Top 8 'Aisle-Overwhelm-Antidote' Craft Supplies to explore for beginners building their first art kit - Goh Ling Yong
Picture this: you’re standing in the art supply store, buzzing with creative energy. You’ve decided today is the day. You’re going to start. But as you turn into the main aisle, that energy fizzles into a quiet panic. A towering wall of paint tubes in a thousand shades of blue stares back at you. To your left, a forest of brushes in every conceivable size and shape. To your right, sketchbooks with cryptic labels like "hot-press," "cold-press," and "90 lb paper."
Welcome to "aisle-overwhelm." It’s a rite of passage for every budding artist, and it can be so paralyzing that it stops you before you even begin. The sheer volume of choice makes you feel like you need an art degree just to buy a pencil. You start asking yourself: "What if I buy the wrong thing? What if this is too expensive? Where do I even start?"
Don't let that overwhelm win. Building your first art kit shouldn't be an intimidating exam; it should be an exciting treasure hunt. Here on the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe that creativity is for everyone, and it starts with a few simple, versatile tools. This list is your antidote to aisle-overwhelm—a curated guide to the top 8 beginner-friendly supplies that will form the versatile, confidence-boosting foundation of your creative journey.
1. The Do-It-All Canvas: A Mixed-Media Sketchbook
Before you can make a single mark, you need a place to put it. While it’s tempting to grab the cheapest sketchbook you can find, investing a few extra dollars in a quality mixed-media sketchbook is the single best decision a beginner can make. Why? Because it’s the ultimate jack-of-all-trades. This paper is specifically designed to handle a bit of everything you’re about to throw at it.
A mixed-media paper is sturdy enough for dry media like graphite and colored pencils but also has enough sizing (a substance that reduces absorbency) to handle light washes of wet media like gouache, ink, or watercolor pencils without immediately buckling or falling apart. Look for a paper weight between 180 and 250 gsm (grams per square meter). This number indicates the paper's thickness and durability—anything in this range is a fantastic starting point. It’s the perfect middle ground that gives you the freedom to experiment without fear.
Pro-Tip: Opt for a spiral-bound sketchbook in a size like A5 (about 6x8 inches) or A4 (about 8x12 inches). The spiral binding allows the book to lay perfectly flat, giving you a comfortable and unhindered surface to work on. The A5 size is wonderfully portable for sketching on the go, while the A4 gives you more room to breathe and explore larger compositions at home.
2. The Sketching Foundation: A Core Set of Graphite Pencils
Put down that single, standard-issue HB school pencil. To truly unlock the power of drawing, you need to understand value—the range of light and darks that gives a sketch depth and dimension. The easiest way to do this is with a small, curated set of graphite pencils. You don't need a fancy tin of 24; a simple starter pack of four or five pencils will revolutionize your drawing.
Pencils are graded on a scale from H (Hard) to B (Black). H pencils have harder graphite, which makes lighter, crisper lines that are easy to erase—perfect for initial sketches. B pencils have softer graphite, which deposits more on the page, creating rich, dark marks ideal for shading and adding contrast. An HB pencil sits right in the middle. A great beginner’s set would include a 2H (for light construction lines), an HB (for general sketching), a 2B (for light shading), and a 6B (for deep, dramatic shadows).
Pro-Tip: Don't press down hard with a B pencil to get a darker line. Instead, learn to build up your shadows in layers. Use the side of the soft graphite tip in gentle, circular motions to create smooth gradients. This technique gives you far more control and prevents that shiny, indented look that comes from pressing too hard.
3. The Definer: A Pack of Waterproof Fine-Liner Pens
There’s a certain magic that happens when you commit to a line with ink. Fine-liner pens are your key to creating crisp details, bold outlines, and beautiful, clean illustrations. They are an essential tool for doodling, urban sketching, and adding that final, polished definition to your pencil drawings. For a beginner, they provide a sense of finality and confidence that can be incredibly rewarding.
The most important feature to look for is "waterproof" or "archival" ink. This is non-negotiable! It means that once the ink is dry, it won't smudge, bleed, or run when you add water or paint on top of it. This opens up a world of mixed-media possibilities. Look for a small multi-pack that includes a few different tip sizes, such as 0.1mm (for tiny, intricate details), 0.3mm (a great all-rounder), and 0.5mm or 0.8mm (for bolder outlines).
Pro-Tip: Practice a "draw first, paint later" workflow. Create a complete drawing with your fine-liner pens. Wait a few minutes to ensure the ink is bone dry, then go over it with your watercolor pencils or gouache. The waterproof ink lines will stay sharp and clean, acting as a perfect container for your color.
4. The Opaque Wonder: A Starter Set of Gouache
If traditional watercolor feels intimidating, let me introduce you to its friendly, easy-going cousin: gouache. Pronounced "gwash," this water-based paint is often described as "opaque watercolor." It has a wonderfully creamy consistency and dries to a flat, matte, vibrant finish. What makes it so perfect for beginners is its forgiving nature. Made a mistake? Let it dry and simply paint right over it!
Unlike transparent watercolor, where you have to preserve the white of the paper for your highlights, with gouache you can add light colors on top of dark ones. This makes correcting errors or adding bright details at the end an absolute breeze. You don’t need a huge set; a starter pack of 5-6 tubes including primary colors (red, yellow, blue) plus black and white is all you need. With these, you can mix virtually any color imaginable.
