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Got that tip from the Two-Inch Brush page in the sidebar! Got some "Wooster Softip Paintbrushes" off amazon for guests, since Bob's 2-inch is expensive.

Don't forget a paint thinner bucket and easels! These easels came out pretty cheap in bulk, but can be a little flimsy. Not horrible though! It worked well for me. If you can find bulk canvas, you can save money there too, be I noticed a significant difference between "value" canvas and the nicer grade ones. Good enough for a paint an sip, and the right bundle could bring them down to $4 a pop! (Check Amazon, Michaels sales. "Cyber Monday" is STILL going!)

It could end up being expensive to front the costs of supplies, but I had each of my friends pay $20 for entry -- still half price of an actual paint and sip -- and with one more class, I should be back in profit. From then on, the entry fee would cover the cost of using my paint and maybe upgrade tools. :)

Hey there, I have some experience in trying to find quality cheaper alternatives. In fact, I could have probably bought several Bob brushes with the amount of money I spent trying to similar/cheaper ones. So, I found the closest the Bob brushes and absolute cheapest option is called Wooster Amber Fong Bristle Brush from Home Depot. They are "online only" but you can ship to store for free and It just takes a few weeks to ship.

I have the 1 in. Amber Fong Bristle Brush, the 2 in. Amber Fong Bristle Brush , and the 1.5 Inch Amber Fong Angle Sash Bristle Brush (similar to the Wilson Bickford Signature Series - Scenery Brush 2)

I have done 6 paintings with them and all three brushes worked exactly how the “real” ones are intended to work. I have found that the only drawback is that they shed more. That said, brand new Bob brushes seem to shed for about 4-5 paintings until all the loose hairs finally fall out.

Here is a video of me comparing the 1 inch and 2 inch with a brand new 1 inch and 2 inch Bob brushes so you can see for yourself (this was before I bought the 1.5 angle brush).

I think these brushes work super super super well for the price. That said, everyone would probably agree that the best way to learn is from using the right tools but If you’re on a budget these are an excellent alternative.

As far as paint goes, you do not want to go too cheap. You need thick paint. Anything too runny will keep you from executing the strokes and knife work correctly. This will result in you not learning the technique and leave you frustrated.

Bobs brand paint (Bobs Site, Blick, Jerrysartarama) is ideal

but

Winsor & Newton Winton (Blick, Jerrysartarama)

and

Gamblin 1980 (Blick, Jerrysartarama) will work too. I have tried using cheaper and it just doesn’t work.

This is just my opinion from trial and error. I am by no means an expert so take it with a grain of salt or is it sand?

make it happen! I've only done one true en plein air so far (see here and here ), but it was super fun and i highly recommend.

if you think this is something you'll do again, i recommend purchasing an easel designed for it. there are a ton available of all different types and price points, just search amazon for something like "en plein air easel".

I have this specific french box easel. Then then hand modified it a bit so that I can screw the canvas to the easel and so that there is no wood overlapping the canvas.

I like painting on canvases, so i'm not a lot of help deciding if you're looking at non canvases. There are "carry your wet canvas in a cardboard box" solutions on amazon you could look at, even if just to inform how you build your own.

I have heard that people are generally attracted to either drawing or painting in a polarized fashion. If you aren't finding yourself gravitating toward drawing, painting might interest you. I also spend a lot of time on the computer for work and gaming, so having painting is a nice outlet that is quite different. I will warn that painting can be still pretty physically taxing.

If you are looking at equipment, that sticky post on this subreddit has an amazon wishlist: Wishlist. I'd say that one thing I wish I had gotten first was a Bob Ross pallet like the one he uses in the show: Pallet. Its easier to clean than a wooden one, and its got lots of room for mixing paints. I'd also invest in the "Bob Ross Beater Rack" as this is probably the best way to set up a way to clean your brushes at home. Putting the beater rack into a small office trash can ($5 at some hardware store) contains a lot of the paint thinner. You can just use a (new) empty paint can to contain the paint thinner and the screen. I do also use the Bob Ross paint thinner.

