Essential Drawing Supplies For Starting Cheap: The Dirtbag’s Survival Guide to Making Art Without a Trust Fund
Let’s get one thing straight: art is for everyone, not just the glitter-dusted, pastel-smelling, $17-a-pencil set crowd. If you’re reading this, you’re probably either a broke artist, a starving student, a pissed-off rebel, or just tired of getting fleeced by every slick art store and influencer hawking “must-have” supplies. Good. Because here’s the reality—almost everything you need to make serious, wild, unapologetic art can be had for pocket change, scrounged from the trash, or bought at a corner store. The rest is just marketing and insecurity.
So, put down the platinum credit card and take notes. This is the dirty, battle-tested, cut-the-crap guide to building an art kit that’s cheap, ruthless, and ready for war.
Confession: My Best Art Was Made With the Cheapest Shit I Could Find
You want a secret? I’ve drawn with golf pencils stolen from mini-golf courses, napkins from gas stations, and ballpoints found on bus seats. Some of my favorite sketches were done in the margins of phone bills, on pizza boxes, or with hotel pens that barely worked. Real artists don’t blame their tools. They make do, and then they make art that shames everyone with a $300 wooden box full of unused “essentials.”
The Big Lie: You Don’t Need Fancy Supplies—You Need Honest Ones
If you’re just starting, ignore the YouTubers, the sponsored content, the “What’s In My Art Bag?” clickbait. Here’s what you actually need, and nothing else:
1. Pencils: Buy Dirt Cheap, Use Ruthlessly
HB, 2B, 4B: That’s all you need. HB for construction, 2B/4B for shading and bolder lines.
Skip the $20-a-pop mechanicals and designer brands. Generic yellow #2s, cheap bulk packs, or Staedtler Mars Lumograph (if you splurge) will last you months.
Don’t be precious. Sharpen often, wear them down, break a few. No guilt.
Ingredient Hack:
Can’t find a sharpener? Use a box cutter, a knife, or rub it on sandpaper. In a pinch, rub it against a brick wall. Welcome to the street art school.
2. Paper: Whatever’s Flat, Cheap, and Not Stolen From a Museum
Bulk newsprint pads (18”x24”) cost next to nothing. Perfect for drills, gestures, and big, loose drawings.
Printer paper: Steal a stack from your day job or buy the cheapest ream you can find. Works for pencil, ballpoint, and ink.
Junk mail envelopes, cardboard, grocery bags, napkins—don’t laugh, they work. Make it a badge of honor to fill a stack of these before you touch a “real” sketchbook.
Dirty Reality:
“Acid-free archival” is for people selling finished work, not for you. You’re building skills, not museum pieces. Fill, crumple, throw away, repeat.
3. Erasers: One, Maybe Two—Never Overpay
Get a white vinyl eraser (Staedtler or Pentel) for clean, ruthless corrections.
Pink pearl erasers work fine too, and they’re everywhere.
Don’t buy “kneaded erasers” unless you’re dying to spend $5 to play with Silly Putty. Use your finger to smudge or a tissue for large areas.
Ingredient Hack:
No eraser? Use the edge of a business card, a bread crust, or—yes—your thumb. The world won’t end.
4. Pens: Ballpoint, Gel, or Whatever You Can Swipe
BIC Cristal, Papermate, Pilot G2, or literally any pen that writes. Ballpoints are king for cheap sketching; they glide, layer, and never smudge like inky nightmares.
Dollar store gel pens, Sharpies, or even the dying markers at the bottom of your backpack. Use them all.
Confession:
I’ve done whole sketchbooks with nothing but blue ballpoint pens and a chunk of office paper. If you can’t get a ballpoint, you’re not looking hard enough.
5. Markers and Highlighters: Color On a Budget
Crayola, Sharpie, dollar-store packs—anything with a tip and pigment.
Don’t blow money on “Copic” unless you’re made of money. Layer and blend the cheap stuff, use alcohol (or spit) for cool effects.
Ingredient Hack:
Dry markers? Run the tip under hot water, or soak it in rubbing alcohol to bring them back from the dead.
6. Charcoal or Chalk: For the Bold (And the Cheap)
Vine or compressed charcoal is dirt cheap. You can get a stick for a buck at any big box store.
Sidewalk chalk? Steal some from your niece. Works fine for big, dramatic gestures.
Dirty Reality:
Charcoal is messy. That’s the point. Wear black and make peace with the smudges. Art isn’t for neat freaks.
7. Brushes and Ink: If You Must Go Fancy—Go Cheap First
Cheap Chinese calligraphy brushes, a bottle of India ink, and you’re a master in training.
If that’s too much, a $1 watercolor brush and some watered-down acrylic or coffee does wonders.
Don’t buy “brush pens” until you’ve wrecked a dozen normal ones and want more control.
8. Clip, Board, and Tape: The Unsung Heroes
Clip your paper to a board, a clipboard, or even a piece of cardboard. Keeps it steady and your lines clean.
Masking tape from the dollar store is your friend for securing and cropping.
Bulldog clips, binder clips—swipe ‘em from the office, use them everywhere.
Personal Confession: My Studio Looks Like a Dumpster—And That’s How I Like It
I have a milk crate full of recycled paper, busted pens, and half-used sketchbooks. I can make art for months without dropping a dime. I fill pages. I burn through ideas. I don’t flinch if I screw up a drawing, because the next sheet costs nothing. That’s real freedom.
How to Scavenge, Hack, and Stretch Every Art Dollar (or, Art Supply Thievery 101)
Let’s be brutally honest: the world is overflowing with free or almost-free drawing materials, if you’re shameless and inventive enough. Some of the greatest creative leaps happen not when you’re flush with cash, but when you’re desperate and pissed-off at the art supply industry.
