Most people who want to start painting don't. They spend time thinking about whether they're talented enough, reading about which supplies to buy, and watching YouTube videos about technique — which all feel like progress but aren't. This guide is for cutting through that. You can start painting today, with almost no supplies, and make something real.
Which Medium to Start With
The honest answer is watercolor or acrylic — for different reasons. Watercolor is forgiving of imperfection in a beautiful way; mistakes often become the best parts of the painting. Acrylic dries fast, can be painted over (which eliminates the pressure of permanence), and is the most beginner-accessible of the opaque mediums. Oil painting is wonderful but adds complexity (drying time, mediums, cleanup) that beginners don't need yet. Start with one of the first two.
The Supplies You Actually Need
- Watercolor: A student-grade pan set (Winsor & Newton Cotman or similar), 3-4 brushes in different sizes, and watercolor paper (not regular paper — it warps)
- Acrylic: A basic set of 6-12 colors, 3-4 brushes (flat, round, fan), canvas boards or thick paper, and a plastic palette
- Both: A jar of water, paper towels, and 30 minutes with no interruptions
- Total cost to start: $30–50 for a genuine starter kit from any art supply store
Your First Sessions
Don't try to paint something ambitious in your first session. Paint color mixing experiments — put two colors next to each other and see what happens between them. Paint the same simple object (a mug, a piece of fruit) five times in a row, differently each time. Paint abstract shapes that feel good to make. The goal of the first few sessions is to understand how your materials behave — not to produce a finished piece.
The Mindset That Makes the Difference
- Paint ugly things without showing anyone — the ugly paintings are where you learn the most
- Don't compare your first work to experienced painters' finished work; compare it to your last painting
- Keep everything — date the back of each piece; the progress over 3 months is more motivating than any tutorial
- Paint regularly rather than ambitiously — 30 minutes twice a week beats a 4-hour session once a month
- Follow other beginner painters, not just masters; watching someone at your level is more instructive
The painters who get good are not the most talented ones. They're the ones who kept painting after the first bad session, and the second, and the third.
Painting is one of those hobbies where the journey is genuinely the point — not in a cliche way, but because the act of looking closely at the world in order to paint it changes how you see everything else. Even bad paintings are the product of careful observation, and careful observation is always valuable.