Art Supplies for Adult Beginners: How to Choose a Watercolor or Acrylic Set
Starting to paint as an adult is easier than ever: inexpensive sets are everywhere, and video tutorials cover almost every technique. The hard part is knowing what to buy. A few basic choices — watercolor or acrylic, student or artist grade, and the right paper or canvas — matter far more than the size of the set.
Watercolor or acrylic?
Watercolor is transparent, light and portable. It suits sketchbooks, travel journals and loose, flowing styles, but it is less forgiving: light areas are created by leaving the paper unpainted.
Acrylic is opaque, dries quickly and can be layered or painted over, which makes it more forgiving for beginners. It works on canvas, wood and heavy paper, but brushes need cleaning before paint dries.
Student or artist grade
Student-grade paints use less pigment and more filler, which keeps prices low. They are perfectly fine for learning. Artist-grade paints are more vivid and blend better, but cost more. A sensible approach is to start with a student set and upgrade the few colors you use most.
Pans or tubes
Watercolor comes in dry pans (compact and easy to carry) or tubes (better for mixing large washes). Acrylics almost always come in tubes or bottles. For beginners, a small pan set for watercolor or a basic tube set for acrylic is enough.
Do not skimp on paper and brushes
- Watercolor paper should be heavy — around 300 g/m² (140 lb) — so it does not buckle when wet. Cheap paper is the most common reason beginners think they are bad at watercolor.
- Brushes: a few good synthetic brushes (a round, a flat and a small detail brush) beat a large pack of poor ones.
- For acrylic, canvas panels or heavy mixed-media paper are inexpensive places to practise.
Safety and labels
Look for art materials labelled as conforming to ASTM D-4236, the US labelling standard for chronic health hazards in art materials. Follow the label, ventilate when using solvents or resin, and keep materials meant for adults away from young children.
A simple starter kit
- A 12–24 color student set
- 3 good brushes
- Proper paper or canvas panels
- A palette, water jars and paper towels
Frequently asked questions
Is a bigger paint set better for beginners?
Not necessarily. A 12–24 color set covers almost everything, and learning to mix colors from fewer tubes or pans teaches more than having 48 ready-made shades.
Can I use watercolor paper for acrylic?
Yes, heavy watercolor or mixed-media paper works for acrylic practice. Canvas panels are better for finished pieces you want to frame or hang.
How do I keep acrylic brushes from being ruined?
Keep brushes wet while you work, rinse them before paint dries, wash them with mild soap at the end of a session and store them flat or bristles up.
For an example of how one budget art-supply brand describes its paint sets and safety labels, read our Nicpro review.