good watercolors/oil and charcoal type.

[Vay]

i want to start painting and i can't decide which water color or oil color to pick
but first does anyone know a place with cheaper priced art supplies?
Do different brands have different quality? if so what do you think has the best?

here are some i found for water color/oil color
http://www.amazon.com/Paint-Watercolor-Paints-Brushes-Wood/dp/B0007D63NS
http://www.pearlpaint.com/buy-Gamblin-Deluxe-Oil-Paint-Box-Set_80001_8989_628776.html

And should i buy charcoal pencil or charcoal sticks w/o pencil?

[Bill]

If I were going to start painting I think I'd try acrylics before anything else. A few colors of pro grade tubes wouldn't be to expensive... Liquitex, Winsor & Newton,Golden... Acrylics are best with synthetic brushes which are less expensive than good oil or watercolor brushes. For a painting surface you can use watercolor paper or illustration board though hopefully if you go that route you'll choose a RAG surface. Of course you can use canvas as well. Acrylics thin with water so you won't have to deal with chemicals like turp, and they dry very fast compared to oils.

"Painting" with watercolors is a whole different discussion. Watercolors are their own game compared to oil or acrylic.

Good Luck.

[Aphotic Phoenix]

If you're just starting out nothing really beats the transportability of a little watercolor kit. You can buy a decent one for around $20 online, or make your own with some half-pans glued into an Altoid tin. The advantage of watercolor for beginners is that the paint on your palette can always be re-wetted, and it's so very easy to take just about anywhere. Like all mediums there are disadvantages...the ability to re-wet the paint means that you can accidently lift colors off the painting itself. Watercolor also isn't opaque, which means you can't just paint over a mistake. This requires spending a little extra time planning how to put down your paint...which isn't always a bad thing. Watercolor mistakes are at least easier to correct than ink wash and color pencil mistakes.

[Stoat]

If you're in the States, it's hard to go wrong ordering from Dick Blick.

I second the vote for starting in watercolor. I hated the feel of acrylics, personally, and oil is...well, it takes a lot of gear and money, for one thing.

But Aphotic Phoenix is right -- watercolor isn't very forgiving and wants some discipline and planning (unless you're a brilliant improviser). I also recommend using an illustration board with a bit of tooth rather than cold-pressed watercolor paper and its very heavy texture.

As an aside -- especially in watercolor -- cheap paints and papers are actually easier to work with than the expensive stuff.