The 5 Essential Tools and Materials You Actually Need to Start Oil Painting
- James Otto Allen
- May 2
- 2 min read
If you’re thinking about starting oil painting, you’ve probably already had a look in an art shop or online supply list — and felt overwhelmed.
The truth is you just need a few carefully chosen materials to get going confidently — and that’s what this post is here to help you with.
SHOPPING LIST:
TOOLS (these things you will only buy once)
Brushes - here you'll find a pack tha will give you most of the hog hair brushes covered in the video - perfect to get started!
Synthetic brushes - here you'll find a pack has the brushes covered in the video plus more - perfect to get started!
MATERIALS (These will need to be replenished unfortunately)
Liquin - optional, but handy to get used to what it feels like to mix something with oil paint to 'water it down' (but don't use water with oil paint!!!!)
Paints
If that looks like a painfully long (and a bit of an expensive) list, a great alternative to start with is an oil painting pack! A good money saver and set of colours if you’re beginning, almost the same as my list. You could mix a huge array of colours from this pack!
What You Don’t Need as a Beginner
Expensive or specialty mediums
A full easel (maybe in the future consider a standing easel, but at the start what I've recommended is great)
Varnishes and extra oils (oils were the things that overwhelmed me most at the start, linseed, walnut, poppy seed, clove oil, something called siccatif... Ignore all that at the start, just stick with odorless solvent to clean brushes / thin paint at the beginning stages of the painting, and optionally liquin - nice and beginner friendly)
Final Thoughts
Starting oil painting doesn’t have to be hugely expensive or intimidating. There is a little bit of an investment to be made at the start with tools (things that you only buy once), so unfortunately in my experience you can't really expect to get the essential basics for under £10 as you would just to get going with drawing, but once the initial payment is done (and I'm not talking hundreds here necessarily), and you're up and running, replenishing materials, in my experience, is very inexpensive. I haven't bought any new paint for about a year now, and I paint pretty often!
I hope this helps! Please get in touch if you have any doubts or comments about any tools or oil painting materials. I'd love to hear from you!
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