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 Oil painting has been a popular hobby and profession for thousands of years. From its distinctive style to the beautiful brushstrokes and seamless colour blending, this captivating art form has intrigued countless people over the years.

However, with so many different types of paints, mediums, brushes, and tools available, getting started can feel extremely overwhelming, especially if you’re a complete beginner. Don’t let the equipment required for oil painting discourage you. The learning process may be challenging, but the finished result is well worth the patience and effort.

If you’re interested in picking up oil painting but aren’t sure where to start, here is a list of must-have oil painting stuff to have before you set up your canvas and begin your creative journey.

Building Your First Oil Painting Toolkit

source: montmarte.com

To build your first-ever painting toolkit, you need to know which oil painting supplies are essential and what each one is used for. It can be difficult to distinguish between what’s necessary and what’s simply recommended, so here is a list of a few essential items you shouldn’t skip when beginning your oil painting journey!

Choosing the Right Paints and Colours

There are many types of paint available in the vast world of art, but somehow, oil paints stand out for their timeless appeal and smooth finish.

Put in the most basic terms, oil paints are pigments mixed with oil, which provides their smooth finish and allows for seamless blending. These paints are usually thicker and much heavier than acrylic and gouache paints, which is why they take longer to dry. Their slow drying time is what makes them a go-to choice for complex paintings, as it makes blending colours and creating gradients much simpler. When painting with oils, you can take your time and focus on the details. This is why oil paintings are some of the most elaborate and beautiful pieces of artwork ever created.

Oil paints can be expensive, which is why you don’t need to buy every colour from the get-go. When you’re learning how to paint, it’s important to also learn about colour theory and how to create just about any colour by using combinations of white, black, red, blue, and yellow.

At its core, colour theory teaches you how colours appear, interact with one another, and how humans perceive them. This is why learning how to mix your colours is essential for a smooth and enjoyable art journey.

If you’re just starting, you can get a set of about 10 colour tubes. This is the easiest option, as you’ll have some of the most common colours ready to go, so you won’t have to mix everything from the very beginning. However, if you’d like to practise your colour mixing, you can get just five larger tubes: titanium white, ivory black, and a warm, vibrant shade of red, blue, and yellow. With these five colours, you can create almost any other colour you’ll need, and there are plenty of tutorials online that can teach you exactly how to do it.

Paint Brushes To Get You Started 

When it comes to choosing your first-ever paint brushes, what’s important is their shape, not quantity. Having five of the same type of brush is essentially the same as having one; the only difference is that now you’re a few dollars short.

What you really need are a few brushes with different shapes that can move heavier paint.

The brushes painters normally use for watercolour or acrylic painting are too soft to handle oil paint. They hold water and glide perfectly across thicker paper, but they’re unsuitable for heavier mediums.

For oil paints, synthetic, long-handled brushes work best because they offer greater control over your movements and the way the paint glides across the canvas.

A few great brushes to have as a beginner are:

• Filbert: These brushes are available in a variety of sizes and are perfect for both bold strokes and careful details. They are slightly oval-shaped with an arched tip. You can use filbert brushes for painting backgrounds or adding smaller touches.

• Flat: Larger flat brushes are ideal for painting backgrounds and large shapes quickly and efficiently. They are often square-shaped with sharp edges, allowing you to create even, consistent strokes.

• Round: Round brushes are great for perfecting lines and painting details. They are available in a variety of sizes, allowing you to achieve the perfect line width for each brush.

• Fan: Although not necessary, fan brushes can be useful for experimenting with different techniques, painting grass, or adding subtle texture.

Surfaces To Consider for Your First Painting

Choosing a surface for oil painting can be tricky, especially if you’re unfamiliar with how the linseed oil in these paints affects paper, canvas, and wood.

When painting with oils, you sadly can’t just grab the first piece of paper you see. Because oil paints are particularly demanding, you need to prime your surface to prevent the oil from seeping into the paper or canvas over time.

An oil primer is a preparatory coat that you apply to your painting surface before you start painting.

A suitable surface for painting with oils is any properly primed canvas or specially designed oil-painting paper. You sadly can’t paint with oils on an unprimed canvas or watercolour paper, as the paint can seep into the material and damage the surface over time.

Luckily for beginners, pre-primed canvases are widely available and relatively inexpensive, so you don’t have to worry about learning to prime your own surfaces from the very beginning of your journey.

Accessories To Make Your Journey Easier 

The fastest way to waste your money when starting a new hobby is by buying a bunch of accessories you’ll never actually use. However, that’s not to say every accessory is completely useless. Some can actually make your painting journey much easier and more enjoyable.

Here’s a list of accessories worth splurging on and a few you can freely skip!

Splurge

• Palette: It’s pretty obvious that you need somewhere to mix your paints. Palettes make it easier to mix new colours and work with pre-mixed ones. Wooden palettes are a classic choice, but clear plastic palettes have also been gaining popularity in recent years.

• Palette knife: When mixing your paints on the palette, you’ll need something to work them together with. Palette knives are an easy, mess-free way to mix paint and can also be used to apply paint directly to the canvas.

• Canvas easel: If you’ve decided to paint on canvas, an easel is a useful tool for holding your canvas and providing a comfortable angle during long painting sessions.

• Apron: Painting can get messy, which is why wearing an apron over your clothes can help protect them from stubborn paint stains.

Skip

• Varnish: You don’t actually need to apply a final varnish immediately after finishing your painting. Oil paintings need plenty of time to dry and cure before they can be varnished, so this is an accessory you can worry about later.

• Luxury brush sets: You don’t need extremely expensive brushes to create a good painting. Stick to affordable brushes that are suitable for handling oil paints, and you can keep your painting journey smooth and budget-friendly.

• Wooden mannequins: Although they can be a fun addition to your art space, wooden mannequins aren’t always the most accurate or intuitive reference for beginners. At the very start, it’s better to practice with real-life models and online photo references.

Final Considerations

The bottom line is that painting can be overwhelming, especially with the vast array of oil painting stuff available. It’s important to distinguish between what you actually need and what you can skip for now.

You shouldn’t have to blow your entire paycheck on a new hobby. Approach oil painting strategically and focus on the essentials first. This will help you enjoy a smoother learning journey without unnecessary frustration or major hits to your budget.