The wonderful thing about art is its various different forms and how diverse this craft is. Nowadays, art has become more accepted in society and even seen as a sustainable way of earning money. But before diving straight into the beginning of your journey as an artist, what are the types of art supplies that you need?
In this piece, we’ll explore some of the world’s most popular art forms, types of art supplies for beginners, and the top art supplies stores in Singapore.
Popular Forms of Art Around the World
Over the years, art has evolved and taken on countless forms. But here are some of the most common forms of art that are practised and celebrated everywhere around the world.
Painting
Just as its name suggests, painting is essentially an art form where you apply paint or other media to a surface, usually with a brush. Besides using a brush, artists may use other apparatus such as sponges, airbrushes, or a palette knife in order to apply the paint on surfaces.
Artists would normally begin with a blank canvas of a certain size and start painting by applying, smearing or splashing different coloured paints to produce a work of art. Paintings can also come in different styles from realism art, impressionism art, surrealism art, to abstract art, and even pop art.
Drawing
As defined by Tate Modern, drawing can be described as ‘a technique in which images are depicted on a surface by making lines, though drawings can also contain tonal areas, washes and other non-linear marks’. One would think that pencils are the only instrument you can use to draw, but drawing is one of the most diverse methods there is.
Examples of commonly used materials are ink, pencil, crayon, charcoal and chalk. However, drawings can be made with or in combination with paint and any other wet or dry media as well.
Sculpture
Sculpting is a form of three-dimensional art that involves four basic processes: carving, modelling, casting, and constructing. For some, they may have the common misconception that sculpting is as easy as making different shapes and forms using clay. However, this art form takes many years to master and perfect.
Depending on the sculptor’s style and preference, they can use various materials such as metal, clay, stone, ivory, or bone. These sculptures can either be designed as freestanding objects or perhaps as reliefs on surfaces.
Performance Art
This time-based form of art is created through the use of actions performed by an individual or group of artists, which can be presented live or pre-recorded, or scripted or spontaneous. Back in the day, performance art was frowned upon due to its “immature nature”.
However, it is now a widely accepted art form in the world of visual art and more people are coming to appreciate the craft. Examples of performance art include acting, poetry, painting and dance.
Music
Music is an artistic form of expression that involves combining vocal or instrumental sounds to create rhythms and melodies. As described by The Odyssey, music is a lyrical and auditory representation of a story. Just like in paintings and performance art, musicians, singers, and songwriters create art through sound.
This is deemed as one of the most versatile art forms as it shows how music transcends many different aspects such as language and cultural background.
Cinema
If you think about all the films that you watch on Netflix and in the movies, not only are they a source of entertainment but they are works of cinematic art. According to Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, cinema has developed through the evolution of editing and narrative techniques and sound synchronization and encompasses a wide variety of genres.
Putting a film together is not just about recording a scene from a camera, but takes a set of skills and knowledge to execute and deliver.
Common Types of Art Supplies
Depending on your chosen medium, your art supplies will vary as well. But if you are just starting out and want to explore your options, here are some art supplies that every beginner should have.
Drawing paper and pads
Whether that’s charcoal paper, bristol paper, or other sorts of drawing paper, ensure that you have quality drawing surfaces. The type of paper that you use for sketching or painting plays an important part in the outcome of your work. For absolute beginners, you can start with a piece of A4 size paper.
If you feel like you’re getting the hang of things, you can move onto textured paper or even drawing pads and sketchbooks as well. However, there are no rules as to which drawing papers and pads you should use—if it feels right for you, go for it.
Art pencils
What’s the use of a drawing pad without some art pencils? According to your preferences, you can choose between graphite or coloured pencils. Graphite and coloured pencils are usually sold in sets and can save you more money, compared to purchasing individual pencils.
Erasers
If you’re using pencils as your main drawing instrument, consider getting an eraser to remove any unwanted marks or mistakes. For artists, it is important to purchase a kneaded eraser compared to your regular one as it is more gentle on canvas and paper, and gives you more control when erasing.
Several other erasers that you can look into are gum erasers, vinyl erasers, plastic erasers, and erasils.
Blending stumps
Artists use blending stumps to smudge or move material around on the drawing surface. This allows them to create various gradations and details that would be difficult to achieve using a regular pencil.
Watercolour or acrylic paint set
If you want to add a pop of colour on your canvas instead of monotone pencil strokes, why not try an acrylic or watercolour paint set? For those who are just learning how to paint, these two sets are the perfect starting point.
For watercolour paints, you may choose to opt for transparent, semi-opaque, or opaque pigments. To go along with your paint set, make sure to also have a set of brushes and a paint palette too!
