Essential Books and Art Supplies for Young Artists

I’ve always loved drawing, and it was my favorite creative release when I was a kid. I had an entire collection of drawing books that I loved. I learned so much from those books! My own children love drawing books, too. They spend hours copying the lessons and techniques in them. So today I’m going to share a list of essential books and art supplies for young artists.

As every artist knows, good drawing is the foundation for all great art. All artists need a solid foundation in drawing and design if they want to improve their skills. And there’s only one way to get it—practice! The How to Draw Cool Stuff series of drawing books from Catherine V. Holmes are fantastic. They cover everything a young artist needs to know.

If you know a young budding Picasso, you’re in the right place. I’ve teamed up with Library Tales Publishing to bring you this list of essential books and art supplies for young artists. And don’t miss the drawing tutorial at the very end!

11 Essential Art Supplies for Young Artists Who Love to Draw

How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students by Catherine V. Holmes

First up on our list of essential drawing supplies for young artists is this excellent “how-to” book. It’s filled with step-by-step tutorials to help beginner and hobby artists get started. With practical drawing tips and easy-to-follow lessons, this book is perfect for kids, teachers, and self-learners. Give it to your child as a gift and watch their artistic skills blossom! You might even feel inspired to pick up a pencil and learn how to draw, too!

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How to Draw Cool Stuff: Shading, Textures, and Optical Illusions by Catherine V. Holmes

Take your drawing skills to the next level with this instructional step-by-step guidebook! Inside, you’ll find lessons about how to create stunning illustrations with a few well-placed pencil strokes. Whether you want to create photo-realistic drawings or want to explore texture and patterns in your art, this how-to book is a must-have. You’ll be creating optical masterpieces in no time!

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How to Draw Cool Stuff: Holidays, Seasons, and Events by Catherine V. Holmes

Celebrate holidays and seasons with your art! With over 100 drawing lessons featuring holiday and seasonal subjects, you’ll get into the spirit (and get in some fantastic drawing practice). From Father’s Day to Halloween, this book has step-by-step drawing tutorials for every holiday of the year!

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Drawing Dimension – Shading Techniques: A Shading Guide for Teachers and Students by Catherine V. Holmes

Add shading to your drawings to make them pop! Take a deep dive into shading techniques with this fantastic guide for teachers and students. You’ll learn techniques for bringing realism to your art and taking your drawing to the next level through shading. This book goes beyond step-by-step tutorials and shows you how to apply these techniques to your drawings. You’ll learn how to create a mood, atmosphere, and focal point.

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How to Draw Cool Stuff: The 5-Minute Workbook by Catherine V. Holmes

Drawing with a time limit is an excellent way to increase your focus and improve your abilities quickly. In this book, Catherine shows artists how to observe their subject and draw it in five minutes or less. Use these step-by-step lessons for warm-up practice, drills, and kids who need the short, focused lesson. You’ll be amazed by how quickly your skill improve!

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A Good Sketchbook

I always use Strathmore sketchbooks for my drawings, although you can use any brand you want. I like this particular sketchbook because it has plenty of quality paper (100 sheets), and I like having the spiral binding on the side, so it opens like a book. Artists of all skill levels will get plenty of mileage out of this sketchbook!

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Quality Pencils with a Range of Hard and Soft Options

Every aspiring artist needs a selection of quality drawing pencils with a range of hard and soft options. If you don’t know what I mean by “hard” and “soft” pencils, that’s okay. Do you remember your school teacher always requiring a 2H pencil? The H stands for “hard,” and the number identifies how hard the graphite is. The larger the number, the harder it is, and the lighter its lines are. Softer pencils have a B after the number and create darker lines. As an artist, you’ll need both soft and hard pencils so you can achieve the full range of lights and darks in your drawings.

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A Portable Pencil Sharpener

If you’re going to work with pencils, you’ll need a pencil sharpener. I’d recommend getting one that is small, battery-operated, and portable. They last a long time and do a much better job at sharpening pencils than the hand-held kind. I bought one in college and still use it on an almost daily basis. This one from Bostitch is a great option.

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A Kneaded Rubber Eraser

These kneadable erasers are AMAZING. Unlike standard rubber erasers, these kneaded erasers have a consistency similar to modeling clay. You can push and mold them into any shape or size that you need. They’re great for erasing large areas of your drawing and for itty bitty details. And because they don’t get worn down and leave rubber bits on your paper, they last for a really long time. Mine usually last for a couple of years before I need to replace them.

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Paper Blending Stumps

If you’ve never heard of blending stumps before, you’re not alone. These little tools are handy for blending graphite and charcoal and are a great addition to your art supplies for young artists. Not every artist uses them, but my drawings improved almost overnight once I started using one. They give your drawings a smooth, almost glossy look. If you’ve never used one before, I’d suggest giving them a try.

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A Fun Pencil Case

Now that you have everything you need to create beautiful drawings, you need somewhere to stash your art supplies. Get your artist a fun pencil case like this one from YOUSHARES. It has slots for all of your pencils and blending stumps, along with mesh pockets for erasers. If you want a different color or pattern on your pencil case, search Amazon for “artist pencil case for kids,” and you’ll find a bunch of fun options.

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Are you ready to get started? Get your creative juices flowing with this drawing tutorial from Catherine! You can find even more tutorials on her YouTube channel.

I created this blog post in partnership with Library Tales Publishing. This blog participates in affiliate partnerships. If you make a purchase using our links, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you.