The best art supplies for your studio
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The best art supplies can cost a pretty penny, but you don't have to spend all your savings to get great materials. We've rounded up the best art supplies you can buy online, including 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 will serve you just as well, provided you have the talent. We've 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.
These are the best sketchbooks, graphite pencils, charcoal, colored pencils, erasers, pastels, watercolors, acrylics, oil paints, brushes, and canvas you can buy without breaking the bank. Read on to see all the top picks.
The best sketchbook
Why you'll love it: Strathmore makes excellent sketchbooks with all kinds of paper, including drawing, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, and more.
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 of paper. No matter what media you choose, these sketchbooks can handle it.
Of course, the standard paper will warp if you do watercolors on it, but for any kind of pen, pencil, marker, or other drawing implement, it will do the job. The paper is a good thickness and weight.
When it comes to the watercolor paper, it's sturdy and strong enough to stand up to lots of water. The charcoal and pastel paper have a wonderful texture to them that really works for the softer media and good blending. Starthmore's prices are fairly reasonable, too, so you can sketch away.
Pros: Sturdy sketchbooks, great paper quality, paper types for different media, affordable
Cons: Larger sizes cost more, specialty papers have less pages
Buy two Strathmore Series 400 Sketch Pads, 9 x 12, Wire Bound, 100 Sheets on Amazon for $19.75
Buy the Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor Pad, 9 x 12, Wire Bound, 12 Sheets on Amazon for $8.30 (originally $16.99)
Buy the Strathmore 300 Series Charcoal Pad, White, 11 x 17, Wire Bound, 32 Sheets on Amazon for $7.69 (originally $16.99)
Buy the Strathmore 400 Series Pastel Pad, Assorted Colors, 18 x 24 Glue Bound, 24 Sheets on Amazon for $20.93 (originally $24.29)
The best graphite pencils
Why you'll love it: The Staedtler Pencil Mars Lumograph 12-Piece Set comes with all the graphite pencils you need to draw like a pro.
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 safe keeping, they're easy to sharpen, and they're 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.
Pros: Bold graphite pencils, 8B to 6H range, affordable, long lasting
Cons: None
Buy the Staedtler Pencil Mars Lumograph, 12 Pieces Set on Amazon for $14.86 (originally $20.28)
The best charcoal drawing set
Why you'll love it: General 33-Piece Classic Charcoal Drawing Set has every kind of charcoal you need to create beautiful work.
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.
Pros: Big set with many pieces, includes white and black charcoal, comes with eraser, charcoal sticks and pencils, affordable
Cons: None
Buy the General 33-Piece Classic Charcoal Drawing Set on Amazon for $22.89 (originally $29.99)
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