10 Best Art Supplies For Beginners in 2026

The 36 acrylic paint tubes each hold 36ml, which is larger than what many other kits offer, so you won’t need to replace your favorite color mid-project. With 80 pieces total, including ten canvas panels in three sizes, a foldable wooden table easel, twelve brushes, a palette, and a cleaning cup, you can start painting right away without hunting for extra supplies. That completeness makes this set a practical choice for anyone new to acrylics.

The included table easel is lightweight and foldable, designed for use on a desk or counter rather than for standing at a studio easel. If you prefer painting upright, you might want to buy a larger easel separately. Compared to the CraftyCrocodile Painting Kit, which has ten paints and six canvases, this Nicpro set gives you 36 paints and ten canvases, offering more colors and surfaces. For a beginner looking for a single, ready-to-go kit, this is a practical option.

With 76 pieces spanning six pencil types, sketch, charcoal, colored, watercolor, metallic, and pastel, this set gives a beginner a full toolkit without needing to buy separate kits. The pre-sharpened pencils with break-resistant cores mean less frustration when learning pressure control, and the included tutorial walks you through drawing cute subjects step by step. A nylon zippered case keeps everything organized for travel or storage, so you can sketch at a park, café, or desk without losing pieces.

Pastel pencils are limited to just four in this set, which means artists whose primary focus is pastel work will find the selection too narrow for serious blending or layering. A dedicated pastel kit typically offers a much wider range of hues and values, making it a more practical choice for that medium. For general sketching and mixed-media exploration, however, those four pencils can still add subtle highlights or soft accents alongside the other included pencil types. Reviewers often note that the set’s strength lies in its variety across multiple drawing disciplines rather than deep coverage of any single one.

A 176-piece set with five pencil types, graphite, colored, watercolor, charcoal, and metallic, means you can sketch, shade, blend, and add color right out of the box without buying extras. The included 100-sheet sketchbook with white, tan, and black pages lets you experiment with contrast and toned paper from the start, and the portable case keeps everything organized for sketching at a café or park.

The trade-off is size: the 6×9-inch sketchbook is compact, so if you prefer working large or on full sheets, you will outgrow it quickly. Compared to the KALOUR 76 Drawing Set, which also includes a sketchbook and watercolor paper, the Caliart gives you more pencil types and a dedicated three-color sketchbook. For a beginner focused solely on drawing and wanting variety in one box, this kit delivers. Just know the small pad means you will likely buy a bigger sketchbook later.

Fifty colors in a kit that measures 3.1 by 1.6 by 0.6 inches means you can carry a full palette anywhere without sacrificing variety. The built-in mixing palette and eight brushes let you start creating right away. For someone who wants to explore watercolor on the go, this set provides everything needed to begin.

Fitting fifty color pans plus brushes and a mixing palette into a case only 3.1 inches long means each pan is necessarily small. Owners find that loading a wide brush for a broad wash requires several passes across the pan to pick up enough pigment. The trade-off is worth it for the portability: the metal case slips into a jacket pocket or a small bag, making it easy to carry to a park, a café, or a classroom. For detailed work or lettering, the pan size is less of an issue, and the built-in palette lets you mix custom shades without needing an extra dish.

This 192-piece set packs crayons, colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolor paints, acrylic paints, brushes, three canvas boards, and three separate paper pads into a wooden case with dual drawers. For a beginner who wants to try drawing, watercolor, and acrylic painting without buying three separate kits, that breadth is the main reason it stands out. You get an acrylic pad with a textured linen surface, a watercolor pad, a sketchbook, and three pre-stretched canvases, so you can jump from sketching to painting without hunting for supplies.

Weight and portability are the main concerns here. At 9.5 pounds and a 15-inch case, it’s not something you toss in a backpack for a coffee shop session, it’s more of a home-studio or classroom kit. If you want a lighter, more portable option for sketching on the go, the KALOUR Drawing Sketching Kit Set weighs only 1.6 pounds and focuses on pencils and paper. But if you want one comprehensive box that covers multiple media and keeps everything tidy in a wooden case, this delivers the variety a beginner needs to explore what they enjoy most.

With ten acrylic paints, five brushes, a wooden easel, and a single 6×8 canvas, this kit is ready to use as soon as you unpack it. That completeness makes it a good fit for someone who has never picked up a brush before. The included 100 painting ideas and a portrait drawing guide give clear direction, so you are not staring at a blank canvas wondering what to do. Access to 40 relaxing music tracks is designed to create a calming atmosphere, which can help make the experience feel more like a quiet studio session than a stressful lesson.

One small canvas and a modest ten-color palette will feel limiting once you gain confidence. For a beginner who just wants to try acrylics without a big investment in supplies or decisions, this CraftyCrocodile set removes every barrier to that first satisfying stroke.

Thirty-six tubes of artist-grade watercolor, each 12ml, give you a full spectrum from basic shades to metallic hues as soon as you open the box. That range means you can mix landscapes, florals, or illustrations without running to the art store for a single missing color. The paints are lightfast and permanent with good tinting strength, so your washes stay vibrant and don’t fade over time. For a beginner, this set removes the guesswork. You get the paints, a palette, ten brushes in varied shapes, and 25 sheets of cold-pressed paper that’s heavy enough to handle wet washes without buckling. It’s a complete starter bundle designed to let you focus on learning, not shopping.

Tube size is the main compromise here. At 12ml each, these are smaller than many standard professional tubes, so if you paint large or frequently, you’ll restock certain colors sooner. That said, for a beginner exploring techniques and color mixing, the smaller tubes keep the set affordable and portable. The tube format gives you more control over paint consistency and dilution, which is a real advantage when you’re still learning how much water to add.

Thirty-two acrylic paint tubes in 22ml each give you a broad color range as soon as you open the box, so you can mix, layer, and experiment without running to the art store for every new hue. That makes this a true grab-and-go kit for a beginner who wants to try acrylics without hunting down each piece separately.

The 22ml tubes are smaller than what you get in some competing kits, like Nicpro’s 36ml paints, so you may run through favorite colors faster if you paint large or frequently. For a beginner testing the waters, though, this all-in-one package removes the guesswork and keeps the focus on painting.

Fifty colors packed into a metal case that’s just 8.2 inches long means you can take a full palette anywhere, a sketchbook, a park bench, a café table.

These are semi-transparent watercolors, which won’t give you the thick, opaque coverage of a gouache or acrylic set like the Nicpro Acrylic Paint Canvas Set. For quick sketches and light washes, though, the transparency is part of the charm, it rewards layering and patience. If you prefer bold, solid color from the start, look elsewhere; if you want a portable kit that encourages playful mixing, this one delivers.

With 206 pieces packed into one zipper case, this set hands a beginner graphite, colored, watercolor, metallic, charcoal, and pastel pencils all in one place. You get a 50-page three-color sketchbook, a 20-page coloring book, 15 watercolor postcards, and a step-by-step tutorial, so you can start drawing, shading, or painting as soon as you open the case. The elastic bands inside the nylon case keep each tool secure, making it easy to grab and go for classes, travel, or outdoor sketching without rummaging through a loose bag.

At 2.9 pounds, this all-in-one set is heavier than a focused sketching kit like the KALOUR 76 Drawing Sketching Kit Set, so it’s less portable for quick trips but still fits in a backpack. For a beginner who wants to sample many mediums without buying separate boxes, that weight is a fair compromise. If you already know you only love watercolor or only love graphite, a specialized set will serve you better; if you’re still exploring, this gives you the whole landscape to wander through.