Materials for your course

The aim of this blog post is to help you understand what materials you need to start your course. When looking at the list, keep in mind that most of these items are one-off investments.

The basics

Your biggest investment is a drawing board. It is worth buying a high-quality drawing board because you will use it a lot during the course. A good drawing board will also last you for many years and well into your garden design career.

Remember your student discount

Always bring your student card with you when buying materials and if you are shopping online, check to see if there is a student discount. If you don't already have your student card, you can request one from the Online Learning Centre.

List of materials needed to start the course

The list below is a breakdown of what you will need when starting the course. This list isn’t exhaustive but covers the key items - you will receive a more detailed list before you start.

• £9.99 Black pens with a variety of nib sizes (Black Ink Pens 0.25, 0.35, and 0.5mm preferred; e.g., e.g. Fineliner 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7
• £30 Colouring pencils (e.g. Polychromos by Faber-Castell)
• £30 Colouring markers (e.g. Promarkers by Winsor & Newton or Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Brush)
• £14.99 Mechanical or standard drafting pencils with 4 different leads (2H, 4H, HB, and 2B (or a clutch pencil)
• £2 Note book
• £3 Regular ballpoint pen
• £56.99 A2 Drawing board with integrated T-square
• £22.56 (200 sheets) A2, A3 and A4 Plain white drawing paper
• £11.99 A2 and A3 Tracing paper
• £14.99 Cutting mat
• £9.99 Triangular architectural scale ruler appropriate to your region
• £6.99 Metal ruler
• £6.99 French curves
• £16.99 Set squares (30/60 degree and 45/45 degree)
• £5.99 Circles template
• £8 Masking tape
• £15.99 30m tape measure

Other materials

As you progress through the course, you may be required to pick up a few extra bits and pieces, but these will all depend on the nature of the design and project that you work on. Again, these are materials that you will use throughout your career in garden design.

Make sure you shop around and try to read as many product reviews as you can – sites like Amazon are great for this.

If you have any recommendations of shops or websites where you have purchased these items, please add a comment below.

To effectively participate in our online learning programs, it's essential for students to have access to a personal computer with high-speed internet connectivity. Students should also possess basic computer literacy skills including web browsing, email communication, document management (uploading/downloading), document creation and presentation skills. These skills are necessary for utilising our Online Learning Centre, where all course materials are accessed.

While these fundamental skills are a necessity, there is a dedicated support network on hand to guide students experiencing any technical difficulties. For example, students who opt for Live Online classes will be required to participate in lessons through a designated online meeting platform. But should students encounter any issues while navigating our website or accessing the Online Learning Centre, we encourage them to reach out to our Student Services team who will promptly escalate any difficulties for quick resolution. 

These prices are from Amazon (prices correct as of 26th May 2023).

The links included here are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only. We bear no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of any external site or for any content on subsequent websites, nor does the inclusion of these links constitute our endorsement or an approval of any products, services or opinions stated.