I like to get a bargain when I can, but some things are just not worth saving the pennies over. Quality of paint is one. I strongly recommend that even beginners buy artist quality paint. Student quality paint can fade or change in a matter of weeks or months. For example, purples can turn brown. You don’t want that sort of thing happening in your work. Plus, the mixture that the manufacturer uses in student quality paint can vary from time to time depending which pigments are cheapest. This can be very frustrating to the artist because it means that the paint may behave differently from tube to tube. You want to be able to get to know each pigment – how it interacts with other pigments or with water or mediums. Any variables in quality will simply slow down the learning curve as you try to understand your paints behaviour. Lastly, you need to know that student quality paints are not always marked with the word “student”. In Winsor & Newton, student grade is called “Cottman”. In Liquitex brand, student grade is called “Basics”. If you are not sure when looking at a tube or jar in the art store, check with the staff that you are buying artist quality. You won’t be sorry. Happy painting!