Art Supplies Store | Art Friend |
| Speciality | Art Friend has been serving fine art & graphic artists, hobbyists and companies in the design sector since 1981. Their aim is to bring the finest and best-priced materials to our customers. From feathers to felt, this store has every variety of craft material waiting to be made into paper dolls, masks or jewellery. |
| Website | https://artfriendonline.com/ |
| Address | Various locations nationwide including Plaza Singapura, Bras Basah Complex, and Clementi Central |
| Telephone | Varies depending on the location |
| Operating Hours | Varies depending on the location |
Art Supplies Store | Overjoyed |
| Speciality | Adventurous souls will be able to try their hand at the art of glass painting, mosaic and even wood-crafting with the range of specialised supplies at Overjoyed. You’ll also find a section dedicated to kids crafts, which features hands-on activities like clay modelling and animal découpage. |
| Website | https://www.overjoyed.xyz/home |
| Address | 2 Handy Road, The Cathay B1-11 |
| Telephone | 6466 4366 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Saturday: 10:00am – 6:00pm Sunday: Closed |
Art Supplies Store | Spotlight |
| Speciality | Spotlight is a family-owned and operated Australian business with stores throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia. From basic papercraft and paint supplies to stitching and even doll making supplies, you’ll be able to find all the tools you’ll possibly need at Spotlight. But for beginners who don’t know where to start looking amidst these endless options, you can click on their buying guide that explains what different types of products are for. |
| Website | https://www.spotlightstores.com/sg |
| Address | Various locations nationwide including Plaza Singapura and Westgate |
| Telephone | 800 6162 412 |
| Operating Hours | 10:00am – 10:00pm daily |
Art Supplies Store | Krafer’s Paradise |
| Speciality | Krafers’ Paradise has been a leader in retail art supplies since 2008 and is also the sole distributor for Montana Cans in Singapore. In addition to providing our customers with premium brands of art materials, the company takes pride in advocating independent and emerging artists in Singapore. Besides purchasing materials for your crafts, you can sign up for craft workshops hosted by in-house craft experts to give your artwork a little more finesse. |
| Website | https://www.krafersparadise.sg/ |
| Address | 180 Kitchener Road, City Square Mall #04-19/20/21 |
| Telephone | 6884 9986 |
| Operating Hours | 11:30am – 9:30pm daily |
Art Supplies Store | Umistrong |
| Speciality | Umistrong Pte Ltd has been established for more than 5 years in Singapore. The company’s business involves retail of art materials, wholesale art and pottery classes and art gallery. They have been providing a wide range of fine art & stationery, catering to beginners and professionals. They also have an art studio that provides various creative art programs for all ages, that acts as a platform for emerging artists to showcase their craft. |
| Website | https://www.umistrong.com/ |
| Address | Various locations nationwide including Sunshine Plaza, Suntec City Mall, and Seletar Mall |
| Telephone | Varies depending on the location |
| Operating Hours | Varies depending on the location |
Art Supplies Store | SESCO Arts & Crafts |
| Speciality | SESCO started business in 1959 and have since grown into one of the top art & craft material suppliers in Singapore. Being one of the pioneer suppliers who provide art & craft materials to primary/secondary schools in Singapore, you can be assured of the range and quality of our products as well as our reliable services. Our products are imported from countries like Japan, Taiwan, the USA, France and China. From poster colour paints to crayons and many types of paper, you can be sure to find all that you need in their catalogue. |
| Website | https://www.sesco.com.sg/ |
| Address | Blk 3025 Ubi Road 3 #02-129/131 |
| Telephone | 6747 8219 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm Saturday: 9:00am – 11:00am Sunday: Closed |
Art Supplies Store | Streaks n Strokes |
| Speciality | If you’re looking to give wearable art a go, you can snag your supplies from Streaks ‘n’ Strokes. It’s an e-commerce store filled with fabric painting kits and tools that lets you design everything from T-shirts to tote bags and even sneakers. To try your hand at DIY clothes and accessories, let your imagination run wild with Streaks ‘n’ Strokes’ painting kits. Each set comes with paint, brushes, palette, instruction booklet – and depending on the kit you bought, it’ll also come with a plain item for you to create your design on. |
| Website | https://www.streaksnstrokes.com/ |
| Address | 38 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, #04-55 |
| Telephone | 8587 8884 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Friday: 10:30am – 7:00pm Saturday & Sunday: Closed |
Art Supplies Store | Sagacity Arts |
| Speciality | Akin to Art Friend’s thriftier cousin, Sagacity is home to one of the widest selections of craft supplies for all kinds of DIY projects in Singapore – including paint supplies, craft paper, fabric like felt cloth, and craft blades. Pottery enthusiasts can drop by to check out their collection of clay materials and modelling tools. |
| Website | https://www.sagacityarts.com/ |
| Address | 705 Sims Drive, Shun Li Industrial Complex Block B, #02-10 |
