Top 15 'Choice-Clarity' Craft Supplies to make for beginners overwhelmed by the art store aisle - Goh Ling Yong
Have you ever walked into an art supply store, full of creative fire, only to have it extinguished by the sheer wall of choice? You stand in an aisle, paralyzed. There are seventeen different types of white paint, a hundred shades of blue, and papers of every conceivable texture and weight. The initial excitement quickly turns into "analysis paralysis," and you walk out with nothing, feeling more defeated than inspired.
This feeling is incredibly common. The endless options, which are meant to empower artists, can often be the biggest barrier for someone just starting their creative journey. The secret isn't to know what every single product does. The secret is to build a small, versatile toolkit of supplies that removes the guesswork and gets you right to the best part: making things.
That's why I've put together this list of 15 "Choice-Clarity" craft supplies. Think of these as your creative capsule wardrobe—multi-purpose, high-quality essentials that work beautifully together and can be used for dozens of different projects. This guide is designed to cut through the noise, give you specific recommendations, and help you build a beginner-friendly studio that sparks joy, not anxiety.
1. A Starter Set of Heavy Body Acrylics
Walk down the paint aisle, and you'll see oils, watercolors, gouache, fluid acrylics, and more. It's overwhelming. Your choice-clarity pick is a small, basic set of heavy body acrylics. These are the workhorse of the paint world—vibrant, opaque, and forgiving. They have a thick, buttery consistency that's satisfying to work with, and they clean up with simple soap and water.
Unlike oils, they dry quickly, meaning you can layer colors without waiting for days. Unlike watercolors, they are opaque, so you can easily paint over mistakes. This makes them perfect for learning color theory and building confidence. They adhere to almost any surface, including paper, canvas, wood, and fabric, making them incredibly versatile for all sorts of craft projects.
Pro-Tip: Don't buy a massive 24-color set. Look for a starter set of 8-12 tubes that includes the essentials: primary red, yellow, and blue, plus titanium white and mars black. With these, you can mix virtually any color you need. Brands like Liquitex Basics or Winsor & Newton Galeria offer fantastic quality for beginners.
2. A Mixed Media Paper Pad (9x12 inch)
Which paper do you need? Sketch paper? Bristol? Watercolor paper? The answer for a beginner is simple: mixed media paper. This is the ultimate all-rounder, specifically designed to handle a bit of everything. It's heavier than drawing paper, so it won't buckle easily with light washes of paint, but it's smooth enough for pen and pencil work.
Having one pad of paper that you know can handle acrylics, markers, collage, and ink removes a huge decision-making step. It gives you the freedom to experiment without worrying if you've chosen the "right" surface. A 9x12 inch pad is a great starting size—not too big to be intimidating, but large enough for you to create finished pieces.
Pro-Tip: Look for a pad that is at least 98 lb. (160 gsm) in weight. Canson XL Mix Media and Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media pads are industry standards for a reason—they are reliable, affordable, and a joy to work with.
3. Micron Fineliner Pens (A 3-Pen Set)
For drawing, outlining, or journaling, a set of Micron pens is a game-changer. Unlike a regular ballpoint or gel pen, Microns use high-quality, archival pigment ink. This means the ink is waterproof, fade-resistant, and won't bleed or smudge when you paint over it with watercolors or acrylics. This is a crucial feature for mixed media art.
The lines are crisp, consistent, and professional-looking, which instantly elevates your work. Instead of buying a dozen different pens, start with a simple pack of three different nib sizes, like 01 (0.25mm), 03 (0.35mm), and 05 (0.45mm). This gives you a fine, medium, and bold option for any drawing task.
Pro-Tip: Use your Micron pens to doodle on a page and then color in the shapes with watercolor pencils (see #5). The waterproof ink will keep your lines sharp and clean, creating a beautiful, defined look.
4. A Water Brush Pen
A water brush pen is a little piece of magic. It's a paintbrush with a hollow plastic barrel that you fill with water. A gentle squeeze on the barrel releases a controlled flow of water through the synthetic brush tip. This simple tool eliminates the need for a separate jar of water and the constant dipping and blotting that comes with traditional watercolor painting.
It's exceptionally useful for activating watercolor pencils, blending water-soluble markers, or even using with a small pan of watercolor paints. It's portable, mess-free, and incredibly intuitive to use. For a beginner, it simplifies the water control aspect of painting, which is often one of the trickiest parts to learn.
Pro-Tip: Buy a pen with a medium-sized round tip, as it's the most versatile. To clean it between colors, simply squeeze a little water out and wipe the tip on a paper towel until it runs clear.
