden Paints + Liquitex Paints

BLACK-OWNED WATERCOLOR PAINT BUSINESS: Black Sheep Art Supply

ECO-FRIENDLY + WOMEN OWNED PAINTS : Natural Earth Paint

INDIGENOUS MADE WATERCOLOR PAINTS: Beam Paints

GOOD WATERCOLORS: Raphaël Watercolor Travel Pan Set

PAINT WATER CUP: I love being able to paint wherever I go so I bought a set of stainless steel camping cups for about $30. You can also use any container around the house such as mason jars, used food jars, teacups, you name it.

SKETCHBOOKS: There really is no limit the kinds of paper and surfaces you can make marks on. If you are just starting out playing with art I recommend a mixed media sketchbook which come in different sizes, orientations and materials. Go with your gut on this and choose a mixed media sketchbook that you are drawn to and that fits your lifestyle and budget. Pictured above is a watercolor sketchbook by Moleskin.

GOOD SKETCHBOOKS: Canson XL Mix Media Pads

ECO-FRIENDLY SKETCHBOOKS: Cottonwood Arts

HANDMADE SKETCHBOOKS: Lonetta Avelar Designs

BLACK-OWNED PAPER GOODS: Goodee

SCISSORS: I adore a good pair of sharp scissors for all of my mixed media needs. You can really get fancy with scissors!

GOOD SCISSORS: X-Acto Multi Material Scissors

FANCY SCISSORS: U Brands

EVEN FANCIER SCISSORS: Drop-forged Scissors

RECYCLED SCISSORS: Fiskar Recycled Scissors

PENS + PENCILS: the pencils that I like to use are simple and bold.

SIMPLE + BOLD PENCILS: Derwent Fine Art Pencil Pack - Sketching

BLACK-OWNED STATIONARY/PENS/PENCILS: Greer Chicago