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Painting Art Supplies for Beginners: What You Actually Need

Aug 17
7 min read

Shopping for painting art supplies for beginners can make a simple new hobby feel surprisingly complicated. Art stores and sections offer dozens of paints, hundreds of brushes and plenty of tools you have never heard of. It is easy to think you need a bunch of stuff before you can begin. (Sometimes 'I need more supplies first' is really artist block talking.)


You don’t.


Beginning to paint should feel like embarking on an adventure. Pack light. Choose one kind of paint, buy a few dependable supplies and add to your collection as your skills, interests, and most importantly, your direction develops.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I trust.

Acrylic, Watercolor or Gouache: Which Should You Choose?


Acrylic may be the easiest starting point. Once dry, it's dry, so you can paint over mistakes. Choose it if you like strong color, layers and the freedom to change your mind.


Abstract art poster with START HERE; text says where beginners should spend on art supplies: better paper, decent paint, a few brushes.

Watercolor is transparent, flowing and beautifully luminous. Don’t dismiss it as too difficult: you can blot, lift and soften many mistakes, and it can be bold and graphic as easily as pale and ethereal.


Gouache combines some of watercolor’s flow and reusability with greater opacity and a flat, velvety finish. It is especially appealing for sketchbooks, illustration and solid areas of color.


My advice: whichever you choose, use it for at least 20 painting sessions. Color and composition skills transfer between mediums, but each requires its own understanding of water, timing and layering. Constantly switching makes that harder to learn.


Where to Invest and Where to Save


Beginners do not need professional-grade everything, but they do need materials that behave the way the medium is supposed to behave.


Cheap paint may be weak, gloppy, or difficult to mix. Poor paper may buckle, pill, or absorb water so unpredictably that paint cannot flow properly. That makes it difficult to tell whether the problem is your technique or your supplies.


Invest first in the correct paper or painting surface, paint above the cheapest school-supply level, and a few dependable brushes that are specific to the medium. Save on water containers, cloths, and other jobs a household object can perform perfectly well. Inexpensive is not automatically bad (you can't pry my Prang watercolor paints away from me), but a supply should function well enough to let you learn.



Your Beginner Painting Kit at a Glance


Here is the whole starter kit in one place. The basics are the same no matter what you paint. Only the paint, surface, brushes, and palette change with your medium.


Shared basics (any medium): two water containers · a pencil · a kneaded eraser · an old cloth or paper towels


Add for your medium: paint · a suitable surface · brushes · a palette


With thoughtfully chosen student-quality supplies and a few repurposed household items, expect to spend around $75 to get started. The carrying bags, brush holders, books, and specialty tools further down are useful additions, not requirements for your first painting session.


The Shared Basics (Every Beginner, Any Medium)


Buy these once. They work for acrylic, gouache, and watercolor alike.


Two water containers. Use one for the first dirty rinse and another for clean water. Two old jars work just as well as specialized artist containers.


A pencil and kneaded eraser. Sketch lightly before you paint. For watercolor especially, keep the graphite faint so it does not compete with transparent paint.



A cloth or paper towels. Useful for more than cleanup: use a cloth to adjust the water in your brush, blot wet paint, and catch drips.


Everything below is medium-specific. Read only the section for the paint you chose.


If You Chose Acrylic or Gouache


Paint. Choose a reputable student-quality acrylic or traditional gouache rather than the cheapest school or craft set. You do not need dozens of colors; a smaller set teaches color mixing and leaves more of the budget for good paper.


Gouache painters use a great deal of white, so an extra tube of white may be an early addition. Also check whether a product is traditional gouache, which can be reactivated with water, or acrylic gouache, which dries permanently.


Paper or canvas. For acrylic, choose acrylic paper, heavyweight mixed-media paper, canvas paper, canvas panels, stretched canvas, or a watercolor sketchbook intended for wet media. A watercolor sketchbook gives plenty of low-pressure practice space, and I prefer the thickness of the paper even for acrylic or gouache.