5. A Set of Watercolor Pencils (12-24 colors)
If you're nervous about painting, watercolor pencils are your perfect entry point. They look and feel just like regular colored pencils, giving you a sense of control and familiarity. You can draw, shade, and blend with them just as you normally would.
The magic happens when you go over your drawing with a damp brush (or a water brush pen!). The pigment dissolves and transforms into beautiful, transparent watercolor paint. It's the best of both worlds—the precision of drawing combined with the expressive flow of painting. This process is incredibly forgiving; you can lay down your colors precisely before committing them to paint.
Pro-Tip: Start with a smaller set of 12 or 24 pencils. A high-quality brand like Derwent or Faber-Castell will have richer pigments that dissolve more smoothly than cheaper alternatives.
6. A Small Jar of White Gesso
Gesso is the unsung hero of the craft world. It’s a primer that you paint onto a surface to prepare it for painting. It creates a uniform, slightly textured "ground" that helps the paint adhere better and makes the colors appear more vibrant.
For a beginner, a small jar of white gesso is a passport to creative freedom. It means you don't need to buy expensive canvases. You can turn almost anything into a painting surface: a piece of cardboard, the page of an old book, a scrap of wood, or a cheap canvas board from a dollar store. Applying a coat or two of gesso instantly upgrades these surfaces into a workable, archival-quality base.
Pro-Tip: Use an old gift card or a cheap foam brush to apply gesso. Apply one layer horizontally, let it dry, then apply a second layer vertically to create a smooth, even surface.
7. Mod Podge (Matte Finish)
If there is one item that truly belongs in every crafter's toolkit, it's a bottle of Mod Podge. This all-in-one product is a glue, sealer, and finish. It’s the key to collage, decoupage, and a huge range of mixed-media projects. It’s water-based, non-toxic, and dries clear.
You can use it to glue down paper cutouts, seal a finished painting, transfer images, or add a protective topcoat to a decorated object. Forget buying separate glues, varnishes, and sealers—Mod Podge does it all. The matte finish is the most versatile, as it provides a non-glossy, professional-looking coat that you can easily draw or paint on top of later.
Pro-Tip: To avoid brushstrokes in your final finish, apply a thin, even coat with a soft-bristled brush or a foam brush. For a super-smooth finish on a final project, lightly sand with very fine-grit sandpaper between coats (making sure each coat is fully dry).
8. A Good Pair of All-Purpose Craft Scissors
Stop using your dull kitchen scissors for paper! Investing in a single, good pair of scissors dedicated only to crafting will dramatically improve your experience. Look for a pair with a micro-serrated or titanium-coated blade and a comfortable, soft-grip handle.
A sharp pair of scissors will give you clean, crisp cuts without tearing or fraying the edges of your paper. This precision makes a huge difference in the final quality of collage, card-making, and other paper crafts. Keep them in your craft box and make them off-limits for any other household tasks to preserve their sharpness.
Pro-Tip: The 8-inch scissors from brands like Fiskars or Tim Holtz are fantastic all-rounders. They are sharp enough for detail work but sturdy enough to cut through thicker materials like chipboard or craft foam.
9. A Self-Healing Cutting Mat & Craft Knife
For perfectly straight lines and intricate shapes that scissors can't handle, a self-healing cutting mat and a craft knife are essential. The mat protects your table surface and, as the name suggests, "heals" itself after being cut, providing a perpetually smooth surface to work on.
A craft knife (like an X-Acto knife) opens up a whole new world of possibilities. You can cut out delicate stencils, create intricate paper-cut art, or precisely trim photos and papers for collage. This duo provides a level of precision that will make your projects look polished and professional.
Pro-Tip: Start with a small, A4-sized (approx. 9x12 inch) mat. It’s big enough for most beginner projects without taking up too much space. When using the craft knife, always use a metal ruler for straight lines and make several light passes instead of trying to cut through in one heavy-handed stroke.
10. A Block of Air-Dry Clay
You don't need a pottery wheel or a kiln to get into sculpting. Air-dry clay is a fantastic, accessible medium that allows you to create 3D objects that harden at room temperature. It's less messy than traditional clay and very easy to work with.
You can use it to make small pinch pots, decorative dishes, beads, ornaments, or miniature sculptures. It's a wonderfully tactile and relaxing medium to explore. Once dry (which usually takes 24-48 hours), you can sand it, carve it, and paint it with your acrylics.
Pro-Tip: Keep a small bowl of water handy while you work to moisten your fingers and smooth out cracks. To prevent the clay from drying out while you're working, only take out as much as you need and keep the rest sealed tightly in its original packaging with a damp paper towel.