| Telephone | 6294 6507 / 6294 6509 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Friday: 10:00am – 5:00pm Saturday: 10:00am – 3:00pm Sunday: Closed |
Art Supplies Store | Junior De Artist |
| Speciality | As the name suggests, Junior De Artist, well known as JDA, was initially started and established to serve the craft needs of the young children back in the year 2002. With time, JDA has grown to become one of the most popular craft stores in Singapore today. The store’s most special product, hunted by many customers, is craft paper. Junior De Artist has promotions and discounts all through the year, not to mention free gifts and hand-outs on different purchases in the store. |
| Website | http://www.juniordeartist.com.sg/ |
| Address | 238 Thomson Road, #03-22, Novena Square |
| Telephone | 6255 7860 |
| Operating Hours | 12:00pm – 8:30pm daily |
Art Supplies Store | Straits Art Co |
| Speciality | Straits Art Co Pte. Ltd is a 70-year-old speciality store which imports a range of products by Australian and American brands – including White Knight watercolour pencils and Schmincke oil paint sets. You’d be hard-pressed to find these anywhere else in Singapore. If you’re looking for calligraphy pens for your card making or scrapbooking, this outlet sells Ecoline Brush Pens for cheap. |
| Website | https://www.straitsartco.com.sg/ |
| Address | 420 North Bridge Road #01-27 North Bridge Centre |
| Telephone | 6338 1710 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 7:00pm Saturday: 9:00am – 5:00pm Sunday: 1:00pm – 5:00pm |
Art Supplies Store | Sin Hin Chuan Kee |
| Speciality | With all the pretty things under one roof, Sin Hin Chuan Kee is quintessential for DIYers who need ribbons, threads, zippers, and fashions accessories like statement buttons in their projects! Sin Hin Chuan Kee is a family-based craft DIY supplies store dealing with garment, fashion design supplies and sewing accessories. |
| Website | http://www.shck.com.sg/ |
| Address | 200 Jalan Sultan #01-08 Textile Centre |
| Telephone | 6298 8622 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Saturday: 9:00am – 6:00pm Sunday: Closed |
Art Supplies Store | PaperMarket |
| Speciality | Paper Market is a paper and crafting store established and situated in Singapore. The store is run by a team of top designers and educators, all motivated by the desire to create awesome crafts cut in different shapes and models. Unquestionably, craft paper is the best thing to buy at Paper Market. Besides this major product, there are other craft items to check out such as pens, brushes, and paper cutting tools. Services:
|
| Website | https://papermarket.com.sg/ |
| Address | Great World #01-120, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Singapore 237994 |
| Telephone | Telephone: 65 6235 6811 Email: [email protected] |
| Operating Hours | 11:30am – 8:30pm daily |
Art Supplies Store | Fancy Papers Supplier |
| Speciality | Fancy Papers Supplier (formerly known as Fancy Papers & Art Materials Supplier) was established at the end of 1989 as a retail-shop of “fancy papers”. The term “fancy paper” was coined by the Japanese Paper Mills to describe those Text & Cover papers which come in different embossing, texture and colour. Whether it’s matte black or sandy-textured paper, this store offers only the highest quality paper to suit all crafting needs. It’s the perfect place if you want to make an out-of-this-world poster for your bedroom wall. |
| Website | https://www.fancypapers.com/ |
| Address | 9 Playfair Road |
| Telephone | 6748 1268 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 6:00pm Saturday: 9:00am – 12:30pm |
Art Supplies Store | Golden Dragon Store |
| Speciality | Since 1949, Golden Dragon Store have been providing quality handicraft supplies to Singapore and the South East Asia region. The store was established with the idea of being a hub for crafters and hobbyists. This is a shop that has got all your tailoring supplies stocked all under one roof. The store tends tofocus more on the tailoring aspect of the craft and serves crafters of all ages. The good thing of finding many products in one store is that, it increases creativity and imagination, further improving the art of craft. |
| Website | https://goldendragon.com.sg/ |
| Address | 101 Upper Cross Street, People’s Park Centre #02-51 |
| Telephone | 6535 8454 / 6535 8234 |
| Operating Hours | Monday – Saturday: 10:00am – 8:15pm Sunday: 12:30pm – 7:45pm |
Art Supplies Store | Lye Nai Shiong |
| Speciality | Lye Nai Shiong, one of the longest surviving haberdasheries in Singapore, boasts the cheapest selection of sewing materials. Their Japanese Printed Nylon Fabrics in particular are especially popular for their vibrant kimono-inspired patterns. YKK zippers, elastics, and other garment accessories can also be found here at a good bargain. |
| Website | https://www.lyenaishiong.com/ |
| Address | #02-1106 Peoples Park Food Centre, 32 New Market Road |
| Telephone | 6532 6013 |
| Operating Hours | 12:00pm – 6:00pm daily |
Editor’s Note:
While every precaution has been made to ensure the accuracy and fairness of this listing, we acknowledge that they may be inaccuracies. Therefore, we urge you to contact the service provider above for the correct information and/or contact us with the correct information.
If you are a service provider and wish to be featured in this listing (MediaOne reviews are read by hundreds of thousands of Singaporeans), please contact us at [email protected]. There is no charge! Please allow us up to 3 working days to review before adjusting the information or including your entry.
