This list includes 45 Art supplies that start with B, from “Backing board” to “Butcher paper”. These items are physical materials and tools used in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media. You’ll find basics, consumables, and specialized tools favored by hobbyists and professionals.

Art supplies that start with B are tangible materials and tools whose names begin with the letter B. Many, like brushes and balsa wood, have long histories in craft and fine art use.

Below you’ll find the table with Item, Usage, and Popular brands.

Item: The supply name as commonly used; you can scan this column to find specific tools or materials quickly.

Usage: A short description of what the item does and when you would typically use it in your artwork.

Popular brands: Common manufacturers and brands to help you choose proven options when buying supplies for projects or study.

Art supplies that start with B

ItemCategoryTypical sizes/unitsPopular brands
Brushpaintingsizes 000–30; sets; rounds/flatsWinsor & Newton, Da Vinci, Princeton
Bristle brushpaintingsizes small–large; hog bristleWinsor & Newton, Escoda
Brush pendrawingbrush tip sizes, single pensTombow, Pentel, Kuretake
Brush markerdrawing/mixed-mediaalcohol or water-based, single markersCopic, Tombow
Brush cleanertoolsbars or liquids: 100 ml–1 LDaler-Rowney, M. Graham
Brush washertoolssmall containers, multi-partsSpeedball, ArtBin
Brayerprintmakingwidths 1–18 inSpeedball, Essdee
Barenprintmakingdiameter 2–6 inSpeedball, Hand-made artisan barens
Burnisherprintmaking/sculpturehandheld toolsX-Acto, Speedball
Bone folderbookbinding/mixed-media6–9 inLineco, Talas
Beeswaxencaustic/sculptureblocks 50 g–1 kgEnkaustikos, Gamblin
Butane torchtools/encaustichandheld refillableBernzomatic, Blazer
Ballpoint pendrawingpoints 0.5–1.6 mmBic, Pilot
Ball stylustools/embossingtips 0.5–6 mm; setsSpeedball, Pebeo
Blending stumpdrawinglengths 3–6 inCretacolor, General’s
Bristol boardsupportsheets 9×12, 11×14, 22×30 inStrathmore, Canson
Bond papersupport/printingletter/legal sizes; rollsHP, Neenah
Butcher papersupport/mixed-mediarolls 24–48 in wideCanson, Strathmore
Box easelsupport/toolstabletop or plein-air box sizesMabef, Art Alternatives
Box cuttertools9 mm blades; disposableOlfa, X-Acto
Backing boardsupport/framingsheets to fit frame sizesCrescent, Bainbridge
Bindermaterials250 ml–1 L bottlesLiquitex, Winsor & Newton
Binder cliptools/storagesmall–large packsACCO, Bulldog
Ball clayceramicsbags 25 kg / 50 lbLaguna, AMACO
Burlapsupport/mixed-mediawidths 36–72 inDick Blick, Joann
Brass wiresculpturegauges 12–30 AWGBeadalon, Rio Grande
Ball peen hammertoolsweights 8–16 ozEstwing, Stanley
Buffing wheeltools/finishingdiameters 2–8 inDremel, 3M
Block (printmaking)printmakingsizes 4×6–12×18 inSpeedball, Essdee
Bamboo brushpainting/drawingsmall–large sizesKuretake, Da Vinci
Blotter paperprintmaking/drawingsheets 8×10–18×24 inCanson, Bienfang
Band sawtools/sculpturesmall to large shop sizesJET, Rikon
Bench visetoolsjaw widths 3–6 inYost, Wilton
Body fillersculpture/modelingtubes, tubs 250 g–3.2 kgBondo, Evercoat
Buckrambookbinding/supportrolls 22–40 inLineco, Talas
Beading wiremixed-media/jewelrygauges 18–30 AWGBeadalon, Softflex
Bookboardsupport/framingsheets 11×14, 16×20 inCrescent, Lineco
Brush rollstoragefits multiple brushesArtBin, Blick
Belt sandertools/woodworkbelt widths 1–3 inMakita, DeWalt
Balsa woodmodeling/sculpturesheets, blocks; 1–24 mmK&S, Balsa USA
Baryta papersupport/photographic printssheet sizes up to 17×22 inHahnemuhle, Epson
Binding machinebook artspunch capacity, comb/wireGBC, Fellowes
Box frameframing/supportstandard frame sizesIkea, Aaron Brothers
Bristle padtools/cleaningpads or sheets3M, Scotch-Brite
Bistort? (exclude)

