In this story:
- Before You Buy Art Supplies in LA...
- 1. Sketchbook or Drawing Pad
- 2. Beginner Pencils and Erasers
- 3. Mixed Media Paper
- 4. Acrylic Painting Starter Kit
- 5. Paintbrushes
- 6. Beginner Watercolor Kit
- 7. Canvas Panels or Boards
- 8. Oil painting starter kit
- 9. Tabletop Easel and Palette Setup
- Top LA Workshops Where Art Supplies Are Provided
- Build Your Skills with these Easy-To-Use Art Supplies in LA
If you’ve taken art classes in Los Angeles recently and felt that spark to keep going, you’re not alone. With the right art supplies in LA, you can keep practicing the skills you learned in class and begin creating work that’s truly your own.
This guide covers the essential tools every beginner should have. From sketchbooks and pencils to paints and brushes, along with where to find quality supplies locally. You’ll also discover which LA workshops can help you master each one, so you can keep learning and growing with confidence.
Before You Buy Art Supplies in LA...
Before diving into brushes and paints, it’s worth setting up your creative foundation. Think of this as your personal studio blueprint, the combination of tools, habits, and mindset that will sustain your growth over time.
Start with intention: What kind of art do you want to create? What skills did you enjoy most in your last workshop? By keeping these questions in mind, you’ll choose supplies that actually serve your creative goals rather than cluttering your home.
1. Sketchbook or Drawing Pad
Every artist needs a space to play, plan, and explore ideas freely. A good sketchbook is where all of that begins. Without a sketchbook or drawing pad, you’re essentially creating without a foundation. It’s where every idea takes shape first. Over time, those pages become a visual timeline of your growth, showing how your technique, confidence, and style evolve with each sketch.
- Average cost: $12–$25.
- Why it’s essential: It becomes your visual diary, a place to capture everything from class notes and quick studies to thumbnail sketches and color tests.
- Where to buy in LA: Graphaids Art Supplies in Culver City carries excellent options like Canson and Strathmore sketchbooks in smooth or textured finishes.
Beginner artist tip: A sketchbook isn’t just paper; it’s your thinking space. Even 10 minutes of sketching a day will sharpen your observation skills and help you build confidence in your lines.
2. Beginner Pencils and Erasers
Before you begin any art project, you need to learn how to see, and the humble pencil is where that begins. Pencils train your eye to notice shape, shadow, and proportion, helping you develop the observational skills that form the backbone of every creative practice. Whether you’re planning a larger piece or sketching out small ideas, a reliable set of graphite pencils gives you the control to experiment freely.
- Average cost: $10–$20 for a starter set (including a kneaded eraser).
- Why it’s great for beginners: Drawing is the foundation for nearly every art form. Learning to see light, shadow, and form with pencils helps you later.
- Where to buy in LA: Carter Sexton Artists Materials in North Hollywood offers graphite and charcoal kits for all levels.
Beginner artist tip: Take time to understand the feel of each pencil grade. A softer 6B will give you expressive depth, while a harder 2H is perfect for clean outlines. This balance of structure and flow is what builds confidence in your technique.
3. Mixed Media Paper
Once you’ve started sketching and reflecting on your creative process, it’s time to start experimenting with these art supplies in LA. Mixed media paper thicker and more durable than standard sketchbook pages, meaning you can combine pencil, ink, watercolor, acrylic, or pastel all in one place. For beginners, it’s a low-pressure way to explore color, texture, and layering before committing to canvas.
- Average cost: $15–$25 for a pad.
- Why it’s great for beginners: Mixed media paper is built to handle multiple mediums, pencil, ink, watercolor, or light acrylic, making it ideal for exploration.
- Where to buy in LA: Blick Art Materials on Beverly offers professional-grade pads in various sizes that resist warping even with wet media.
Beginner artist tip: Don’t overthink your first attempts. Try layering watercolor over graphite, adding pastel highlights, or outlining dried paint with ink.
4. Acrylic Painting Starter Kit
Color is where your creativity truly starts to take form, and acrylics are the perfect place to begin. They’re vibrant, versatile, and forgiving, ideal for experimenting with texture, layering, and bold color combinations. An acrylic painting starter kit typically includes a small set of paints, a few flat and round brushes, and a palette for mixing.
- Average cost: $30–$60, depending on how many colors are included.
- Why it’s great for beginners: Acrylics teach essential art fundamentals such as color theory, layering, and brush control, while allowing for creative freedom and experimentation.
- Where to buy in LA: Blick Art Materials carries trusted beginner sets from Liquitex and Winsor & Newton.
Beginner artist tip: Focus on mastering a few colors rather than collecting dozens. With just primary colors, white, and black, you can learn to mix almost any shade and start understanding how color relationships work in your compositions.
5. Paintbrushes
Once you’ve got your paints, a reliable set of brushes is essential. Brushes are what bring movement, texture, and control to your work, the bridge between your imagination and the surface.
For beginners, start with a few versatile shapes: a flat brush for bold strokes, a round brush for detail, and a filbert for blending edges. Synthetic brushes are affordable, durable, and work beautifully with acrylics and watercolors alike.
- Average cost: $15–$30 for a starter set.
- Why it’s great for beginners: Good brushes make painting more intuitive, allowing you to explore mark-making and texture without frustration.
- Where to buy in LA: Carter Sexton Artists Materials and Blick LA carry quality brush sets for every skill level.
Beginner artist tip: Rinse your brushes as soon as you finish painting and store them bristle-up. Caring for them properly means they’ll last you years, not months.
