EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 1

Abstract

“This quantitative research determines the significance of the quality/ degree of

effectiveness of the art materials used by Arts and Design students of Baguio City

National High School and artists of Baguio City to the art material’s price, whether

cheap or expensive. Results reveal that most students use cheap/student grade art brands

(art materials: paint, paper and brush in making their artworks). Some artists also use

cheap art materials but most of them prefer using artist grade materials. These brands

are not just chosen because of its affordability but also of its quality. The results also

don’t imply that expensive materials have low quality/ standard and are not preferred by

students and artists, but due to its expensive prices.”

Keywords: cheap and expensive art materials, quality of art materials

EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 2

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Art materials are important when doing a painting. Selecting art materials like

paints, paintbrushes and papers are very important because not every material has the

same quality. Just like Gokey (2018) said, quality matters. Most of the artists use

materials that have quality. The tools and supplies they will use, contribute to their level

of success (Vanilla Art, 2015). It is not about how much someone has but the quality

matters. As Scratch Made (2019) said, focus on quality, not quantity. The price would not

matter as long as the art materials give the satisfaction what the artist needs. Most of the

artists use materials that have quality. The latest study of Heritage (2016) proves that the

quality of materials is important to have quality results.

However, in the other side, most of the student artists are unaware about

what ingredients they use in making their artworks. Since they are just starting to

know what kind of art materials they supposed to use. They think that it can be

anything as long as it can be used or works and it does not exceed to their budget . If

a cheap art material work just fine, they will not bother to buy an expensive one .

Instead of spending extra money for expensive materials like papers and paints, they will

just buy cheaper materials. It’s good to save money when you can but using inferior

quality in your art mediums can produce disappointing results (Artist Network, 2019).

The students often wonder if they should purchase student grade paints because of their

inexperience. When students think, “I’m a student, so I’ll use student grade paint”, the

result is a student grade painting. This thought process prevents students from pushing

their work to a higher standard and sets a downward cycle. Students should, instead, be
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 3

thinking that because they want to be a professional, they need to use artist materials that

will help them get there. .Investing in the proper artist materials will ensure this does not

happen.But what if the art materials are too expensive or too cheap? Is it worth it to buy

those?

Most of the artists do not know whether to choose the cheap or the expensive art

materials because they do not know if it would be worth it to buy those materials. There

are artists that end up buying the cheap art materials but the quality was too low. Artist

Network (2019) said, cheaper paints will have less pigments in them and more fluid in

their base, specially the acrylics. Some have a high degree of polymer binder and less

pigment, making it somewhat transparent or dull in buying art materials it is fine to cut

costs on supplemental but do not go cheap on the mediums because these lesser, have less

pigment in them (Artist Network, 2019).

There are also artists that bought expensive art materials and they have good

quality but they were too expensive. The thing is in doing an artwork, artist need good or

high quality art materials for their artwork to last longer. According to the study of Elmo

(2019), one would require quality materials if they would sell their original works or do

commissions. Student grade materials (cheap or affordable materials) are just not for the

job because nobody wants to see faded paintings after just for a year.In order to decide

what grade or quality you would prefer, you must first consider the art materials to be

used and what categories they are into:

The art materials are divided into three categories: Scholastic, student grade and

artist grade.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 4

First is the scholastic. These are the art materials for young children to use and

this is where your Crayola is at.Second is the Student Grade. These are the art supplies

many people start off with. There is a great difference in price between this grade and to

the Artist Grade due to the materials used in manufacturing them. You can use these

supplies for learning and experimenting. Student Grade art supplies are often made of

imitation pigments and contain more binder than actual pigment. This often results in dull

looking colors when compared to Artist Grade and is usually not archival qualities

(Archival quality is when a product is able to withstand the test of time without fading).

The advantage to this grade however, is that it’s very affordable (Vermillion,2016).

Student grade paints, pencils, and markers suffer from low pigment load. That’s

why most of their artworks didn’t last long. Pigments are the expensive part of the

recipe, so if the manufacturer can sneak in some extra filler at the factory, they can

retail the product for less (Vanilla Arts Co., 2019). Student grades or bargain brands

often will have less pigment in and has more fluid in their base, especially in acrylics.

