Warehouse 521

 Aimee Erickson 2024
MATERIALS LIST: OIL PAINTING

*If you’re using a medium other than oil, please bring comparable materials in your medium.

PAINTS 

A successful painting can be made with two pigments or twenty. I vary my palette depending on the subject and conditions; this is not a complete list, and not all these pigments are required, but this is a good basic set of colors for studio work. Of course you may bring other colors as well if you have them.

Titanium-Zinc White OR Flake White

Genuine Naples Yellow Light (Vasari only, a unique pigment)

Cadmium Yellow Light

Cadmium Yellow Deep

Yellow Ochre

Transparent Earth Red

Terra Rosa

Cadmium Red Light

Alizarin Crimson 

Ultramarine Blue

Cobalt Blue 

Thalo Green

Asphaltum (Gamblin)

Raw Umber (Old Holland)

Chromatic Black (Gamblin)

Palette 

Something to mix your paints on. Please don’t use a white palette; it makes judging values very difficult. A wooden palette is fine; treated repeatedly with linseed oil it makes an ideal smooth surface  for mixing. Glass or plexiglass is also good; tape a neutral-color paper to the back. If you prefer a disposable palette get the gray one from Richeson.

Brushes

Brushes make brushstrokes, which is what makes a painting. If you’re in need of a good set of brushes, I suggest the David Boyd Jr Starter/Workshop set from Rosemary & Co. 

I use hog bristle brushes from Trekell, flats or long filberts, in a range of sizes, as well as Rosemary’s long rounded ivory flats, ivory filberts and longer filberts, and ivory egberts.

Solvent & Medium

A solvent (turpentine, traditionally) dissolves and thins wet paint; we use it to clean brushes and only in minute quantities as a medium. Use odorless solvent only (Gamsol). No odorless turpenoid. Use a stainless brush washer with a basket and a gasket lid that clamps on. 

A medium is used to change the consistency of the paint. I use Flemish Maroger and Venetian Wax Medium from Old Masters Maroger (available at oldmastersmaroger.com).

SUPPORTS 

A support is a surface to paint on, and a ground is the primer, usually gesso, used to coat the support to prepare it for painting. Paper is a good support if coated with shellac. An excellent ready-made canvas board is the Centurion Deluxe Oil Primed Linen Panel.

Bring a few small (8x10 ish) inexpensive (shellacked paper is good, you can also use your sketchbook) supports for exercises.

Size and quantity of supports depends on the student—you may want to do a sustained study or several starts.   Better too many than not enough.

Tone gessoed supports with a light-to-middle-value warm neutral. Use a little solvent and a neutral combination of paint (my favorite is Old Holland Raw Umber plus a little white) to cover the board.  Then use a paper towel to remove excess and create a very thin, even tone.    (LINK TO VIDEO showing musling panel assembly and toning)

Palette Knife

 A palette knife, or painting knife, can be used for mixing and for applying paint. A two- or three-inch knife with a long, graceful shape is the most versatile. Dried paint can be scraped off the knife with a razor blade. 

Paper Towels, plastic bag for trash,; a baseball cap is sometimes useful in a studio setting to shield your eyes from light sources.

Easels and tables are available in the studio, but you may bring your own portable easel if you prefer.