Guides

Brush aisle paralysis is real. Plain-English guide to flats, rounds, filberts, taklon vs sable, and the 2-brush starter set under $5 that handles 90% of beginner work.

9 hand-picked craft picks under $20 NZ. Perfect for school holiday top-ups, classroom budgets, or "treat yourself" snack-sized art purchases. Free NZ shipping when you stack to $75.

Soft vs oil pastels, blending tricks, surface choices, and why every NZ beginner should own a 24-piece Mont Marte set. Plus 5 techniques and a 10-minute first project.

Quick answer for NZ parents: The best school holiday crafts for kids (ages 5-12) use cheap, simple supplies: washable acrylic paint, mini canvases, air-dry clay, paper plates, and coloured card. Top rainy-day picks: handprint art, pebble painting, DIY bookmarks, clay...

Quick answer for NZ beginners: Acrylic paint pouring needs just 4 things: pouring paint (or regular acrylic mixed with flow medium), a canvas (round or square), silicone oil drops (for cells), and mixing cups. Mix paint 1:1 with pouring medium,...

Quick answer: The best art supply gift for a Kiwi beginner (2026) is the Acrylic Paint Beginner Set ($49.99) — 18 paints, 10 brushes and a canvas in one ready-to-paint box. For experienced artists, a Mont Marte Signature paint set...

Quick answer for NZ artists: The best paintbrushes for beginners are synthetic taklon brushes — they work with acrylics and watercolours, are affordable, and last well. Start with a 10-piece set covering round, flat and liner shapes. Natural hog bristle...