High degree of polymer binder and less pigment makes them somewhat transparent or

dull (Artist Network, 2019).

Lastly, the Artist Grade, the most expensive. These products are made to last for a

long time, are much pigmented, and are made with very high quality materials and less

binder. You have a lot more colors to work with and the color will not fade as much

hence resulting in more vibrant finished products (Vermillion, 2016). Scratchmade

Journal(2016), top quality art supplies are commonly referred to as “artist grade,” are

even more important for the beginner than for the expert Artist grade supplies meet a

rigid standard either pigment load, durability, blend ability, or some other magical
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 5

quality, because they also want a quality output. Knowing the three categories of art

materials would take us one step closer in understanding the differences of each. Next is

to know which painting material is to be considered and to be used accordingly.

First to be considered in selecting materials is the paint. Paint is a colored

substance which is spread over a surface and dries to leave a thin decorative or protection

coating (Oxford Dictionary, 2019). There are different kinds of paints and one is

watercolor. Watercolors are produced in tubes, pans, and half-pans. Pans are the most

popular choice among the types of painting. Tube colors enable you to make strong,

bright colors and mix up a lot of paint quickly while pans control the paint neatly so that

colors don't run into one another (Harrison, 2008). In making art paints, one of the prime

objectives is to ensure that the paint remains bonded to its substrate and that it retains its

essential properties for as long as possible (Classic Shades Painting Co.,2019). Jennings

(2014) stated that different brands of paint usually differ to one another in terms of its

formulation. Also, artist should understand first that what makes up a good paint will help

the building owner make an informed decision as to which paint is best for the job.

Buying cheap paint means using more of it. While low-quality paint can save you some

money at first, you will find that the formula requires more than one or two coats of

paint. This means you will need to purchase more cans of paint for your painting project

which isn’t such a good deal after all (Sharper Impression Painting Co., 2019). On the

other hand, the lesser cost, lower quality paint may not be a bargain at all, particularly if

its service life is much less that of a higher quality and more expensive paint (Classic

Shades Painting Co.,2019). Choosing good quality paint has advantages over buying the

cheapest paint when painting a room. Good paint goes on faster and easier and has good
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 6

hiding qualities to cover up imperfections on the wall. Buying a better paint also means

not having to put on extra coats of paint because the better paints provide better

"coverage" than cheaper and thinner paints which will require more coats of paint to

achieve a good surface. (Cole,2019).“Whichever types you decide on, do make sure that

you buy the best-quality paints, known as "artist's" colors. Most manufacturers produce

inexpensive ranges, sometime called "student's" colors and sometimes given a name

coined by the particular manufacturer” (Harrison, 2008). Artists believe that art materials

that have higher quality paint will typically cost more. But there are some affordable

brands of paint that offer a good quality results without scraping the budget of students

and beginners. It may have a good quality but it does not give the same quality as the

artist quality. “Most of the brands that belong to student-quality do not behave as how

professional-quality paint does; especially on beginners, it may make the learning process

more difficult when aiming to use a finer-quality paint” (Edwards, 2019).

Second is the paintbrush. There are different kinds of paintbrushes that is used in

painting. In the latest study of Janeway (2018), he explained that high-quality brushes can

hold more paint; and are easier to clean. Also, there are different brand of paintbrushes

but Harrison (2008) said that sables are the best brushes for watercolor work, but they are

not recommended as part of a starter kit because they are too expensive, at least in the

larger sizes. There are now synthetic brushes, as well as sable and synthetic mixtures. But

the mostly used versatile brushes are the flat and the round brush. Flat brush comes with

a wide bristles, preferred in painting thick brands and large-scale paintings, while round

brushes has soft pointed bristles that produces fine and thick strokes (Swimm, 2012).
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 7

