Top Must-Have Supplies for Beginner Painters
Painting is almost every child’s favourite activity. It was undoubtedly my favourite. I remember my hands dripping in colour and creating messy art that I pretended meant something. As I grew older, painting became less and less important for me until I stopped doing any. Why do we lose our passion for painting growing up?
While nobody seems to have an answer to that question, it isn’t the case with the question of how beneficial this activity is. There are many reasons why you should start painting as a new hobby. One of the most important ones is that painting is therapeutical. It’s a relaxing activity with a calming effect, similar to meditation. Painting is a great way to unleash creativity, as every painted piece is personal and unique. And painting takes time, making it an excellent exercise for patience and perseverance.
If you’re thinking about freeing your inner Picasso and starting painting, you need to prepare yourself and buy some supplies. However, you can easily get overwhelmed by the many suggestions you can find online, especially if you’ve never painted before. We’ve narrowed down for you the top supplies for beginner painters.
1. Easel
Many people wouldn’t agree on this one. They’d say an easel isn’t necessary to start painting. While it’s true that you can paint on whatever surface you have at home, such as a table or a desk, there are several reasons why you should buy an easel.
It Promotes Good Posture
When you paint over a table or desk, there are bigger chances to lean over your painting. This can lead to back and neck problems and headaches. An activity can’t be relaxing and enjoyable if you’re not comfortable enough while you’re doing it. Therefore, there are fewer chances that you’ll continue with it.
Gives You Greater Movement Freedom and a Better Viewing Angle
When working on an easel, you can step back and see your artwork from another perspective. This also allows more freedom for expressive strokes. Since most pieces of artwork are meant to be displayed on a wall vertically, it’s important to create your art in an upright position.
It Helps You Create a Workspace
Wherever you put your easel, that place instantly becomes your workspace. This can help you get more creative whenever you get into that corner.
What Is the Best Easel For Beginners?
The best option for beginner artists is compact and lightweight table easels.
As their name suggests, table easels or desk easels are designed to be placed on a table or desk. You can work on them while standing or sitting at your table. They’re the perfect model for beginners because you don’t need to have established a specific work spot. As a beginner, you want to try painting at different places to see where you will get inspired the most. It may be next to a large window looking at your garden or outside.
Desk easels are lightweight and, therefore, a good option if you need a portable solution to work on the go. They’re also convenient if you don’t have much space for a large-sized easel. You can easily set a table easel in just a few steps, and you can more easily pack it and store it under your bed or in your cupboard.
There are several key factors to look for when buying a desk easel. You should opt for durability and stability if you’re looking for an easel that you’ll use at home. Such are the wooden H and A-framed easels that are heavier than the aluminium tripods. Lightweight options are suitable for you if you prefer to work on the go.
2. Paints and Brushes
You need paints and brushes if you want to paint. What are some of the options?
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic is the first paint choice of beginners as it’s the easiest paint to work with. If you buy a set, make sure it includes at least six colours. If you buy them separately, several tubes would be enough: black and white, some earth tones, and a warm and cool tone of each primary colour (red, blue and yellow). There are various colours available online but consider buying only the basics. You can complement your collection any time you want.
Watercolour
Watercolours are water-based colours that don’t need paint thinners. They’re available as transparent, opaque and semi-opaque. Translucent colours are the most popular ones. A set of 8 to 10 colours should be enough to start with.
Paint Brushes
Considering the materials their bristles are made of, there are natural and synthetic brushes. Paintbrushes with natural bristles leave a textured line, while synthetic ones leave a smooth line. Synthetics are considered more durable. You can try out both to see which ones you prefer and then buy more of the ones you like best.
When it comes to the shape, there are round brushes with a point, flat and liner brushes. You should buy two brushes in small and medium sizes of each shape.
Painting Surface and Tools
Whether you work with acrylic paint or watercolour, you will need a surface to paint on. And, it can but doesn’t have to be canvas. You can paint on a special paper pad that is non-porous and when primed as needed, even on wood and stones.
Some of the tools that are nice to have are palette and palette knife. A palette is a plastic item you put on your paint. You can mix the colours on the palette with a palette knife. You can use a knife to clean colours off with minimal waste.
You will need some rags or paper towels to clean the brushes whisking excess paint and water off while painting. After you finish painting for the day, give them a proper cleaning with a special brush detergent. A heavy-duty apron you use only for painting will protect your clothes from the paint.
The Bottom Line
You might be putting painting off because you don’t know what supplies to buy or don’t want to risk spending a fortune on unnecessary supplies. But holding back is the biggest mistake that can stop you from creating marvellous artworks. If buying supplies is preventing you from starting, follow the list above to start reaping the many benefits of painting.