Supply list for Paint and Picnic Workshop

Thanks for signing up for my floral painting workshop. I will be teaching the class in oil, but you are welcome to bring and work in any painting medium. The focus of the workshop will be approaching floral still life painting. I’ll demonstrate composition strategies, scaling the subject to your canvas or paper, putting down first marks to provide an architecture, blocking in your subject, and refining your painting. All levels are welcome. The goal is to learn, have fun, and paint together while enjoying the nice weather.

Supply List for Oil painters

For those of you new to oil painting, I’m excited to introduce you to this luscious, messy, and very forgiving medium. It does require some preparation and specific materials, so I’ve put together the following oil painting supply list and also indicated where you have flexibility. I will have back-up supplies if you are unable to find something.

Oil paints - A selection of professional (artist) grade oil paints by Gamblin, Windsor & Newton, or any other reputable brand. If the cost is prohibitive, you can purchase student-grade paints, but they contain more fillers and less pigment, resulting in quite a different mixing experience. To really get the feel of the paint, the better grade is helpful.

  • A warm red (cadmium red light)

  • A cool red (alizarin crimson, rose madder, or quinacridone magenta)

  • A warm yellow (cadmium yellow dark or Indian yellow)

  • A cool yellow (cadmium yellow light or cadmium lemon yellow)

  • A warm blue (ultramarine blue)

  • A cool blue (turquoise, phthalo blue, or cerulean blue)

  • Classic neutrals/earth tones (a large tube of titanium white, and smaller size tubes of Payne’s grey, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber)

  • Optional, nice-to-have pigments I enjoy (sap green, emerald green, dioxazine violet/purple)

Painting surfaces

  • At least 4 canvases or canvas boards in your choice of size (8 x 10,” 9 x 12,” 16 x 20” work well).

Solvent - We will use a small amount of this to thin paint.

  • Odorless mineral spirits (I use Gamsol by Gamblin)

  • Do not use turpentine or turpenoid

Medium - Galkyd Light by Gamblin, or mix your own with oderless mineral spirits and refined linseed oil or walnut oil

Palette - An enclosed glass palette (such as the Masterson Artist Palette Seal) or palette paper

Brushes - Bring an assortment of round, flat, bright, and filbert brushes designed for oil painting (bristle or synthetic for oil). Don’t feel you need to buy the expensive ones - you can often find an inexpensive kit.

Other items

  • a medium-sized metal palette knife for mixing paint (get one with an arched bridge between the handle and the knife - they are easier to use)

  • additional palette knives in other shapes and sizes if you’d like to try applying paint with them

  • a glass solvent container/brush cleaner or canning jar with lid

  • a role of paper towels

  • an apron

  • a small trash bag

  • disposable latex or nitrile gloves

  • a tote bag or box to carry your items

  • a few pizza boxes to transport your wet work (oil paint takes many days to dry and can get all over your clothing, car, etc. Using pizza boxes to transport small paintings is a great trick I’ve learned. I usually stop into a local pizza place and ask to buy a few.)

  • a small container of olive oil. This works beautifully to clean brushes and hands of oil paint and reduces our reliance on solvent.

  • A small container of brush cleaner or murphy’s oil soap.

  • a few rubber bands

  • optional table easel - I’ll have small, light table easels available, but if you have a sturdier table easel you’d like to bring, such as one that folds up and includes a drawer to hold supplies, you are welcome to bring it.

  • optional brush carrier


    Art supply stores

    You can buy your supplies online (I often use Blick or Amazon) or in local art stores. Some stores will give you a discount if you let them know you are a student.

    Artist and Craftsman Supplies  
    (U-District) 
    4350 8th Ave NE
    Seattle, WA 98105 
    (206) 545-0091

    Blick Art Materials 
    (Capitol Hill) 1600 Broadway
    Seattle, WA 98102
    (206) 324-0750