Hello! Today we’re going to talk about something I get asked about pretty much everyday and something I totally love! Art supplies.
Being an artist is tough enough as it is without feeling confused about which tools are the right ones for the job — or which oils are going to be the best for archival purposes, which weave of canvas you need to get that delicate under painting, or how many bristles your brushes should have (natural or synthetic?)… It can become overwhelming very quickly.
But you know what? You’re already ahead of the game. You have you.
You’re unique abilities, talents, perspective, skills, ideas, and visions…
Use every bit of this goodness to create articulate on paper or canvas whatever is in your head.
To do this you need very little, actually. A few basic painting supplies and maybe a pencil and pen… I know it’s fun to hoard bundles of brushes and paints and fancy charcoals (trust me, I know). But you are you best asset – not them.
The tools you have at your fingertips are exactly the ones you need.
My 10 Must have art supplies for an oil painting:
1: Giant tube of titanium white paint. I usually buy Winsor & Newton (or Gamblin when it’s on sale.)
2: of course, other colors too. I splurge on these 4 shades because their hue has to be so exact: cadmium yellow, cadmium red medium (williamsburg paint), ultramarine blue, & prussian green. Other colors aren’t quite as impacting to my paintings, so the pigment blend doesn’t have to be as refined or exactly balanced and I can get the slightly less expensive blend paints.
Gamblin is a great brand to start with. They are beautiful quality, but not quite as expensive as Williamsburg or Old Holland Oils.
Figure out your sweet-spot colors and splurge on those.
3: Canvas – my only bit of advice: don’t buy value packs. Totally not worth it. You will find yourself fighting against the texture when the opposite should be taking place. I use back stapled, quality canvases and they are worth the extra few dollars.
4: Brushes: natural bristle suited for oils; tight, but still flexible… I am not loyal to a brand but I usually know how I want the brush to feel on the canvas and shop accordingly. (However, I really love Rosemary Brushes A LOT.)
5: Linseed oil – fancy pants oil or a bulk can, I’ve used both many many times and, don’t tell anyone this, but, both work just wonderfully. But so you know, linseed oil does tend to yellow a bit over time .
6: Odorless mineral spirits. I buy this in bulk from Gambin (Gamsol is the name of their Mineral Spirits) and really love the quality and, unlike any other mineral spirit, they don’t give me a sore throat – so that’s a win! 😉
7: glass or marble pallet. This is a newer thing for me and it’s changed the way I mix paints forever. Totally in love. Mine is just a large piece of glass. A mirror would probably work great too. I love the way it can be completely wiped clean at the end of the day.
8: Varnish. I have both spray varnish and the kind you brush on and personally get more use out of the spray. But that’s just me.
9. Lemon essential oil sugar scrub (cleaning brushes and hands) or just some coconut oil to draw the oils out of the brush.
10. Nasty old rag. My best friend.
And that’s all. Really. That’s all you need to make a completely professional, totally beautiful painting. You will be given 10,000 options at the art store for every 1 thing you buy, but just stick to your gut and your budget and allow your creativity to take over from there.
Art supply stores know there are many options so they kindly label most things by “artist” or “academic” (or something along these lines) so you can shop accordingly. The artist grade materials are going to be delightfully refined and really a better buy if you are a professional artist or serious hobbyist. If you are still getting your artsy sea legs, start with the student grade paints and canvases and grow from there.
What art supplies can’t you live without? Any brands you have tried and fell in love with?
beautifulhelloblog.com 
What a great topic. My dear colleagues, who I had to leave recently for a new job, gave me a very generous voucher for art materials and I’m itching to have a little buy up. Lovely advice all the way through this post, but it is truly a very addictive thing once you start buying art products…
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How exciting! Have fun! And if you’re into oil painting at all really do check out Williamsburg paints. They’re like gold.
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Sounds nice – I’ll see what they have in the shop. Might be my treat this weekend so will let you know how I get on
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Thanks for this great list! I don’t feel so intimidated now.
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Thanks for sharing! I am not an oil painter, but now I know where to turn when I inevitably decide to try it someday.
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I’m an acrylic-based mixed media artist. Matte acrylic gel medium, painting knife, favourite old pastels….and my collection of found papers.
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I can’t live without my Faber Castell Pitt pens. Especially the brush tip pen:)
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I am more of an acrylic/watercolour artist but this is a great post about artist essentials! I would like to try oils one day. I agree that you don’t need that much to be an artist… I’ve been given many paintbrushes by others but I actually only use a select few every time.
Laura
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Love your work! How long do you wait to varnish your paintings? I have read to wait 6 months to a year for oil paints to be completely dry before you varnish.
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Thank you for the sweet words!
This is why I usually use the spray varnish. It can be applied a bit sooner – like 2 weeks after painting in my experience. It’s true that oil paintings take about 6 months to totally and completely dry, but a painting can usually be shipped (wrapped super well of course) within 4-5 weeks, and I like to varnish them before shipping.
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Thanks so much Emily!
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Reblogged this on heather lynn and commented:
Art supply recommendations from the lovely Beautiful Hello blog!
Re-blogging to share and also so I can reference later 🙂
I need to start saving up for some supplies!
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I have to agree with it about the ultramarine blue, definitely my favorite color for oil paint. Thanks for the tip about mixing colors on glass. I’ll have to try that 🙂
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Love the list! After working at an art store the last year, my biggest lesson was “you get what you pay for.” If you buy cheap canvas or brushes… expect low quality !!
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Reblogged this on Illumination.
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I’m getting back to painting so this is so helpful! Your blog has really motivated me! 🙂 Yay! http://www.InteriorsbyJacquin.blogspot.com
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Hi, I emailed you about the Pinterest Large Art what would I need in brush and color for that large black, white and grey modern look.
Thanks
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I would start by buying a large canvas and some nice acrylic paint. That will be good for that large-brush high-energy stroke. Think about the movement of the strokes and then just go for it!
Have fun!!
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