Third to be considered is the paper. Paper that would be used in the painting has a

great role. McArdle (2019) explains that watercolor paper can have a huge bearing on the

quality of your output; paper makes difference. A good quality watercolor paper is

needed for professional looking outcomes. There are many good supplies of art materials

in most art supply store and new products are continually being released, giving a wide

range of effects that give your painting a new and unique look. Choosing what type or

brand of watercolor paper depends on the artist; as there are types of watercolor paper

according to its texture and thickness. Learning to distinguish what specific materials you

need for your artwork style will offer you a great advantage that will make your learning

process more enjoyable. In creating watercolor painting, watercolors, paper, and

paintbrushes are the materials needed. Watercolors are paints made from pigments

dissolved in water. They are much lighter than oil paints. Watercolors fade more easily

than other types of paint. They are painted into a kind of paper which lets the color sink

in. Also, it is "one of the oldest media known, it having been used in classical times as

well as during the Merovigian period and the end of medieval era in Europe" (Tan, 1992).

Many artists say that it is a particularly difficult medium to use. Due to this, it began to

decline in use and European painters switched into fresco painting. Tan (1992) defined

fresco painting as the “application of colored pigments on a fresh or wet surface".

According to Harrison (2008), “producing a good painting is never easy, whatever

medium you use, but, once you have found your own way of working, the difficulties will

be minimized.”

Most watercolor paintings are done on a white paper. The types of watercolor paper

varies depending on the method of production. There are affordable machine-made and
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 8

expensive handmade papers. Harrison (2008) said that machine-made papers are

classified into three: rough, medium rough and smooth while handmade papers vary on

texture and not always easy to handle. The character of the paper determines or affects

the final painting. “If the surface of the paper is heavy and absorbent, the effect is a soft,

rich, and broad quality but if the surface is smooth, thin and closely woven, then it

produces delicacy of form and precision of detail” (Tan, 1992). “The thicker the paper the

more it costs, but very thin paper must be stretched first” (Harrison, 2008). The quality of

the paper is important because when it has a good quality, the span time of painting to

look good would be longer. As Sofie does Art (2017) said that paper should always be

acid-free to have a best result in keeping the artwork look good for a long time.

The quality of art materials (paints, paintbrushes and papers) can help greatly in

progress as a painter. The paint has two kinds. First is the Artists’ quality (professional)

and second is the students’ quality. The students’ qualities are cheaper but the tradeoff is

a smaller selection, lower pigment levels and the possible inclusion of fillers which may

weaken the color strength (McArdle, 2018). If you're looking to buy artists' quality

paints, you'll notice that some colors are much more expensive than others. The paint

pigments can be expensive and change in cost. Manufacturers group colors into various

price bands depending on the amount of the raw material and what the raw material is.

(Will, 2011). It is not complete if paint doesn’t have a paintbrush because it is a

significant element in watercolor painting. In choosing paintbrushes there are things that

you need to consider like in price. There are pricey paint brush that can still save money

and time in the long run. According to Home Dzine (2019), High quality or more

expensive brushes have distinct advantages over the cheaper ones. This is because a top-
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 9

quality brush has the ability to "hold" more paint in reservoir, which means you will

spend less time painting the canvas than applying the paint to the surface. Considering

the budget of the artist, choosing the best quality that can be afford is the best option as

cheap brushes produces different outcome and wearability compared to higher quality

brushes.(Jennings,2014).

According to McArdle (2019), there is a certain paper that is used in painting: two main

grades in watercolor paper. First is the Artists' quality, sometimes known as archival

paper, is acid-free and designed to endure. Seconds is the students’ quality. Papers

that aren't acid-free will become yellow and brittle over time. If you're a beginner or

just practicing, students’ quality is fine but the paint won't perform as well and

don't expect your painting to stand up to the test of time. Artists’ quality canvas will

be double primed (or even triple primed) with archival gesso and be of a heavier weight,

therefore offering a tight canvas for application of acrylics or oils. Tight canvas is a joy to

work on and remains tight even in high humidity. Guess what student quality canvas is

primed with? Housepaint. Chalky and chemical laden are not a great ground for your oils

or acrylics (Mia, 2019). As stated by Blake (1997), No two brands of paper behave in

exactly the same way.

