So, you’ve decided you want to take the plunge and learn to paint, but you’re on a limited budget.
What should you do?
First, you need to decide what medium is right for your lifestyle and come up with a reasonable budget that will allow you to get the supplies you need and still eat more than Ramen noodles for the next month.
Oil Paints
Oil paints and supplies are probably going to be the most costly option, so unless you really have your heart set on painting with oils, you should think again. If you’ve decided oils are the only way to go, take a look at your costs before making the commitment.
The paints alone are not what drives up your costs. Of course, you can buy very expensive paints, and you’ve blown your budget right off the bat. Where you’ll really see a lot of costs are from the other things you need to buy. You’ll need oil or other mediums to add to your paint, mineral spirits to clean your equipment, finishing varnish, and the supports on which to paint.
Stretched canvas or primed Masonite panels can be very costly. If you’re a prolific painter, this expense can really add up quickly. You can build your own stretched canvases and cut and prime your own Masonite, but now you’re spending a lot of time and effort that could be spent painting.
Canvas panels are cloth covered cardboard, and are relatively inexpensive. However, they are best suited for student use. When you start selling or exhibiting your work, they really aren’t professional supports you would be proud to be seen using.
You may wish to rethink your strategy and consider starting your art career with acrylic paint. You’ll get much of the same effect as you would with oil paint, and it may be a less costly choice.
Acrylic Paints
Acrylics are great paints when you’re just starting out, as they can mimic a variety of paint types. If you’d like to paint like the old masters, this product produces many of the same effects that are achieved with oil paints. A money saving bonus is that you don’t need all the extra mediums, thinners or cleaners to use it. You can buy some mediums to make the paint thicker or to slow down the drying time, but they are not necessary for beginning students. Use the paint straight from the tube for thick, impasto painting or use water to thin it down to a thin consistency for glazing.
You can also use acrylic paints on almost anything. Artists paint on metal, paper, plastic, wood, canvas or about a zillion other surfaces. Of course, your support should be suitable for your project, but you do have a wealth of options when you’re using acrylic paints.
Acrylic paints also dry very quickly and have no odor. This may not be a financial benefit, but it’s just a really good feature of this type of paint.
Watercolor Paints
Watercolors sometimes get a bad rap and are still not considered in the same caliber as oil paints. That’s really a shame, as it takes every bit as much skill to paint with watercolor as it does to paint with oils. Perhaps even more so, as you can’t just scrape off an error or paint over a passage that displeases you.
Watercolor painting is probably the least costly to pursue. Since one uses such a small amount of paint compared to oil or acrylic, the paints are generally sold in smaller, less expensive tubes or pans. You also have no need to spend money on mediums to add to your paint. The only thing you need is water, so unless you want to use bottled Perrier you have no other costs except for your support.
Watercolor paper, like every other support, comes in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and price points. Certainly, imported cotton rag paper with deckled edges is expensive, but there are many fine domestic papers that are archival and perfect for use by students and professionals alike.
General Considerations
Don’t forget that with oils and acrylics you may have replacement costs for the mediums, thinners and cleaners you use. You’ll also find you use lots of paper towels, so keep a lookout for sales and coupons.
Whether you plan to paint with oils, watercolors or acrylics, your costs will be comparable for a starter set of brushes. Notice that I didn’t say ‘beginner’s’ brushes. Just because you’re a beginner, don’t think you should buy inexpensive brushes. Pay a little more, buy fewer sizes and purchase good quality brushes. This is one area in which you shouldn’t scrimp.
Along those same lines, don’t buy the cheapest paints. Inexpensive paints use a lot of filler with less pigment. They may also not be ground as finely and may be made of less costly ingredients. They are not as vibrant and rich and can appear grainy. You can definitely see a difference between the least costly paints and good quality paints.
Spend some time at your favorite art supply website or store and do a little calculating. Compare the costs of oils, acrylic and watercolors and see how much it’s going to cost you to purchase your first set of art supplies. Then, comparing the same sizes, figure out how much you’ll spend on supports. For example, compare the prices of a 16”x20” stretched canvas, primed Masonite board and sheet of watercolor paper. If there are other similarly sized supports that interest you, compare those as well. If your favorite support runs on the costly side, you may be able to use it in a smaller size. Consider doing petite pieces to save on the cost of supports and frames if you are planning on framing your pieces.
Framing your work is another consideration. Oils and acrylics on stretched canvas are often sold and displayed without frames. This is fine for some styles of painting, but many must be framed in some manner. Wooden panels are also typically framed, and acrylics on paper must be framed like a watercolor painting. Get an idea on how much you’ll be paying for a frame that suits the style of your work.
If you’re a watercolorist, you have a couple options. Many times watercolors are sold simply mounted in a mat which has been sealed in a plastic wrap. The more professional method of displaying and selling a painting is to frame the matted painting under glass or plexiglass. Unlike acrylic or oil paintings, watercolor must be framed under glass to protect the delicate paper, and it must be mounted with a mat so the paper does not touch the glass.
Flinging paint on a support is what a student thinks of when considering a life in art. Do a little research on the costs for the different types of paints you’re interested in. You’ll get a clearer picture of how much you need to invest in your new artistic adventure.
