A musician has a musical instrument, and a singer has a voice. And what does a visual artist have? Brushes or pencils? Most people tend to oversimplify the efforts and work done by artists. The process of creating an artwork, be it a sculpture or a painting, is complex. While skills are inalienable, artists still need high-quality equipment that will allow them to convey their ideas, feelings, and emotions most accurately. Let’s take a peek inside an artist’s workshop and see what art tools are essential for their work.

Essential Art Tools: Equipment Every Artist Should Have

Graphite pencils & brushes

Old-time classics, brushes and graphite pencils are the basic items in the toolset of every artist. There are round, liner, fan, angled, and flat brushes, as well as different types of pencils. Graphite pencils are the most common option needed for the majority of drawing styles and techniques.

Paints

Similar to brushes, paints are divided into different types. Among them are oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolor paint, and gouache. Each one is unique and irreplaceable.

A medium

A medium can be everything, from a canvas panel to a piece of paper to a rock. Every artist decides for themselves what suits them best. Even people’s bodies can be a medium — it is called body art.

Painting knives

Flexible blades of painting knives are very comfortable and effective art tools when you need to apply paint to a canvas. You shouldn’t confuse it with a palette knife used for mixing paints.

Sponges

Even though there are special painting sponges fixed on handles, people may use kitchen sponges as well. It is an efficient method of creating a wide range of marks, effects, and gestures.

Brayers

A brayer is a roller for painting — as simple as that. As a rule, it comes in different shapes and sizes.

Very often, you can see artists use ordinary things as art tools. It means that sometimes what you need is a desire to create rather than fancy equipment.