Purchase Guide: Painting

Painting Supplies Online

Painting is one of the most ancient forms of artistic expression in the world. The earliest known paintings, the cave paintings at the Grotte Chauvet in France, are estimated to be 32,000 years old, dating to a time when humans were only just learning to express and preserve their feelings and ideas. Since these early paintings done in red ochre and black pigments, artists the world over have explored all manner of painting techniques, uses, and materials. The results of these many experiments have given the world a priceless trove of artwork—some treasured, some forgotten. Through it all, the tools and supplies used to create paintings have been refined and perfected by painters striving to express their visions better, faster, and more durably.

Today, there are nearly as many painting techniques, supplies, and media as there are painters! After all, painting can be defined as any process of applying color to any surface, including paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer, skin, or concrete. With so many different surfaces and ideas to choose from, painters have developed a wide variety of ways to throw color around. Through the centuries, though, a select group of paints and tools have emerged as time-tested favorites. Finding the perfect paint or palette for your project can still be a bewildering affair, unfortunately, and many local art and craft supply stores aren't able to stock a large selection to choose from.

Luckily, MisterArt.com can help! We've got the biggest and best selection of painting supplies online, all at rock bottom prices! To help make sense of our vast number of art and craft supplies online, we've created this guide to help our customers better understand what they're ordering. In it, you'll find a rundown of all the different kinds of painting supplies that MisterArt.com offers and how they differ from one another. That way, it'll be easier to decide which painting supplies would be perfect for your next project!

• Acrylics
• Casein
• Cleaning
• Decorative Painting
• Enamels
• Face and Body Paints
• Glass and Tile Painting
• Kids' Paints
• Oil Paints
• Paint by Numbers
• Painting Books and Media
• Palettes
• Pigments
• Storage
• Tempera
• Tools
• Varnishes and Sprays
• Watercolors

Acrylics

Developed in the 1920s, acrylics are a relatively new painting medium. Acrylics are also one of the most popular, as they are both affordable and easy to use. Acrylic paints mix their pigments with a liquid plastic binder. They are water soluble when wet and water resistant when dry. Acrylics dry very quickly when compared to oil base paints and, upon drying, become remarkably flexible and durable.

MisterArt.com has the best deals on a large variety of acrylic paint supplies:

Acrylic gels and mediums are additives mixed into acrylic paint to add depth and intensity of color. Gels and mediums are used to increase transparency and gloss, ease the flow of paint, and add flexibility and adhesion. Many acrylic gels and mediums can also be used as a varnish to protect paintings and establish a glossy surface.

Acrylic gesso is a primer used on a variety of absorbent surfaces (especially canvas) where acrylic colors or other kinds of paint will be applied. Gesso ensures that the support will not be damaged or deteriorated by the paint over time.

Acrylic paints are designed to have a heavy viscosity in order to paint thick, retaining peaks and brush marks like oil paints. They provide great coverage, but are cheaper than typical oil paints.

Acrylic sets and kits package together all the paints a artist needs to begin an acrylic painting immediately. These sets are especially good for beginners or painters unaccustomed to the medium.

Casein

Pronounced "kay-seen," this water-based, quick-drying paint is made using casein as a binder. Casein is a protein precipitated from milk and it has been used in painting for thousands of years.

Casein is water soluble when wet, making it easy to dilute and clean up. When dry, however, it becomes extremely water resistant. Casein dries quickly, so brushes and other materials should be cleaned soon after use.

Because it can become brittle with age, casein works best with extremely rigid supports such as wood, plaster, metal, stone, and canvas board. Casein has an exceptional integrity of color and always dries to a matte finish, making it excellent for art reproduction. This velvety matte finish can also be buffed to a satin sheen or varnished to produce a resemblance to oils.

MisterArt.com has everyday discounts on casein paint and thousands of other art and craft supplies online!

Cleaning

Painting is a very free-flowing art medium, and sometimes the art flows a bit too freely! It might be the least fun aspect of artistic expression, but regular cleaning is as much a part of painting as any brushstroke. Though clean-up is always a chore, quality art cleaning supplies can keep your artwork and workspaces healthy, attractive, and preserved from the elements. Luckily, MisterArt.com has all of your cleaning needs covered:

Aprons and drop cloths are handy textiles that very simply keep paint from dripping on to your painting clothes and studio floor. When your painting is complete, toss these into the washing machine to reuse them or just toss them in the trash!

