Essential Guide to Choosing the Right Number of Acrylic Paints for Your Art Projects?

Five basic colours is all you need to start with: black, white, red, yellow, and blue. Within these, you have various options. For example, do you prefer Cadmium yellow, Yellow ochre, or Lemon yellow?

Begin by purchasing small tubes to test the colors, as your preference for red, yellow, and blue is very personal. Over time, you'll find yourself drawn to certain colours, perhaps due to the results you get from mixing them. Initially, choose one of each primary colour to experiment with. I personally recommend Daler Rowney System 3 Acrylic Paints. Even with black, you have choices. I currently use Process Black, but many prefer Mars black.

The yellow you choose may depend on the type of work you create. I love Lemon yellow for its bright, fresh, spring-like quality. It represents uplifting sunlight for me, and I enjoy the colours I get when mixing with it. However, you might prefer Cadmium yellow, which is deeper and richer, like egg yolk. Yellow ochre is another option, especially if you're painting seascapes, as it resembles the color of sand. For autumnal paintings with russet tones, yellow ochre works best.

When it comes to blues, I favour Ultramarine Blue for its rich, versatile quality. If Ultramarine is too deep, Coeruleum Blue (hue) offers a brighter, fresher alternative (though it's harder to spell!). Cobalt Blue (Hue) is darker than Coeruleum Blue and leans towards the violet/purple spectrum. Process Cyan is a darker blue, closer to indigo.

Ask yourself, "Do I want my paintings to be dark and moody or light and fresh?" This may vary depending on the artwork or series you're developing. I highly recommend colour mixing. If you can't achieve the desired colour, try swapping one primary colour for another (e.g., Cadmium yellow instead of Lemon Yellow).

Cadmium Red (Hue) is a classic choice for red, popular among many artists. I often use Crimson instead for its pinkish hue. This illustrates how personal colour choice can be! Many artists also use Burnt Sienna, a warm reddish-brown that pairs well with yellow ochre. It's ideal for desert landscapes or russet autumnal leaves and has traditional uses in portrait painting.

You don't need to buy pre-made greens, violets, and purples, as you can create a wide variety through colour mixing. These three primary colours, along with black and white, should suffice initially. Later, you can explore other yellow, red, and blue alternatives as you delve deeper into colour mixing.