Descriptions

Brush
General hand tool with bristles for applying paint, ink or wash; essential across painting media for varied marks and coverage.
Bristle brush
Stiff natural-hair brush (often hog) used for oils and heavy-bodied acrylics to hold and move thick paint.
Brush pen
Pen with a flexible felt or nylon brush tip for lettering, sketching, and expressive ink work; portable alternative to a traditional brush.
Brush marker
Marker with a brush-like tip for bold strokes, blending, and illustration; available in alcohol or water-based formulas.
Brush cleaner
Soaps and liquids formulated to remove paint and condition bristles; extends brush life and maintains performance.
Brush washer
Tool or jar accessory for rinsing brushes while painting, often with compartments or inserts to settle paint.
Brayer
Hand roller used to evenly apply ink to relief blocks or plates for printmaking and monoprinting.
Baren
Flat, handheld burnishing tool used to press paper onto an inked block for relief printing.
Burnisher
Smooth tool used to polish, rub out or transfer inks and to create burnished highlights in printmaking and collage.
Bone folder
Smooth, flat tool (traditionally bone) for creasing, folding, and burnishing paper or cardstock cleanly.
Beeswax
Natural wax used in encaustic painting, sculpture and as a resist; melts for layering and textured surfaces.
Butane torch
Small torch used to heat and fuse encaustic layers, emboss metal, or speed drying in mixed media.
Ballpoint pen
Everyday writing instrument used by artists for detailed sketches, cross-hatching, and quick studies.
Ball stylus
Small metal tools with rounded tips for embossing, stippling, and shaping clay or paper.
Blending stump
Rolled paper tool for smudging and blending graphite, charcoal and pastel for smooth tonal transitions.
Bristol board
Heavy, smooth paper board favored for pen, ink, marker and technical drawing due to its clean surface.
Bond paper
Smooth, durable paper commonly used for printing sketches, studies, and digital proofs.
Butcher paper
Large kraft-style paper used for quick studies, large-scale sketches, wrapping and mixed-media bases.
Box easel
Portable wooden easel with storage box for paints and panels, popular for plein-air painting.
Box cutter
Handheld utility knife for cutting paper, matboard, foamboard and other studio materials precisely.
Backing board
Rigid board placed behind artwork in a frame to protect and support the piece.
Binder
Liquid binding medium (e.g., acrylic binder or gum arabic) used to mix pigments and create paints or glazes.
Binder clip
Metal spring clips used to hold paper, canvas or pads together during work or drying.
Ball clay
Fine-grained ceramic clay additive used to improve plasticity in pottery and sculpture bodies.
Burlap
Coarse woven fabric used as underlayer for texture, large canvases, or mixed-media surfaces.
Brass wire
Malleable metal wire used for armatures, wire sculpture and mixed-media armatures.
Ball peen hammer
Hammer with rounded peen for shaping metal, riveting, and light metal-forming in sculpture and metalwork.
Buffing wheel
Rotary accessory for polishing and bringing metal or finished surfaces to a shine.
Block (printmaking)
Carvable block (linoleum, rubber or wood) used as the matrix for relief printing.
Bamboo brush
Traditional Asian-style brush with bamboo handle for sumi-e, watercolor and ink wash techniques.
Blotter paper
Absorbent paper used to lift excess ink, dry prints, and protect surfaces while working.
Band saw
Power saw used to cut wood, foam, or support materials for sculpture and large constructions.
Bench vise
Clamping tool mounted to a bench to hold smaller objects steady for sawing, filing or soldering.
Body filler
Two-part filler used to repair, sculpt or smooth surfaces on wood, foam and mixed-media armatures.
Buckram
Stiff cloth used to reinforce book covers, canvas edges or stiffen mixed-media supports.
Beading wire
Flexible wire for stringing beads, armatures and mixed-media embellishments.
Bookboard
Dense greyboard used as stiff backing, supports for panels, or bookbinding cores.
Brush roll
Canvas or leather roll with pockets to protect and organize brushes during storage and travel.
Belt sander
Power sander for quickly smoothing and shaping wood, foam or rigid materials in sculpting.
Balsa wood
Lightweight soft wood ideal for model making, armatures and carved elements in sculpture.
Baryta paper
High-quality paper with a baryta coating, favored for archival photo and fine-art inkjet prints.
Binding machine
Tool for punching and binding pages in handmade books, portfolios or artist books.
Box frame
Shallow shadow box used to frame and protect three-dimensional works or delicate collages.
Bristle pad
Abrasive or scrubbing pads used for surface preparation, texture removal and cleaning studio pieces.
Bistort? (exclude)
If you think there is a missing term, let us know using the contact form.