If you want to save money on painting supplies but don’t know where to start, this one’s for you, friend.
Nothing kills creativity faster than worrying about your budget being blown to smithereens, so I will share my best tips and tricks to help you save some major moolah.
I’ve been using most of these little hacks for years, and I can’t even begin to fathom how much savings that’s led to, but I bet it’s a lot! Ready to get this party started? Let’s get to it.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on painting materials to create impressive art. You’re all set as long as you have some paint, something to spread the paint with, and a paintable surface!
Do yourself a favor and start small and simple. It’s less overwhelming, and it will save you money. Go to your local dollar store and look at their art and craft area. You can find inexpensive craft paints, brushes, and canvases of various shapes and sizes. Keep in mind that the quality of the paint, brushes, and canvasses aren’t high quality but when you’re first starting, it doesn’t matter.
It’s also worth noting that if you follow along with YouTube painting tutorials, your results may vary from the instructors, and that’s okay. They have a ton of experience and most are using more expensive tools. Don’t compare your work to theirs; that is not being fair to yourself.
To paint without blowing your budget, think about using a limited palette. That will save you so much money because you’ll only be buying a few different paint colors!
Instead, you can start creating different mixes with the paint you have. You will be so surprised by how many different colors you can make!
You really only need primary red, blue, and yellow. These are the basic colors that, when blended, can create purple (blue + red), orange (red + yellow), and green (blue + yellow).
Also, it’s a good idea to get a couple of tubes/bottles of white. You’ll be amazed at how much white you use compared to any other paint!
Black is another color you should have so you can deepen your other colors and do black and white paintings with a pop of color.
Another thing you can do to make the most out of your paint is to use a tube wringer, if you have one, to get every last bit of paint out of the tube. If you don’t know what a tube wringer is, it’s just a small tool that helps to squeeze the paint tube very tightly, to force all of the paint toward the opening.
However, if your paint tubes are plastic, you can just as easily cut the bottoms off and scoop the remainder of the paint into an air tight container. I like to use little plastic condiment containers with lids that you can find at the dollar store or even at the grocery store.
If you don’t already own a couple of acrylic mediums, friend, you are missing out! Mediums allow you to change the consistency of your paint without sacrificing the binders. On top of that, they usually have more than one use.
I will caution you that because the mediums don’t have any pigment, they can make your paint more transparent if you use a lot. Slowly adding the mediums is always the smartest route to take.
Acrylic mediums are used to enhance your acrylic paint in many different ways. You can use them to extend the drying time, create glazes, make your paint thicker or thinner, and so much more.
Acrylic mediums come in liquid form, gels, and pastes and most can be either mixed into your acrylic paint or used on their own.
The best thing about acrylic mediums is that they have the same type of binders as your acrylic paint so you can change the behavior of your paint without compromising the binders.
So, although mediums can seem expensive, you will more than get your money’s worth out of them because of their versatility.
When I first started painting, I used craft paint because that’s what I had and what I could afford. In time, I wanted to try painting with thicker paint but couldn’t afford to replace what I had with all new colors.
Instead of going out and buying a bunch of paint, which I didn’t even know whether I’d like, I bought a jar of Golden’s Extra Heavy Gel (Gloss). It was one of the best purchases I have ever made!
A thick gel will take your craft paint and make it more like a creamy student-grade paint, but that’s not all. You can also use a palette knife and use it directly on the canvas, wait for it to dry, and then paint over it. This will give you fantastic texture!
On top of that, you can use the gel as glue. In my article where I adhere a paper painting onto an old canvas, this is exactly what I used and it worked beautifully!
For this reason, I always recommend a gel when you want to thicken paint.
One way to save money on painting supplies while still having the ability to create amazing art is to buy heavy body paint and use a liquid medium to thin them down for practice pieces and experimenting.
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My favorite liquid mediums are Golden’s Gloss Glazing Liquid and Liquitex’s Gloss Medium and Varnish.
The glazing liquid will thin your paint while also extending the drying time so you have a bit more time to work with it.
The gloss medium and varnish, which is now just called gloss medium, is excellent for using as a non-removable varnish sealant, extending the dry time of your paint, and thinning down your heavy body paint.