white spirit or any odorless thinners is absolutely fine!
i keep a bottle of "emergency" white spirit around just in case i run out of thinners! LOL

if you are really struggling then look for a product called Turpenoid:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weber-Natural-Turpenoid-16oz-Other-Multicoloured/dp/B00274V5DS

this isnt odorless but smells really nice actually and will clean and condition your brushes and is completely reuseable.

but to answer your question; white spirit, thinner, turps etc are all ok for oil painting.

there really is no need for a mask even without odorless thinners...if the smell really plays you up then just make sure you paint in a well ventilated area and take a breather every 15 mins or so.
i paint in my house, usually for an hour or so if im doing a video and it doesnt bother me at all.
i actually like the smell of oils and thinners etc

If you have any craft stores that sells oil paint, they might have coupons, or start ordering on amazon now!

• you're gonna need a canvases, I recommend 16x20, since they are cheap but fit the size needed for landscape, again, craft stores may sell them in packs of 5 for $20 or 25 AUD. Or https://www.amazon.com/US-Art-Supply-Quality-Stretched/dp/B01KOND892/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492312761&sr=8-2&keywords=16x20+canvas
  
  
  
• liquid white, a 236ml cam should be good, I doubt any craft store other than hobby lobby, (but that's an American store)has it. https://www.bobross.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=R6207
  
  
  
• 200ml Windsor newton paint is the best for your buck, it's uncommon for craft stores to have it, I would get sap green, titanium white, phthalo blue, van dyke brown, cadmium yellow. https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Winton-200-Milliliter-Titanium/dp/B0044JPSDW/ref=sr_1_1_sns?ie=UTF8&qid=1492313012&sr=8-1
  
  
  
  
• For the paint brushes, it would be extremely expensive buying 10 brushes, so maybe your local hardware store has horse hair brushes, they should be $8 USD each (10 AUD) http://www.homedepot.com/p/Purdy-1-in-XL-Dale-Angled-Sash-Brush-144080310/100386391
  
  
• And amazon has fanbrushes and knifes. https://www.amazon.com/Martin-F-Weber-Number6-Blender/dp/B0027AEDLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492313813&sr=8-1&keywords=6+fan+brush
  
  
• Your crafts store may these for less. https://www.amazon.com/Loew-Cornell-J-23-Painting-Knife/dp/B0009RNUR4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1492313993&sr=8-4&keywords=Painting+knife
  
  
  
• Paint thinner, you're local hardware store should have it in the painting section, buy at least 2 of the one gallon jugs (3.78 litres x2)
  Then while you're there too, you should get a few bucket to put it in.
  
  And you're pretty much set, if you have any questions let me know.

Amazon has a paint thinner made from citrus that I believe is non toxic. Maybe your mom will let you use this. I know some artists that clean brushes with baby oil but never done it before

Citrus Solvent

There's Turpenoid Natural too


As for liquid white you may be able to try mixing titanium white with some sort of medium. I've used Gamblin solvent free medium before and I like it.

Gamblin

Hope this helps!

The fact that you two went out and accomplished a creative feat is pretty awesome. I think they look great for a first attempt.

If you want to keep going and use acrylics you can purchase acrylic retarder so it won’t dry as fast.

Just wanted to follow up and say that the tackle box works great. I got one off amazon for like $15 and it fits the Windsor and Newton 37ml paints perfectly in the 2nd and 3rd tier of the box and the bob Ross brand paints perfectly in the top tier. I am keeping my brushes in the bottom, main compartment.

Just leaving this info in case someone else has the same question as me. Here is the tackle box I bought: (sorry for poor formatting, I’m on mobile)

Plano 3-Tray Tackle Box with Dual Top Access, Dark Green Metallic/Off White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FPQRJWQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ggXHAbY5ERE7T

You probably don't need the chip resin brush for either of those paintings, but it wouldn't hurt to own one. The master set comes with a #2 script liner so you don't really need to buy another one. It also comes with a 1" landscape but if you have the money to spare it's really convenient to have two 1" and 2" brushes so you don't have to constantly clean them. (one with the darker shadow color and one with the highlight color, usually).

