Most people when they pick up a paint brush instinctively hold it the same way they would hold a pen for writing (as I'm doing in the photo here). It's not that this is wrong, but rather that it's only one of the options.

Wrapping your hand around the handle, like this, encourages you to paint with your whole arm, producing larger, looser strokes. Go on, give it a try!

See Also:
• 10 Painting Tips for Loosening Up
• Know Your Painting Brushes: Hairs and Bristles

• Pottery - Beginning Hand Building Techniques and Projects
• Rubber Stamping - Start Digital Stamping
• Cross Stitch - Candlewicking Basics
• Collectibles - Start Collecting Movie Memorabilia
• Dance - Before You Buy Dance Wear
• DIY Fashion - Junk Jewelry for Beginners
• Crochet - Learning the Double Crochet Stitch
• Miniatures - Begin Woodworking in Miniature
• Beadwork - Free Beading Patterns
• Model Trains - Where Do I Go From Here?

^{Images ©Marion Boddy-Evans & Kate Pullen. Licensed to About.com, Inc}

Once you've got your paints and you're faced with all the gorgeous colors, you'll want to start understanding what you're going to get when you mix color A with color B. How to get predictable results and not waste paint mixing the wrong colors. The key to this is color theory.

Don't be put off by the word "theory", the basics are easy to understand. I've set it all out in my article What You Need to Know About Color Theory for Painting

See Also:
• Crucial Color Mixing Tips
• Color Mixing Quiz

• Cross Stitch - Kid's Cross Stitch Projects
• Knitting - Great Knitting Books for Beginners:
• Crochet - Resources for Learning the Single Crochet Stitch
• Jewelry Making - Jewelry as a Job?
• Miniatures - Begin Collecting and Showing Model Horses
• Model Trains - Getting Started: Beyond the Oval
• Beadwork - Basic Beading Stitch Tutorials
• Pottery - Can Pottery Be Made Without a Wheel?
• DIY Fashion - Learn to Make Headbands
• Collectibles - Buying New Collectibles
• Dance - How to Find a Dance Studio
• Contests and Sweepstakes -Getting Started with Sweepstakes: Avoiding Scams and Sweepstakes Fraud

^{Images ©Marion Boddy-Evans & Kate Pullen. Licensed to About.com, Inc}

• Choosing Art as a Career
• What is an Emerging Artist?

Once you've decided you'd like to start a new hobby, for that hobby to be painting, and what paint you'd like to use, the next step is buying the basic art supplies you'll need. Being in an art supplies store is a bit like being in a sweet shop: everything is appealing and it can be hard to resist temptations.

To make life a little easier, I've put together some basic art supplies shopping lists:

• Acrylic Painting Supplies List
• Oil Painting Supplies List
• Watercolor Art Supplies List
• Painting Easels

• Rubber Stamping - Great Rubber Stamping Projects for Beginners
• Pottery - Which Clay to Use
• Knitting - Knitting Tools for Beginners and Beyond
• Crochet - Crochet Supplies 101
• Jewelry Making - Free Jewelry E-Courses
• Miniatures - Start Making Miniatures From Polymer and Air Dry Clays
• Beadwork - Getting Started with Seed Beads
• Cross Stitch - Stitch Your First Cross Stitch
• Dance - Choosing a Dance Style
• Collectibles - Start Collecting Holiday Ornaments
• Contests and Sweepstakes - Getting Started with Sweepstakes Part 2: Beyond the Basics - How to Win More Sweepstakes
• Model Trains - Get Started with Model Trains
• DIY Fashion - Learn to Perform T-Shirt Surgery

^{Images ©Marion Boddy-Evans & Kate Pullen. Licensed to About.com, Inc}