Brush cleaners are soaps, conditioners, and basins designed to keep your paint brushes clean and fresh between uses, ensuring their preservation.

Hand cleaning supplies keep hands and skin free of wet paint while you work and can be used to scrub any stray drips away after the paint dries.

Painting restoration chemicals are cleansers that remove surface soil from oil paintings and other works and help to restore their freshness of appearance.

Solvents and thinners are used to wash away or thin various kinds of paints, particularly thick paint solutions and dried paint. They're often used to clean brushes and other painting supplies.

Wipes and cloths are great for brushing away grimy buildup from the surfaces of painting and art supplies. With a little elbow grease, they'll keep your work looking brand new.

Decorative Painting

Decorative painting supplies include versatile paints, enamels, and tools that work well on a variety of surfaces. This versatility has made decorative paints and supplies favorites amongst crafters and other artists whose painting isn't limited to paper or canvas.

Craft acrylics are paints designed for thick, opaque coverage on large, smooth surfaces. They're particularly vivid when used for decorative painting, home decor, and general craft painting projects.

Fabric paints are paints and dyes specially formulated to bond durably with textiles, including clothing, curtains, banners, and more.

Faux finishing supplies give crafts and artwork artificially reproduced looks, such as antique, metallic, glow-in-the-dark, distressed, and textured finishes.

Glazes and mediums are applied to the surface of arts and crafts to add glossy, protective finishes. While some glazes and mediums are prized merely for their visual qualities, many also act as sealants, protecting artwork from moisture and other contaminants.

Decorative painting tools are unique brushes and applicators designed to distribute paint, stains, and finishes on to crafts and media with a wide variety of surfaces. MisterArt.com also stocks a great selection of conventional paint brushes for decorative painting!

Sealers and finishers are sprays that give artwork a glossy or stained finish as well as seal them against moisture and other damage.

Spray paints come in aerosol cans that distribute paint quickly and evenly over all kinds of surfaces.

MisterArt.com has great deals on books and media related to decorative painting to help artists check out others' work and techniques in order to spark new ideas!

Enamels

Enamel paints, commonly referred to as enamels, are paints engineered to dry to an extremely hard, usually glossy, finish. These latex or oil-based paints mimic the properties of true, fired vitreous enamel, which is made from glass. Needless to say, enamel paints are significantly softer than either vitreous enamel or synthetic resins.

Some enamel paints have been made by adding varnish to oil-based paint, but more often enamels are oil-based products, usually with a nice amount of gloss added. Recently, though, many latex and water-based paints have adopted the term as well. MisterArt.com has the web's best deals on enamel paints of all kinds, including spray and liquid paints in clear glossy, brightly colored, and metallic finishes.

Face and Body Paints

Face and body paints are a fun, non-toxic way to extend the artist's canvas to the human body—without the pain and permanence of tattoos! The safe, washable paints come in many different forms, from tattoo markers to waxy crayons to tried-and-true paint bottles. Finding the right medium for your plans depends on what sort of art you're interested in creating. Bottles of face paint are best to turn a kid's mug into a Spider-Man mask; markers might be best for finely detailed faux tattoos.

More interested in the spiritual side of body art? MisterArt.com has you covered (literally)! We offer everyday discounts on henna ink and kits, with VIP members saving up to 75 percent on mehndi designs!

Glass and Tile Painting

Do to their ultra-smooth, rigid surfaces, glass and tile often require specially formulated paints to achieve thick, textured color when used in artwork. Many glass paints are used to create a textured finish that simulates the look of cathedral stained glass. These paints can be used on a variety of surfaces, including windows, glass, mirrors, Plexiglas, glazed ceramics, and styrene.

MisterArt.com also offers deep discounts on stains, frosts, and enamels that alter the look and texture of all manner of glass and ceramic tiles. By combining elements of painting and crafting, artists can now afford to use glass and tile painting techniques to create beautiful, functional art!

