Art supplies: how to buy paints, canvases and brushes well
Paints: oil, acrylic, watercolour, gouache
The type of paint decides what else you need. Oils dry slowly, work with solvent and varnish, and give deep colour. Acrylics dry fast and thin with water, so they suit beginners and painting outdoors. Watercolour needs its own paper, usually heavy, and gouache suits both school and design work.
Student or professional
There are “student” and “artist” ranges. Professional paints have more pigment and better lightfastness, but cost more. For learning, a children's class or a first try, student grade is enough. If you paint pictures to sell, take professional paints, because the colours will not fade. Familiar brands such as Winsor & Newton have both levels, so name the range, not only the brand.
What to put in your request
- What exactly — oil, acrylic or watercolour paints, gouache, canvases, brushes, an easel, pencils, markers, paper or sketchbooks;
- Set and colours — number in the set, tube volume;
- Level — school or professional;
- Brand or range;
- Size and format — canvas in centimetres, paper format and weight, easel height;
- Purpose — outdoor painting, studio, school, children's classes;
- Quantity;
- Budget and city for delivery.
Example: “I need professional oil paints, a set of 24 colours of 18 ml each, and 10 stretched primed canvases of 50×70 cm. Brand Winsor & Newton or similar. Durban, courier delivery, budget up to R 1,200.”
Canvases, paper and brushes
Canvas comes in cotton and linen, with fine and coarse texture. Linen lasts longer, cotton is cheaper. Check whether it is primed and whether the stretcher is strong, because warped side bars spoil a painting.
For watercolour, take paper from 200 gsm, while lighter paper is enough for pencil sketches. Brushes differ in their hair: natural (squirrel, sable) is soft, synthetic is tougher and cheaper. Choose the shape for your technique: round, flat, fan.
How to compare offers
Count the cost per millilitre of paint and per colour, not per set. A set of 24 colours of 12 ml is not the same as 18 of 20 ml. Ask about lightfastness marking, the binder and whether children's materials carry safety certificates.
How BlaBlaPrice works
You write your request once, and sellers of art materials answer in the chat with prices, photos and delivery terms. They see where their offer stands and improve their terms, so the price is often better. Contacts are hidden. More on How it works.
For other creative hobbies see embroidery supplies and paint-by-numbers and diamond painting. You can create a request on the home page.
