The 8 Best Art Sets
Updated by · How we research
Wooden boxes, painting kits with easels, a sketch kit and a kids' case, compared by what's really inside. The U.S. Art Supply Mega Wood Box leads. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Most wooden art sets sold online are the same kit under different names: 60 crayons and 24 each of oil pastels, colored pencils and watercolor cakes. Big piece counts hide that. What matters is whether a set has the paint, paper and brushes for the art someone wants to make, whether that's a child's first box or an adult's easel.
Editor's Notes
October 26, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Editors:
The U.S. Art Supply Mega Wood Box now leads, because it adds real pads, a sketchbook and a fuller brush set to the wooden-box mix that a dozen brands sell almost unchanged. That sameness was the surprise: several boxes on the old list were one kit under different labels, so we kept the best of the family and dropped the Art 101 53142MB.
The U.S. Art Supply D130 Kit, the Royal & Langnickel All Media easel set and the Crayola Inspiration Art Case stay. The Royal & Langnickel Painting Chest, the Art 101 Budding Artist set and the Mont Marte Studio Essentials are no longer offered, and the Darice and Nil-Tech kits gave way to current sets. The Norberg & Linden acrylic set is a paint set rather than an art set, so it's gone too. New picks fill the gaps: an easel box, a kit with acrylic tubes, a sketching kit and a budget wooden box.
We sorted sets by what's inside them, checked makers' contents lists against the art-material labeling rules, and looked for patterns of cracked cases and broken crayons in owner feedback.
Earlier notes
October 25, 2020, by Brett Dvoretz:
Art sets are a great way to get nearly, if not all, of the supplies you need to create your next painting or drawing in one purchase. Since most include a mix of mediums, they can also be a smart way to test out different types of paints or drawing materials to determine which you like best. It is worth noting though, that comprehensive sets like these generally value versatility over quality, so once you decide on your favorite medium, you may want to buy dedicated supplies. To help you with that, we have also compiled lists of the best acrylic and oil paints, oil pastels, art markers, and colored pencils, where you can find some higher-quality offerings.
Perhaps no option truly exhibits a focus on comprehensiveness and versatility more so than the US Art Supply D130, which not only includes three types of paints and more than 30 brushes, but also two kinds of easels and canvases to work on.
The Royal & Langnickel Painting Chest comes with some of the higher quality paints in this category, and we would consider them student level. They have a decent amount of pigment, which means you won't have to do quite as many coats to get good coverage, especially when comes to layering one color over another. However, the downside is that it is expensive, and it doesn't come with many accessories. The Royal & Langnickel Mixed Media is also of decent quality and provides a bit more value for the money, plus the included tabletop easel is great for those who like to travel to a variety of locations to paint.
For the youngsters, the Crayola Inspiration, Darice Arty Facts Deluxe, and Art 101 30175MB stand out as smart choices. None of them have any wet paints, and the ink in the included markers of the Crayola Inspiration is washable, which greatly minimizes the chance of messes.
November 30, 2019, by Taber Koeghan:
If you don't have the time to pore through thousands of art supplies in order to make a cohesive collection, you're like most people, which is why there are plenty of high quality, complete sets on the market. The ones we've picked out feature a wide variety of mediums, including acrylic and oil paints, watercolors, pastels, charcoal pencils, and more. Most of them come with tools, too, such as brushes, erasers, and sharpeners. If you're looking for something appropriate for the younger members of your household, you might consider investing in an art set designed specifically for kids.
The Mont Marte Studio Essentials and Free Hand Acrylic sets are the new additions to the list, the former chosen because of its variety of tools and affordable price considering the quality. Because of its completeness as a beginner painting set, the Free Hand Acrylic collection was picked. The US Art Supply Creativity and French Easels Complete sets, on the other hand, have been removed, due to complaints about quality.
Special Honors
Royal Talens Rembrandt Oil Colors Royal Talens, a Dutch paint maker, sells its Rembrandt artist-grade oil colors in boxed sets, some in wooden cases. Artist-grade paint carries more pigment than the student paint in most art sets, and Royal Talens rates each color for lightfastness, so finished work holds its color. It's a big step up in cost, best for a painter who already knows oils are their medium. royaltalens.com
Match The Set To The Kind Of Art
Young children do best with washable markers and crayons in a plastic case, where a spill costs nothing.
Art sets fall into four groups, and the right one depends on what someone wants to make. The common wooden box holds crayons, colored pencils, oil pastels and watercolor cakes. U.S. Art Supply publishes the full contents of its Mega Wood Box, and it's a good map of the type. Oil pastels are greasy crayons, not oil paint, so these boxes don't hold any tube paint.
