Supplies For Dot Painting

You could start dot painting with just a few items.

You must have paint, tools to make dots, and something to dot on.

Of course having more tools and supplies will make painting easier and give you more options.

Paint in an assortment of colors. Start with inexpensive craft type acrylic paint. Most craft stores carry them. I get Apple Barrel, Folk Art, Craftsmart, Martha Stewart, and other brands. They come in matte, satin, gloss, pearl and metallic. So many choices!

A variety of tool sizes to make a variety of dot sizes and patterns.

These are wooden dowels in a variety of sizes I cut down to 4" length for easier handling. These are nice if you have access to a saw to cut them.

These are drill bits. The "non working" end is flat, and what you use to dot with. You can get a small set like these or larger ones for more dot sizes.

These are crochet hooks that have flat bottoms. They are hard to find as most hooks have a pointed end. You can find these on eBay and Amazon.

These are the simplest tools to make dots. Just use the eraser end of both regular pencils and The First, larger size pencils for larger dots. I got the larger child pencils on eBay but also saw them at Staples.

Use the "non working end" of a Foam Brush. This set had three different dowel sizes. Any craft store should carry them.

Stylus in a variety of tip sizes make nice tiny dots. Manicurist use them as well as crafters. They are also called embossing tools. You can find them on eBay as well as Amazon and maybe your craft store.

A paint pallet with separate wells for each color of paint. You could also use a paper plate, plastic lid, etc., to put paint on.

Paper towels, napkins or baby wipes to get the paint off the tools and your hands.

Q-tips for wiping off mistakes before the paint dries. I found the narrow cotton tips on eBay. I use them to get into a tight areas around my dots. Just dampen the cotton swab in water to wipe off wet paint. 

Objects to paint. I would start by painting on thick paper first to practice making dots. You can get cardstock or even practice on manilla folders to start. Once you get comfortable painting on paper, switch to rocks, canvas, glass, wood, etc..

I buy poster board at Walmart or the Dollar Store and use my paper cutter to make lots of squares in different sizes to paint on. A big sheet is less than $1 and makes a lot of squares.

Canvas is more expensive. I wouldn't start with it. Practice on poster board, manilla folders or card stock first.

My favorite  thing to paint on are smooth rocks! 

These ideas for what you need to get painting should help. I'll do multiple, in-depth blog post about all the supplies I use, in addition to this blog Page.

Happy Dotting!

Patty