I’ve loved to draw since I was little girl and one of the things my parents did to encourage me to develop my creativity was to give me real art supplies instead of the cheap versions most of us buy for our kids.
Even when you’re six or seven, having quality paper with a pleasing texture and pencils with rich, vibrant colors makes a difference.
If you have child who likes to paint, I highly recommend the Prismacolor watercolor pencils. Watercolor pencils can be used like regular colored pencils, then you use a wet brush to blend the colors together to create pleasing effects. You can also dip the tips of the pencils into a glass of water and “paint” on the paper that way.
Kids love watercolor pencils because you don’t end up with a muddy mess like you do when you are using regular watercolor paints and aren’t careful about cleaning the brushes in between colors.
There are many different sets of Prismacolor watercolor pencils available. A basic set with 12 to 24 colors is a good choice for most children. This gives them enough options to experiment, but not so many choices that they feel overwhelmed.
Since Prismacolor art supplies are kind of expensive compared to regular children’s art supplies, I like to pick mine up at Hobby Lobby when they are on sale or there is a 40% off online coupon to use.
I keep our painting supplies stored on a special shelf where my son has to ask to use them. He’s allowed to use the regular colored pencils and markers whenever he wants.
Photo credit: Hobby Lobby
