Five Acrylic Painting Supplies You Must Have

There are just a few supplies you need when using acrylics for your next painting. You can use modest supplies for the more expensive and obscure paint supplies that any artist can gobble up. Whichever way you decide to go, you must have the basics. So, let’s start with the first necessity, paint.

1 acrylic paint

One of the best places to get acrylic paint is your local art supply store. If you don’t have a local art supply store, you can always start online. One of the most popular supply stores online is Blick Art Supply. I have been buying from them since elementary school when my mom had to buy me supplies while I was attending a school of Fine Arts.

The best acrylic paint to get is heavy body paint like Golden or Liquitex. These are by far the most superior acrylic paints you can find. You can feel the difference while painting. If you’re just starting out and don’t want to spend a lot of money on your first game, I’d recommend Basics or Chroma A2. Many of my students use these marks for their class work. They just aren’t as thick and sturdy as the Golden ones.

2. Brush or spatula

Finding the best brush for acrylics can be a bit overwhelming, but if you know the basics, you’ll be fine. There are so many types of brushes made by different brands that beginners can easily get frustrated. I suggest you buy brushes that have natural or synthetic bristles that have a good handle. I prefer long handled brushes for most of my painting. The only time I paint with a smaller handle brush is when painting small, narrow areas within a painting. There are eight types of brushes that you can use with acrylic paint and each one can be used for a particular use.

3.Medium

There are several mediums out there for the artist to use. Now I’m not going to go into any of them, but you have great flexibility with the different types of media that exist. There are mediums that will thicken your acrylic paint, matte your acrylic paint, shine your acrylic paint, and even give your acrylic paint more texture and consistency. Some of the best mediums for acrylic paints can be found here.

4. Jug of water

Always, I mean always, have water when you’re using acrylics. You’ll need it when mixing colors, rinsing a brush, or thinning paint. You can now put water in cups or jars, but be aware that they can sometimes spill when you dip the brush in the water. I like to use water containers because they are sturdy, wide, and square. They’re not as tall as a tall glass or mug, so they’ll never tip over your sink.

5. Paper towel

Last but not least, paper towels can be used to dry your brush, wipe up spills, and even wet your arm paint when painting. This may sound counterintuitive, but you wouldn’t believe how many artists forget this simple supply. I recommend getting a heavy duty towel that you find at your local hardware store. They cost around 5 bucks, but it’s worth it. These paper towels are heavy and made for projects like painting.

More could be added to this list, but these are the main supplies I recommend. Please don’t be offended if the list I mentioned seems trite. My goal was to provide information for the absolute beginner.