Top 13 'Hobby-Hopper-Approved' Craft Supplies to create a Versatile Art Station for the Beginner Who Wants to Try Everything - Goh Ling Yong
Are you a creative magpie, constantly distracted by the next shiny new hobby? One week you're mesmerized by watercolor galaxies on Instagram, the next you're convinced you were born to be a clay jewelry artisan. You've fallen down the rabbit hole of bullet journaling, hand-lettering, and embroidery, all within the same month. If this sounds familiar, welcome to the club! You, my friend, are a glorious "hobby-hopper."
There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to dip your toes into every creative pool you find. It’s a sign of a curious and vibrant mind! The only downside? The cost of supplies can stack up faster than your pile of "I'll finish it later" projects. A dedicated set of tools for every single craft is expensive, not to mention a nightmare to store. But what if you could build a single, versatile art station that empowers you to experiment with a dozen different crafts without breaking the bank?
Here at Goh Ling Yong's blog, we believe that creativity should be accessible, joyful, and free from pressure. That's why we've curated the ultimate list of multi-purpose supplies. This isn't about mastering one thing; it's about building a creative playground. These 13 items are the building blocks for a flexible art station, perfect for the beginner who wants to try a little bit of everything.
1. A High-Quality Mixed Media Sketchbook
This is your foundation, your playground, your laboratory. Forget flimsy printer paper that buckles and bleeds at the mere sight of water. A mixed media sketchbook is specifically designed to handle a bit of everything, making it the hobby-hopper’s best friend. Its paper is heavier and more durable than standard drawing paper, but smoother than most watercolor paper.
This means you can sketch with pencils, ink with fineliners, lay down a light watercolor wash, or even paint with acrylics without the paper turning into a pulpy mess. It’s the perfect surface for swatching new colors, testing techniques, or completing a finished piece. For a beginner, this versatility is a game-changer, allowing you to seamlessly transition from one idea to the next.
Pro-Tip: Look for paper weight around 180 gsm (grams per square meter) or higher. A spiral-bound book is fantastic because it lays perfectly flat, giving you a frustration-free surface to work on.
2. A Basic Set of Acrylic Paints
If you can only buy one type of paint, make it acrylics. Their versatility is unmatched. You can use them straight from the tube for thick, opaque, oil-paint-like textures, or you can water them down to a more fluid consistency that behaves similarly to watercolor or gouache. They dry quickly and permanently, which means you can layer colors without creating mud.
The best part? Acrylics adhere to almost any surface. You can use them on your mixed media paper, canvas, wood panels, air-dry clay, fabric, and even glass or metal (with the right primer). Instead of buying a giant set with 48 colors you'll never use, start with a "student grade" starter set that includes the primary colors (red, yellow, blue), plus black and white. This will force you to learn the art of color mixing, a fundamental skill for any artist.
3. A Versatile Pack of Synthetic Brushes
You don't need a jar full of expensive, specialized brushes. A simple, affordable variety pack of synthetic taklon brushes will serve you for dozens of projects. Synthetic brushes are workhorses—they're durable, easy to clean, and work well with acrylics, watercolors, and even for applying glue or sealant.
Look for a pack that includes a few different shapes and sizes. You'll want at least one small round brush for details and lines, a medium-sized flat brush for covering larger areas and making crisp edges, and perhaps an angled or filbert brush for variety. This small arsenal is more than enough to tackle painting, collage, and mixed media art.
4. A Set of Waterproof Black Fineliner Pens
A good set of waterproof fineliners is an absolute must-have. They are the key to bridging the gap between drawing and painting. You can create a detailed ink drawing and then confidently paint over it with watercolors or thinned acrylics without any smudging or bleeding. This technique is the foundation of popular styles like urban sketching and whimsical illustration.
These pens are also perfect on their own for doodling, zentangle patterns, hand-lettering, and journaling. Get a small set with a few different tip sizes (e.g., 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5) to experiment with varying line weights, which will instantly add depth and professionalism to your drawings.
5. Water-Soluble Pencils (Graphite or Colored)
Prepare to be amazed. Water-soluble pencils look and feel just like regular pencils, but they hide a magical secret. After you draw with them, you can go over your sketch with a wet paintbrush, and the lines instantly dissolve into a beautiful, transparent wash of color, just like watercolor paint!
This two-in-one tool is perfect for the hesitant painter. It gives you the control of a pencil with the beautiful, fluid effect of paint. They are fantastic for travel sketching, art journaling, and creating soft, dreamy illustrations. You can start with a simple set of water-soluble graphite pencils for monochrome studies or jump right in with a small set of colored ones.
6. A Craft Knife and Self-Healing Cutting Mat
A sharp pair of scissors is great, but for precision, control, and intricate cuts, nothing beats a craft knife. This tool opens up a whole new world of paper crafts, from cutting out delicate stencils to creating intricate paper-cut art and building 3D models. It's an essential tool for collage, allowing you to precisely extract images from magazines.
However, a craft knife should never be used without its partner: a self-healing cutting mat. This durable mat protects your table from getting sliced up and, more importantly, protects your knife blade from dulling quickly. The "self-healing" surface magically closes over cuts, providing a smooth, reliable cutting surface time and time again.
