Best Art Tools for Beginner Artists

When you begin learning to draw, paint, sculpt, or otherwise create art, it's difficult to know where to begin. The large quantity of information available in the form of books, videos, and Internet websites is confusing and difficult to sort through. Art supplies also can be very expensive, so most beginners want to minimize the start-up cost. The cheapest and easiest way to start learning art is to use these essential tools to start and then expand as you learn about your interests and personal style.

1. Pencil

Whether you want to eventually learn to paint in oils or carve in stone, you should begin learning art with a pencil. It's a simple, easy to use tool that can create on paper anything you have a mind to create. With it you can learn about form and shape, light and shadows, and composition, all of which are the foundation of any form of art. You can use a regular #2 pencils to start; however, purchasing a soft pencil, such as 2B or 3B, can help with creating a fuller range of light and shade.

2. Kneaded Eraser

The kneaded eraser complements your pencil. Once again, you can use a regular pink eraser, but they tend to leave behind pink streaks and can't erase but so small of areas. A kneaded eraser has a soft, malleable texture so it can be formed like clay into different shapes. This means you can create a point to erase a small area. A kneaded eraser can also be used to blend and lighten pencil marks. When it gets dirty, you can then simply knead the eraser like dough until it's clean again.

3. Drawing Paper

You can use cheap printer paper at first, but you'll find that it's difficult to work on as it's easily destroyed by repeated erasing and wrinkles from resting your hand on it. You don't have to feel pressured to buy an expensive drawing pad. Any paper with a hint of tooth (texture) and more weight to it than printer paper with serve you better in the long run. As you get more experienced you can experiment and try different kinds of paper to learn what you like best.

4. A basic set of watercolors/pastels/clay/etc.

Most artists will tell you that you should learn the basics with pencil before venturing into other mediums as they require the same skills as pencil plus some. However, if you are interested in art only because of a particular medium, it's almost cruel to require that you not even touch it for years. So get a small, basic set of your medium of choice, but remember to continue practicing the basics of form, lighting, and composition with your pencil and paper.