Brushes, paints and canvas when choosing these art materials people tend to

choose quality or price. That said, if you’re not a professional you should think twice

before selling out for the expensive stuff. At the same time, getting the absolute cheapest

materials may make the experience of painting or drawing so unbearably cut costs on

supplemental items, but do not go cheap on the mediums (Hemmand, 2019). It is

EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 10

frustrating that people put themselves off from thinking of what to choose. So it’s best to

know already of what price of art materials to use than being sorry at the end.

Statement of the Problem

The researchers aimed to know the effectiveness of cheaper or expensive art materials

used by the Visual Arts students from Grade 11 & 12 of Arts and Design of Baguio City

National High School and the different artists of Baguio City. In order to perceive a better

knowledge and understanding on the situation, the researchers formulated specific

questions to further acquire information:

1.) What brand of paint, paper, and paint brush are used by the artists in their

painting?

2.) What is the degree of effectiveness of each brand as to:

a.) wearability

b.) durability

c.) aesthetic

Significance of the Study

The study was significant to the Visual Arts students from Grade 11 & 12 of Arts

and Design of Baguio City National High School and the different artists of Baguio City.

The study will be a huge help not only for the students, but also for those who are

planning to buy art materials. This will be a guide for them whether to buy expensive or

cheap materials in doing or enhancing their artworks. Basically, this would enable them
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 11

to choose wisely on what kind of art materials they will be using on their present or

future artworks.

Scope and Delimitation

The study involved selected Visual Arts students from Grade 11 & 12 of Arts and

Design of Baguio City National High School and the different artists of Baguio City,

considering their skills and experiences. Survey questionnaire will be used in data

gathering. In order to create questions for the students, the researchers will make an

initial survey on the art materials that are used by the students. The study will only focus

on the basic materials used in making paintings, this includes paint, brush and paper;

wherein selected brands of materials will be named basing from the result of the initial

survey that will be conducted by the researchers.

Conceptual Framework

The figure below illustrates the conceptual framework of this research. The figure

shows that this research seeks to find out the effectiveness of cheaper or expensive art

materials used by the artists of Baguio city to the quality of their artwork.

Input Process Output

-The brand of art -Survey -Faber Castell, Canson,

materials used by the Questionnaire Prang, Berkeley, Joy,
students in their painting. Mont Marte
-Interpretative
-The degree of analysis -The more expensive the
effectiveness of the art art materials are, the
-Statistical
materials as to durability, higher the quality of it.
Analysis
aesthetic and wearability. Then the cheaper the art
materials are, the lower
the quality is.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 12

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The researchers used descriptive design since it aims to describe the effectiveness

of cheaper or expensive art materials used by the Visual Arts students from Grade 11 &

12 of Arts and Design of Baguio City National High School and the different artists of

Baguio City. According to Calderon (2008), descriptive method is also known as

statistical research; it describes data and characteristics about the population being

studied. The method is used for frequencies, averages and other statistical calculations.

Conducting a survey investigation is often the preferred approach prior to writing

descriptive research. The characteristics of this method will be used as tool to determine

the effectiveness of the art materials used by Arts and Design students and artists of

Baguio City. This method will be used to gather information in order to test the research

questions that are formulated.

Sampling and Locale of the Study

Non-probability sampling was used in the study. The respondents in the study

had purposively selected grade 11 and 12 students of Baguio City National High School-

Senior High School and artists of Baguio City. The number of the respondents from

Baguio City National High School- Senior High School was composed of 21 visual

students of Grades 11 and 12 of the Arts and Design Track, while the respondents from

The Pasa-kalye group of artists and Tam-awan Village was also composed of 21 artists.

The researchers used ranking questionnaire to obtain the answer of the respondents. The
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 13

students and artists are purposively selected as they must have view about the art

materials used in making paintings.

According to Crossman (2019), purposive sampling or can be also termed as

subjective sampling, is a non-probability sampling technique that is selected based on

characteristics of a population and the objective of the study.

Data Gathering Tool and Collection Procedure

The researchers utilized survey questionnaire to gather the information needed in

the study. The survey was conducted by the researchers; it was validated by three

teachers of Baguio City National High School-Senior High School, including the research

adviser. After the validation of the questionnaire, it was pilot-tested to 20 students from

Special Program in Arts (SPA). These students were chosen since they were not included

as target participants in the study. The data that have been gathered during pilot-testing

was analyzed.