6. Beginner Watercolor Kit
For beginners ready to explore light, fluid color, and gentle layering, a dedicated watercolor kit offers just the right tools to dip into this expressive medium.
These art supplies include a quality set of water-based pigments (ideal for transparent washes and color gradations), a small selection of brushes suited to control and texture, and often a pad of good-weight paper designed for wet media.
- Average cost: $30–$50 for a basic kit including paints, brushes, and paper.
- Why it’s great for beginners: Watercolor teaches patience, fluid movement, and how to work with light and transparency. It’s forgiving yet demands attention, making it a perfect step after drawing and sketching.
- Where to buy in LA: Visit Artist & Craftsman Supply in DTLA for student-grade gouache and watercolor kits and paper.
Beginner artist tip: Let the water do the work. Try painting wet-on-wet by dampening the paper first, then dropping in color and watching it bloom naturally. Learning how to control (and embrace) that flow is the secret to mastering watercolor’s charm.
7. Canvas Panels or Boards
Once you’ve grown comfortable painting on paper, it’s time to graduate to a sturdier surface. Canvas panels and boards are a great introduction to working on traditional painting surfaces without the cost or storage needs of stretched canvas.
They’re pre-primed and ready to paint straight from the pack, so you can focus on practicing your brushwork and layering techniques.
- Average cost: $3–$10 per panel.
- Why it’s great for beginners: Canvas panels mimic the feel of stretched canvas at a fraction of the price, giving you room to experiment and make mistakes as you grow.
- Where to buy in LA: Blue Rooster Art Supplies in Pasadena stocks affordable canvases ideal for regular practice. They even sell custom canvases!
Beginner artist tip: Paint small and often. Treat every canvas as an experiment; each finished piece will teach you something new about color, texture, and the value of patience.
8. Oil painting starter kit
If you’re drawn to color and texture but want something more tactile than paint, oil pastels are a fantastic next step. They’re perfect for expressive mark-making and layering, allowing you to create painterly effects with your hands instead of a brush.
Soft pastels are powdery and blend beautifully, while oil pastels are creamier and more opaque. Either way, both invite a sense of play that feels liberating for beginners.
- Average cost: $15–$30 for a 12–24 color set.
- Why it’s great for beginners: Pastels let you explore blending and shading in a hands-on way, helping you understand light and color relationships intuitively.
- Where to buy in LA: Artist & Craftsman Supply carries a variety of beginner sets and individual sticks for testing new colors.
Beginner artist tip: Start with dark tones and build up to lighter highlights. Each layer adds richness, and smudging with your fingers or a paper stump helps create soft, atmospheric blends.
9. Tabletop Easel and Palette Setup
Once you’ve gathered your essentials, setting up your workspace is what transforms your hobby into a regular practice. A tabletop easel helps improve posture and focus, while a palette and brush cleaner keep your setup organized.
- Average cost: $35–$60 combined.
- Why it’s great for beginners: A dedicated workspace encourages consistency. When your tools are ready, you’re more likely to create.
- Where to buy in LA: Blick Art Materials stocks compact, beginner-friendly setups for your home studio.
Beginner artist tip: Keep your materials visible and accessible. Creativity flows easiest when starting feels effortless.
Top LA Workshops Where Art Supplies Are Provided
If you’re unsure where to start with your toolkit, these LA art workshops take all the guesswork out of buying art supplies. Each one provides everything you need, from paints and brushes to paper and pigments, so you can learn directly from the experts before investing in your own materials. It’s the easiest way to discover what you like working with while building confidence in how to use each tool properly.
1. Drawing Workshop in Santa Monica
Learn the fundamentals of sketching, shading, and perspective with all materials provided, including high-quality pencils, pads, and erasers. You’ll be guided by PAINT:LAB, an art studio providing classes to LA locals for over 15 years. This drawing class is perfect for beginners who want to build a solid foundation before buying their own beginner pencils and drawing materials.
2. Drawing and Painting Course on Venice Boulevard
Move seamlessly from pencil to paint in this guided course where all supplies are included. Over four sessions, you’ll get to experiment with acrylics, brushes, and mixed media under expert instruction from the artists at Demi Lauren Studios, an ideal introduction to building your starter kit.
3. Natural Watercolor and Pigment Making Workshop in Santa Monica
Led by experienced artist Indiana Christov, this class is a must for anyone curious about how paints are made. Over five hours, you’ll create your own natural pigments from scratch, then use the provided watercolor tools and paper to bring your colors to life. It’s a great opportunity to learn about color in more depth.
Runs regularly
Pasadena
1 to 25 guests
$75 - $300
2k followers
4. Oil Painting Class in Westlake Village
Test the rich textures and vibrant tones of oil paint without having to source your own art supplies in LA with For Art's Sake Studio. Everything is included, from brushes to palette, so you can focus entirely on the most important part: technique!
5. Drawing and Painting Course in Hancock Park
This four-week fine arts program is perfect for those serious about growing their skills. Guided by The Artist Lab + Education, each session comes fully equipped with professional-grade supplies, giving you time to explore what tools and materials feel right for your practice.
These workshops don’t just save you a trip to the art store; they let you learn by doing, guided by instructors who understand exactly which materials will help you progress. You’ll leave each class not only with new techniques but also the confidence to continue curating your own home art setup.
Build Your Skills with these Easy-To-Use Art Supplies in LA
Every artist starts as a learner, but with the right mindset and materials, that curiosity becomes skill. Your creative growth doesn’t end when class does; it continues each time you pick up a pencil, mix a color, or document an idea in your journal.
With these essential art supplies LA creatives rely on, you can turn inspiration into a steady practice and build the confidence to call yourself what you already are: an artist.