Kids' Paints

Kids' paints, obviously, are made for younger artists and are produced with different considerations than oils or acrylics. Typically, kids' paints are designed for use in the classroom or at the kitchen table, so most are designed to wash out of most fabrics and hard surfaces. Since kids can be a bit freer with their artistic expression, kids' paints must be non-toxic so that a dab or two in the eyes or mouth won't cause any harm.

The cheap kids' paints available at MisterArt.com are also quite versatile. Kids participate in a large number of arts and crafts experiments; their paint needs to be adaptable to the challenge at hand! We stock kids' paints that work great for silk screen printing, painting murals, papier mache, clay, plaster, wood, and of course paper and canvas! We've got the paints to nurture any child's vision, from finger paints to watercolors.

Oil Paints

Oil paints are a type of slow-drying paint consisting of small pigment particles suspended in a drying oil. The standard medium for painting, oil-based paints have dominated the art world for centuries. Today, oil paints are made of pigment combined with a drying oil binder such as linseed, safflower, walnut, or poppy.

Quality oil paints possess excellent color depth and resonance. They are also extremely durable and fade resistant. Highly versatile, oil paints can be used for a variety of effects including thin washes or thick impastos.

Oil paints can also be difficult to use, especially for beginners. Because they are water insoluble, oil paints require solvents like turpentine for thinning and cleaning. They also dry very slowly, and large or complex paintings can often take months to complete.

Mediums are used by artists to help control oil paints' color consistency, gloss, transparency, and drying rate.

Paint sticks are solid, easy-to-control sticks of oil paint that can be spread or blended with the finger, brush, or palette knife. There are also no unpleasant odors or fumes, so you can use paint sticks virtually anywhere, at any time.

Solvents and thinners are used to dilute and remove oil paint. These products improve brushing qualities; clean brushes, rollers, and spray equipment; and remove dirt and grease from surfaces before painting.

For those new or long removed from the fantastic world of oil paints, MisterArt.com has a great selection of sets and kits that include everything needed to get started working with oil paints immediately. With our everyday discounts, MisterArt.com is unquestionably the top site on the Internet to buy oil paints online!

Paint by Numbers

Why should the talented have all the fun! With paint by numbers kits, even painters without any lessons or experience can paint a masterpiece, just by following the numbers. There's no need to worry about the subject matter, composition, or messy solvents-- these boards have been preprinted, so all you have to do it simply read the instructions and start painting right away. Recreate the masterworks of art from throughout history! Oil painting by numbers is the perfect introduction to fine art for young or inexperienced artists.

MisterArt.com has the Web's best deals on many different paint by numbers, from poppy fields to oil classics to kids' sets!

Palettes

The palette is an essential tool for artists of all skill levels. These simply plates and trays allow painters to separate, mix, and store paints as they work. Naturally, because every artist, paint, and project is unique, many different kinds of palettes are required. Before making a decision on which palette is best for your next project, it's wise to consider each kind of palette's strengths:

Covered palettes keep your paints clean and moist for days, even weeks. These palettes' coverings keep contaminants out of your paint and keep fast-drying paints like watercolors and acrylics fresh and ready longer.

Glass and porcelain palettes feature a smooth, non-porous surface that improves color mixing. These sometimes-fragile palettes are reusable and easy to clean—dried paint either scrapes or peels right off with no mess and no dried paint build-up.

Mixing dishes, with their many paint wells, are perfect for for holding your colors separate. The larger, flat middle area of the dishes are ideal for mixing paint. Mixing dishes are often made from sturdy plastic or aluminum for repeated use without wear and tear.

Oil and acrylic palettes are non-porous palettes specifically designed for use with oil and acrylic paints.

Paint boxes and trays are similar to other palettes in that they hold paints ready for mixing, but these palettes are designed to rest on a table or desktop rather than be held during work. Consequently, they're often larger and bulkier than other artists' palettes.

Palette paper and pads are disposable, bio-degradable palettes that provide all of the moisture-sealed mixing area of reusable palettes without all the cleanup.

Watercolor palettes contain paint wells specifically designed to hold watercolors.

Wood palettes are reusable and offer the lighter weight and attractive finish of wood.

No matter which palette is right for you, you can always count on MisterArt.com to provide awesome discounts and ultra-fast shipping!