Before administering the survey questionnaires to the respondents, permission to

the assistant school principal was sought first through a letter of permission. After the

permission was granted, the researchers started to gather data upon approval. The

respondents have been oriented about the objectives of the study and their rights to

withdraw; it was to reassure respondents that their participation in the research is

voluntary and that they were free to withdraw from it at any point and for any reason.

After that, the researchers gave the research questionnaire to the chosen respondents and

guided them in answering the questionnaire.

EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 14

During the recruitment of the data, the respondents were observed to ensure the

anonymity of the respondents and for their confidentiality. The data that have been

gathered from them was only been used in the study.

Data Analysis

The data that was collected have been organized into table and categories; and

were subjected to statistical analysis. Statistical data analysis is the process of performing

various statistical operations wherein it seeks to quantify the data, and typically, applies

forms of statistical analysis. Quantitative data involves descriptive data, like survey data

and observational data (Statistics Solutions, 2019). The students’ responses to the

questions were used to answer the questions 1 and 2. Moreover, statistical analysis gives

the ability to researchers to structure the quantitative data collected in a way that satisfies

the accomplishment of research objectives.

Definition of Terms

Aesthetic - concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.

Art - the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination,

typically visual form.

Artist Quality - highest pigment concentrations, varied price range, widest choice

of color, limited color shift over time.

Brush - an implement with a handle, consisting of bristles, hair, or wire set into a

block, used in painting.

EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 15

Canvas - a specially prepared piece of cloth on which a picture can be painted by

an artist.

Durability - staying strong and in good condition over a long period of time.

Painting - a picture that is painted, a picture made by putting paint on a canvas,

board, etc.

Paint - a liquid that dries to form a thin colored layer when it is spread on a

surface.

Paper - the material that is used in the form of thin sheets for writing or printing

on, wrapping things, etc.

Pigments - a substance that imparts black or white or a color to other materials; a

powdered substance that is mixed with a liquid in which it is relatively insoluble

and used especially to impart color to coating materials (such as paints) or to inks,

plastics, and rubber.

Price - the amount of money that you pay for something or that something costs.

Wearability - capable of being worn; suitable to wear.

Student Quality - less paint coverage, affordable price range, greater color shift

that artist paints, good choice for large scale, painting and under painting.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 16

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter presents the analysis of the data gathered regarding the study tables

were used to present the summary of the results.

Scale of quality of the paint used by the students and artists in their painting

Table 1.0 shows that out of 42 artists of Baguio City, Faber Castell was ranked as

the most used brand of paint while HBW, Grumbacher and Simballion were the lowest.

The table shows the overall computation of the quality of the materials as to

wearability, durability and aesthetic. As computed, the brand that has the highest mean is

Mont Marte. It has a mean of 3.84 and it is very effective while Faber Castell; as the most

used brand was very effective as it has a mean of 3.64. The brand that has the lowest

mean is the Grumbacher. It has the mean of 2.9 and it is least effective.

Table 1.0
Scale of quality of the paint used by the artists of Baguio City in their painting

Paint (N) Mean Description

Prang 11 3.72 Very Effective
Sakura 16 3.8 Very Effective
Faber Castell 27 3.64 Very Effective
Rembrandt 8 3.5 Very Effective
HBW 9 3.13 Effective
Grumbatcher 7 2.9 Effective
Simballion 5 2.92 Effective
Mont Marte 6 3.84 Very Effective
Legend
1.00-1.74- not effective
1.75-2.49- least effective
2.50-3.24-effective
3.25-4.0- very effective

(N) - Number of respondents (Artists of Baguio City) who uses the brand in making their paintings.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 17

The result implies that the most chosen brand was Faber Castell. Also, Faber

Castell which students and artists were using in making their painting only costs 213

pesos. Despite of having a low price, it has a high coverage capacity which can be mixed

perfectly and suitable for all techniques in making a painting (Faber-Castell, 2019). As