Pro-Tip: Gouache is incredibly versatile. You can use it straight from the tube for a thick, opaque, acrylic-like effect. Or, you can add a bit of water to thin it out and use it more like traditional watercolor, creating beautiful, translucent washes. Start by experimenting with how much water you add to see the full range of effects you can achieve.
5. The Workhorses: A Small, Versatile Brush Set
Just like with the pencils, you do not need a massive jar full of brushes to start. In fact, too many choices can be confusing. All you really need are three or four quality synthetic brushes to cover 90% of your painting needs. Synthetic brushes are more affordable, more durable, and easier to clean than natural hair brushes, making them the ideal choice for beginners working with water-based media like gouache.
Your essential starter set should include three key shapes. First, a round brush (size 6 or 8) is your all-purpose tool; its pointed tip is great for lines and details, while the body can be used to fill in larger areas. Second, a flat brush (about 1/2 inch wide) is perfect for creating broad, even washes of color, sharp edges, and geometric shapes. Finally, a small detail brush (size 1 or 2) will be your best friend for adding those tiny, finishing touches that make a piece pop.
Pro-Tip: The health of your brushes depends entirely on how you treat them after painting. Never let paint dry in the bristles! Gently wash them with a little soap and water, reshape the bristles with your fingers, and lay them flat to dry. Never rest them upright in a jar while wet, as water will seep down into the metal ferrule and dissolve the glue, causing the bristles to fall out.
6. The Perfect Hybrid: Watercolor Pencils
What if you love the control of drawing but want the beautiful, flowing look of paint? Enter watercolor pencils. These amazing tools look and feel just like regular colored pencils, but they contain a water-soluble binder. This means you can draw with them, and then go over your drawing with a wet paintbrush to magically dissolve the pigment and transform your lines into fluid watercolor paint.
This two-step process is a game-changer for beginners. It removes the pressure of controlling a wet, drippy brush right away. You can carefully place your color exactly where you want it with the pencil first, focusing on composition and color choice. Then, the fun begins when you add water and watch the colors blend and flow into each other. They are also incredibly portable and mess-free, making them perfect for travel or sketching in a cafe.
Pro-Tip: You can use watercolor pencils in multiple ways. Try drawing on dry paper and activating with a wet brush for a classic look. Or, try dipping the tip of the pencil directly into water before drawing for incredibly bold, crayon-like strokes. You can even use a wet brush to lift color directly from the pencil's tip to load your brush with paint.
7. The Magic Dough: A Kneadable Eraser
It’s time to upgrade your erasing game. A kneadable eraser is less of an eraser and more of a graphite-lifting tool. This soft, pliable putty-like eraser is a must-have in any artist’s kit. Unlike standard pink erasers, it doesn't wear down or leave behind messy shavings. Instead, it absorbs the graphite particles from the paper. When it gets dirty, you simply knead it like dough to reveal a clean surface.
Its biggest advantage is its malleability. You can shape it into a fine point to erase tiny, precise details without disturbing the surrounding area. You can flatten it into a wide shape to gently lift out large areas of tone to create soft highlights. It’s a subtle but powerful tool that allows you to "draw" with light by taking away graphite, not just by adding it.
Pro-Tip: Use a dabbing or pressing motion instead of rubbing. This "blotting" technique gently lifts the graphite off the paper without smudging your work or damaging the paper's surface. It's an excellent way to lighten a shaded area that has become too dark.
8. The Frugal Friend: A Simple Ceramic Palette
You’ll see countless plastic palettes with little wells in the art store, but a beginner’s best friend is often found in the kitchen aisle or a thrift store: a simple, plain white ceramic plate or shallow bowl. Ceramic is a far superior surface for mixing water-based paints like gouache for several reasons.
First, it’s non-porous, so the paint won't bead up into frustrating little droplets like it does on cheap plastic. This allows for smooth, even mixing. Second, it doesn't stain. Even with highly pigmented reds or blues, a quick wipe with a wet cloth will leave your ceramic palette looking brand new. Finally, the heavy, cool surface of the ceramic helps keep your paints wet and workable for longer. It's a cheap, effective, and strangely satisfying professional-feeling tool.
Pro-Tip: If you have leftover gouache on your ceramic palette at the end of a session, don't wash it down the drain! Gouache is re-wettable. Just let it dry on the plate. The next time you want to paint, you can simply add a drop of water with your brush to reactivate the colors and pick up right where you left off.
And there you have it—eight trusty companions to kickstart your artistic adventure. The goal isn't to own every color and every brush. The goal is to start creating. This curated kit is designed to be versatile, unintimidating, and, most importantly, fun. It gives you enough variety to experiment without the burden of too many choices.
Remember, every professional artist started with a single mark on a page. Your art kit will grow and change with you as you discover your unique style. This journey of discovering your favorite tools is something we celebrate here at the Goh Ling Yong blog. The most important tool, after all, is your own curiosity.
So, take a deep breath, walk past those overwhelming aisles with confidence, and start with these essentials. Go make something wonderful. We can't wait to see what you create.
Now it's your turn! What was the very first "serious" art supply you ever bought for yourself? Share your story 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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