Canvas panels are an economical way to try canvas without making every painting feel precious. For traditional gouache, use good heavyweight mixed-media or watercolor paper; standard stretched canvas is not the best surface for learning it.



Synthetic brushes. A small synthetic set serves both acrylic and gouache. Look for a small round, medium round, medium flat, and larger flat. Keep these separate from any watercolor brushes.


Palette. Disposable palette paper is convenient for acrylic, because dried acrylic cannot be reactivated. Gouache does better on a washable white plastic, ceramic, or enameled palette, where dried paint can be reused. A styrofoam plate or plastic lid also works.


If You Chose Watercolor


Paint. Pans are compact, portable, and easy for beginners to manage. Tube paint is useful for mixing larger, stronger puddles of color, but you do not need tubes to learn. Choose paint that rewets readily and produces clear, mixable color. Expensive is not automatically better; I still adore my inexpensive Prang watercolors and return to them again and again. The point is to avoid paint so weak or poorly made that it cannot show you how watercolor should flow and mix.



Abstract pastel painting ad with text Beginner Painting Supplies Under $75 and a starter kit message on beige background

Paper or journal. Paper has an enormous effect on watercolor. Thin or poorly sized paper may buckle, pill, or absorb paint so quickly that you cannot move it. Choose paper made for watercolor in a journal or pad. A reputable 140 lb / 300 gsm cellulose paper is a sound starting point. Paper with added cotton changes the water and paint movement considerably; 100% cellulose is fine to practice with.



Dedicated brushes. Watercolor brushes are softer and designed to hold plenty of water while keeping a useful point. Keep them exclusively for watercolor; acrylic can dry deep in the bristles and permanently stiffen them. One medium round, one larger round or wash brush, and one small detail brush can handle a great deal.



Palette. Many watercolor sets include a mixing surface in the lid. If yours does, start there. Otherwise, use a simple white plastic or porcelain mixing palette.


Useful Painting Supply Additions (Add These Later)


Add these only when they solve a problem or support how you like to paint. None are needed for your first session.


Four Good Beginner Painting Books


Choose the book for the medium you are learning; you do not need all four. And check your library first.


How Much Do Beginner Painting Supplies Cost?


Around $75 is a reasonable working estimate for a dependable beginner setup if you choose one medium and repurpose a few household items.


Supply

Approximate budget

Paint

$20 to $35

Paper, sketchbook, or canvas

$12 to $25

Brushes

$10 to $18

Palette

$0 to $10

Pencil and eraser

$0 to $6

Water containers and cloth

Use what you have

Estimated total

Approximately $45–$90


This covers what you need to start.



Abstract pastel painting poster with text: START HERE and where beginners should spend on art supplies.

FAQ: A Few Common Questions


Do I need an easel? No. Watercolor and gouache are commonly painted flat or at a slight angle, and small acrylic paintings can be made on a tabletop. Add an easel later if you prefer working upright or start using larger canvases.


Can I use the same brushes for every paint? No. Keep watercolor brushes exclusively for watercolor, even if you buy the same type used for other mediums. Acrylic and gouache can share a separate set of durable synthetic brushes. Acrylic and gouache tend to dry in the brush, which ruins the flexibility and water-holding a watercolor brush needs.


Are cheap art supplies harder to learn with? Sometimes. The problem is not a low price; it is a product that does not function properly. If paint lacks pigment, paper cannot handle water, or brushes will not hold their shape (which absolutely affects the brushstrokes you can make), the supplies can interfere with learning.


Begin With Enough, Not Everything


You are not committing to your forever medium. You are giving yourself enough good material to begin learning.


Buy one paint set, one appropriate surface, and a few brushes. Find two jars, sharpen a pencil, and protect the table if necessary. Then paint.


Ready to actually use that new paint? The free 5-Day Creative Comeback Challenge walks you through planning and finishing one low-pressure session, no new supplies required. [Start here, free → Creative Comeback Challenge]


Want a repeatable system for every session after that? The Art Session Sheet Pack ($9) is the small, unglamorous, gets-you-in-the-chair printable that makes the next session easier.


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