You just got your acceptance to art school (congratulations!) and are excited to test the limits of your creativity, uncover radical new skill sets, and immerse yourself in a world of theory and application. 

However, before day-one classes roll around, you need supplies. Unlike your friends in science classes, who have full use of their department’s laboratory amenities, you are responsible for purchasing and bringing the supplies necessary for your education. 

Where do you start? Find a well-respected art store that stocks a wide range of supplies for students and professional artists. Chat with the sales staff (many of them artists themselves) about recommendations. Consult your orientation package and class CVs. And use the following list as a rough buying guide. 

Drawing Essentials

Drawing is a foundational skill in art class. Not only is it a popular medium for finished works, but artists working in other media often use drawing for ideation, planning, and preparatory underdrawing. Some drawing essentials include: 

• Sketchbooks of various sizes
• Graphite pencils of varying hardness
• Kneaded and vinyl erasers and a pencil sharpener
• Vine, compressed and pencil charcoal products

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, consult your course requirement documents to determine whether the teacher requires specific drawing tools. 

Painting Supplies

Welcome to the wide world of painting. Most likely, your courses will require different types of paint (this is especially true of first-year classes, which tend to survey multiple painting styles). Brands to look for include Gamblin, Flashe, Liquitex, and Winsor & Newton. You will also need tools. Here’s a short list of what you might need: 

• Oil, vinyl and watercolour paint sets
• Canvas boards, stretched canvas, and/or canvas pads
• Several different brush types
• A palette and a palette knife. 

If you’re uncertain whether to elect for artist-grade or student-grade supplies (once again!), consult the course requirement documents. 

Mixed Media Tools, Sculpting and 3D Art Basics

Mixed media combines various materials into a single artwork – including conventional and unconventional materials. Don’t worry about the unconventional stuff for now; instead, stock things like: 

• Adhesives and glues
• Pastels 
• Pens and markers

As for your sculpting and 3D work, you will likely need essentials like: 

• Clay (either air-dry or modelling clay) and wax 
• Aluminum wire to create structural armatures 
• Loop tools, modelling tools and other sculpting tools. 

You can wait to purchase these as your courses progress. Mixed media and sculpting tend to come later in the term. (Sigh, once more, you should check your course documents to be sure!)

Organizational Systems 

Last but certainly not least, you need an easy way to tote these supplies from classroom to classroom. Consider investing in organizational systems like: 

• A portfolio case
• A toolbox 
• Presentation binders
• And drafting storage tubes

With that, your shopping spree should come to a close – for now. As an artist, your toolkit is continuously expanding, so it benefits you to spark a partnership with a quality art supply store, make friends with the staff, and get comfortable shopping the aisles.