- Good quality colored pencils—Pass the green and yellow boxes that you bought at the back to school sales and look for the nicer quality pencils. Your student will get bright colors and smooth coverage with a better pencil.
- Watercolor Paper Pad—Look for sturdy and thick paper that will absorb and carry the weight of watercolors. These come in various counts and dimensions. Pick a size that the student can comfortably work with.
- Watercolors—I am Ms. Frugal McFrugal like the rest of us, but I also understand the value of using items and tools that are the best quality and affordable, even if that means I purchase less. Think “quality over quantity” here.
- Calligraphy pen and tips—More precisely called calligraphy pen and NIBS. My kids have become highly interested in calligraphy recently. Little do they realize that I “allow” them to break out the calligraphy things after school and let them skip handwriting! Beginners don’t need many options here, so just stick with two or three nibs. Kids can go online for instructions or pick up a simple book too.
- Shading Pencils—These will be in the drawing section rather than the coloring or pencil sections. Look for a few middle-of-the-road quality pencils that offer different levels of darkness.
- Basic easel—The range of easels is as big as you can imagine. Consider the space you have available before purchasing. Do you have floor space where an easel can stand or are you limited to a desktop style?
- Drawing books—Look through the offerings of books at the craft store or library. Look for a book that explains basic mechanics of drawing, while not being overly academic. Also, consider the examples of drawings included in the book. My kids are always turned off by extremely vulgar or scary drawings, despite the educational value of the books.
- Bendy McBenderson—You know, the articulated mannequin with a base and flexible body that can be posed and used to sketch the basic shape of ourselves. When Bendy stands around the room, it makes you look smarter, too. My kids are excited about getting one of these and I look forward to seeing their drawings change with a basic model to follow.
Lindsay Banton is a caffeinated mother with three great kids. She never expected to homeschool, but has found that it is a wonderful addition to their lifestyle and wouldn’t change it for the world. In addition to homeschooling, Lindsay works alongside her husband in campus ministry at a large university in Connecticut. She grew up in Virginia but has settled into life in New England, learning to love the long winters, cool springs, green summers and gorgeous autumns- and has built a boot collection to meet all the demands. She is currently blogging at www.oaksreplanted.blogspot.com.
