Warehouse 521

Nancy Gruskin:  Observation, Abstraction & Invention—Still Life & the Figure

October 1 – October 3, 2020

SUPPLY LIST

Paint:  This workshop is open to artists working in water-based and/or oil-based media.  If you’re looking to try something new, I highly recommend acrylic gouache.  It is a relatively inexpensive, opaque, water-based paint that looks and behaves much like traditional gouache, with the added bonus of being water-resistant when it dries.  As a result, you can work quickly and new layers of paint will not re-wet older layers of paint.  There are several, readily available brands of acrylic gouache, including Turner, Holbein and Liquitex.  As for colors, you may bring whichever colors you have on hand or typically paint with.  I usually have the following colors on my palette:  a cool red (e.g., Alizarin Crimson or Quinacridone Crimson), a warm red (e.g., Cadmium Red Light or Scarlet), a cool yellow (Lemon Yellow), a warm yellow (Cadmium Yellow Deep), a cool blue (Ultramarine Blue), a warm blue (Cerulean Blue), and Titanium White.  The color names for acrylic gouache don’t always match those found in oils and acrylics.  If you’d like a list of recommended acrylic gouache colors, send me an email.  For mixing browns, grays, and blacks, I also have one or two greens, an orange, and a violet on my palette. 

Brushes:  

I recommend flats, filberts and/or brights, as well as one round (if working in acrylic gouache, you can use watercolor brushes or brushes made for acrylics/oils; nice to experiment with both).  For all media, bring large size brushes—#10s, #12s, and #16s.  Large brushes—perhaps larger than you think appropriate for the size of the painting surface—force you to simplify forms and shapes.  

Painting Surfaces:  

We will be painting on paper.  Watercolor paper or mixed media paper is fine for water-based media.  Watercolor paper typically comes in two surfaces—hot press (very smooth) and cold press (a toothier, rougher surface).  Fabriano makes a “soft finish” that is somewhere between hot press and cold press.  It’s really a personal preference.  If you are painting in oils, you can prime watercolor paper with gesso or use pre-primed paper, such as Arches Oil Paper.  I suggest bringing one pad of paper in the 11” x 14” or larger range (of at least 15 pages).  If you like to work large, feel free to bring sheets of watercolor paper, which are typically 22” x 30” and can be torn to any size.  We will also be making some collages.  I will bring (non-archival) colored construction paper for this exercise.  Some students, however, prefer to bring their own hand-painted paper and/or patterned papers for collage work.  I will leave that decision up to you.

Other Items:

• A palette knife (only if part of your current painting method)

• A drawing board (should be large enough to fit your largest sheet of painting paper; foamcore makes a great, lightweight drawing board)

• Painter’s tape/drafting tape (for taping your paper to a drawing board)

• All-purpose masking tape

• Painting palette, disposable palette paper or Reynolds freezer paper

• Drawing supplies (one pencil and an eraser will do)

• Scissors

• A bottle of white glue or a glue stick or matte medium (for collage work). I use Lineco PH neutral adhesive for collage work, but any

• Paper towels

• A container for water (if using oils, odorless solvent and jar to hold used solvent)

Optional:  Materials for collage (e.g., hand-painted papers, wallpaper, found paper, fabric, colored paper or construction paper).  I will have colored construction paper on hand, but many students prefer to bring in their own collage paper.

If you have any questions about materials, email me at:  nancygruskin@gmail.com.