The spark was lit during your first drawing course in Geneva. A passion was born. Congratulations! Whether you're an adult rediscovering your creativity or a parent nurturing your children's talent, this first impulse is the most precious. Yet, you feel it: the beginner's kit that served you so faithfully is starting to limit your expression.
The spark was lit during your first drawing course in Geneva. A passion was born. Congratulations! Whether you're an adult rediscovering your creativity or a parent nurturing your children's talent, this first impulse is the most precious. Yet, you feel it: the beginner's kit that served you so faithfully is starting to limit your expression. For your artistic learning to flourish, it's time to treat yourself to higher quality supplies—tools that will become an extension of your soul.
This guide is designed as a compass to help you make essential choices for your practice at home, helping to unlock new skills. Before you step into an art shop, let's take a moment for introspection. The goal isn't to buy the most expensive supplies, but the ones that resonate with your practice and aspirations. Good equipment is a partner in your creation, an ally that should enhance your work, not hinder it. This is a foundational step in your ongoing training, long after that unforgettable first course.
Analyse Your Practice: Which Art Makes Your Heart Beat Faster?
Close your eyes and remember those timeless hours in your first art workshop. What captured your mind the most? Was it the infinite precision of a sharpened pencil's line, holding the promise of technical drawing or detailed illustration? Or perhaps you were captivated by the delicate dance of watercolour painting, where water and pigment become one? Some budding artists feel the call of the rich, generous texture of acrylic paint, while others are drawn to the heritage and depth of oil painting techniques. Each discipline in the visual arts is a language that requires its own words, its own tools. Identifying your preferred dialect is the best way to focus your future purchases and to learn with more joy and efficiency.
Setting a Fair Budget (in CHF) for Your Artistic Passion
Nurturing your passion for the arts should never be a source of worry. As of November 9, 2025, it is entirely possible to get high-quality supplies on a controlled budget. Set an amount in CHF that feels right for you. A beautiful set of quality pencils can be found for between 30 and 60 CHF, while a starter kit for acrylic paint or watercolour is often between 50 and 100 CHF. See this expense not as a cost, but as an investment in your artistic training and your well-being. Good supplies will last longer and provide more rewarding results, feeding your motivation and creativity. There is always a way to adapt your choices to your wallet without ever sacrificing the quality essential for learning.
The Essential Supplies to Elevate Every Drawing and Painting Technique
Now that your desires are clearer and your budget is set, let's dive into the heart of your future equipment. Whether for drawing, painting, or illustration, choosing the right tools is a fundamental step in your progress. Every teacher will tell you: the beauty of your work is born from the meeting of your skills and the rightness of your instruments.
For Drawing and Sketching: The Dialogue Between Pencil and Paper
If drawing with a pencil is your sanctuary, your hand is ready to explore a universe of shades far beyond a simple HB. Treat yourself to a range of graphite pencils, from 2H (hard, for sketching light) to 6B (soft, for caressing shadows). This single addition will transform your approach to sketching and value. The surface is just as crucial. Leave printer paper behind and choose a drawing pad of at least 120 g/m². An A5-sized sketchbook will become your confidant, the ideal companion for daily practice. These fundamental supplies are the foundation of all artistic creation and the very essence of mastering the line.
Watercolour Painting: The Dance of Colours and Water
Watercolour is a highly sensitive technique that blossoms with quality partners. For watercolour painting, the choice of paper is an act of love. An art teacher will always guide you towards a specific 300 g/m² cold press paper, which will welcome water without ever buckling. For pigments, move up from school-grade pans to a palette of 12 basic "fine" or "artist" quality colours. Their more intense pigments merge in blends of infinite subtlety. Finally, invest in a trio of trusted brushes: one round, one flat, and one fine for the details that will sign your works. This is what you need to explore this demanding and magnificent art with soul.
Acrylic Painting: The Medium for Every Creator
Vibrant, generous, and incredibly versatile, acrylic paint is an invitation to explore colour without restraint—a fantastic choice for any beginner. It's a wonderful medium, taught in more than one school of arts. To go further, purchase individual tubes of "student" grade acrylic paint. The primary colours (yellow, magenta, cyan), plus white and black, are enough to create a world of shades. Acrylic can be applied thickly and opaquely, evoking the nobility of oil, or thinned with water to achieve the transparency of watercolour. It's a perfect technique for growing your artistic skills on a multitude of surfaces.
