Buying art supplies can feel more complicated than it should. Tubes, jars, brushes, and panels come in dozens of sizes, and the labels often assume you already understand terms like pigment load, bristle type, or gesso. This guide walks through the three core purchases — paints, brushes, and canvas — in plain language so you can buy what fits your project, your skill level, and your budget.
Start With the Medium
Most other decisions follow from the paint you choose. A brush that works well for oil paint may be a poor choice for watercolor, and a canvas prepared for one medium may need extra treatment for another. Decide what you want to paint with first, then build the rest of your list around it.
Choosing Paints
Paints are made of pigment (the color), a binder (what holds it together), and a solvent or carrier (what makes it spread). The binder is what separates the main types.
Common Paint Types
- Acrylic: Water-based, dries quickly, and cleans up with water. It adheres to many surfaces, including canvas, paper, wood, and fabric, which makes it a flexible choice for beginners.
- Oil: Slow-drying, with rich, blendable color. It requires solvents and longer drying times between layers, so it suits painters who like to work slowly and rework areas.
- Watercolor: Transparent and water-based. It relies on the white of the paper for highlights and works best on absorbent watercolor paper rather than canvas.
- Gouache: Water-based and opaque, with a matte finish. It dries to a flat, even tone and is popular for illustration and design work.
- Tempera: An inexpensive, opaque, water-based option often used in classrooms. It is easy to handle but has a shorter shelf life once opened.
Student Grade vs. Artist Grade
Most paint lines come in two levels. Student grade contains less pigment and more filler, so colors are weaker and cost less. Artist grade has a higher pigment concentration, which means stronger color, better mixing, and more consistent results over time.
For practice and learning, student grade is usually enough. For finished work you plan to keep or sell, artist grade generally performs better. A practical compromise is to buy a small set of student colors and one or two artist-grade tubes in the colors you use most.
Choosing Brushes
Brushes control how paint leaves your hand and lands on the surface. Three features matter most: shape, bristle material, and size.
Brush Shapes
- Round: A pointed tip for lines, detail, and fills. One of the most versatile shapes.
- Flat: Straight edges for broad strokes, blocking in shapes, and clean lines.
- Bright: Like a flat but with shorter bristles, giving firmer, more controlled strokes.
- Filbert: An oval tip that blends the qualities of a round and a flat, useful for soft edges.
- Fan: Spread bristles for blending, texture, and softening.
- Liner or rigger: A very long, thin tip for fine lines and lettering.
Bristle Materials
Synthetic bristles are made from filaments and are a good match for water-based paints such as acrylic, gouache, and watercolor. They hold a crisp edge and are generally affordable.
Natural hair bristles hold water and paint well and feel softer on the surface. Stiff hog bristle is a traditional choice for oil and heavy-body acrylics because it pushes thick paint effectively.
Size and Handle
Brush sizes are numbered, and the numbering systems differ between manufacturers. Smaller numbers usually mean smaller brushes. As a rule, buy brushes in proportion to the area you are painting — a large canvas needs at least one large brush to cover ground efficiently.
Handle length is a clue to intended use. Short handles are made for close work on a table, typical of watercolor. Long handles let you stand back from an easel and see the whole painting while you work.
Brush Care
- Rinse brushes as soon as you finish using them — dried paint damages bristles permanently.
- Wash with mild soap and lukewarm water, working from the ferrule (the metal band) outward.
- Reshape the tip by hand and dry brushes flat or with bristles pointing down. Never store them bristles-up in a jar, because water can seep into the ferrule and loosen the glue.
Choosing Canvas and Other Surfaces
Canvas is the classic painting surface, but it is not the only option. Understanding fabric, format, and preparation helps you avoid surprises.
Cotton vs. Linen
Cotton canvas is the common choice. It is affordable, takes paint well, and has a slightly bumpy texture.
Linen canvas is stronger, smoother, and more expensive. It resists stretching and aging better, which matters for work intended to last for decades.
Stretched, Board, and Pads
- Stretched canvas: Fabric pulled over a wooden frame. It is light, easy to hang without framing, and available in standard sizes.
- Canvas board or panel: Fabric mounted on a rigid board. It is firm and portable, and it works well for studies.
- Canvas pads and sheets: Inexpensive, lightweight, and ideal for practice and sketches. They need support from a board or easel.
- Alternatives: Wood panels, heavy paper, and rigid boards all work with the right preparation.
Priming and Gesso
Most canvas sold in stores is already primed, which means it has a sealed coating that keeps paint from soaking into the fabric. If you buy unprimed canvas, you will need to apply gesso, a white primer, in two or three thin coats, letting each dry in between.
Acrylic gesso is the most flexible option and works under acrylics, oils, and most other paints. A colored gesso or an acrylic base coat can also give you a toned surface to paint over.
Texture and Weight
Canvas is sold in different textures: fine for detailed work and smooth strokes, medium as a general-purpose choice, and rough for visible weave and heavy paint. Weight is measured in ounces per square yard, and heavier canvas is sturdier and less likely to dent.
A Simple Starter List
If you are beginning, a small, focused set covers most projects:
- A basic set of paint in one medium, plus a larger tube of white.
- Three brushes: one large flat, one medium round, and one small round for detail.
- Two or three primed canvases or a canvas pad in a size you can finish in one or two sittings.
- A palette, a water container or solvent jar, and a few rags or paper towels.
- An apron or old shirt, and a drop sheet if you work indoors.
Safe and Sensible Practices
- Work in a ventilated space, especially when using solvents or sprays.
- Read product labels for handling and disposal instructions.
- Keep supplies out of reach of children and pets, and never store paint or solvents near food.
- Clean brushes promptly and dispose of leftover paint and solvent according to local rules rather than pouring them down a drain.
Final Thoughts
Choosing art supplies comes down to matching three things: the paint that suits how you like to work, brushes sized and shaped for the marks you want to make, and a surface prepared for the medium you are using. You do not need a large collection to start. A few well-chosen items used regularly will teach you more than a shelf full of supplies you never open.
Once your basics are in place, you can expand in the direction you enjoy most — trying a new medium, adding specialty brushes, or moving to larger surfaces. For more straightforward guidance on everyday questions like these, keep exploring the guides available on this site.