Diana (2019) said, the colors are bright and saturated, and you don't need to rub them

forever to get enough color on your brush and this paint is also able to get nice colors

without needing much technique unlike other paints whose colors look too faint if you

don't do it right. But the least chosen by the in brands of paint are Simballion,

Grumbatcher and HBW. Even though Simballion and Grumbatcher are high quality paint

and absolutely very fluid and it can be squeeze like syrup into palette or pan, it has a high

price which students can’t afford to buy. Students’ choice of buying materials depends on

their budget and their artistic aims (Art is Fun, 2019). HBW is one of the least chosen by

the artist because it has a low quality even though that it is effective and cheap.

Scale of quality of the paper used by the students and artists in their painting

Table 2.0 shows that Berkeley and Fabriano are the papers ranked with the

highest quality and are the most used materials by the respondents in making their

paintings. Mont Marte, however has the highest mean but is the least used paper by the

respondents.

The tables show the overall computation of the quality of the materials as to

wearability, durability and aesthetic. As computed, the brand that has the highest mean is

Mont Marte. It has a mean of 4 and it is very effective but the least used paper of the

respondents. While Canson topped as the most used brand of the respondents which is
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 18

effective in quality. The brand that has the lowest mean is the Britannia. It has the mean

of 2.84 and it is effective.

Table 2.0
Scale of quality of the paper used by the artists of Baguio City in their painting
Paper (N) Mean Description
Canson 22 3.23 Effective
Berkeley 19 3.7 Very Effective
Strathmore 3 3.09 Effective
Fabriano 13 3.7 Very Effective
Mont Marte 4 4 Very Effective
Britannia 2 2.84 Effective
Allegretto 6 3.22 Effective
HBW 5 3.12 Effective
Legend
1.00-1.74- not effective
1.75-2.49- least effective
2.50-3.24-effective
3.25-4.0- very effective

(N) - Number of respondents (Artists of Baguio City) who uses the brand in making their paintings.

From the tables above, it shows that most of the respondents chose Berkeley and

Canson as shown in Table 2.0. Many students chose Berkeley because it is very effective

in terms of its quality and it only costs around 150 pesos. Gouache (2016) said, it is a nice

texture, and will allow you to use watercolor techniques like dry-brushing that works on

standard watercolor paper. Having a standard for doing your artwork could help you to

choose your art materials.

According to Pexer (2010), it's good because it holds up plenty of water and is

great for wet-on-wet painting. Also the respondents use Canson since it is cheap and can

hold the paint. Mont Marte, Strathmore and Britannia have the least count of respondents

used paper in their painting. Three respondents chose Strathmore but it has a very low

mean but still it is effective. For Britannia, it has a low mean and it is too expensive for

student to buy.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 19

Scale of quality of the brush used by the students and artists in their painting

Table 3.0 shows the frequency and percentage of the brands of brush that is most

used by the respondents. Wherein, Faber Castell is the highest as their most used brand of

brush in making their paintings. While, Zig was the least used.

The table shows the overall computation of the wearability, durability and

aesthetic and called it the quality. As computed, the brand used by the students that has

the highest mean is Royal, it has a mean of 3.7 and the brand used by the artist that has

the lowest mean is Zig, it has a mean of 2. However, Faber Castell topped as the most

used brand of brush by the respondents; it has a mean of 3.64 which is very effective,

second to the most used and very effective quality of brush.

Table 3.0
Scale of quality of the brush used by the students in their painting
Brush (N) Mean Description
Zig 1 2 Not Effective
Royal 12 3.7 Very Effective
Joy 10 3.14 Effective
Mont Marte 7 3.25 Very Effective
Best Buy 11 3.13 Effective
Faber Castell 29 3.64 Very Effective
HBW 5 2.46 Least Effective
Sakura 15 3.08 Effective
Legend
1.00-1.74- not effective
1.75-2.49- least effective
2.50-3.24-effective
3.25-4.0- very effective

(N) - Number of respondents (Artists of Baguio City) who uses the brand in making their paintings.