7. All-in-One Glue, Sealer, and Finish (like Mod Podge)
This is the swiss-army knife of the craft world. A multi-purpose glue like Mod Podge or a good quality PVA glue is a cornerstone of any versatile art station. Of course, you can use it to stick things together for collage and papercrafts. But its true power lies in its other abilities.
You can use it as a sealer to prime porous surfaces like wood or terracotta before painting. You can also use it as a topcoat or varnish to protect your finished projects, from painted rocks to decoupage boxes, giving them a durable, professional finish (it comes in matte, satin, and gloss!). It's the one bottle you'll reach for again and again.
8. A Block of Air-Dry Clay
Ever wanted to try your hand at sculpture without investing in a pottery wheel and kiln? Air-dry clay is your answer. This incredibly user-friendly material allows you to sculpt, shape, and model objects that will harden to a durable, ceramic-like finish simply by being left out in the air.
Use it to create small trinket dishes, beads for jewelry, festive ornaments, or quirky little figurines. Once it's completely dry (which can take 24-72 hours), you can sand it, carve it, and best of all, paint it with the acrylic paints already in your kit! It's a wonderfully tactile and forgiving medium for exploring three-dimensional art.
9. A Basic Pan Set of Watercolors
While acrylics can be thinned to mimic watercolors, they can't replicate the unique transparency and luminous quality of true watercolor paint. A small, inexpensive pan set is the perfect introduction. Pan watercolors are little cakes of dry paint that you activate with a wet brush, making them less intimidating than tubes and incredibly portable.
Watercolors are perfect for art journaling, creating beautiful greeting cards, and practicing loose, expressive painting styles. The way the colors bloom and blend on wet paper is a magical process that every creative should experience. A travel set with 12 basic colors and a small brush is all you need to start your journey.
10. A Handful of Embroidery Floss & Needles
For just a few dollars, a small collection of colorful embroidery floss can unlock a surprising number of hobbies. This isn't just for intricate floral embroidery (though you can certainly do that!). It’s a wonderfully versatile fiber that can add texture and color to almost anything.
Use it to make classic friendship bracelets, try your hand at simple weaving on a cardboard loom, or add decorative stitched details to your mixed media art on paper. It’s also the key to the "visible mending" trend, where you use colorful stitches to artfully repair clothing. A small pack of assorted needles and a rainbow of floss will go a very long way.
11. A Rainbow Pack of Felt Sheets
Felt is a dream material for beginners. It's cheap, comes in vibrant colors, is easy to cut, and most importantly, its edges don't fray! This makes it incredibly forgiving to work with, whether you're gluing it or sewing it.
You can use felt to create adorable plush toys, holiday ornaments, colorful appliqué patches for bags or jackets, or finger puppets for kids. You don't need a sewing machine; a simple running stitch with your embroidery floss is all it takes to join pieces together. It's an easy and satisfying way to create tangible, three-dimensional objects.
12. A Good, Sharp Pair of All-Purpose Scissors
This might seem obvious, but don't underestimate the power of a good pair of scissors. Struggling with dull, sticky, or uncomfortable scissors is one of the quickest ways to get frustrated and give up on a project. Invest in one comfortable, sharp pair of 8-inch scissors.
Pro-Tip: As you get more into your crafts, it's wise to follow the golden rule: have one pair of scissors strictly for paper and another for everything else (like fabric, felt, and floss). Cutting paper will quickly dull a blade, making it difficult to get clean cuts on fabric. Label them with a ribbon or a dab of nail polish so you don't mix them up!
13. A Curated "Recycle & Repurpose" Bin
Finally, the most versatile—and cheapest—craft supply of all is one you create yourself. Designate a box or bin as your personal treasure trove of found objects and recyclables. This is where your creative resourcefulness can truly shine.
Start collecting interesting items like old magazines and newspapers for collage, sturdy cardboard from packaging for construction projects, fabric scraps from old clothing, glass jars to decorate, bottle caps for mosaics, and even natural items like pressed leaves or interesting twigs. Working with these materials not only saves money but also challenges you to think outside the box and see the artistic potential in everyday objects. This sustainable approach to art, something we champion here on the Goh Ling Yong blog, is as rewarding as it is responsible.
Your Creative Journey Starts Now
There you have it—a complete toolkit designed for exploration. With these 13 versatile supplies, you’ve built an art station that can take you from painting to papercraft, sculpture to sewing, all without needing a dedicated studio or a massive budget. The goal isn't to become an expert overnight; it's to give yourself the freedom to play, experiment, and discover what truly makes your creative heart sing.
Don't be afraid to combine these materials in unexpected ways. Embroider on a watercolor painting, add air-dry clay elements to a collage, or use your fineliners on a piece of felt. This is your creative playground, and the only rule is to have fun.
Now we want to hear from you! What's the one multi-purpose craft supply in your collection that you absolutely can't live without? Share your favorite in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
Stay updated with the latest posts and insights by following on your favorite platform!