The best acrylic paint sets

A closer look: Squeeze out a little at a time from the flip-top bottles onto an old plate, since quick-drying acrylic skins over fast. Rinse brushes before a break rather than after, as dried acrylic won’t wash out. For painted pebbles, scrub and dry the stones first, and add a coat of clear varnish if they’re going out in the garden.

A closer look: Rather than a box of ready-made shades, the ten tubes form a proper mixing palette: one yellow, a warm and a cool red, a blue, a green, three earth colours, black and white. The buttery paint holds brush marks and dries to a satin finish, and it sits happily alongside artist-grade tubes if they move up later.

A closer look: Small 12ml tubes mean white is always the first to run out, so a larger tube of white alongside makes the set last far longer. The paints meet the EN71-3 toy-safety standard, a comfortable choice for painting sessions with older children, and they take to cardboard, fabric and MDF as well as canvas.

A closer look: The sturdy box it arrives in keeps the tubes organised between sessions, which beats rummaging through a drawer for the right blue. Wipe the threads before screwing each cap back on, or dried paint can glue it shut. Worth knowing: this is regular indoor acrylic, so painted rocks or pots heading for the garden need a weatherproof varnish on top.

A closer look: Fan, filbert, liner, angled and flat brushes let a beginner try foliage, fine lines and crisp edges without buying extras. The tubes hold 12ml each, fine for small canvases and crafts, though anyone planning big pieces will want larger tubes of their favourite colours. Everything cleans up with soap and water, as long as it’s done straight after painting.