Art Supply List for Elementary Art Class

Do you need a printable art supply list for elementary art? Are you stocking up a brand-new art room or simply looking for some recommended art supplies for kids? Ordering art supplies can be overwhelming when you don’t know what is actually worth the extra money and what supplies to avoid. Keep reading to see some fun and quality art materials and print out a downloadable Art Supply List. I decided to make this list because very often in Art Teacher Facebook groups I often see questions from people asking what supplies are good or what is a supply list for an elementary art class. So, I decided to compile all my favorites in one place!

What Art Supplies Should I Buy for My Elementary Art Class?

Having the right supplies on hand will make your job easier and keep your kids creating all year long. This comprehensive art supply list of must-have art supplies for elementary classrooms is organized by category so you can quickly see what’s essential and what’s fun to have. All of these are my personal preferences and favorite brands. I’m not guaranteeing your experience, these are just what have worked for me. Also, I recommend doing some price comparisons. I usually find that Amazon is cheaper for most products, however, you may have some discounts through school accounts or some prices might be lower at different times at art supply companies such as Nasco, School Specialty or Blick.

This list has Amazon Affiliate links used at no extra cost to you. Any money earned goes to supporting the costs of this free website to help other teachers and for, (you guessed it), buying more art supplies and children’s art books!

Drawing Supply List for Art Class

• Regular pencils (Amazon Basics) or (Crayola #2)
• Erasers (white vinyl or pink)
• Pencil Sharpeners (Up & Up Target, 2-holes)
• Crayons – (Crayola is my preferred brand.)
• Colored Pencils – Jolly XXL – These have a wide range of colors, they are sturdy and don’t usually break when sharpening. I usually buy one box per table and have 4-5 kids share.
• Water-based Markers (broad tip) – Crayola
• Water-based Markers (fine tip) – Crayola
• Oil Pastels (Sakura)
• Chalk Pastels (Mungyo)
• Construction Paper Crayons
• Regular Sharpie Markers
• Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Markers
• Color Sharpies
• Crayola Twistable Crayons
• Geometric Shape Stencils, Variety of Shapes Stencils, Rulers, French Curves
• Compasses
• Mirrors

Painting Supplies for Elementary Art

• Watercolor Paint Sets (Crayola EDUCATIONAL watercolor sets- not the regular washable set)
• Liquid tempera paints: Tempera paints are great for kids, because they usually will not stain clothes. Sax VersaTemp or Crayola Premier Tempera are what I use. For color mixing, the Primary Red from Sax VersaTemp is the best. For mixing the blue, I use the light blue from Crayola Premier. The yellow doesn’t really matter.
• Acrylic Paint (basic colors): I rarely use them in elementary, because they are more expensive and stain clothing. When I do use acrylics (usually with paper mache), I use the Liquitex Basics.
• Kwik Stix Paint Sticks
• Paintbrushes (variety of sizes and bristle types) – no preference, I’ve bought all kinds. I actually really prefer the paint brushes that just come in the Crayola Education Watercolor sets. Chubby Brushes, Fan Brushes and Regular Round Brushes in different sizes.
• Water cups/containers – Jack Richeson – these are great because they don’t knock over easily.
• Ice cube trays to hold paint
• Watercolor paper (no particular preference)

Cutting & Gluing Art Supply List

• Student Scissors (blunt tip for very little kids)
• Student Scissors (pointed tip for older kids)
• Adult scissors for you
• Paper cutter (adult use only, keep out of reach of kids)
• Decorative Edge Scissors – the kids always LOVE these. I have not tried this particular brand, because I found a bunch of these at a garage sale.
• Glue Sticks – Elmer’s
• White School Glue – Elmer’s
• “Low temp” Hot glue gun (teacher use only, use caution) – Low Temp & Glue Sticks for gun (I strongly suggest using a low temperature glue gun. I got badly burned when a big glob of glue dropped on my hand straight from the nozzle. It was incredibly painful.)
• Masking tape (no strong preference)
• Clear tape
• Double-sided Tape
• Duct Tape

Paper & Surfaces

• Construction Paper– TruRay Assorted Colors
• Drawing Paper (white) – TruRay – we also use this for painting
• Cardstock (white) – Wausau Exact
• Astrobrights Cardstock or Astrobright Paper (so many great colors!)
• Poster Board
• Tissue paper (I have no preference, but you can buy tissue paper full sheets or little squares.)
• Scratch Art Paper
• Watercolor paper (no strong preference)

