Most types of paint are broadly divided into 2 categories - "Artists'" and "Students' or Beginners'" - Artists' - These are the very best and most expensive paints. The price reflects the quality and rarity of the pigment and the quality of the medium in which the pigment is carried.
- Students' / Beginners' - These do not have the superior quality of the artists' range but they are far more economical and are still of an excellent quality for fine art use.
For crafts and children's paints see Crafts and Junior Arts and Crafts. Watercolours Watercolour is renowned for the luminous transparency of the colours. You can achieve all sorts of painting styles from broad, liquid washes to more controlled, detailed work. The artists' range is very different to the students' in that each colour has its own character e.g. transparency, opacity and granulation. This makes using the paints particularly exiting because an endless variety of effects can be achieved depending on how one pigments reacts with another. This contributes to why most artists have their own favourite palette of colours. All of the following paints are available in palette sets and boxed selections: For Artists' - Winsor & Newton 5ml tubes - full range of 96 colours
- Winsor & Newton half-pans - full range
- For Students'
- Daler Rowney Aquafine tubes - full range of 37 colours
- Winsor & Newton Cotman half-pans - full range of 40 colours
- Reeves 12ml tubes - boxed sets only
Gouache This is similar to water colour but each colour is opaque and densely pigmented. It can give flat, even coverage in pure bright colour or, when more heavily diluted, a similar but much cloudier effect to watercolour. Many artists use it along with watercolour, particularly for highlighting. For Artists' For Students'
Poster Colour Similar to gouache in its opacity but not as fine quality and therefore more economical. For Artists' For Students'
Acrylic Paints These are water-based but, when dry, the resin particles coalesce to form a tough, flexible finish which is impervious to water. They can be used straight from the tube for impasto work, thinned with water or used with specialist mediums for different effects. There is also a range of Shimmering Colours that can be used independently (very good on a black background) or mixed with plain colours. Acrylics are very fast drying. This can be a great advantage regarding the speed of your painting, but has obvious drawbacks when it comes to keeping you paint workable. This can be solved by using a "Stay-wet" palette or by introducing mediums to retard drying, see Mediums, Primers and Varnishes . Cryla, our heavy-body, artists' quality acrylic, is characterised by its thick, buttery consistency which is ideal for impasto work. The students' quality paint, System 3, has excellent lightfastness and covering power but at a far lower price. Ideal for all sorts of art and crafts projects. Particularly economical for painting large areas. As well as the following ranges of individual colours we also have a very good selection of boxed sets. For Artists' For Students' Daler Rowney System 3 75ml tubes Reeves 12ml tubes - Boxed sets only Daler Rowney Graduate Acrylic 120ml tubes 500ml tubs - Selected colours See Crafts
Oil Colour With the exception of Artisan water-based oils (see below), traditional oil paints are completely incompatible with water. They will dissolve only in turpentine, white spirit or low-odour thinners. There is also a range of mediums which alter the consistency of the paint, see Mediums, Primers and Varnishes . The very slow-drying nature of the paint means that the artist can manipulate the smooth, buttery paint whilst working. If this is a hindrance, there are mediums to reduce the drying time. The Artists' Oils use only the very best materials available and have excellent pigmentation, durability and permanence. The Georgian students' range have a much lower price but will still give you a pleasing, professional finish. We have a very good range of boxed sets as well as the following ranges of individual colours. For Artists' For Students'
Water-Based Oils These paints have been developed to replicate the quality and consistency of traditional oils but with the great advantage of avoiding the use of strong, fumey solvents. Your brushes and palette can be cleaned in water and the paint can be thinned with water. There is also a range of mediums specially made for use with Artisan, see Mediums, Primers and Varnishes . Artists' Spray Paints Montana Artists' Spray Paints are quick drying, high covering laquer based paints developed for interior and exterior use. They can be used on most surfaces. | 
