NCEA Level 1 Art Folio Supply Checklist NZ — Everything Students Need

NCEA Level 1 art is the year students go from “sketching at home” to “building a folio that gets marked.” The teacher hands out a supply list. The list runs to thirty items. Parents end up buying half of them twice. This is what actually needs to go in the folio, in order, with what to skip.

We sell most of it. That's not the point of this post. The point is to stop you wasting $150 on stuff your student won't use.

The seven essentials every NCEA Level 1 folio needs

These are the items that show up across every NCEA Level 1 art folio brief at every school in New Zealand. If you only buy seven things, buy these.

1. Cartridge paper or visual diary, A3

NCEA folio work is done on A3, not A4. A3 spiral-bound visual diary, 110gsm minimum, 60+ pages. This is where the development work, sketches, colour studies and trial pages go. The folio is judged on process, not just finished pieces, so the visual diary is doing more work than the final canvases.

2. Drawing pencils 2B, 4B, 6B

Three pencils, three tones. 2B for general drawing, 4B for shading, 6B for darks. A single HB pencil from a stationery shop won't give the tonal range NCEA expects. Buy a small set, not loose singles.

3. Two small stretched canvases

30 x 40cm or 30 x 30cm is the standard NCEA folio canvas size. Two of them. One for the major work, one for a colour study or technique trial. Mont Marte Signature single thick canvases are the most-used in NZ school art rooms because they're triple-primed, light enough to post, and cheap enough to replace if a painting goes wrong.

4. Acrylic paint set, 12 colours minimum

Acrylic is the default NCEA painting medium because it dries fast, mixes from a small palette, and doesn't need solvent. A 12 x 12ml acrylic set covers the colour wheel and lasts a full year of folio work. Skip 6-pack starter sets — you'll run out of white in week three.

5. Brush set covering all shapes

Five brushes minimum: flat (size 8 or 10), round (size 4), filbert (size 6), angle (size 6), and a fine detail liner. Synthetic taklon brushes are the right pick for acrylic — natural bristle frays in water-based paint. A wallet set keeps them tidy in the school bag.

6. Mixed-media materials

NCEA wants to see range. That usually means one of: oil pastels, watercolour, charcoal, collage materials, or ink pens. Pick one based on what your student already gravitates toward. Oil pastels are the lowest-friction add-on — no setup, no drying time, no extra brushes.

7. Eraser, sharpener, palette, water pot

The boring necessities. A kneadable eraser (better than a standard one for tonal work), a metal sharpener, a plastic palette with wells, and any clean plastic container for water. Don't buy a fancy artist's palette — a takeaway lid works.

The optional add-ons (by technique)

If your student is leaning into painting

• A larger canvas (40 x 40cm or 40 x 80cm) for the major finished work
• A floor or table easel — changes how the painting sits in the eye and lets them step back to assess
• A medium for thinning paint without water (glazing medium)

If they're leaning into drawing or printmaking

• Charcoal sticks and a fixative spray for tonal work
• Fine-liner pens (0.1, 0.3, 0.5 mm)
• Mixed-media paper for layering wet and dry techniques

If they're doing pour or fluid art

• Pre-mixed pouring acrylics — saves the experiments with thinning ratios
• Silicone oil for cell-pop technique

The mistakes parents make every year

Buying cheap brushes

$2 brushes from the discount store lose bristles into the painting. Spend $15-20 on a real set and they last the year.

Buying the wrong paper

Watercolour paper for acrylic, photocopy paper for graphite — the surface fights the medium. A3 cartridge paper at 110gsm or higher is the safe default for almost all dry media.

Buying singles when sets are cheaper

Twelve loose tubes of acrylic from a stationer cost more than a curated 12-pack from an art supplier. The same goes for brushes and pencils.

Forgetting the visual diary

This is the number one item parents miss. NCEA is judged on process. The visual diary is the process. If you only buy one thing this week, buy the diary.

Where to source supplies in New Zealand

You have three options.

1. School-recommended supplier lists. Often the safest pick if your school has an official supplier — the list maps exactly to the brief. Often slightly more expensive than buying direct.
2. Big-box stores. Cheap on individual items, thin on real art-grade supplies, brush quality is hit-and-miss.
3. Specialist online art stores. Better range, real pigment, brushes that last. We're one of these — our full catalogue ships from our Auckland warehouse, free shipping over $75, usually 1-2 business days handling.

The honest version: any of the three works if you read the brief carefully. The biggest cost saver is buying the right thing once, not chasing the cheapest version of the wrong thing.

NCEA art folio FAQ

How much should I expect to spend?

Realistic budget for NCEA Level 1: $120 to $180 for the essential seven items, plus $40-60 if you add a major canvas and a floor easel. Stretch to year's end without re-buying.

Can my student share supplies with a sibling?

Brushes and pencils, yes. Visual diary, no — it's marked, so each student needs their own. Paint sets can be shared if both are doing NCEA, but expect the white to run out twice as fast.

What if my student changes direction mid-year?

The seven essentials cover most pivots. The technique add-ons (oil pastels, pouring, charcoal) are cheap enough to add when they pick a direction. Don't pre-buy everything in week one.

What about NCEA Level 2 and 3?

Same essentials, scaled up. Larger canvases, more colour range, more medium-specific materials. We'll do separate posts for Levels 2 and 3.

Does Handy Mandy ship overnight?

For Auckland, usually 1-2 business days. North Island metro 2-3 days, South Island 3-5 days. Free shipping on orders over $75. Order before the term starts.

Quick checklist (save or print)

Essentials:

• A3 cartridge paper or visual diary, 110gsm+
• Drawing pencils 2B, 4B, 6B
• Two stretched canvases 30 x 40cm
• Acrylic paint set, 12 colours minimum
• Brush set with at least 5 shapes
• One mixed-media material (oil pastels recommended)
• Eraser, sharpener, palette, water pot

Add later if needed:

• Larger canvas for major work
• Floor or table easel
• Specialist medium (charcoal, fluid pour, fine liners)

Good luck. Make something good this year.

Browse the full acrylic paint sets, canvases, and brush sets at Handy Mandy. Kiwi-owned, ships from Auckland, free NZ delivery over $75.