The only thing I don't see on your list is the beater rack and a trash bin to set it in. The beater rack is what dries the brush, unless you paint in an area where you don't care about paint splattering and can just dry it on the eisel like bob does. It can also be bought in a combo pack that comes with the screen, bucket, and thinner.

There are also some colors that don't come with the master set that bob uses often. You can definitely get by with the colors in the set, but you may want to check the beginners guide and see if you want any other colors.

From some limited experience, you may have had TOO much liquid white on the canvas. Trying using less next time.

To get a clean white color, I find that I have to clean my brushes OFTEN. If my colors start to blend together, I either run the brush on my palette until the brush is clean or use a paper towel to wipe the paint off.

Looks like you "blurred" the clouds out with the "one hair and air"? Might have pushed too hard and blurred all the color together. Also combined with your lavender problem earlier, your white might have taken out all the dark accents. I had a similar problem with my Emerald Water painting background. The shadows are just as important as the light/highlights.

You might need a new fan brush. I just got a new one to test, but I looked for a stiffer bristled brush. The fan brush I was originally using was probably too soft (and originally meant for watercolor/acrylic). https://imgur.com/a/IqxBpt7

Need to load more white paint to get the snow drifts I think. Get that "ridge" of paint on.

Also, in my general experience, something with less colors tend to be harder.

You can always gesso over a canvas to continue practicing, or art stores will carry canvas paper. Basically gesso'd paper. https://www.amazon.com/Strathmore-25-309-Canvas-Paper-Sheets/dp/B0027AGL90

Hope your next painting goes well!

I would keep practicing, because honestly I don't think they are bad for a beginner.
Here's my first painting and the pile of paintings I've done, not including ones I have thrown into the garbage:
http://imgur.com/a/4wNQX

In that process I have learned that I'm not so great at mountains and I like to do wooded/ forest scenes. After doing that many paintings, I am making ones that I am mostly happy with, but they still don't look like Bob's:
http://imgur.com/a/KgY4J

Try to do some different types of paintings like a forest scene, a meadow or a seascape and see how you like those.

If you are still having trouble with things turning to mud, try using less liquid clear/white. If you are still having trouble with things turning to mud, you might not be beating the brushes out well enough.

The brush beater rack was the single best purchase I made since I started painting.

And remember, Bob Ross did over 30.000 paintings over his career, you've only done 2 so don't get discouraged!

Spending a bit of money will fix your problem.

What you need to do is buy this thing. And then put that inside of a small-ish wastebin. Something like this thing.

Then buy a big thing of turpenoid, like this for instance.

Finally you can buy this guy.

Then here's what you do. When you're ready to change paints, wipe your brush as well as you can with a paper towel. Then clean the brush off in the brush cleaning bucket (which has a screen inside of it, it's not just a bucket--very important). Your brush will be mostly soaked through with turnpenoid, and you then beat off the last bits of paint/turpenoid into the wastebin/rack combo you made.

If you spend this money up front, you will have very pleasant painting experience from now on.

Painting can be definitely be messy if you let it be, but a roll of paper towels and a brush beater rack should help you keep the mess to a minimum.

To start, there's always the Happy Little Beginner's Guide. If you still have questions after reading the guide, feel free to post them here.

A Bob Ross starter kit is about £50 with free UK delivery. Not sure how it'll convert if you're not from the UK. Winsor & Newton are a good alternative, if you don't fancy paying more for Bob Ross branding.

Personally, I've spent far more than £50 on this, but that's because I bought 200ml paint tubes, and have been painting a lot, so I've gone through quite a few canvases.

Try these: Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour Paint Starter Set

The Winton oils are a good paint, and with a similar consistency to the Bob Ross oil paints.

For the Bob Ross Magic White medium, just mix a little linseed oil with Titanium White.

I use these paints after I ran out of the ones that came with the master set and have been happy with the quality: https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Winton-Colour-Paint/dp/B002E9GUZ4/

They might not have the exact same consistency as the Bob Ross paints but that hasn't been an issue. And they're a heck of a lot cheaper!

Winton (Windsor and Newton). It's not the fanciest and not the crappiest. Fairly affordable, probably available at your local art supplies store. It seems to last a while, I only bought white in a large tube and have only had to replace 2 colors