How to: Artist VS Student Quality Paint

Artist VS Student Quality Paint Which one is right for you?

Artist VS Student Quality Paint

Artist Quality Paint

Higher pigment load
More coverage
No wet to dry colour shift
Transparency VS Opacity clearly labeled
Greater range of colours
Higher, varied costs

Student Quality Paint

Less pigment load, more fillers
Less coverage
Wet to dry colour shift
Transparency VS Opacity not labeled
Limited range of colors
Less costly, all colours are the same price

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6 Major Differences Between Artist & Student quality paints:

1. Pigment Load: Think of artist quality paint as a “concentrate”. Higher pigment load equals stronger, brighter colours.


2. Coverage: Greater pigment load means more coverage. Basically, you need a lot less paint to get more coverage on the canvas.


3. Wet to Dry Colour Shift: Student quality paints appear bright and shinny when they are wet, but they often dry to a dull, matte finish. Have you ever looked at your painting after it has dried and thought: “Oh no! I wish my painting looked the way it did when it was wet! The colours were so much brighter!” If so, it might be because you are using student quality paints. Fillers equals dull, matte finishes.


4. Transparency VS Opacity: Another advantage to using artist quality paints is that unlike student colours, they are labeled whether they are transparent or opaque. This becomes especially important when you working with glazes and washes.


5. Colour Range: If you prefer to buy your colours already mixed for you, you will appreciate the extensive range of colours available in artist quality paints.


6. Price: A quick and easy way of identifying whether you are looking at an artist quality paint VS a student quality paint (without ever reading the label) is by the price. Unlike student quality paint, artist quality paint varies in price depending on the pigment cost. That’s why you see artist colours labeled as: Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3. The higher the series, the higher the costs. On the other hand, student quality paint will all have the same price no matter what colour. 

When I began painting, I received the well meaning advice that if I wanted to be a "real" artist, I better use artist quality paint. Needless to say, I desperately wanted to be a "real" artist. There was no way in hell I was going back to my soul crushing corporate job. So, from time to time, I would count my pennies and go to the art store to buy some artist quality paints. 

​Here's what would happen: When I finally got my expensive tubes of paint home, I treated them like unapproachable royalty. I was terribly afraid to use them because I did not want to "waste" them.

Finally, I came to this paradigm changing realization: What’s the use of surrounding myself with a bunch of artist quality paint if I'm too scared to use them? It's more important to me that I'm painting, rather then what I'm painting with. 

From that point forward, I decided to buy only student quality paints. I did not want to put unnecessary pressure on myself in thinking I had to paint something "worthy"of my expensive materials. This lifted a huge burden off of me. Finally, I was able to paint the way I had always wanted to: without inhibitions.