9. Scavenging 101: How to Never Run Out of Paper
Dumpster dive at office parks for old letterhead, legal pads, or half-used notepads.
Grocery stores, laundromats, and hotel lobbies often toss stacks of scrap or blank forms—snag ‘em, no guilt.
If you have a printer, raid the “bad print” pile for free sketching sheets.
Cardboard packaging (from cereal boxes to Amazon mailers) is gold for mixed media and brush experiments.
Ingredient Hack:
Paper that’s too thin? Tape two sheets together for instant durability. Big sheets? Cut them down—more “sketchbook pages” per dollar.
10. Homemade Tools: Don’t Buy What You Can Make
Can’t afford blending stumps? Roll up newspaper, tissue, or use a Q-tip.
Need a straight edge? Ruler broke? Use a plastic knife, business card, or even your phone.
For a cheap mahl stick (steadies your hand for inking), use a broomstick or dowel balanced across two jars.
Squeeze the last drop from every pen—store them tip-down, or wave them over a hot lamp for a quick “revive.”
11. Storage, Carrying, and the Ugly Truth About Pencil Cases
Don’t buy an “art bag” unless you find one at a thrift store.
Tackle boxes, old lunchboxes, empty cookie tins—all work for supplies.
Rubber bands, Ziploc bags, or even the pocket in your raggedy jeans: if it holds stuff, it’s an art supply now.
Survival Strategies for Cheap-Ass Artists
Buy Bulk or Bust: When you finally have a few bucks, buy your next newsprint pad, pencil pack, or eraser bulk online or at a big-box store. You’ll pay less per unit and be set for months.
Rotate Supplies: Don’t burn out on any one tool. Use everything in rotation; you’ll stretch your stash and push your skills.
Trade and Hustle: Swap with other artists—your excess pencils for their unused markers, your duplicate erasers for their extra pads.
Check the School Supply Aisle: It’s always cheaper than the “artist” aisle for the same damn gear.
12. Optional “Splurges” When You Actually Need Them
A single “good” sketchbook, when you’re ready for keepsake pieces or to show work.
A kneaded eraser for finessing graphite (but never for hiding mistakes).
White gel pen or correction fluid for highlights (just don’t get precious).
Box of Prismacolor or Faber-Castell colored pencils—for when you crave smooth, rich color and want to spoil yourself.
Dirty Reality:
Treat these “upgrades” as milestones, not the starting line. You should have a pile of filled junk paper before you even consider dropping cash on luxury gear.
Confession: My Best Drawings Are on Trash, My Worst Are in Fancy Sketchbooks
Freedom comes from knowing your next page costs nothing and your best art might happen on the back of a receipt, a grocery bag, or a cereal box liner. Get comfortable with the mess and you’ll find gold in places you never expected.
The Only Real Essentials: Skill, Grit, and Ruthless Curiosity
Here’s what every broke, hungry, or stubborn artist figures out: gear is never the limiting factor. You can build a killer portfolio with a pencil, a pen, and a mountain of ugly paper. Your skill grows with every page you fill, not every dollar you spend.
Rusty’s Ritual: The Cheap Artist’s Daily Grind
Pick up whatever tool is closest. Don’t waste time searching for the “perfect” pencil.
Fill a page—every damn day. Don’t let a day go by without burning through a sheet, envelope, or scrap.
Rotate surfaces. Switch from newsprint to cardboard, from junk mail to napkins. Variety builds confidence and kills perfectionism.
Set a limit. Challenge yourself to use just three tools for a week—a single pen, one marker, and the ugliest paper you can find.
Share your messes. Post your trash art online or pin it up. Let the world see what cheap, fearless drawing looks like.
Ingredient Hack: The “10-Minute Throwdown”
Give yourself ten minutes and a single sheet—sketch whatever’s in front of you, no matter how stupid. The point is to make marks, not make masterpieces. The speed and pressure will teach you more than hours of “research” ever will.
Survival Wisdom: The Supply List You’ll Actually Use
3 pencils (HB, 2B, 4B)
1 eraser (cheap white or pink)
1 ballpoint pen
1 fat black marker
1 box of newsprint, scrap, or printer paper
1 bag/box/tin to hold it all
A brick wall for sharpening (optional, but damn satisfying)
That’s it. If you want more, earn it. Burn through that first pile. See what you reach for most, and upgrade only when your skills demand it—not because someone on Instagram told you to.
Personal Confession: My Studio is 90% Chaos, 10% Gold
For every fancy “artist supply” I’ve ever bought, I’ve made ten times more magic with stolen pens, junk mail, and battered sketchbooks. The art world is built on the bones of broke, wild-hearted survivors who made do with what they had—and laughed in the face of scarcity.
Dirty Reality: The Only Expensive Supply Is the One You Never Use
Those $5 markers and $30 sketchbooks gathering dust? They’re trophies for the insecure. The cheap shit, the throwaway pages, the half-dead pens? That’s where you build muscle. That’s where you make real art.
Final Survival Wisdom: Make Art Now, Buy Later—If You Even Need To
Draw every day, anywhere, with anything. Fill trash cans, cover walls, tear through the paper. Only after you’ve made a pile of ugly, honest work do you deserve an upgrade. And even then, don’t let price decide your worth.
See Also:
“The Creative License” by Danny Gregory (art anywhere, with anything)
Austin Kleon’s “Steal Like an Artist” (cheap, bold art hacks)
“Draw Tip Tuesday” on YouTube (free, fearless drawing on trash)
“Sketchbook Skool: Beginnings” (community-driven, all-skill-level resources)
Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff Bargain Bin (real deals for the smart and stubborn)