
COLORED PENCIL CLASS ART SUPPLY LIST
Please review and make sure you have all the items ready before attending the class.
ARTIST GRADE COLORED PENCIL SET
48 colors minimum. Prismacolor Premier Softcore Pencil set is highly recommended. If you are buying other brand’s colored pencils please email me first. Please read below for how to choose a right colored pencil set
GRAPHITE PENCIL
HB, B, and 2B
MANUAL PENCIL SHARPENER
small handheld one would be fine, but a professional mechanical one such as Mitsubishi Uni KH-20 Hand Crank Wooden Pencil Sharpener is highly recommended
ERASER
Plastic Eraser and Kneaded Eraser (optional)
DRAFTING BRUSH
If you cannot find it, please bring any new and clean wide brush with soft bristles, such as a 1"-2" wide paintbrush or makeup brush.
RULER
A metal ruler that is at least 12" long. You al also want to bring an additional shorter ruler in clear plastic
DRAWING BOARD
15"x16"size recommended. Any drawing board that can accommodate 9"x12" sized paper would be great.
REFERENCE PHOTO
Please bring a reference photo of what you would like to draw printed on letter-sized paper in color. Feel free to bring additional references on your smart devices, but at least one printed reference image is highly recommended.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIZE COLORED PENCIL SET
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Although the minimum required set to take my class is the 48 color set, whether it is the right set for you or not depends on your skill level, your projects, and your goals. Choosing the wrong size colored pencil set may result in getting another larger set within the first few months of taking the class or spending more money to supplement your set by buying open stock pencils at a premium price. Below is my quick review of each set.
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48 Color Set
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Best suited for: Younger beginner students
Projects suitable for this set: Floral/botanical piece, simple landscape, and still life that does not involve metallic surface
Not Recommended for: any teen/adult students, anyone who wants to draw portraits, animal portraits, still life/vehicle art involving metallic surface, or any projects that involve monochromatic tones.
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For younger students, I usually recommend the 48 or 72 color set. Some younger beginner students may get confused by too many color choices, so I would wait with the 132 or 150 color set until they have taken the class at least for a few months. This is a great starter set but it lacks any grey colors which severely limits the options for doing any animal portraits, still life, or vehicles that involves metallic surfaces.
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72 Color Set
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Best suited for: Younger/tween beginner and intermediate students, teen and adult beginner students
Projects suitable for this set: Floral/botanical piece, manga/anime art, most animal portraits, still life & vehicles, simple landscapes, and beginner level portraiture
Not Recommended for: Teen/adult students with some previous art experience in any medium, students who are planning to pursue colored pencil for more than 1 year, and anyone who is trying to create a realistic portrait.
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This is a well-rounded go-to set for most students who are starting out with colored pencil art. Except for portraiture and more advanced level pieces, this set will allow you to create most projects without feeling the lack of having the right colors. Highly recommended for most students.
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132 Color Set
Best suited for: Intermediate and advanced students, beginner teen/adult students with some art background in another medium
Projects suitable for this set: All projects
Not Recommended for: Young and beginner students
This is a great set for anyone who is ready to experiment with lots of colors and delve into creating realistic art in any subject matter. For a successful realistic portrait project, it is still missing a couple of colors which you can get as open stocks at the local art supply store. I have seen many of my students who have switched to the 132 color set improving the quality of their finished piece by leaps and bounds! While this is a fantastic set for students who have been taking my classes or has any art background, this set is unfortunately not suited for younger students since they get a bit overwhelmed by its number of colors.
150 Color Set
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Best suited for: Intermediate and advanced students
Projects suitable for this set: All projects
Not Recommended for: Young and beginner students