WATERCOLOR
I like M Graham for in-studio use and Rembrandt for squeezing into pans. Colors Used:
- Dioxazine Violet
- Benzimidazolone Yellow OR New Gamboge, OR Nickel Azo Yellow
- Pthalo Green Blue Shade
- Pyrrol Scarlet OR Pyrrol Orange OR Benzimidazolone Orange
- Quinacridone Magenta
PAPER AND SUPPORTS
- For warmup and lesson one I will be working on Arches 140 cotton cold press, cut to 5x7 inches. Fabriano, Saunders, Blick, Kilimanjaro, Baohong, Fluid 100 - any cotton 140 pound cold pressed paper will work for the watercolor portion of this class. Feel free to continue on a larger cotton paper if you want to use watercolor and then gouache or acrylic on top for your final.
- For the second lesson, work in your sketchbook/journal, provided the paper can handle a little wet paint, or use dry media if you prefer. Also have some cheap and large sheets of scratch paper to practice 2 point perspective on.
- For the final project, you can use your cotton paper, or a canvas, or canvas panel (I use canvas panel) or you can use a painting pad - Canson XL and Strathmore make painting papers which are great for practice. I use a 16x20 inch canvas panel for the demo. 16x20 is a great size.
OPAQUE STUDY PAINT
- For study, you can use gouache or craft/student acrylic in black, white, and a warm and cool color. Gray is optional but nice. I used Black, Gray, White, Lemon yellow, Ultramarine Blue, and Napthol Red from Liquitex Basics. This is an excellent study palette for learning mixing and adjusting, and almost all manufacturers will provide these colors in their student and artist paints, whether your set is large like my set of 48 or you get the colors individually.
SKETCHING MATERIAL
- Pencil
- An alternative color or two of pencil for clarity Straightedge / Ruler/ Yardstick
- Light Hold Masking Tape
PAINTS FOR FINAL (OPTIONAL)
Use your study paints if you want, but if you would like to use the same paint colors I did, any artist grade acrylics will have these colors available:
- Lemon Yellow OR Cadmium light hue OR Cadmium free Yellow light OR Cadmium yellow light
- Pyrrol Orange OR Vat orange OR Cadmium Orange OR Perinone Orange OR Vermillion Hue
- Pthalo Blue (Green or red shade are both fine)
- Pthalo Green Blue Shade
- Quinacridone Magenta
- Titanium White
This group is an amazingly vibrant and flexible mixing palette, you won't regret any color on it and you will be able to mix almost anything. I like Liquitex, Golden, and Amsterdam Expert equally.
You can also use gouache on paper instead of acrylic, the same colors will be available.
BRUSHES
WATERCOLOR BRUSHES:
- size 6 or 8 faux squirrel like Trekell Onyx or Princeton Neptune
- Size 4 or 6 faux sable like Trekell Protege or Princeton Aqua Elite or 4050
- Size 2 inexpensive synthetic round detail brush, short bristles ideal I used
- Creative Mark Mimik faux squirrel
- Don't use these with your acrylic paints and they will last.
ACRYLIC BRUSHES:
Use what you have/like - a good setup is:
- 1/2 inch flat
- 6 Flat
- 4 round Rigger/liner/detail
Royal Langnickel brushes are great for acrylic - available, cheaper, nice enough, and reliable.
EXTRAS
- Paper Towels (so important)
- Nitrile/rubber gloves if you like to paint dirty Water/Water containers
- Craft Knife/Utility Knife Light Masking Tape
- Photo Reference Printouts Easel/table easel/ board (optional)
- 220 grit sandpaper (if you have stray pencil marks on your paper you want to get rid of)
MIXED MEDIA
- Watercolor pencils to coordinate with your art. Greens Browns Reds if you are doing the leaf image as I am.
- I pulled from my set of Water Soluble colored pencils by Lyra (Rembrandt) and an old set of Derwent Watercolor Pencils.
- I like the Derwent, though many folks find them too chalky.
- Colored pencil, pen, ink, or pastel pencil can also work - use what you like best.
