Inside: An art supplies for teens gift guide! Affordable, quality art supplies that will take your teen artist’s work to the next level!
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Good Art Supplies for Teens:
I focused on some good quality (but not too expensive) art supplies for teens. Having nice materials really helps take your art to the next level.
- Conte Crayon 18 Box Set – I love drawing with conte crayon. It’s kind of like a chalk pastel, but not quite as dusty. The colors are brilliant, and you can blend them easily.
- Winsor & Newton Cotman Water Colour Sketchers’ Pocket Box set of 12 – This is not your normal watercolor set for kids. This is an artist quality watercolor kit small enough to fit in your pocket. I bought one of these in Italy when I studied abroad in college, and it was such a treasure. If you buy this, be sure to buy some watercolor paper to go along with it. These watercolor paper postcards go great with this set. These would be great stocking stuffers!
- Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Tube 48-Piece Set – Liquitex Basics are my go-to acrylic paint. The colors are many and beautiful, the paint lasts a long time, and it’s not ridiculously expensive.
- Art Alternatives Canvas Panel (8 X 10) 12 Pack – Canvas boards are an inexpensive way to make paintings more elevated than your standard 12×18 sheets of paper. They don’t take up a lot of space, and they give the student a more authentic experience. These boards are for acrylic or oil paint, not watercolor.
- Art Advantage Oil and Acrylic Brush Set, 24-Piece – You need different types of brushes to get the effects you want. Having a canvas carrier gives your student an easy way to store and carry the brushes.
- Pro Art 18-Piece Sketch/Draw Pencil Set – To make quality drawings, it is important to have the right tools. This includes graphite sticks, charcoal, pencils of different softnesses, blending tools, etc. This is a great starter kit.
- Royal & Langnickel Deluxe Sketching Artist Box Set – A deluxe version of the above drawing kit. This comes with a little wood mannequin and a wooden storage box.
- Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 50 Color Set (PHN-50) – Oil pastels are a must. I love this brand, and this set has 50 colors! I could color with oil pastels for days. (See this post about my favorite oil pastel project!)
- Canson 9-Inch by 12-Inch Universal Sketch Book, 100-Sheet – If your teenage artist doesn’t have a nice sketchbook, get one! 🙂 I personally like sketchbooks with ringed binding, because it lays flat on the table a little better, but I know others who like the stiffer binding.
- Speedball 6-Nib Calligraphy Lettering Set and Speedball 2-Ounce India Ink, Super Black – Pen nibs and ink. This is such a fun thing to learn and experiment with. I loved the set that I got in college. You can also get ink in many colors and use with other pens and brushes too.
This post is a part of The Art Ed Blogger’s Network: Monthly Tips and Inspiration from Art Teacher Blogs. On the second Tuesday each month, each of these art teacher blogs will post their best ideas on the same topic. This month, we’re sharing our about our favorite art supplies!
Participating Art Teacher Blogs:
Originally published November 29, 2016.
I’m saving this post….I already gave my daughter early Christmas and birthday gifts because she’ll be in England at those times. But I will definitely keep all of these things in mind for her next year. I may even try that little water color set when I go to the coast in January.
Oh my gosh, I just realized that my site hasn’t been notifying me of comments from commenters who have commented before! So sorry I didn’t reply to you sooner. You have just reminded me that I should have probably already sent my Christmas presents to my sister living in Japan. Oops! I better get that done today.
Christmas was so fun this year, already thinking about next year. Thanks for the great tips on teen art supplies! Will check with his mom to see what my nephew will need!
You’re welcome! Glad you had a nice Christmas. 🙂
Thank you for this post. I know this is years later, but this is really the only helpful post there is on buying supplies for a teen who wants to be an artist. Every other list has been “gifts for teens who love art”, and it’s mostly rings, jewelry, and kitchy items. This is an actual ARTS SUPPLY list. So helpful. Thank you!
You’re welcome!! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this post. I am looking for ideas for a January birthday. I have been thinking about adding to our block collection!
I have a 15 year old grandson who has been doing art therapy for mental health issues, and he loves it! He is getting interested in graphic art and tattoo-style art. Do you have any ideas/suggestions for a gift to encourage him?
The sketch pad and pencils would be a great gift for encouraging his love for graphic and tattoo art. In addition, The Art Book from this post, https://artclasscurator.com/manga-and-art-gifts-for-teens/, will inspire his ideas for designing. Happy Holidays!