Today, I wanted to share with you a list of some of my favorite materials in my art classroom. Over the years, these have become staples in my room and I honestly say I can not and will not ever want to be without them! I use them with all grade levels (K-5) and for all different types of projects. Check them out below in no particular order.
Oil Pastels
One of the most basic materials but can do SO much. Oil pastels should be a staple in every art room in my opinion. Kids love them as they seem like a step up from crayons that they use everywhere else. They come in different sizes to help with fine motor skills and small hands and they come in all different colors now, such as metallic and fluorescent! Yes, they can be a little messy and smeary when kids use them but they are so smooth and bold, it’s worth it. Teach your students to be aware of the messiness of them and to not wipe the crumbs away in order to avoid smearing. Blending colors together, purposely smearing to blend with fingers, painting over them as a resist, scratching into them, adding baby oil to smooth them, I feel like they can do just about anything!
Paint sticks
These are something that have kind of blown up the last 5 years or so. Tempera paint sticks are amazing! They work like a glue stick – it rolls up from the bottom. And they color with such bold and vibrant colors filling up large spaces easily. It dries quickly and then other materials like paint markers, sharpies, and paint can be layered on top. These are one of my favorite materials to use with my younger grades, kindergarten especially. When fine motor skills are still being developed, these are easy to hold and color with and give students a lot of visual success.
Bingo daubers
Refillable bingo daubers filled with india ink are one of my favorites! These can be super messy so it’s important to teach kids not to squeeze them or shake them. I may or may not have known an art teacher who had a student squeeze one and it exploded all over even getting on the ceiling! Drawing with bingo daubers give bold black outlines for artworks and it’s actually really satisfying in my opinion how smooth they glide across the paper. My students use these in all grade levels along with so many other materials to add color with. Vibrant paint sticks go well with them as well as bold liquid watercolors.
Mr. Sketch Markers
This one might sound like an odd one, but I really love having Mr. Sketch markers in my room. Not for the smells though! Although, the students love them for the smells. Sometimes they need reminders to get back to coloring and not spend the entire time smelling them! I love these markers for their bright and vibrant colors and how saturated they are. I also love the chisel tip so you can create both thick and thin lines depending on the angle you use. The only draw back about these is they will fade. I left some artwork up in the hallway for a long time once and the colors faded with the fluorescent lights.
Sharpies
Sharpies have become an absolute must have in my classroom! And not just black ones. The colored ones too! First of all, kids love using them. I don’t know what it is about them, but kids LOVE having access to a simple black permanent marker they can draw or outline with. Second, there are so many great colors to use. And of course, they are permanent! Use them on paper, canvases, layered on other materials, wood, you name it. They are great for details added to a larger project or for making precise and bold color larger areas of color. You can’t go wrong with beginning to create a stash of colored Sharpies.
I hope this list of these staple materials for my art classroom has been helpful and given you some ideas of things to try out in your own art room. Looking back at all my choices, I think these are my favorites because of the way they can be so bold and vibrant. Kids love bright colors, bold designs, and being able to use something deemed a specialty item. And of course, when they can be successful with their own creations, they are going to love it even more!
Keep blending,
Laura