Supply FAQs

Buying Art Supplies that Work

"Boxes of cheap colours are to be avoided. Children are worthy of the best, and some half-dozen tubes of really good colours will last a long time, and will satisfy the eye of the little artists." Charlotte M. Mason - Home Education: Training and Educating Children Under Nine p313

It is important to buy art supplies that work. Poor quality art supplies rob students of the power of color, intensity and satisfying results making the artwork look lifeless. Unfortunately when art supplies are inferior students blame the results on their abilities, not on the materials. That's why it's crucial to purchase quality art supplies.

How can you know what will work? Price is a clue! Here's why. Pigments, the intense colors that color art supplies are the most costly part of any medium. The other components are binder, used to hold the pigment together, and filler, a useless substance that adds bulk to the product. Fillers reduce the cost of the product. They also reduce the amount of pigment which reduces the intensity of the color. Cheap products often have far too much filler to give satisfying results. More expensive supplies have less filler, so one literally gets more color onto the paper to achieve better results. You can see this when comparing Crayola crayons to cheaper brands. Notice what a difference the wax to pigment ratio makes. Compare any set of 12 color pencils costing in the range of $2-$4 to those by Prismacolor or Derwent for about $14 and you'll notice an even greater difference.

While it is true of art supplies that more expense equals a better product, this does not mean that one should buy the most expensive supplies available (professional grade) nor does it apply to all art materials. See the questions below for more explanation.

What media are affected by the ratio of pigment to filler used? TOP

The following media should be chosen within the mid price range for good color results. The brands suggested have more pigment and very little or no filler.

COLOR PENCILS, WATERCOLOR PENCILS - Derwent and Prismacolor brands give excellent results. Expect to pay $1 to $1.50 per pencil. Prismacolor has a softer core, making it slightly more powerful when delivering color, but easier to break as well.

CHALK or SOFT PASTELS, OIL PASTELS - Artist quality pastels begin at $3 per stick, adding up to a pricey start-up cost. For older students we suggest Nupastel brand, costing $1 per stick and really delivering when it comes to strong color. Younger students can get good strong color from Cray-Pas, Junior Artist, Student Quality Oil pastels which are inexpensive. Chalk pastels, also called soft pastels can get expensive. I suggest choosing the least expensive brand for young children through 3rd grade. Sets of 12 can be found for around $5. These are fine for young students, who are not usually mixing colors while using these materials. They are dye based, which make them less expensive, but make color mixing difficult.

WATERCOLORS - Student brands like Cotman or Grumbacher for beginners of ages 10-adult give good color results without being pricey. These are purchased in sets or individual tubes ranging from $3 to $6 per tube. Make sure the collection contains Ultramarine blue, Alizarin Crimson (a specific red) and medium yellow. Students can upgrade their set as they run out or need additional colors. Expect to pay between $4 to $9 for high quality watercolors depending on the particular pigment used for each color. Watercolor tubes are small but the color lasts a long time with correct use. Younger students can get great color coverage from a set of Prang pan colors. This set comes with the primary colors plus black, green, brown and purple. It's quality far out performs the cheaper Rose Art or Crayola watercolor sets.

ACRYLICS OR OILS - Prices remain similar to watercolors though tubes are larger. Since these types of media are not available for preschoolers as the media listed above are, one can be more confident in buying a cheaper brand and knowing it will give satisfactory color results. Start at the low price end until the student gains experience in handling these media.

What should I buy for my preschooler? TOP

The conversation so far is dealing with school age children. We can take a slightly different approach to the pre-schooler. Those items found in the art section of any department store are a good place to start. They include brands like Crayola and Rose Art. Most items include the word "washable" on the label. I find that these items have poorer covering power. The colors are weaker. However, this may not affect the preschooler's enjoyment in using the product. And parents certainly will not have to worry about stains if the product lands somewhere beyond the paper. I suggest using Crayola over Rose Art when choosing colored pencils or crayons. Both brands are satisfactory when choosing paper, clay, or markers. If you feel your young child is going through too much paper, I suggest buying a ream of cheap computer paper. This is a much better solution than asking them to modify the way they draw or paint. Attempts to limit paper usually result in limiting their desire to make art.

Do you have any suggestions for buying paper? TOP

Paper quality is directly related to price. Cheaper drawing tablets and watercolor paper tablets can be purchased for young students because they can go through so much of it. Cheaper paper is thinner. As students spend more time on each drawing spend more money on the paper they use. By Junior High and Senior High we suggest tablets that are thicker and cost a bit more. These are tough enough to handle more vigorous erasing and scrubbing. At this stage your student may want to begin experimenting with a variety of paper types. Different paper surfaces cause the materials to look different when applied. It is unnecessary to purchase professional quality paper, usually sold in separate sheets, unless your student wants to work large or is able to work for a lengthy time on one project.

How can I know what kind of brush to buy? TOP

Purchasing good brushes can be difficult and a bit confusing. There are so many choices related to so many different media and varying greatly in cost. First look at what medium the brush is made for. Brushes are usually grouped by watercolor, acrylic and oil brushes. Buy the right type. Secondly, look for the shape you want (round or flat). In most cases you will be looking for a round brush (the metal casing is round in shape, not flat). Look for a point. The hairs or bristles should come to a point at the tip when the round brush is wet. Look for bounce. If the hairs have no resistance when wet, the brush won't handle well. Synthetic brushes used for watercolor work very well and are cheaper than those made from real hair. Expect to pay $3 to $8 for a good brush and smile because they last forever, if not abused. Every student of every age should be taught how to paint without smashing the brush flat against the paper. Avoid giving children cheap brushes that flair out and smash flat when wet. While the prices are tempting, these types of brushes really reduce the enjoyment of painting.

What materials are not affected by the amount of pigment used? TOP

MARKERS AND COLOR INKS are dye based, not pigment based so you won't find a wide range of prices. Most are good quality.

PENCILS, PENS, CHARCOALS - These remain fairly consistent in price and quality through all brands. Expect to pay over $1 for an artist grade drawing pencil and about half that amount for an Ebony pencil.

What is the difference between a regular pencil and art pencils? TOP

Regular pencils do not have a wide range of hard to soft leads. This affects the value or ability to get a dark mark. The Ebony pencil used in Grades K-3 and Grades 4-6 is a very soft graphite, enabling students to get dark marks easily.

What criteria was used in selecting the art supplies for the art supply kits sold by Artistic Pursuits? TOP

Knowing how art supplies affect the results of student artwork, we carefully considered quality, price and the age of the students when choosing art supplies to be used with Artistic Pursuits books. We chose the best quality in all color media. Though more expensive brands may be found, they do not show notable differences when used by students. Since all drawing media give similar good results, we chose the most economical brands. Paper pads with more sheets and slightly thinner paper were chosen for young students, because they can go through a lot of paper and we believe this is a good thing. Paper pads with fewer sheets, but thicker and stronger were chosen for older students, who tend to work on drawings longer, needing the extra strength. We have chosen good quality synthetic brushes for students of all ages, because nothing is more frustrating than a brush that doesn't pick up the paint, hold the paint, and release the paint. Many students "ooh" and "ahh" the first time they use good paint and good brushes and that is a sound we love to hear. In short, the art supplies provided through Artistic Pursuits give maximum performance without "Professional Quality" prices.

For further questions contact us at: alltheanswers@artisticpursuits.com.