Real tube paint comes in painting kits. The U.S. Art Supply D130 pairs acrylic, oil and watercolor tubes with a floor tripod and a tabletop easel, and the Royal & Langnickel All Media Easel set packs all three paints into a chest that becomes an easel. In between sit boxes like the Shuttle Art 202-piece kit, which adds acrylic tubes to the usual crayons and pastels.
Someone who mostly sketches is better served by a pencil kit in a zip case, with graphite, charcoal and colored pencils and a sketchbook. Young children do best with washable markers and crayons in a plastic case, where a spill costs nothing.
Piece Counts, Paper And Brushes
The number on the box is mostly a count of crayons and pencils. Many wooden sets share the same core of 60 crayons and 24 each of oil pastels, colored pencils and watercolor cakes, and then add a handful of tools to reach 140 or 160. Two sets with the same count can be very different buys, so compare what actually gets used up: paint tubes, pads, canvases and brushes.
Paper is where cheap sets save money. Many include only a few loose sheets for painting. Watercolor needs heavy paper, or it buckles and pills, while sketchbooks in drawing kits run around 100 gsm, which is fine for pencil and too light for wet media. Budget for a real watercolor pad if a set's paper is thin. The Mega Wood Box is one of the few wooden sets that includes a watercolor pad and a sketch pad.
Brushes follow the same pattern. A wooden set with two small brushes will frustrate anyone painting more than a postcard. None of these sets is professional, whatever the box says. Their colors are student grade, with less pigment and no lightfastness ratings, so a serious painter should buy artist-grade paint by the tube instead.
Safety Labels For Kids And Adults
In the U.S., art materials must carry a label for chronic health hazards under federal law, and makers show compliance with the phrase "conforms to ASTM D4236." That line means the item was reviewed and labeled, not that it's safe for every age. The Art and Creative Materials Institute explains the difference on its materials safety page: its AP seal marks materials it certifies as non-toxic, while its CL seal marks items with cautionary labels that are meant for adults and should not go to children in sixth grade or younger.
A set is only as safe as its least-safe item, so check the seals on paints and pastels before handing a box to a child. ACMI's classroom guidance is a useful checklist for parents and teachers. Sets with small parts also carry a warning against use by children under 3.
Oil paint brings its own care. Paint in a room with fresh air, and keep solvents capped. Rags soaked in linseed oil can heat up and catch fire on their own, so dry them flat outdoors or store them in a sealed metal can with water. Wash brushes and hands before eating. We found no recalls for any brand on this list in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's database.
How we researched this
We compared 20 art sets, from wooden boxes and easel kits to sketch kits and a kids' case, read makers' published contents lists, checked safety claims against the ASTM D4236 labeling standard and the Art and Creative Materials Institute's seal guidance, analyzed owner feedback for breakage and missing pieces, and checked every brand for recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Sources (8)
- U.S. Art Supply: 142-piece Mega Wood Box (USA-142-PPBW)
- U.S. Art Supply: KIT-ALL-D130 painting kit
- Shuttle Art: Deluxe Gift Art Kit, 202 pieces
- Royal Brush store: REA6000 All Media Easel Artist Set
- Art and Creative Materials Institute: materials safety
- Art and Creative Materials Institute: classroom art materials safety
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: recalls
- Royal Talens
Frequently asked questions
What is the best art set for a beginner?
For drawing and light painting, a wooden box like the U.S. Art Supply Mega Wood Box covers the basics. For real painting, get a kit with tube paint and an easel, such as the U.S. Art Supply D130 Kit.
What is the best art set for kids?
Young children do best with washable markers and crayons, like the Crayola Inspiration Art Case. Look for the ACMI AP seal on each item, and skip sets with small parts for children under 3.
Is a professional art set really professional?
No. Boxed sets use student-grade colors with less pigment. A professional painter buys artist-grade paint by the tube, such as Rembrandt oils, and builds a kit from there.
Why do so many wooden art sets look the same?
Many brands sell the same wooden box of 60 crayons and 24 each of oil pastels, colored pencils and watercolor cakes. Compare the extras, such as pads, brushes and paint tubes, not the piece count.
Are oil pastels the same as oil paint?
No. Oil pastels are sticks of pigment in oil and wax, used like crayons. Oil paint comes in tubes, needs brushes and solvent, and only shows up in painting kits.
Are art sets safe for children?
Most kids' sets are, but check the labels. ACMI's AP seal marks non-toxic materials; its CL seal marks items with warnings that are meant for adults and older children.
