I'm often asked what brushes or varnish I use...starting out as a painter can feel overwhelming—so many brushes, paints, canvases, and mediums line the shelves of the art store, each promising to be essential. The truth is, you don’t need a mountain of supplies to begin. With just a few basics and the willingness to explore, you’ll be well on your way to creating your first paintings.
I understand that just like starting a new exercise routine the new outfit from LuLu Lemon might help get you motivated but I think it's better to reward yourself if you stick with something. Say to yourself, "Self, if I make a great painting then I'll get a new fancy brush as a reward."
1. Choose Your Medium
First, decide what kind of paint you’d like to start with. The most common options are:
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Acrylics: Fast-drying, forgiving, and relatively inexpensive—perfect for beginners.
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Oils: Beloved for their rich colors and blending ability, but they require more patience (and ventilation).
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Watercolors: Transparent, luminous, and portable, though they can be tricky at first.
Many beginners start with acrylics since they’re easy to clean up with water and dry quickly, letting you build layers without long waits. Also, if you decide to jump to oils, you can always still create your first layer (under painting) in acrylic and then paint on top with oils. My wife, artist Megan Aline often does this.
2. Invest in a Few Good Brushes
You don’t need the full rack. A small starter set with a flat brush, a round brush, and a detail brush will give you plenty of flexibility. As you experiment, you can add specialty brushes (like fan brushes for texture or wide washes). I really use only about three or four brushes and then a larger flat brush if I have a large area to fill. Despite many different companies sending me sample brushes I still really prefer Princeton Brushes, who (hint hint) has never send me free brushes.
3. Surfaces to Paint On
While stretched canvas feels official, don’t overlook canvas boards, paper made for your medium, or even wood panels. They’re often cheaper, especially when you’re just practicing. Most of our artists like working on primed panels unless they are making very large pieces, in which case it's just too heavy and cumbersome. Ampersand makes a great smooth finish panel ready to go. If you get an "unprimed" panel, then a lot of work will need to go into getting the panel ready before you can apply paint and if you're just starting you might lose motivation.
4. Paints: Quality Over Quantity
Skip the massive starter kits with 48 tiny tubes. Instead, buy a small set of good-quality paints. A limited palette of primary red, yellow, blue, plus white and black will teach you the most about mixing colors and keep things simple. Many artist's say you shouldn't use black but I think when you are first learning to mix color, why not. Also, if you plan on starting with paitning a landscape grab a tube of green (Cadmium or Olive).
5. Palette & Easel
A palette can be as simple as a ceramic plate you can wash off or disposable paper palette pad or a piece of wax paper from your pantry. For an easel, even a tabletop version works great when you’re just starting. If you don’t have one, a flat surface will do - do not buy an easel until you need one and even then I think wall mounts are the way to go.
6. Extras That Make Life Easier
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2 Water jars (old spaghetti or pickle jars work great) or solvent jar (depending on your paint type). Why two? I think it's good to have a first rinse jar that can get cloudy with paint and a clean rinse jar.
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Rags or paper towels
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Palette knife (useful for mixing or applying paint thickly)
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Apron or old clothes (you’ll thank yourself later if you just choose something you can always use)
7. Don’t Forget a Sketchbook
Before diving onto canvas, spend time sketching ideas. It’s a great place to loosen up, try color studies, and jot down concepts for future paintings.
The Most Important Supply: Time, Curiosity & A Good Audio Book or PodCast
At the end of the day, the best way to start painting is simply to start. With a small set of paints, a few brushes, and a surface, you’ll already have everything you need. The rest comes from practice, patience, and the joy of discovering what your hand and imagination can do together. I recommend finding a podcast or audio book that you want to listen to while you paint.
