All-in-one art beginner art sets are a great way for a new artist to be able to experiment with a variety of media. They make a nice gift for children of all ages, as well as older beginners that aren't sure what type of paints they want to use yet. If you are interested in drawing, take a look at my recommendations for the best drawing sets currently available.
Here are the some of the best beginner art sets going into 2021. You'll find good choices for any budget that will give the beginner lots of choices while they practice making art. The quality of these types of sets will never be equal to purchasing items individually, but the convenience of having so many things to try in one box can make it a good investment in education.
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Best Beginner Art Starter Sets
Art 101 142-Piece Wood Art Set
This is the only art set I included in the list with crayons. That brings the price down low for an affordable gift that young children can use to explore creating art.
The materials are non-toxic, so this can be a good, inexpensive gift for a child to begin experimenting with art. The paints are limited to watercolors so it won't be too messy for younger kids to play with.
Pros
Cons
Cool Bank Deluxe Art Set
Cool Bank has recently introduced this art set. The selection of materials provided is quite good for the beginning artist on a budget. It is a painting-only set, with a single pencil thrown in to sketch out the under drawing.
This set focuses on watercolors, with a few acrylic paints thrown in. Unfortunately, the included brushes are still not very good, particularly the 15 brush set.
For the price it's a good gift for a child to practice painting.
Pros
Cons
Royal & Langnickel All Media Easel Artist Set
This kit comes with a wide variety of art mediums to try and sits in the middle regarding cost. The higher cost kits focus on painting, so this is the ideal kit for experimentation. It includes both oil and soft pastels in addition to paints.
It seems like the packaging was designed for sale in a store, so contents can get jumbled around during shipping. This isn't always a problem, but oil pastels can get everything a bit dirty, and soft pastels are easily broken. I wouldn't worry too much about broken pastels sticks though, as small pieces and even dust is still usable.
This set is an ideal gift for someone interested in learning art but hasn't had a chance to experiment and find the medium that they enjoy the most. The colors provided are limited, but the selection of media types is excellent.
Pros
Cons
U.S. Art Supply Deluxe Art Set
This set includes a desk easel and an aluminum easel. The aluminum easel is a bit flimsy and probably won't stand up to hard use.
It comes with a better selection of colors for painting, though all of the tubes are only 12 ml. The included brushes are usable but not anything to write home about. Honestly, finding good quality brushes in a kit is just not going to happen. The goal here is to experiment and find the type of painting you enjoy the most. Then you can make an investment in quality products focused on that medium.
Pros
Cons
MEEDEN Deluxe Artist Painting Set
This set is the most expensive of the beginner sets, but has the highest quality.
It includes a hardwood French-style sketchbox easel that can be used either on a desk or mounted on legs for flexibility. Unfortunately, there aren't any instructions provided to set up the easel, so it can be a little frustrating if you're not an IKEA master assembler.
Since acrylics tend to be the most beginner friendly paints, a large selection of 22 ml tubes is included. All of the brushes for a particular type of paint are organized by color and are of decent quality. Since brush care is so important, it would be nice if instructions were included to give guidance.
Overall, this set is excellent for a beginning painter. The cost is higher, but the selection and quality sets it above similar starting sets for beginners.
Pros
Cons
In Conclusion
If you are looking for an introductory set of art materials to experiment with or to gift a budding artist, the Royal & Langnickel All Media Easel Artist Set is going to be your best bet.
If you are focused on painting, go with the MEEDEN Deluxe Artist Painting Set if you can afford it.
If you want to find a fun set for children to start playing with art you should try the Wood Art Set from Art 101.
