by S Morris

Created on: November 13, 2009   Last Updated: June 26, 2010

When beginning to learn art, whether its oil paint or sculpture, you want to know what basic, essential supplies to begin with to start learning art with least cost and most benefit. Buying art tools you don't need creates added expense and clutter, so start with these four essential art tools to begin your journey in the world of art.

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 will use a pencil sketch your ideas out no matter what form of art you favor. 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. 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, but you can also flatten it to lighten a large area. A kneaded eraser can also be used to blend pencil marks and create soft gradients. The kneaded eraser is essential to pencil sketches.

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 will 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 more. 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.

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