There are artists of different nature in this world. Some like to work with a specific medium of art paint and others like to work with a combination of mediums. Every painting is a master piece in itself so there is no need to judge any artist on behalf of his or her painting. If you are an artist then first thing you need to know is that which medium and paint type you are comfortable with and then you should start with that one. There is no need to master all the types of paints, you should pick one and then do your best in that. After knowing about most of the ways to use that one medium, you can then start using others too. There are basically five types of paints out of which you can start with one.
Acrylic: First one to discuss here is the acrylic type. This is an easy to use medium and you can use brush, stain or you can also us it with the combination of water to so a variety of different things from your paints. They are smooth to use as compared to some other types and they are also easy to handle as compared to water color and oil color. The have a good pigmentation and also are quick to dry.
Oil: They are very durable and you can easily use them with other mediums. They are a bit tricky to handle at the start but once you get to know you can do wonders with this type. They take a longer time to dry up so the artist can work easily without getting rush to finish his work.
Water color: Normally these are available in solid or powder form and you have to mix them well with water to make them workable. They are translucent which means you have to use several layers if you want really strong color in your painting or you have to use less water otherwise your painting will go runny and ruin your imagination.
Gauche: This is an amazing kind of paint which is water soluble and gives stronger pigment than the traditional water colors. You can easily use them as they will take longer to dry up and give you the freedom to work for hours and to make changes even after days.
