The Best Coloring Supplies for Beginners (Without Buying Too Much)
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The fastest way to make coloring feel expensive is to shop before you know what you enjoy. A wall of 300 markers looks thrilling. It is also a terrible place to begin if you have not learned whether you prefer smooth, bold color or slow, layered shading.
For a first setup, you need one coloring book, one main coloring medium, a sharpener if you choose pencils, and a protective sheet if you choose markers. Everything else can wait.
The $20-question: pencils or markers?
Start with colored pencils if you want control, easy cleanup, and the option to build color slowly. Start with water-based markers if you want brighter color with less hand pressure. Alcohol markers create smooth, saturated results, but they usually bleed through ordinary coloring-book paper and demand more care.
| Supply | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Colored pencils | Detail, shading, light-to-dark layers | Cheap cores may feel scratchy or break often |
| Water-based markers | Bold color, simple pages, kids’ activities | Repeated strokes can roughen or pill some paper |
| Alcohol markers | Smooth, vivid coverage and blending | Bleed-through, feathering, strong odor in some sets |
| Gel pens | Tiny details, glitter, metallic accents | Slow drying and ink that can skip |
| Crayons | Bold-line pages, relaxed pressure, easy sharing | Less precise in very small spaces |
Do not buy every category. Pick one main tool and give it a week.
A sensible colored-pencil starter kit
A set of 24 to 36 pencils provides enough range for most pages. Look for cores that lay down color evenly and pencils that are comfortable in your hand. You do not need an artist-grade set to learn layering.
Add:
- a sharpener that catches shavings;
- one white pencil for softening transitions and highlights;
- a plain sheet of paper under your coloring hand;
- a small swatch card showing how each pencil looks on paper.
Use light pressure first. Add two or three thin layers instead of trying to force full color onto the page in one pass. Your hand will tire less, and the result will look smoother.
A sensible marker starter kit
For ordinary coloring books, a 12- to 24-color set is enough to learn what marker ink does on the page. Choose a tip that matches your book. Brush tips cover curves and medium spaces; fine tips handle small details; broad chisel tips move quickly across large backgrounds but can be clumsy around narrow lines.
Before coloring the illustration, test each marker on a title page, blank margin, or comparable paper. Then place a smooth sheet of cardstock, plastic, or several sheets of scrap paper behind the active page.
If the book has art printed on both sides, pencils or carefully tested water-based markers are safer choices. Alcohol ink can pass through the paper and affect the picture on the reverse.
What beginners usually buy too soon
Giant sets
More colors can create more hesitation. A smaller palette teaches you to blend, layer, and repeat colors across a page.
Specialty blenders
A colorless blender is useful only after you understand the medium it belongs to. A white pencil and lighter pressure handle many beginner pencil problems. Alcohol-marker blending requires compatible ink and paper; the blender is not an eraser.
Expensive storage
Use a mug, pencil pouch, or small box until your collection outgrows it. Spend your money on supplies you touch, not furniture that photographs well.
Every white pen on the shelf
One opaque white gel pen can add dots, shine, or tiny corrections. It is a finishing tool, not a requirement for your first page.
Safety matters when children share the table
Read the package and follow its age and ventilation directions. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says art materials must carry appropriate hazard labeling; products reviewed under the art-material standard carry wording such as “Conforms to ASTM D-4236.” For children, choose supplies designed and labeled for their age group, and supervise according to the package directions.
“Non-toxic” does not mean “safe to use in any way.” Markers still belong on paper, not skin or food surfaces. Caps and small accessories can also be hazards for very young children.
Build your first palette before the page
Pick one dark color, one light color, one warm color, and one cool color. Add a neutral if the illustration needs it. Test the group on scrap paper. If the colors look comfortable together, begin.
This tiny ritual prevents the classic beginner problem: coloring one area beautifully, then realizing every remaining color fights with it.
The actual beginner checklist
- One book with a detail level you enjoy
- 24–36 colored pencils or 12–24 markers
- A sharpener or a protective backing sheet
- Scrap paper for tests and swatches
- Optional: one white gel pen
That is enough. Finish a few pages before deciding what your setup lacks. Your next purchase should solve a problem you have actually experienced.
Ready to choose the most important part of the kit? Browse coloring books for kids, teens, and adults and match the page style to the tools you want to use.