Pigments

Pigments are powdered colors that are used in many different artistic applications. They are used for coloring paint, ink, plastic, fabric, cosmetics, food and other materials. Most pigments used in arts and crafts are dry colorants, typically ground into a fine powder. This powder is added to a relatively neutral or colorless material that acts as a binder, such as oil or water.

Pigments are insoluble in a vehicle, which separates them from dyes. Dye is usually itself a liquid or dissolves completely into its liquid vehicle.

Pigments come in many different colors and are useful for many diverse techniques, including fresco painting, oil, watercolor, acrylics, fatty tempera, egg tempera and others. Pigments can be mixed into any viscous medium, including all paints, varnish, airbrush paints, polymer clay, and more! They can also be applied dry to wood, ceramics, paper, wax, or any porous surface.

MisterArt.com offers deep discounts on pigments of all kinds, from vivid organic colors to metallic earth tones!

Paint Storage

Paint storage is essential for all types of painters—it's tough to create when all your paint is dried up! Mixing paints to the precise shade that you need takes time, and without proper paint storage, you'll have to start all over again in a few hours. Luckily, the solution is pretty simple. Using lidded, plastic paint cups, any artist can store his or her favorite oil, acrylic or watercolor paint colors that they've spent so much effort mixing. These air-tight containers can keep paint indefinitely. Reusable paint cups can be easily cleaned with brush cleaner or odorless thinner, depending on the paint that was stored.

MisterArt.com has a great selection of paint storage solutions to choose from! We've got cups in many sizes, even some guaranteed not to spill! We know how to properly store paint—we keep nearly as many paints around as amazing deals!

Tempera Paints

Tempera (or egg tempera) is a type of artist's paint popular in the classical world, where it was the main medium used for panel painting and illuminated manuscripts in the Byzantine world and Europe in the Middle Ages. Later, it was replaced by oil painting in the Western world as painters' favorite. It has remained, though, the required medium for Orthodox icons. Egg tempera is paint made by binding pigment in an egg medium.

However, the term tempera in modern times is also used by many manufacturers to refer to ordinary poster paint, which has pretty much nothing to do with real egg tempera! These tempera paints are perfect and beloved for use by children, because they are non-toxic, long-lasting, and fast-drying. Most tempera paints are sold in liquid form, but MisterArt.com has temperas in dry cake form, too. These paints can be stored safely for long periods!

Whether you're looking for great deals on egg tempera paints or brightly-colored poster and craft temperas, MisterArt.com has the best prices and selection on the Internet!

Tools

The vital ingredients to create a beautiful painting are paints, a canvas, and a brush. Don't be fooled, though—there are plenty of other tools that have proven indispensable to artists for generations. Each performs a specific function to make an artist's life easier and spark his or her imagination:

Color wheels and guides teach color relationships by organizing colors in a circle, making it easy to visualize how they relate to each other. This helps especially when you're mixing colors!

Mannequins are the perfect reference tools for drawing the human body from different angles.

Palette knives are blunt knives with a flexible steel blade and no sharpened cutting edge. They're ideal for mixing and stirring paint colors on a palette.

Shaping and lifting tools use rubber nibs that allow painters to add or remove wet paint from a surface to erase mistakes, add highlights, or create texture and other effects.

Sponges give artists all kinds of options to paint and create washes using a unique texture. Both natural and synthetic sponges work great!

MisterArt.com offers deep discounts on these and many other painting tools every day!

Varnishes and Sprays

Varnishes and sprays provide a transparent, hard, protective finish or film used primarily to protect finished artwork. Varnish finishes are usually glossy but may be designed to produce satin or semi-gloss sheens through the addition of flatting agents. They're available in both liquid and aerosol form.

MisterArt.com stocks a number of varnishes and sprays designed for different uses:

Clear varnish gives finished artwork a hard, glossy finish.

Dammar varnish is used especially with oil paintings. Transparent and colorless when applied, it brings out the beauty of colors with a soft gloss.

Gloss varnish produces the thickest, glossiest finish of all, while matte varnish produces a non-glare, low-sheen surface that intensifies colors.

Re-touching varnish protects oil paintings while drying and brightens sunken-in colors for further work.