11. Tombow Dual Brush Pens (A Curated 5-Pack)
The world of markers is another overwhelming aisle. Simplify your choice by starting with a small, curated pack of Tombow Dual Brush Pens. These pens are beloved by artists and letterers for good reason. One end features a flexible, durable brush tip, perfect for creating varied line weights, coloring, and hand-lettering. The other end has a fine-point nib for details and writing.
The water-based ink is blendable, allowing you to create beautiful gradients and watercolor effects. Instead of a giant rainbow pack, look for a smaller, themed set of 5-10 pens, like a "Grayscale" pack for shading or a "Pastel" palette. This encourages you to work with a limited color palette, which is a great skill for any artist to develop. Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we're big believers that limitations often foster the most creativity.
Pro-Tip: Use the pens on smooth paper (like mixed media or Bristol) for best results. You can color directly onto the paper and then blend the colors with a water brush pen for a soft, painterly effect.
12. A Small Rubber Brayer
A brayer is a small, hand-held roller, usually made of soft rubber. It might seem like a niche tool, but it's surprisingly versatile and solves several common beginner problems. Its primary function is to apply a thin, even layer of ink or paint to a surface.
This makes it perfect for simple printmaking techniques like block printing or gel printing. It's also fantastic for collage, as it allows you to roll on a perfectly smooth, bubble-free layer of glue (like Mod Podge). You can even use it to create interesting textured backgrounds in your art journal by rolling a thin layer of acrylic paint onto your page.
Pro-Tip: A 2-inch or 4-inch soft rubber brayer is a great size to start with. To clean it, simply roll off the excess paint onto scrap paper and then wash with soap and water.
13. Aleene's Original Tacky Glue
Step away from the school glue stick. For any craft that involves construction or assembling pieces, you need a reliable glue. Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is a classic for a reason. It’s incredibly thick and "tacky," which means it grabs onto surfaces quickly, reducing the need to hold pieces together while they dry.
It’s an all-purpose glue that works wonderfully on paper, fabric, cardboard, and other porous surfaces. It dries clear and remains slightly flexible, which is a huge advantage over brittle superglues. A single bottle of this will handle 90% of your crafting adhesive needs, from papercrafts to mixed-media assembly.
Pro-Tip: For fine-detail applications, pour a small amount of glue onto a scrap piece of paper and apply it with a toothpick or the end of a paperclip. This gives you much more control than applying it directly from the bottle.
14. A Kneaded Eraser
This isn't your average pink school eraser. A kneaded eraser looks and feels like a small block of putty. You can stretch it, mold it, and shape it to a fine point for erasing tiny details or flatten it to lift off large areas of graphite or charcoal.
Its key feature is that it lifts pigment off the paper rather than abrading the surface with friction. This means it won't damage your paper, which is crucial when you're working on a piece for a long time. It’s also "self-cleaning"—as it gets dirty, you just knead it and fold it in on itself to reveal a clean surface. It’s a small, inexpensive tool that feels professional and performs beautifully.
Pro-Tip: Besides erasing, you can use a kneaded eraser as a creative tool. Gently press it onto a shaded pencil area to "lift" highlights, creating soft textures and effects that are impossible with a regular eraser.
15. A Small Set of Synthetic Brushes
Just like with paints, it's easy to get lost in the world of brushes. Natural hair, synthetic, long handles, short handles... it's a lot. Your choice-clarity solution is a small starter set of synthetic Taklon or nylon brushes. Synthetic brushes are durable, easy to clean, and work perfectly with the acrylics and water-based media we've discussed.
You don't need a 24-pack. All you need are three or four key shapes to start:
- A #8 Round brush for lines and details.
- A 1/2 inch Flat brush for broad strokes and filling in large areas.
- A small Detail brush for tiny, precise marks.
This small collection will cover almost any painting task a beginner will encounter. Focusing on mastering a few brushes is far more valuable than being overwhelmed by a huge, low-quality set.
Pro-Tip: Good brush care is key. Never let paint dry on your brushes. Rinse them thoroughly with water and a little mild soap, reshape the bristles with your fingers, and let them dry flat or hanging upside down to prevent water from damaging the handle.
Creativity is a muscle, and the best way to strengthen it is by using it, not by endlessly preparing for it. This list is your permission slip to stop researching and start doing. You don't need all 15 of these items to begin. Pick one or two that sound the most exciting to you and dive in.
The goal is to replace the overwhelming question of "What should I buy?" with the joyful, empowering question of "What can I make with this?" As a fellow creative, I, Goh Ling Yong, truly believe that the right tools can unlock a world of possibility. So take a deep breath, make a clear choice, and go make something wonderful.
What's the one supply on this list you're most excited to try, or what's your go-to craft supply that you can't live without? Share it 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:
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