Art supplies have a huge variation in price. You can find one tube of paint for $3 or another tube of paint at the same size for triple the price or more. The cost must mean something, right? What is the difference and why does it matter?

Paint usually costs more or less depending on the quality of the ingredients, more specifically, what amounts of different ingredients are in the paint. For example, one tube of oil paint that is made up mostly of low quality oil will be fairly cheap. Another tube that contains more quality pigment and higher quality oil and preservers are better quality and will be more expensive.

All art supplies vary in quality and price due to the same idea. For example, paintbrushes made of synthetic material are going to be cheaper than brushes made from real animal hair.

When should you buy the good stuff and when is the cheap stuff okay? All of your art supplies, whether you are a beginner painter or an advanced artist, should have some amount of quality. Don’t use the plastic paintbrushes with black plastic bristles you find in kid art sets. They will not work well and they will only hinder your painting ability. Also, don’t necessarily use the cheapest paint you can find, make sure it is a good name meant for quality.

Beginners do not need the highest quality supplies. If you are just giving it a try and messing around, don’t spend a lot. If you love what you are doing, advancing, and might want to sell your work, begin to upgrade your supplies.

As a beginner, don’t buy too much of the cheap stuff, especially if you are pretty sure you are going to advance and need higher quality. You don’t want to end up with a couple gallons of cheap paint you’ll never use.

As you get better, you will probably start to see the difference in the quality of your supplies. You might begin to notice that your new paint is a lot better than the old stuff. If you feel that what you are using just isn’t getting the results you want, consider upgrading your supplies.