As an artist paintbrush will be your magic wand for weaving colors across the

canvas. Base on the table given, the respondents preferred the cheap brush materials over

the expensive one. In the latest study of McArdle (2019) choosing the paintbrush depend

on your personal artistic needs, it doesn’t need to buy expensive ones. The comment
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 20

reviews given by some customers are only some evidence that being a cheap material

doesn’t mean having cheap standards. And even expensive materials are shown to be at

the bottom, they still prove that their standards are to be matched with their expensive

price. John (2019) stated that, the best paint brush for one project might not be ideal for

another. Preferring cheap materials doesn’t mean that the respondents dislike the quality

of the expensive materials, it’s just that their being expensive. In case of all the aspects of

the brush, Faber castell has shown an outstanding response from the respondents with the

remark of being very effective. The least chosen brands of brush are HBW and Zig. The

HBW is least chosen because it has low a quality even though that it is cheap. For Zig

even that it has a high mean. The artists didn’t choose it because of its availability. There

are no much of Zig brush here in Baguio.

EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 21

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

The brands of paint that are mostly used by the respondents in their painting are

Faber Castell, 27 chose this brand. In the brands of paper, Canson have been chosen as

the most used brand as their art material in their painting getting the number of 22

respondents. Most artists chose Faber Castell in the brand of brushes, with the total

number of 29 out of 42 respondents.

There are different brands of art materials and each has their own quality and

prices. The researchers have gathered data from the respondents for them to have

information and to know the effectiveness of cheap and expensive materials used by the

students in their painting. There are many brands of paints, papers and brushes but the

researchers just selected few of the brands. The researchers already computed the overall

quality of the materials, comprising the wearability, durability and aesthetic. In the paints,

Prang (3.72), Sakura (3.8), Faber Castell (3.65), Rembrandt (3.5), HBW (3.13),

Grumbatcher (2.86), Simballion (2.92) and Mont Marte (3.84) are very effective. The

Faber Castell is the brand of paint that is most effective. In papers, there are Canson

(3.23), Berkeley (3.70), Strathmore (3.09), Fabriano (3.69), Mont Marte (4), Britannia

(2.84), Allegretto (3.22), and HBW (3.12) are very effective. Mont Marte is the most

effective. In brushes, the brands are all very effective. They are Zig (2), Royal (3.70), Joy

(3.14), Mont Marte (3.25), Best Buy (3.13), Faber Castell (3.64), HBW (2.46) and Sakura

(3.08).
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 22

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results, the following are drawn.

1. The researchers conclude that the price of the art materials doesn’t define their quality.

2. Students consider their budget in choosing art materials in making their painting.

3. Students and artists mostly chose the Faber Castell due to its quality and affordability.

4. Choosing art materials depend on their personal artistic need.

5. Students don’t need to buy expensive materials as long as its quality is fine.

6. Most artists chose expensive art materials since they are particular on the quality of

their artwork.

7. Most student artists use cheap art materials while also considering the quality.

8. Respondents chose cheaper paintbrushes because these can also hold paints and can

match the quality of artist grade brushes.

RECOMMENDATION

1. The student should consider the quality of their art materials and not just depending on

the price of the materials.

2. Students must check first the price and test if it is worth to use in doing a painting.

3. Students could check the reviews in the internet to have a reference about the art

materials that they are going to buy.

4. The students could ask other people that have already used the art materials of how the

quality of them.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 23

5. Students should test the art materials for themselves because every artist has different

perspective on how they use their art materials.

6. The researchers would like to recommend searching more and investigating deeper

about this topic to fully understand the effectiveness of cheap and expensive art materials.

They also want the next researchers to study how do companies price their art materials.

7. As a veteran material user, professional artist should give advice to those students who

need help in choosing their own materials.

8. If the students have their budgets, they should be wise on spending it to buy materials.

9. Students must observe on what materials are worth to buy with reasonable prices.

10. As a professional artist once said, the brush doesn’t really matter, as long as it can

still hold of paint, then it is still usable. But what really matters is on choosing the brand

of paint materials, unlike the brush that is just used to be able to use paint, the colors of

these products matters.

EFFECTIVENESS OF CHEAPER OR EXPENSIVE ART MATERIALS 24

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