Acrylic is the friendliest paint to start with. It thins with water, dries quickly, covers its own mistakes, and works on canvas, paper, wood, rocks and more. The catch is that “acrylic paint set” covers everything from thin craft paint in bottles to buttery artist paint in tubes. Knowing the difference keeps your first set from fighting you.
Research-based, not hands-on tested. Set contents, sizes and labels are the maker’s; the advice on grades, bodies and technique is established painting practice. I have not painted swatches or timed drying. My method.
The short answer
For a true beginner, a large set of bottled craft or student acrylic with brushes is the easiest way in: lots of colors so you mix less at first, enough paint to practice freely, and bottles that are easy to share. The Shuttle Art 36 set is that kind of set. When you know you love painting, upgrade your brushes first, then move to tube paint in a smaller, better palette.
Craft, student and artist acrylic
- Craft acrylic (usually bottles)fluid, matte to satin, inexpensive, made for crafts, decor and practice. Great for rocks, wood and canvas studies.
- Student acrylicbetter pigment load than craft paint, still affordable, often in tubes.
- Artist acrylicthe most pigment and the best documentation of pigments and lightfastness. Worth it when you start selling or displaying work.
Heavy body, soft body or fluid?
- Heavy body holds brush marks and texture, like oil paint. Good for impasto.
- Soft body is creamy and levels out; good for smooth blending.
- Fluid is thin and pourable, good for washes, detail and pouring.
Bottled sets like this one are on the fluid side. If you want visible, textured strokes, add a tube of heavy-body white or a gel medium later.
How I chose
I looked for a set a beginner can paint with on day one: enough colors to avoid constant mixing, enough paint per color to practice, brushes and a palette included, clear safety labeling from the maker, and paint that suits the surfaces beginners actually use.
My pick
Research-basedShuttle Art Acrylic Paint Set, 36 Colors
Best starter set
$25.99List Price: $31.99Save 19%
as of Nov 3, 2026, 11:23 UTCDetails
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- Colors
- 36, incl. metallic gold and silver
- Size
- 2 fl oz (60 ml) bottles
A big bottle set for crafts, rocks, canvas practice and paint nights: fluid, quick-drying craft acrylic in enough colors that a beginner rarely has to mix.
Thirty-six colors in 2 oz bottles, including metallic gold and silver, with twelve brushes and a palette, so nothing else is needed to start. Bottles are easy to squeeze out in small amounts and to share at a paint night. The maker states ASTM D-4236 conformance and suggests surfaces from canvas and wood to rocks, fabric and ceramic.
Good fit if
- Rock painting, wood crafts, pumpkins and kids' projects (with old clothes)
- Paint nights and classes where many people share one set
- Beginners learning to layer and blend before buying artist paint
Skip it if
- You want thick, textured strokes; bottle acrylic is fluid
- You plan to sell paintings and need documented pigments and lightfastness
All maker specs
- Colors
- 36, incl. metallic gold and silver
- Size
- 2 fl oz (60 ml) bottles
- Extras
- 12 brushes + 1 palette
- Finish
- Gloss (per listing)
- Safety label
- ASTM D-4236 conformance (per listing)
Worth knowing
- Acrylic washes out with soap and water only while wet; dry paint on clothes and brushes is permanent.
- The included brushes are fine for starting; most painters upgrade brushes first.
Specs are the maker's own figures from the product listing, not my measurements. Listing checked October 11, 2026 for this exact variant: 36 × 2 fl oz (60 ml) bottles with 12 brushes and a palette (model SA MAP36).How I pick
What else you need
- Better brushes, soon. Synthetic brushes made for acrylic: a large flat for backgrounds, a medium filbert for shapes, a small round for detail. Starter brushes shed and splay; good ones last years if cleaned.
- A palette. Any non-porous plate works. A stay-wet palette (a damp sponge under parchment-style paper) keeps acrylic workable for much longer.
- Surfaces. Canvas panels are cheap and flat; stretched canvas for finished work; heavy mixed-media paper for studies. Primed with gesso, almost anything works.
- Two water jars (one for rinsing, one clean—on my desk I use the two-well MEEDEN Ceramic Paint Brush Wash Bowl), paper towels, and an old shirt.
- An easel, eventually. A tabletop or box easel keeps the canvas upright and your posture better. See my tabletop easel guide or, for standing work, my easel guide.
Starting on canvas
If canvas is your first surface, an affordable bottled set like the Shuttle Art 36 above is all the paint you need: the maker lists canvas among its suggested surfaces, and 2 oz bottles cover a small canvas without rationing color. Add three things:
- Primed canvas panels for practice. They are cheap, flat and already coated with gesso, so you can paint straight away. Save stretched canvas for pieces you want to hang.
- A large flat brush to cover the canvas quickly; the set’s brushes are fine for details on your first panels.
- Two thin coats instead of one thick one. Fluid bottled paint can let the canvas weave show through a single layer, so let the first coat dry and go over it again. For raised, textured strokes, add heavy-body white or a gel medium later.
Then follow the steps below, starting by toning the canvas.
Learn to mix with a limited palette
Big sets are great for crafts, but you learn the most by mixing. From a 36-color set, pick a small palette and paint a few studies with only those:
- A warm and a cool red
- A warm and a cool yellow
- A warm and a cool blue
- White, plus a brown for darkening
With those, you can mix nearly any color you need, and you will understand why some mixes go muddy (too many pigments, or mixing complements by accident).
Your first painting, step by step
- Tone the surface with a thin, mid-value wash so you are not fighting bright white.
- Block in big shapes with a large brush; ignore detail.
- Work dark to light, then add highlights last. Acrylic covers well, so light colors go on top cleanly.
- Glaze with thinned color over dry layers to shift hue or deepen shadows.
- Varnish once fully cured to even out the sheen and protect the surface.
Cleanup and safety
- Acrylic is water-soluble only while wet. Rinse brushes often and never let paint dry in the bristles.
- Wipe excess paint onto paper towels before rinsing, and let rinse water settle so solids can go out with the trash rather than down the drain.
- Treat dried paint on clothes as permanent.
- Look for the maker’s safety labeling (ASTM D-4236 conformance, an AP seal) for anyone sharing the set, especially children.
Prefer pens to brushes for crafts and detail? See acrylic paint pens.
As a Christmas gift
A big bottled set with brushes is the simplest beginner painting kit for adults to give for Christmas: everything needed to start is in the box, and the maker suggests canvas, wood and rocks among its surfaces. It suits:
- Adults and teens who want to try painting but don’t know brands or grades yet.
- Paint-night and craft fans, who use lots of colors and share the bottles.
Skip it for an experienced acrylic painter with a favorite brand; a desk upgrade suits them better. Pair the set with a pack of primed canvas panels and, for a bigger present, a MEEDEN tabletop easel and a two-well ceramic brush wash bowl. More ideas by budget are in my gifts for artists guide; small add-ons are in stocking stuffers for artists.
Questions
Does acrylic paint get darker when it dries?
Often slightly, as the binder turns from milky to clear. Mix a touch lighter than you want, or test a swatch and let it dry.
How long does acrylic take to dry?
Thin layers are touch-dry quickly, often within minutes; thick layers take longer. Full curing takes longer still, so wait before varnishing.
Can I paint fabric with acrylic paint?
Yes, with a fabric medium mixed in, which keeps the paint flexible. Heat-set it as the medium’s maker instructs.
Can kids use this set?
The maker lists it for kids, teens and adults and states ASTM D-4236 conformance. Supervise younger children and use washable paint for toddlers.