Oil Paint

I recommend Windsor and Newton or Gamblin which make high quality paint. If you are looking for a more economical choice that is still relatively good quality, both of these brands offer student grade paint via Winton and Gamblin 1980 respectively. 

Required Tubes – (Pared down palette - bringing more colors from the recommended list will enable you to make more mixes! If you already own oil paints, you may bring what additional colors you have.)  

• Ultramarine Blue 

• Viridian

• Lemon Yellow

• Cad Yellow Medium

• Cad Red Light

• Alizarin Crimson

• Burnt Sienna

• Yellow Ochre

• Titanium White

Recommended Additions 

• Zinc White

• Sap Green

• Dioxazine Purple 

• Naples Yellow

• Burnt Umber

• Phthalo Blue 

• Cerulean

• Quinacridone Magenta

Painting Surfaces 

• 3 sheets of gessoed watercolor paper or oil paper (surfaces for experimenting/planning, potentially more sheets if you want to do all paintings on paper)

• 2 other painting surfaces for contrasting texture (I recommend one canvas and one piece of gessoed Masonite/panel)

Size for these surfaces – 9x12 or 11x14 is good size

Palette 

You have the option of working on either a glass palette or using disposable paper palettes. Glass is better so if you already have one bring that, but if not you can use palette paper.  

• Glass Palette 

  • Any piece of glass will suffice 16x20 inch is a good size (will fit in locker) (Home Depot)

  • Piece of white foam core to support palette (Michaels) or purple foam (Home Depot) that you tape glass to with duct tape 

• Or Palette Paper

Brushes & Knives

For oil painting it is best to use a firm brush, either with natural or synthetic bristles. It is good to have a variety of brush types and sizes. If selecting brushes individually, below is a good starting set of what to get. Long handle is preferred for oil painting. 

•  #12 Flat

• #2,6 and 8 Filbert

• #8 Bright

• #4,6 Round

Or you can look for packs that have a variety. Princeton usually has somewhat economical choices that are good quality. Some of their lines that are for oil painting are linked below. Sometimes I prefer to go to physically go to the store to purchase brushes so that I can feel how firm they are and see the size in person. Getting some firm brushes is important for mark making, and varied sizes!

• Princeton Aspen Series 6500 Synthetic Brushes and Sets

• Princeton Dakota Series 6300 Firm Synthetic Hair Brushes and Set

• Princeton Ashley Series 5200 Natural Bristle Brushes

• Princeton Real Value Series 9100 Synthetic White Taklon Brush Set

Your palette knife will be used to mix paint and at times apply it in a precise way. You need at least one, but I’d encourage you to purchase 2-3 to experiment if possible. Please purchase the flexible type from Blick (not Amazon), we will be using them for direct application on your paintings. 

• Good starting size: Blick Painting Knife - Medium Long Trowel, 13

• A good set of 3 – Palette Knives

Medium & Solvent

• Mediums 

  • a thinner medium such as 50:50 Stand Oil & Gamsol (can make in class if you bring stand oil), or Galkyd Lite

  • a thicker medium such as Galkyd Gel (for creating impasto)

• Gamsol for cleaning brushes and making medium (500 ml)

• Jar to store Gamsol

  • Silicoil Jar is nice because spring allows you to clean brushes against it

  • Or you can use a clean glass jar with a tight lid (like a salsa jar) – it can be helpful to put some rocks in the bottom

• Another jar for the medium (about a 6-8 oz jar is fine)

  • Utrecht makes solid quality and more economical. This bottle is larger than you need, so it could easily be shared with another student or two.

• Palette Cup for holding medium (or a tiny jar/lid that you already have)

Other Supplies

• Artists Tape – color doesn’t matter but 1” good

• Brush Soap 

  • The Master’s Brush Cleaner is my preferred choice to preserve brushes

  • Dish soap works fine too 

• Pencil/eraser/notebook for drafting ideas

• 1 roll paper towels

• Saran wrap (good for saving paint on the palette, could be shared between students)

• Apron or gloves (optional)