Quick answer: To start drawing, you need four things: a pencil or two, something to rub out with, a sharpener and a sketchbook. For a first step into painting, add a set of acrylic paints, three brushes in different shapes and a canvas. In the Tashkeel shop you can put together a basic drawing kit for under AED 100 and a starter acrylic kit with four large tubes of paint for about AED 420β520. All the art supplies below are in the Art Supplies collection and can be bought online or at Tashkeel in Dubai. Prices and stock change, so check the product page.
What should a beginner buy to start drawing?
Keep the first kit small. You'll learn more from filling one sketchbook with a single pencil than from a drawer of tools you haven't tried.
| Item | Why you need it | Example in the shop | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphite pencil | For outlines, light sketching and writing notes | Staedtler Noris Pencil with Rubber Tip | 2 |
| Soft graphite stick | For shading and darker, thicker marks (available in 2B and 4B) | Cretacolor Stick | 4 |
| Sharpener | A canister model holds the shavings, so it's tidy to carry | Mesco Maxi Round Sharpener | 10 |
| Sketchbook | Somewhere to practise every day | Tashkeel Sketchbook or an artist-cover sketchbook such as Marhaba Assaa | 45β63 |
That comes to around AED 61β79. If you want deeper blacks for expressive drawing, add a Pitt Compressed Charcoal Stick (from AED 10, in 2B, 6B and 9B). The higher the number before the B, the softer and darker the mark.
Which sketchbook paper is right for a beginner?
Paper weight is measured in grams per square metre (gsm). Most of the artist-cover sketchbooks in the shop use 120 gsm inside pages, which suits pencil, pen and charcoal. The exhibition sketchbooks, such as the Provisional Sanctuaries Sketchbook & Notebook (AED 95), use heavier 160 gsm paper in an A5 hard case. Very wet techniques like watercolour need heavier, purpose-made paper, so treat a standard sketchbook as a drawing book.
What do I need to start painting with acrylics?
Acrylic paint is a practical first paint. It's water-based, so brushes clean with water, and it dries quickly, so you can paint over mistakes within minutes.
| Item | Why you need it | Example in the shop | Price (AED) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic paint | Start with white, a yellow, a red and a blue, and mix the rest | Amsterdam Standard Series Acrylic Paint, 500 ml | 84β91 per colour |
| Round brush | Lines and detail | Georgian G24 Round Brush | 20 |
| Flat brush | Even areas of colour and straight edges | Princeton Catalyst Flat | 34β68 |
| Canvas | Ready-stretched 100% cotton canvas, suitable for oil, acrylic and other media | Mesco Stretched Premier Canvas, Deep Edge (30 Γ 30 cm to 40 Γ 60 cm) | 32β64 |
| Easel (optional) | Holds a small canvas upright on a table | Tabletop Easel | 34 |
The Amsterdam tubes are large (500 ml), so even four colours will last a beginner a long time. If you'd rather start smaller, Amsterdam Acrylic Ink (AED 52) gives you strong, lightfast colour in a bottle.
What about watercolour, pastels and coloured pencils?
- Watercolour: the Van Gogh National Gallery Watercolour Set (24 half pans in a metal case, AED 324) is the most complete option. A Menta synthetic scrubber brush (from AED 19) is made for watercolour.
- Watercolour without the mess: Van Gogh Watercolour Pencils (36 pencils, AED 215) draw like pencils and turn into washes with a wet brush.
- Coloured pencils: Derwent Artists Colour Pencils (24, AED 150) or the larger Derwent Studio set (36, AED 220).
- Pastels: the Cretacolor Pastel Basic Box (27 pieces, AED 192.38) or Aqua Stic Oil Pastels (10 sticks, water-soluble, AED 75).
Do I need oils and mediums?
Not at the start. Oil painting needs more materials (paints, mediums, solvents) and longer drying times. If you already paint in oils, the shop stocks Rembrandt Oil Colours (AED 117 per tube) and mediums such as Daler-Rowney Painting Medium (AED 13) and Winsor & Newton Bleached Linseed Oil (AED 17).
Useful tools for any medium
- Omega Deluxe Ruler, 30 cm, transparent (AED 4)
- Olfa Slide-Lock Utility Knife for cutting paper and card (AED 12)
- Scotch Precision Scissors (AED 19.05)
- UHU Stic glue stick (AED 3.68)
- An Artist Apron in yellow or black (AED 55)
Starting calligraphy?
For Arabic calligraphy practice, the shop sells bamboo Calligraphy Pens in small, medium and large (AED 30) and the Amsterdam Acrylic Ink Lettering Set (six bottles including metallics, AED 286).
A gift for a young artist
The Emirates Colouring Box (AED 147) is a wooden box with 12 colouring pencils and a sketchbook featuring Ali Mrad's artworks of the seven emirates.
Where can I buy art supplies in Dubai?
Everything above is in the Tashkeel Art Supplies collection, with delivery across the UAE, typically within 1β4 business days. Tashkeel is in Nad Al Sheba 1 and at Warehouse 89, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. If you'd like to learn alongside other people, see the workshops page.
Related guides: Gifts Under AED 250 Β· Where to Buy Art Prints and Posters in Dubai
Frequently asked questions
Should a beginner start with acrylic or watercolour?
Acrylic is more forgiving: it's opaque, so you can paint over mistakes once a layer is dry. Watercolour is portable and quick to set up, but it's harder to correct, because light areas come from leaving the paper unpainted.
How many brushes do I need?
Two or three: a small round for detail and a medium flat for filling areas. Add a fan or filbert brush later if you find you need one.
What does 2B, 4B or 9B mean on a pencil?
B grades are soft and dark; the higher the number, the softer and darker the mark. H grades (not covered here) are harder and lighter.
Can I pick up art supplies in person?
Contact Tashkeel on +971 4 336 3313 or tashkeel@tashkeel.org to check what's available at the shop before you visit.
