If you’re at all like us, you are probably addicted to buying colouring supplies. We can’t help it! There’s nothing quite like opening a fresh set of colouring pencils, or taking the cap off a brand new marker, or even opening the first page of a new issue of Colouring Heaven. However, when it comes to picking out the must-have colouring supplies for any colourist, there are so many options out there that it can be overwhelming trying to choose what supplies you should get your hands on!
Whether you’re an avid colourist or a complete beginner, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 must-have colouring supplies, to make sure that you have everything you need to perfect your colouring pages! From pencils to markers, beginner to intermediate colouring, we hope this guide will help you to discover the best supplies for you.
Don’t miss our free Beginner’s Guide to Colouring PDF – full of tips and tricks for new colourists, and 12 beginner friendly colouring pages to get you started!
Colouring Heaven may earn commission from some of the links on this page. But don’t worry – we’ve only recommended products we think you’ll love!
Colouring pencils are the bread and butter of colouring. They are an incredible tool for blending, creating highly pigmented colour, adding small details – we could go on all day! That’s why pencils are a must-have supply and perhaps our most essential supply on this list.
There are heaps of brands of pencils to explore, but it really comes down to personal preference in the end. Colouring pencils are a fairly accessible material with high quality options available in a range of price points, from low-budget options like Black Widow or Arteza pencils, all the way up to more expensive options like the Prismacolor or Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils.
With your set of pencils, you will of course need a good sharpener. No more blunt pencils allowed! This essential supply may seem obvious but opting for a high quality sharpener can actually revolutionise your colouring and ensure that your pencils stay in good condition. You could opt for a classic hand-held sharpener or some colourists prefer an electrical sharpener. We run through it in our ultimate guide to sharpeners, so you can find the perfect sharpener for you!
A blender of some kind is an amazing tool for softening harsh lines, blending colours together, and generally smoothing your colouring. If you work with colouring pencils, this is definitely a must-have in your supplies.
There are many things you can use as a blender, from specifically designed products like blending pencils, stumps and markers, all the way to household items like Vaseline and cotton buds. It is definitely worth exploring which option works best for you but there is one thing we are certain about and that is that a blender is essential!
Even if you mostly use colouring pencils, having a good set of markers on hand can be really handy! Markers are great for creating bold colours and strong pigments in your colouring, as well as handy for details. We also love using markers to create a base colour, and then adding definition on top using pencils.
It is up to you whether or not you opt for a water based marker or an alcohol based marker. We run through the differences in our ultimate guide to pens and markers. Similarly to pencils, there are a range of high quality options at all price points and a variety of excellent options like the Ohuhu markers or Copic markers.
One of the best ways to create intricate details and bring your colouring to life is through the use of shade and highlights. A tool that we find incredibly useful and integral to creating beautiful, bright, and detailed highlights is a white pen! Although simple, having a pen like this is one of our most used supplies as it is great for adding small details with the thin gel pen nib while packing a punch with pigment! Our absolute favourite white gel pen to use is the Posca white marker.
Everybody makes mistakes! But that’s not the only reason that a high quality eraser is on our list of must-have colouring supplies. An eraser is a fantastic tool for a colourist, assisting in creating small details, smoothing out colour, and generally helping you to create the most beautiful colouring possible. There are few different routes you can go down when picking an eraser that we run through in our ultimate guide to erasers. Once again, research and discover the option that works best for you, but popular choices are a vinyl eraser like the Staedtler Mars Plastic eraser or an electrical eraser like the Sakura Electric eraser.
Onto the accessories! It would be easy to fill your house with colouring accessories (believe us, we’ve done it!) but there are a few that we find to be the most useful. A clip on light is one of them. There’s nothing worse than colouring in low light, only to discover in the morning that the shades you used look different in bright light. Having a clip on light and using it ensures that you always know what you’re colouring and the colour choices and shading stay consistent! There are tons of options available for this for all budgets, sizes and design preferences.
It is likely that you might not have a table or desk that you can dedicate to your colouring. Fear not! We have a solution. Getting a clipboard means that you can colour freely knowing that you have a flat surface to do so on and won’t have to take over the kitchen table (we’ve been there…). It is also handy if you ever want to take your colouring on the go. Once again, clipboards are accessible to get a hold of at any price point, and although a simple addition to this list, we consider them one of our most valuable supplies!
It is equal parts satisfying and frustrating when a pencil becomes too short. On the one hand, look at all of the amazing colouring you have done to wear down the pencil! On the other hand, how can you comfortably use a pencil that is very short? We have a solution!
The pencil extender is to the rescue! We love this as a supply and it is most definitely a must-have. Simply insert your pencil into the extender and you’ve got a lovely sized pencil to work with. These come in a variety of thicknesses too so you can find the right fit for you based on your preferences. We like the Derwent pencil extenders!
After spending so much time searching for the right pencils, taking care of them with a high quality sharpener and using them often, why not store them safely to ensure they stay in good condition? Pencil wraps or cases are a great supply for all kinds of reasons.
They protect your pencils in case of dropping them or knocking them over in a way that the original packaging may not, they can save storage space and they also mean that we can take our pencils on the go with us! A simple product but one of our most essential supplies.
That brings us to the end of our top 10 must-have colouring supplies. Although there is perhaps an eleventh supply that we haven’t mentioned – an issue of Colouring Heaven to use all of these supplies on, right?
Don’t miss our free Beginner’s Guide to Colouring PDF – full of tips and tricks for new colourists, and 12 beginner friendly colouring pages to get you started!
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Colouring Heaven may earn commission from some of the links on this page. But don’t worry – we’ve only recommended products we think you’ll love!