Printmaking & Mixed Media Art Supplies

• Foam Printing Sheets or Styrofoam trays
• Brayers (rollers) (I don’t have a preference, the ones I use are really old)
• Washable Printing Ink – Speedball in various colors
• Gelli Plates
• Collage magazines/newspapers/scrap papers – ask for donations
• Fabric scraps or felt – ask for donations
• Cardboard pieces – save all the boxes that come in
• Yarn, string, ribbons or twine – ask for donations
• Plastic Needles for Weaving

3D & Sculpture

• Clay (kiln-fired) – we order clay from a local company. I have also used this clay from Laguna and it was good.
• Clay tools – Plastic Tools, plastic silverware can also be used, Clay Needle Tools (only for older students, use caution and with supervision), Wire Clay Cutter, rolling pins
• Blick Gloss Glazes for kiln-fired clay
• Air dry clay – unfortunately I have not found any good air dry clay that will not break easily, I’m open to suggestions as I’ve had not-so-great experiences with all I’ve tried.
• Model Magic modeling compound
• Play Dough for younger grades
• Pipe Cleaners
• Craft sticks – any kind. I would not recommend colored craft sticks, because when you add glue, the colors run.
• Beads, sequins, buttons, and decorative gems – ask for donations
• Wire (soft, bendable)
• Paper mache paste (I have a stockpile of Elmer’s art paste, but my co-worker experimented with methyl cellulose and that worked well too.)
• Recyclable materials (egg cartons, boxes, tubes) – ask for donations
• Paper Mache Masks

Organization & Cleanup Supply List

• Storage bins and trays
• Drying racks: I have this one from Copernicus and also a cheap one I picked up at a garage sale
• Aprons or smocks – I use old, donated t-shirts
• Paper towels/rags
• Sponges
• Cleaning wipes (for tables)
• Broom – Ok, you need a broom like this one. Having a dustpan with a long handle makes cleanup a breeze.

Specialty & Fun Extras

These are the special things that bring some extra excitement to art class.

• Graphite Drawing Pencils
• Texture Rubbing Plates
• Paint Dotters – these paint dotters are super bright!
• Glitter Glue or regular glitter if you are brave
• Metallic Markers (Crayola)
• Neon Paint
• Metallic Paint
• Stickers
• Stamps and ink pads
• Foam Shapes
• Googly Eyes
• White Paint Markers
• White Gel Pens (Uniball Signo)
• Staplers & other basic office supplies
• Decorative or Washi Tape
• Paint Markers (Posca) or Chalk Markers
• Watercolor pencils– I love the MaPed Aqua Color Pencils
• Artist Trading Cards – there are many inferior quality ATCs on Amazon, the Apostrophe brand is the one I like. Be sure to read reviews before buying any.
• Neon Oil Pastels
• Shrinky Plastic Sheets
• Metallic Watercolor Paints
• Shape Punchers such as these – I have not tried this particular brand, again, I’ve found most of mine at garage sales and thrift stores.
• Specialty papers (handmade, textured, marbled)
• Patterned scrapbook paper – look for sales and coupons at Michaels, I’ve also come across scrapbooking paper at garage sales.
• Metallic or holographic foil sheets
• Cardboard Circles for circular weaving or round paintings
• Origami Paper
• Cotton balls, Q-tips, toothpicks, super glue

Printable Elementary Art Supply List

Ways to Save Money

• Shop the back-to-school sales in stores for good deals on basic supplies like crayons, pencils, glue and markers.
• Join “Buy Nothing”, “Free groups” or “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” groups on Facebook – don’t be afraid to ask people for supplies they may already have around their house that they don’t need anymore.
• Shop at garage sales or thrift stores, if that’s something you enjoy.
• Do a fundraiser like Artsonia. I upload student work there to use as a portfolio. It’s free to join. Parents can buy things like mugs or t-shirts with their kids’ artwork on them and your art program gets 20% of the sales to buy art supplies.

Why should you trust me?

After teaching elementary art for 22+ years, I have tested out hundreds, if not thousands (I don’t know, I’ve never counted) of different art supplies. One of my hobbies is basically collecting art supplies – you should see our cabinets! I’ve been to numerous art teacher conferences, and if you’ve never been to one, they have a large vendor hall with representatives from all the major art companies and you can try out all their products and test out new art supplies. Also, I’ve been given lots of free samples for my blog to review or through other various swag bags from workshops.

I hope this helps! If you have any questions, disagree with me on a supply recommendation or noticed I missed something, please let me know!

You may also be interested in

• Stocking Your Early Finisher Station with Art Centers
• Using Children’s Books in Your Art Lessons
• My Recommendations for Art Books in the Elementary Art Class