Some of the products listed I receive a small commission on if you buy anything using my link. Others I don’t. It does not affect the cost to you.
There are many place to buy art supplies in person and online. I personally like Dick Blick Art because of their no questions asked return policy. I haven’t had to return many items but when I have, it is extremely simple with literally no questions asked. But let me warn you, you can browse and dream about their thousands of items for a very long time.
I recently purchased this apron and I like it because it feels sort of water proof so I think it will protect my clothes and it has an adjustable neck strap. Starry Night covers the entire apron.
This is my own design for the Painter Nation. It’s what I call my painting followers. I designed it and then purchased one to assure the quality. I really like this apron because the straps button on and off. If you wash it you can remove the straps so they don’t get tangled up in the laundry. Another quality I like is the material. It feels like it will give great protection for my clothes.
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You may have seen me wearing this T-shirt in some of my painting videos on YouTube. It has the Painter Nation design on it. I like the feel of the shirt and the sleeve length. Very comfortable.
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I had 2 hand me down easels that I struggled with for nearly 20 years. Two years ago I asked for this Richeson easel from Dick Blick Art, my go to online art supplier and I love it.
Why I love it.
It’s beautiful wood, but that is superficial. I love the mechanics of it. It is very adjustable and I’ve even had my 36″ x 36″ canvases on it with no problems. I have a very small studio so I really love that it has a small footprint. I needed something that didn’t take up a ton of room and this fit the bill.
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Natural Bristle Brushes
When I started painting over 20 years ago I had no idea what kind of brushes to buy so I bought all sorts of stuff I didn’t need or couldn’t use for my type of painting. I’ve taken several group and private lessons with famed PBS artist Jerry Yarnell and I love his brushes but especially his natural bristle brushes.
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Black Gold Dynasty Brushes
I love the Black Gold Dynasty brushes. They hold their shape and have a sharp edge allowing you to create many different types and thicknesses of strokes with them. If I were starting out, I’d get flats in sizes 2,4, 8, &10.
Brush Sets
There are lots of brushes and brush sets on the market and you need to be careful in purchasing brushes that will work for you. Here is one of my favs.
I really like these Royal Langnickel brushes. The one drawback for me is they are short handles, but the really good thing is they have the soft grip handle. I use them all the time. Amazingly these are some of the most affordable brushes out there.
Paints
I use acrylic paints and I usually buy mine online at Dick Blick Art. The big box stores no longer carry professional grade paint. As you learn to paint you can start out using less expensive student grade paint, but you will eventually want to go to professional grade paint. I’ll show you what I recommend. You want to buy paint in tubes.
Craft paint is not suitable for fine art painting. It is too watered down and the pigments aren’t vibrant enough.
I don’t recommend buying paint in sets because the tubes are smaller and sometimes you’ll get colors you may never use. Having said that I will recommend one set here that would be good for a beginner especially one learning about color.
Student Grade Paint
Liquitex makes a very good student grade paint. Click HERE to see sets and single tubes of paint.
Professional Grade Paint
Liquitex is my go to professional paint. The reason is the lids. They are large and easy for me to open. I love the paint, but if I can’t get to the paint it doesn’t really matter.
Golden Paints are excellent.
Utrecht is another very good brand I use.