MisterArt.com's VIP Savings Club members receive discounts of up to 70% on all our varnishes and many other art and craft supplies online!

Watercolors

Watercolors are paints that combine pigment with a light binder of gum Arabic and glycerine. When the paints are mixed with water, the binder dissolves and the pigment particles become suspended.

Watercolors are available in both tubes and pans. Tubes contain watercolor in a thick paste. Tubes are great for when you need a large amount or high concentration of color. Pans consist of dry cakes held in small trays, or "pans." They are more expensive than tubes but are easy to use and make little mess.

Watercolors possess a rich, moist color. They can vary in transparency from opaque to virtually clear when mixed with enough water. Opaque watercolors are referred to as gouache or tempera.

MisterArt.com has fast shipping all over the country for many different watercolor supplies:

Watercolor mediums are binders that improve the flow and transparency of watercolors.

Watercolor crayons and pencils use water-soluble wax to create watercolor effects such as washes and scrapings for dry or wet drawing on all materials, all with no mess!

Watercolor frisket describes any masking film or spray used by watercolor artists to protect areas of a work from unintended coloration during painting.

Gouache and opaque watercolors can be applied directly from the tube (or pan) or thinned with water for transparent watercolor effects. An excellent choice for color theory instruction and other educational purposes, they can be used on a wide variety of surfaces, including paper, hardboard, plastic, wood, and metal.

Watercolor paints have been prized for generations thanks to their legendary lightfastness and covering power.

For artists just getting started exploring the wonderful world of watercolor painting, MisterArt.com has great deals on many sets and kits that include everything a painter needs to begin working with watercolors immediately!

Oh, and don't forget the palette!

Painting Books and Media

Want to know more? Want to SEE more? MisterArt.com can help! We have a great selection of painting books and media available, from instructional DVDs to artist biographies to masters' collections. MisterArt.com is ready to ship nationwide to fulfill all of your painting media needs!

Acrylics—Developed in the 1920s, acrylics are a relatively new painting medium. Acrylics are also one of the most popular, as they are both cheap and easy to use.

Acrylic paints mix their pigments with a liquid plastic binder. They are water soluble when wet and water resistant when dry. Acrylics dry very quickly when compared to oil base paints and, upon drying, become remarkably flexible and durable. See Acrylic paint.

Oils—The standard medium for painting, oil based paints have dominated the art world for centuries. Oil paints are made of pigment combined with a drying oil binder such as linseed, safflower, walnut, or poppy.

Quality oil paints possess excellent color depth and resonance. They are also extremely durable and fade resistant. Highly versatile, oil paints can be used for a variety of effects including thin washes or thick impastos.

Oil paints can also be difficult to use, especially for beginners. Because they are water insoluble, oil paints require solvents like turpentine for thinning and cleaning. They also dry very slowly, and large or complex paintings can often take months to complete. See Oil paint.

Watercolors—These paints combine pigment with a light binder of gum Arabic and glycerine. When the paints are mixed with water, the binder dissolves and the pigment particles become suspended.

Watercolors come in either tubes or pans. Tubes contain watercolor in a thick paste. Tubes are great for when you need a large amount or high concentration of color. Pans consist of dry cakes held in small trays, or "pans." They are more expensive than tubes but are easy to use and make little mess.

Watercolors possess a rich, moist color. They can vary in transparency from opaque to virtually clear when mixed with enough water. Opaque watercolors are referred to as gouache or tempera. See Watercolor paint.

Casein—Pronounced "kay' seen," this water-based, quick drying paint is made using casein as a binder. Casein is a protein precipitated from milk and it has been used in painting for thousands of years.

Casein is water soluble when wet, easy to dilute and clean up. When dry, however, it becomes extremely water resistant. Casein dries quickly, so brushes and other materials should be cleaned soon after use.

Because it can become brittle with age, casein works best with extremely rigid supports such as wood, plaster, metal, stone, and canvas board. See Casein paint.

Enamels—Paint that provides an especially hard and glossy finish is often referred to as "enamel." While originally oil-based, today's enamels are often made with acrylics or latex. Enamels are perfect for crafts and models that require a durable, high-gloss finish.