My Favorite Art Materials

Many parents ask me about what materials I use for the projects we do.  I really like to experiment with brands to see what works best to accomplish the techniques I want to teach.  All brands are not the same and I have posted some of my favorites here.  This will be a great resource for parents when a student really loved working with a particular material.  I am not paid to promote any of these, and these are my honest opinion as an artist and art teacher.

Colored Pencils:
K-5th grade- Lyra Groove Slim (24 ct)...I really love the way these blend and are a harder lead so they don't break as easily as Prismacolor.

6th-12th grade- Prismacolor (48 ct)...nothing beats these professional quality pencils!

Oil Pastels:
All ages- Cray-pas Junior or Expressionist...both are great but the Expressionist are a bit creamier for more advanced artists.

Watercolors:
 K-5th grade- Crayola Educational watercolors...don't use washable as they have hardly any pigment and it can discourage a budding artist. Just put on an old t-shirt.

6th-12th grade- Prang are my favorite (set of 16 colors) with very strong pigment and you can replace colors individually as needed. 

Acrylics:
K-5th grade- Blickrylic is a great brand with excellent coverage. It is by Blick art supplies.

6th-12th grade- Fluid acrylics, I prefer American or Folk Art
                              Full bodies acrylics, I prefer Liquitex Basics



I will be adding more periodically and thanks for reading...