I’ve been using both of these mediums for years, and both are worth every penny.
I totally get wanting to have paintbrushes in all the shapes and sizes but, believe me, friend, you don’t need them. At least, not until you’ve decided that painting is something you want to make a permanent part of your life.
I have created some great art while only using one brush and I even do it on purpose as a challenge to myself. But, hey, I get wanting to be able to experiment with different brushes and see all of the strokes they can each do.
If you do want to spend some money on paintbrushes, I caution you against buying a pack of assorted shapes. Typically, they include some brushes that just aren’t that useful.
Like, right out of the gate, you really don’t need a fan brush (and if you’re thinking you do because of YouTube tutorials using a fan brush to paint pine trees, you need to look at my article that will show you how to paint evergreens using a bunch of other brushes)
Also, I highly recommend choosing the size of your work surface first to get the right size paintbrushes. You don’t want all of your brushes to be too big or you won’t be able to add fine details. On the other hand, you don’t want your brushes to be too small or it will take forever to finish your masterpiece!
Because of the gazillion different sizes of paint surfaces, it wouldn’t make sense for me to give you exact sizes for each brush. When shopping for your paintbrushes, you will just need to look at what you have to paint on and keep that in mind.
You may think that buying this many brushes is not a great tip to save money on painting supplies. Still, other than tubes of paint, I’d say that paintbrushes are a tool that people can get carried away with. Not gonna lie; I have four containers stuffed full of paintbrushes…. I know, tsk, tsk!
On the flip side, some may think there should be a wider variety of brushes when starting out, but it can get overwhelming real quick!
These brushes should have synthetic bristles (like nylon) because they soak up less water, stand up to the ingredients within the acrylic paints, and are pretty easy to clean. Take a look at my article to show you how to properly care for your paintbrushes. That, in itself, will save you a ton of money!
Your best bet is to start with a few brushes and play around with them. Give yourself some time to become one with the paintbrush before moving on to another.
The above recommendations are more than enough to experiment with and get comfortable using. Later on, have fun trying different shaped brushes with varying handle lengths and different sizes.
Suppose you really want to save money on painting supplies, and you don’t want to invest in brushes until you have a few paintings under your belt. In that case, there are many things, even lying around your home, you can use to paint with.
One super simple way to find affordable painting materials is to take advantage of deals. Some aren’t very obvious but it’s not just coupons that can keep the cash in your pocket!
Canvases can be pretty expensive but, luckily, you have options! Remember, you can paint on a ton of different surfaces. If you’ve got your heart set on painting on a stretched canvas, You can still save some major money.
Another way to save money on painting supplies is to ditch the canvas altogether. It’s a nice experience, to paint on a canvas, but it’s not necessary. You can use just about anything to paint on.
Using other surfaces to paint on is not only an awesome way to save money on painting supplies but it also allows you to add to the creativity of the piece. Winning all around, am I right?!
Each surface will behave differently with the acrylic paint. Some may take a bit more water to get the paint moving more freely, while others may make it spread really far, leaving you with inconsistent coverage. These concerns are easily fixed with patience and letting the layers of paint dry before going back over it with a second coat. Trying different painting surfaces will definitely save you big bucks!
You can certainly splurge and get your paintings custom framed, but it can be costly. Instead, look for opportunities to upcycle which is far more affordable.
Keep your eyes opened the next time you visit a second-hand shop or check out a yard sale. I always see tons of frames that are perfect for future paintings once they’ve been cleaned up and maybe had a coat or two of paint.
If you are a traditionalist and are set on using canvas, try to paint on canvases that will be easy to frame. I’ve seen really nice frames at my local dollar store that go all the way up to poster size! It’s much cheaper to frame an 8×10 than to frame a gigantic piece.
It’s easy to save money on painting supplies if you’re willing to think outside of the box. Start with a limited color palette, just a few brushes in the most popular shapes, and try painting on surfaces other than canvas.
Save the more expensive materials for artwork you’re planning to gift or sell. However, if you’re just having fun and practicing, make it a habit to use cheaper art materials.
Don’t let a tight budget stop you from bringing art and color into your life. There are many ways to create a beautiful painting without burning a hole in your wallet.
Help your beginner acrylic painting pals to save money too by giving this article a share!
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