This list includes 38 Art supplies that start with P, from “PVA Glue” to “Push Pin”. These items are physical materials and hand tools used in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media projects.
Art supplies that start with P are tangible materials and tools artists use to make visual work. Many artists have relied on pigments and PVA glue, which helped expand collage and mixed media practices in the 20th century.
Below you’ll find the table with Item, Usage, Popular brands, and Category.
Item: The supply name; you use this entry to find specific materials, common variants, or alternate trade names quickly.
Usage: Brief, 1–2 sentence note explaining how you typically use the item and what tasks it supports.
Popular brands: One to three well-known manufacturers or labels you might choose when buying this item.
Category: Broad classification that helps you group supplies by medium or function for planning or shopping.
Art supplies that start with P
| Item | Category | Common uses | Popular brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paintbrush | Brush | Applying paint, ink, or other media to a surface. | Princeton, Winsor & Newton, da Vinci |
| Palette | Tool | Holding and mixing paints. | Masterson, New Wave, Craftech |
| Palette Knife | Tool | Mixing paints and applying thick paint to a canvas. | Liquitex, RGM, Holbein |
| Paper | Surface | Drawing, painting, printmaking, and sketching. | Canson, Strathmore, Arches |
| Pencil | Drawing Tool | Sketching, drawing, and shading. | Faber-Castell, Staedtler, Derwent |
| Pastel | Drawing Medium | Drawing and painting with pure, vibrant pigment. | Sennelier, Schmincke, Rembrandt |
| Pen | Drawing Tool | Inking, fine line drawing, and calligraphy. | Sakura, Faber-Castell, Copic |
| Polymer Clay | Sculpting Medium | Sculpting miniatures, jewelry making, and crafting. | Sculpey, Fimo, Cernit |
| Primer | Medium | Preparing surfaces like canvas or wood for painting. | Liquitex, Golden, Winsor & Newton |
| Portfolio | Storage | Storing and transporting flat artwork and paper. | Prat, Itoya, Star Products |
| Printing Press | Tool | Applying pressure to transfer an image from a plate to paper. | Speedball, Blick, Akua |
| Paint Pan | Paint | Holding solid watercolor or gouache for easy use and travel. | Schmincke, Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton |
| Pan Pastel | Drawing Medium | Applying pastel color in a painterly, blendable way. | PanPastel |
| Permanent Marker | Drawing Tool | Creating bold, permanent lines on various surfaces. | Sharpie, Copic, Prismacolor |
| Pigment Liner | Drawing Tool | Inking, outlining, and technical drawing. | Staedtler, Sakura Pigma Micron, Faber-Castell |
| Plaster | Sculpting Medium | Mold making, casting, and creating sculptures. | DAP, Perfect Cast, USG |
| Pouring Medium | Medium | Thinning acrylic paint to create fluid, pourable mixtures. | Liquitex, Golden, Floetrol |
| Pencil Sharpener | Tool | Creating a sharp point on a pencil. | Kum, T’gaal, X-Acto |
| Pastel Paper | Surface | Providing a textured surface for pastel application. | Canson Mi-Teintes, UArt, Clairefontaine Pastelmat |
| Panel | Surface | A rigid support for painting with oils, acrylics, or encaustic. | Ampersand, Trekell, Raymar |
| Photo Emulsion | Printmaking Supply | Creating stencils on screens for screen printing. | Speedball, Jacquard |
| Phthalo Blue | Paint | A powerful, transparent blue for mixing vibrant greens and purples. | Golden, Winsor & Newton, Liquitex |
| Payne’s Gray | Paint | A dark, cool gray for shadows and muted tones. | Daniel Smith, Schmincke, Holbein |
| Palette Cup | Tool | Holding solvents, oils, or painting mediums on a palette. | Richeson, Martin/Universal Design |
| Portable Easel | Tool | Supporting a canvas or drawing board outdoors or in different locations. | Mabef, Jullian, U.S. Art Supply |
| PVA Glue | Adhesive | Bookbinding, collage, and sealing surfaces. | Elmer’s, Lineco, Mod Podge |
| Plasticine | Sculpting Medium | Modeling, sculpting, and stop-motion animation. | Chavant, Van Aken |
| Pounce Wheel | Tool | Transferring a drawing or pattern to another surface. | Dritz, Clover |
| Push Pin | Tool | Pinning reference photos or paper to a board. | Generic brands |
| Pliers | Tool | Stretching canvas, bending wire for sculpture, and general studio tasks. | Canvas Pliers brands, Stanley, Craftsman |
| Projector | Tool | Enlarging and tracing an image onto a large canvas or wall. | Artograph, Kopykake |
| Paper Stretcher | Tool | Preventing watercolor paper from buckling or warping as it dries. | Ken Bromley, Bockingford |
| Primed Canvas | Surface | A ready-to-use surface for oil or acrylic painting. | Fredrix, Blick, Master’s Touch |
| Pencil Extender | Tool | Extending the life of a pencil stub that is too short to hold. | Derwent, Faber-Castell |
| Picture Frame | Display | Protecting, displaying, and enhancing a finished piece of artwork. | Nielsen Bainbridge, Frame Destination |
| Poster Paint | Paint | Craft projects, school projects, and temporary signs. | Crayola, Prang, Sargent Art |
| Prussian Blue | Paint | A deep, dark blue with a greenish undertone. | Winsor & Newton, Gamblin, Old Holland |
| Parallel Pen | Drawing Tool | Calligraphy and expressive lettering. | Pilot |
Descriptions
Paintbrush
A fundamental tool available in countless shapes and sizes, made from natural or synthetic bristles, for various painting techniques and styles.
