(Extra) Shopping List

Reminders to help me figure out what to buy every year.

Organization

This article will be organized primarily by artform.

2-Dimensional Painting and Drawing

• Graphite Pencil I generally don't like having students do full artworks in pencil. So I'm actually not that interested in having a full range.
• Charcoal Nice for doing value studies. Get the charcoal sticks and lots of strong tissue paper (or towels if you have ths space to clean them), preferably with smooth texture.
• Colored Pencil Wax, oil, pastel, watercolor pencils. There's a lot of different types. If you don't teach your students what the differences are, you will have a jumbled useless pile of pencils in your shelves. If you yourself don't know what the differences are, then go buy the budget school brands.
• Marker Alcohol markers require special paper if you want to blend. If you are not interested in blending, other marker types such as water or alcohol may be more appropriate for class.
• Dip Ink
• Ink Pens You will almost certainly want the waterproof pigment pens. Microns are good, but expensive. Research what is available for less.
• Watercolor For elementary students, get the pan kits. For older, more responsible students, you can have them use tubes. Maries brand is good enough. Good paper is mandatory.
• Gouache (Poster color)
• Acrylic I have been trying to eliminate acrylic from my painting programs to help preserve brushes and reduce environmental damage. I insist on using gouache for all 2D work and then use acrylic for 3D or anything requiring durability.
• Oil Really great, but requires strict training on safety and correct handling.
• Pastel
• Crayon Cheap, good for elementary.
• Silkscreen Painting Watercolor, except on a transparect fabric. The screens are expensive and take up a lot of space.
• Eastern Calligraphy I'm not an expect, but to me it looks like a great way to drill into students that they need to follow instructions. Great for brush handling, thinking about line quality, developing focus. Use the Vietnamese Do paper.

Other 2-Dimensional

• Photography
• Graffiti
• Block Printing

3-Dimensional Media

• Ceramic Clay If your school has the facilities to support ceramic, you should try it.
• Modelling Clay Air dry clay and oil based clay have their advantages and disadvantages. Air dry is likely the one you want to go for. Oil based clay needs more specialized equipment.
• Paper Maiche A good choice for 3D. Use white glue instead of wheat-based glue.
• Origami Good for elementary children. However, nearly impossible for students to devise their own patterns.
• Paper Machines
• Pop-up Art
• Textiles and String
• Puppets

Digital Art

• 3D Graphics
• Programmatic Art
• Digital Painting

Miscellaneous

• Art Shows and Galleries
• Think about Elementary School projects!