When I first started creating art, I spent a ton (and I mean a TON!) of time scrolling through Instagram looking at everyone’s beautiful creations. How many heart eye emojis 😍 can I share in one day? The answer is sooo many, haha. But what I really wanted to know most was how everyone created such gorgeous pieces of art and where to even begin. I never wanted to ask other artists about their art supplies and techniques because I didn’t want them to think I was going to copy them and I understood they spent a lot of time exploring and figuring out which things worked for them and which different.
Fast forward to almost a year later, with a few hints from the artists who were open about their paint and art mediums in their captions, and I now have my own collection of paint and mediums that I really enjoy working with. If you’re wanting to start your own art journey, I encourage you to pick just a few colors and just play! What do I mean by play? I mean you can’t learn everything just from watching the world happen around you. You can learn techniques from tutorials, workshops, and courses, but by experimenting and trying things, you’ll learn and discover the most amazing things from just experimenting and playing.
Don’t be like me and go by a ton of everything! That is one of the most expensive things you can do and there’s no reason to break the bank if you don’t have to. Instead of buying every gorgeous color on the shelf, buy the primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and white, then use those to mix colors you need.
To help you get started on your journey, I want to share some of my favorite inks, paint, and art mediums and explain what I like or don’t like about them. Let me know in the comments what you think about the art supplies below. I’d love to hear your thoughts! I also want to hear if there are some things you think I should try next. Happy experimenting!
Acrylic Paint
Heavy Body Acrylic: This is a nice, thick paint which will give your piece a little texture without needing to add any mediums to it, but if you want extra texture, you can accomplish this by mixing in a medium. I love both the Golden and Liquitex brand and get similar results from each, but I personally find the Liquitex caps waaay less annoying than the Golden tube caps. 😉 Be sure to pay attention to the size if you order online. The 2oz and 4oz tubes look really similar! I can usually find the 2oz tubes for between $8 and $12 and the 4oz tubes around $16-24. I go through a whole lot of white, so I’ve actually started buying the larger tubs so I don’t have to purchase it as often and I get more paint for the price.
Fluid Acrylic: I like to use the fluid acrylic in the rare times I play with paint pouring if I’m looking to create a fairly thin mixture. I usually add Floetrol and water to the mixture to help create different consistencies amongst the various colors I’m using in my pour. Just like with the heavy body paint, these can be mixed to create the colors you need (unless you’re trying to make neons…then it’s just easier to buy that ready-made). If you’re just getting started, save yourself some money and get the primary colors and then later you can add more colors to your collection as needed.
High Flow Acrylic: I like to use the high flow acrylic when doing flowy pieces where I’m just moving the paint across the canvas or Yupo. These can also be mixed with water or isopropyl alcohol. Both keep it thin while helping to create different reactions when you mix with other paint mixtures. Floetrol can be used to thicken it up and give it a bit more body and help it not blend with the other colors as much.