Oil Painting: The Supplies for a Timeless Practice
Step into the tradition of the masters with oil painting, a classic discipline often embraced by adults in inspiring workshops. This technique requires specific supplies and its own unique ritual. Beyond the tubes of oil paint, you will need solvents (turpentine or an odourless substitute) to clean your brushes and thin the paint, as well as a medium like linseed oil to alter its consistency. Hog bristle brushes are recommended for their resilience. Working with oil is a slow, meditative journey—a patient training that leads to incomparable depth.
Illustration and Manga: The Supplies for Narrative Creation
To bring worlds, characters, and captivating stories to life in illustration or manga, the precision of your hand must be honoured by your tools. Your essential kit will include a set of fineliner pens of various thicknesses for an absolutely crisp inking of every line. Alcohol markers, for their part, will lay down vibrant and seamless blocks of colour. The ideal paper will be Bristol board or a very smooth layout paper, which allows the ink to glide without bleeding. These tools, highly popular among young artists, are essential to learn the specific techniques for manga creation and to forge an illustration style that is uniquely yours.
Where to Buy Your Art and Drawing Supplies in Geneva in 2025?
Now that your wish list is taking shape, let's discover the places where your passion will find its tools. Geneva is a city that cherishes its artists, both amateur and experienced. Choosing the right place to shop is an integral part of this wonderful learning journey. Whether you're looking for something to supply your next course, an upcoming camp, or your personal workshop, here's an overview of your options.
Specialty Visual Arts Shops in Geneva: Our Opinion
Stepping into a specialty fine arts shop in Geneva is like entering a sanctuary dedicated to creation. To get the best supplies and expert advice, nothing beats these magical places. The staff, often made up of artists or students from local art schools, can offer valuable advice. This is where your teacher would send you with a light heart. You'll find a comprehensive range for all techniques, from oil painting to manga drawing. It's the perfect place to feel the grain of the paper, admire the vibrancy of the pigments, and simply find inspiration. It is an essential stop for any passionate artist.
Department Stores and Their Art Sections
The large department stores in Geneva also have a role to play in the creative ecosystem. Their sections dedicated to artistic supplies are a very good entry point, especially for a school project or for a child taking their first steps. You will find beginner kits and basic supplies there, often at a more accessible cost. However, the quality and selection are generally more limited. For more advanced learning and specific supplies, such as high-quality watercolour or acrylic, a specialty shop remains a wiser choice.
Buying Online: Advantages for Your Home Studio
In the digital age, your future studio at home can also be built with just a few clicks. Buying online is a convenient option, especially for restocking. The prices can be competitive, and the selection is vast. It's an excellent way to compare products and read user reviews. The only drawback is the inability to have sensory contact with the products: you can't feel the texture of a surface, judge the weight of a brush, or see the true vibrancy of the colours. It's a perfect solution once you already know the brands and products that resonate with you.
A Teacher's Advice for Cultivating Your Artistic Flame
The most beautiful tools in the world are nothing without the soul that animates them and the hand that guides them. Owning the right supplies is a wonderful step, but it is only the beginning of the journey. To truly progress, you must use them with heart and regularity. Here is some advice that an art teacher would share to nurture your learning and grow your creativity.
Organise Your Workspace Like a Secret Garden
You don't need a huge studio to be an artist. Your creation space is more than just a table; it is a sanctuary for your mind, however modest. Organise this corner that belongs only to you. Keep your supplies within reach, stored with care, ready to welcome inspiration. A clear and personal workspace at home is a daily invitation to practice, a cocoon that fosters concentration and creativity. It is your private studio, the place where your ideas will come to life.
The Importance of Regular Practice to Develop Your Skills
The best-kept secret of any beginner artist is disarmingly simple: draw, paint, create as often as your heart tells you to. Daily practice is the key to turning potential into talent and developing your artistic skills. The supplies you have chosen are a tool at the service of your work. Honour them by using them! Fill your sketchbook, dance with your colours, dare to experiment. It is through this constant dialogue with the materials that your training transforms into real skills. Set small creative appointments for yourself throughout the year to keep the flame alive and savour the journey.
Conclusion: Your Artistic Journey Continues
You are now ready to take the next step in your magnificent artistic adventure in Geneva. By taking the time to listen to your desires, choose the right equipment for your preferred technique, and know where to find it, you have laid a solid foundation for your growth. Never forget that each creation is another step in your learning. For those who wish to accelerate this journey with kind and expert guidance, structured courses throughout the year or immersive camps during school holidays are wonderful opportunities. A good teacher can illuminate an artist's path.
As of November 2025, an arts school like Apolline Ecole d'Arts offers weekly art courses in Geneva for children from age 6, covering drawing, illustration, painting, and manga, with monthly prices starting from 79 CHF. They also organise camps during school holidays to deepen skills in a stimulating workshop environment.