Palette
A rigid, flat surface for artists to arrange and mix paint. Can be made of wood, plastic, or ceramic, and some are disposable paper pads.
Palette Knife
A blunt, flexible steel blade used for mixing colors or applying thick, textured paint directly onto a surface to create impasto effects.
Paper
Comes in endless varieties of weight, texture (tooth), and fiber content to suit different media like watercolor, charcoal, or ink.
Pencil
A core of graphite or charcoal encased in wood. Pencils are graded by hardness, from a hard 9H to a soft 9B, for different line qualities.
Pastel
A stick of pure powdered pigment and a binder. Soft pastels are chalky and easy to blend, while oil pastels have a waxy, crayon-like feel.
Pen
A broad category including fineliners, dip pens, and fountain pens. They deliver ink to a surface for creating crisp, permanent, or variable lines.
Polymer Clay
A pliable, man-made clay that hardens permanently when baked in a home oven. It’s available in a wide spectrum of colors.
Primer
A preparatory coating, often called gesso, that creates a stable, absorbent surface for paint to adhere to, preventing it from soaking into the support.
Portfolio
A large, flat case, often with a handle, used to protect drawings, prints, and paintings from damage during transport or storage.
Printing Press
A machine that uses high pressure to create a print. Different types exist for various techniques like etching, relief, and lithography.
Paint Pan
A small, rectangular plastic container filled with solid watercolor paint. They are often arranged in a travel tin for plein air painting.
Pan Pastel
A unique formulation of artist’s pastel packed in a flat pan. It is applied with special foam tools, allowing for smooth, controlled application.
Permanent Marker
A pen with alcohol-based or solvent-based ink that is waterproof and fade-resistant once dry, making it ideal for mixed media work.
Pigment Liner
A fine-tipped pen that uses archival, waterproof, and lightfast pigment ink. Perfect for detailed line work that won’t smudge with water-based media.
Plaster
A dry powder that, when mixed with water, forms a paste that hardens when it dries. Often used to create casts or build up sculptural forms.
Pouring Medium
An additive mixed with acrylic paint to achieve a smooth, flowing consistency for ‘paint pouring’ art without compromising color or adhesion.
Pencil Sharpener
A simple but essential tool for maintaining a usable point on graphite, charcoal, or colored pencils. Available in manual or electric models.
Pastel Paper
A paper with a textured surface, or “tooth,” designed to grab and hold the fine particles of soft or oil pastels.
Panel
A stiff painting surface, typically made from wood or hardboard. Panels can be unprimed or pre-coated with gesso for immediate use.
Photo Emulsion
A light-sensitive liquid applied to a screen. When exposed to light through a transparency, it hardens, creating a stencil for ink to pass through.
Phthalo Blue
A synthetic organic pigment (short for Phthalocyanine) prized for its intense tinting strength. A tiny amount goes a long, long way in mixtures.
Payne’s Gray
A classic color, typically a mixture of blue and black, that serves as a complex and atmospheric alternative to plain black in a palette.
Palette Cup
A small metal or plastic container with a clip that attaches to the edge of an artist’s palette, keeping liquids conveniently accessible while painting.
Portable Easel
A lightweight and collapsible stand designed for easy transport. French easels and tripod easels are popular styles for plein air painting.
PVA Glue
Polyvinyl acetate glue is a pH-neutral, water-based adhesive that dries clear and remains flexible. It’s a staple for paper crafts and mixed media.
Plasticine
An oil-based modeling clay that never hardens. It remains pliable, making it perfect for practice, creating reusable models, or animation.
Pounce Wheel
A small wheel with sharp points on a handle. When rolled over a drawing on tracing paper, it creates a perforated line for transfer.
Push Pin
A short, sharp pin with a plastic head. An indispensable tool for temporarily attaching paper to a drawing board or corkboard in the studio.
Pliers
A versatile hand tool used for gripping, bending, and cutting. Canvas-stretching pliers have a wide jaw for pulling canvas taut over stretcher bars.
Projector
An optical device that projects an image onto a surface. Artists use it as a guide to accurately scale up a small sketch for a large painting or mural.
Paper Stretcher
A frame or board designed to hold watercolor paper taut while it is being soaked and painted, ensuring a perfectly flat finished piece.
Primed Canvas
Woven fabric, typically cotton or linen, that has been stretched over a wooden frame and coated with gesso, making it ready for painting immediately.
Pencil Extender
A small holder that grips the end of a short pencil, allowing the artist to use it down to the very last bit, saving money and reducing waste.
Picture Frame
A decorative border for a picture, such as a painting or photograph, intended to make it easier to display and protect.
Poster Paint
An opaque, water-based paint, similar to tempera, known for its bright colors and matte finish. It is affordable and easy to clean up.
Prussian Blue
The first modern synthetic pigment, discovered in the early 1700s. It is a powerful, dark blue valued for its high tinting strength.
Parallel Pen
A fountain pen with a unique parallel plate nib that creates crisp, sharp lines. It can produce both thick and thin strokes with ease.