What Art Supplies do I need to get Started?

Choosing the right art supplies is key! Learn the must-haves for pastel, charcoal, and graphite—plus budget-friendly tips to start smart.

Essential Art Supplies for Beginners: Pastel, Charcoal & Graphite 🎨

Starting an art journey can be overwhelming—especially when faced with rows of supplies in art stores or endless online options. How do you know what’s essential and what’s just extra? And more importantly, how do you get good-quality materials without breaking the bank?

This guide will break down the must-have supplies for beginners in three mediums—pastel, charcoal, and graphite—while also helping you make smart choices that won’t leave you frustrated.

If you're a beginner, here’s what you need to know:

✅ Investing in quality is key—cheap materials will make learning harder, not easier.
✅ You don’t need tons of supplies—just a few essential tools to get started.
✅ If pastels are too expensive, start with charcoal or graphite—they're budget-friendly, require fewer supplies, and help you develop essential skills.

Let’s dive in!

The Essentials for Soft Pastels 🎨

Pastels are an incredible medium—rich, vibrant, and beginner-friendly. But they also require the right materials to work well. Unlike acrylics or oils, pastels don’t perform well on cheap supplies, making it crucial to invest in good paper and quality pastels from the start.

What You Absolutely Need for Pastels

📌 1. A Good Set of Pastel Pencils

Recommended: Stabilo Carbothello (Set of 60 is ideal, but you can start with fewer).
These blend well, offer great detail, and last a long time.
If you only invest in one thing, make it this set!

📌 2. High-Quality Pastel Paper

Best option: Pastelmat (by Clairefontaine)
Pastelmat holds layers well, blends beautifully, and is forgiving.
DO NOT use cheap "pastel paper"—it will frustrate you and make learning pastels much harder.

📌 3. A Few Soft Pastel Sticks

Recommended: Sennelier or Schmincke Half-Stick Set
Tip: Half-stick sets double your colors for the same price as full sticks!
Pastel sticks are mainly for backgrounds and blocking in color.

📌 4. Blending Tools

PanPastel Soft Tools, or cheaper alternatives from Temu or even makeup sponges.

📌 6. Glassine Paper

Helps protect your work and prevents smudging.

Why Quality Matters in Pastels

💡 Pastels require good paper. If you use cheap paper, the pastel won’t grip properly, making it impossible to blend and layer.
💡 Cheap pastel sticks are too hard. They won’t blend well and can scratch the surface.

Budget-Friendly Alternative: Start with Charcoal or Graphite Instead ✏️

If pastels aren’t in your budget, don’t worry—you can build your skills with charcoal or graphite first! These mediums require far fewer materials and are a great way to learn values, shading, and texture before moving on to color.

The Essentials for Charcoal 🖤

Charcoal is forgiving, expressive, and fantastic for dramatic shading. If you’re new to drawing and can’t afford pastels yet, charcoal is an excellent place to start.

What You Absolutely Need for Charcoal

📌 1. Charcoal Pencils (General’s 2B & White Charcoal)

Why? 2B gives deep blacks, and white charcoal is perfect for highlights.
General’s has the best rich black color (unlike cheap brands, which appear brownish).

📌 2. Compressed Charcoal Sticks

Best for deep blacks and shading large areas.

📌 3. Vine (or Willow) Charcoal

Great for sketching and easily erasable.

📌 4. Kneaded Eraser

Allows lifting highlights for fur, textures, and soft details.

📌 5. Blending Stumps (Tortillons)

Smooths shading without making it muddy.

📌 6. High-Quality Paper: Arches Hot Press Watercolor Paper

Smooth enough for details, textured enough to hold charcoal.

📌 7. Charcoal Powder

Used for soft, smooth backgrounds.

📌 8. Fixative Spray

Helps seal charcoal drawings (unlike pastel, which doesn’t require fixative).

Why Start with Charcoal Instead of Cheap Pastels?

💡 If you can’t afford good pastels, charcoal is a fantastic alternative. It teaches you values, shading, textures and control—all of which translate beautifully into pastel work later!

The Essentials for Graphite ✏️

Graphite is the most affordable way to get started in art. If you don’t want to invest in expensive materials just yet, graphite drawing is a low-cost way to develop your skills.

What You Absolutely Need for Graphite

📌 1. High-Quality Graphite Pencils (Caran d’Ache Grafwood)

You only need three: 2H (light), 2B (medium), and 10B (dark).
Alternative: Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt (reduces shine).

📌 2. Blending Tools

Tortillons, cotton swabs, or soft tissues.

📌 3. Kneaded Eraser + Tombow Mono Zero Eraser

Mono Zero: Perfect for tiny highlights (eyes, fur details).
Kneaded Eraser: Great for soft highlights and lifting graphite.

📌 4. Any Paper is fine to get started with

Smooth for details but not too slick.
You can even just start with a sketchbook.

Why Start with Graphite Instead of Pastels?

💡 Graphite requires minimal investment.
💡 It teaches foundational skills (values, shading, proportions).
💡 No need for expensive fixatives or special papers.

Final Thoughts: Choose Wisely & Start Smart

✨ Pastels are amazing, but they require quality supplies—otherwise, they’ll frustrate you.
✨ If you can’t afford pastels yet, start with charcoal or graphite—they're budget-friendly and build essential skills.
✨ You don’t need tons of materials—just a few good ones!

💡 Smart Shopping Tips:

Buy half-stick pastel sets to get more colors for less.
Look for secondhand supplies (Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Craigslist).
Invest in quality paper! It’s more important than having a huge range of colors.

What’s Next?

💬 Have you ever struggled with cheap art supplies? What’s your must-have material? Let’s chat in the comments!

🖌️ Want to learn more? Check out my The Creative Barn Membership or join The Creative Barn Membership for guided lessons and community support!

Check out the supplies I've mentioned on my Amazon Australia Page

✨ No matter where you start, the key is to just begin.

Happy creating!

Kerri xx

Categories: : art, artist, beginner, charcoal, graphite, pastels