Art supplies

[threegreatkids]

Another back to school supply topic

Do you buy art supplies at Walmart/Target or do you get artist quality ones? Or both? I need to order something from Miller Paper and saw that they have some sets of art supples. We've always gone the crayola route, but as the kids are getting older I wonder if they need something different.

[kayben]

I just use Crayola. I love the huge sales our Walmart and Staples have right before the fall. We have bought expensive before and unless you are doing a particular project requiring a special kind of "pencil" etc. I still love the crayola! Although, my absolute favorite are the Mr. Sketch "smelly" markers

[Tansy]

I personally like to give my kids real paint brushes and real paint, real water color paper etc.
Crayola is great for everyday use but for supervised art projects I break out the real mccoy.
It's amazing how much better they paint with a hair bush as opposed to a flat plastic ones.
Then teaching them to care for and clean up the pricey stuff is a lesson in and of it self.

In my house we use both since the crayola marker caps keep wandering away from their pens... (I mainly give them crayons due to this problem) so a small set of the good stuff is in my art kit. It's special.

[AnaDawson]

Wal-Mart has 24 count Crayola crayons for .24 cents.

[Daisy]

Stuff we ALWAYS have around and what we use the most

oil pastels (Michael's craft store)
chalk pastels
washable poster paints (anywhere)
**Crayola watercolors
**Crayola crayons
Prisma colored pencils (for the older child)
**Crayola colored pencils (for the boy child who loses everything)
**FAT Crayola washable markers
Skinny Crayola markers in a huge number of colors
GOOD watercolor paper
Tracing paper
**Doodle Paper (ream of cheap copier paper)
Charcoal sticks
**Construction paper
glitter glue
wooden sticks (popsicle)
cotton balls
googly eyes
tissue paper (kind that runs with water and color fast)

Other craft supplies I collect from odds and ends
old buttons
cardboard tubes
old magazines
cotton balls
yarn
material
stickers
old greeting cards
ribbon

The ** items are important enough that we'll make a special trip to the store for them. It's like running out of milk.

Hope that gives you some ideas

[Jessi]

"running out of milk" HAHAHA!! How true.

[Geo]

Another back to school supply topic

Do you buy art supplies at Walmart/Target or do you get artist quality ones? Or both? I need to order something from Miller Paper and saw that they have some sets of art supples. We've always gone the crayola route, but as the kids are getting older I wonder if they need something different.

Prismacolor color pencils are a must IMO! The colors are just so vivid, they improve the overall feel of the quality of your children's hard work. You'll be spoiled in no time.
No need to get elaborate, the 48 piece set is quite adequate for most homes. Ebay can be a great source for paying much less. Make sure you know the average retail price before bidding on them, you don't want to overpay. Large families will want multiple sets.

[threegreatkids]

Great tips, thanks! I think we'll go with the stock-up-on-crayola-at-the-back-to-school-sales-and-buy-a-few-special-things-to-tuck-away-for-projects approach!!!

[we6rblessed]

Hi, great thread!

I try to get the "Michael's supplies" when I have a 40% coupon. These are available in the Sunday paper most weeks.
There is usually a limit of 1 item per person, so I ask family and friends to save theirs for us to use. My children then have an item/coupon and $ to purchase for themselves.

~Linda