P01083 | ESSENTIALS OF PLEIN-AIR PAINTING
Supply List
E-mail: mitch@mitchalbala.com
Instructor’s web site: www.mitchalbala.com
This list is lengthy only because there is a lot of explanation. With the exception of a portable easel, you probably have most of these supplies. Please follow the recommendations and instructions closely.
Supplemental Supply List: Some of these supplies are better described with a picture. Please visit the following page at my website for a link to handy PDF file. http://www.mitchalbala.com/gage/resources/
Questions? Call Gage and leave a message for me, and I will call you back. Or e-mail me at mitch@mitchalbala.com
CLASS TEXT
Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice by Mitchell Albala. This book closely follows the core lessons covered in class.
OUTDOOR EASELS
Although relatively expensive, an outdoor easel is a good investment if you plan to do more outdoors work in the future. French easels or the compact pochade boxes are the preferred options. French easels can also be used as a portable easel in your home studio if space is a concern. If you are planning to purchase a French easel I STRONGLY suggest the “half-size” easel; the full-size is simply too heavy and bigger than needed. Mabef and Julian are the preferred brands. Avoid the spindly, metal tripod easels, as they are unstable. www.openboxm.com and www.artworkessentials.com also offer various sizes of pochade boxes, although they cost more than a French easel.
Note: If you are not going to use one of the above options, and will be sitting, for example, please e-mail me to discuss your options.
BRUSHES
A range of hog bristle brushes are best. Soft bristled, sable, or synthetic brushes are not suitable for our purposes. Daniel Smith Artists' Materials or Utrecht’s are good quality for a reasonable price.
Note: “filbert,” “bright” and “round” refer to the shape of the brush.
- 1 (one) large brush, a #12 or #14 bright or short filbert. In most name brands this can be expensive. However, Utrecht has a very affordable line. For a picture of this brush, see Supplemental Supply list on my web site.
- 1 (one) #2 filbert or round for small detail work.
- 2 (two) #4 filbert
- 2 (two) #8 filbert
- 1 (one) #10 bright or equivalent
PAINT
Which brand? Daniel Smith Artists' Materials, Winsor & Newton, Gamblin or Utrecht’s are all good options. Avoid Rembrandt brand as they are far too oily. Inexpensive student-grade paints such as Van Gogh, Grumbacher Academy, Rowney’s Georgian, DaVinci, and Winton tend to have weaker colors.
Do not carry large 150 ml tubes of paint with you on your excursions. Too heavy!
- Titanium White
- Alkyd, fast-drying white (Optional, but highly recommended) - Griffin by Winsor & Newton, Quick Dry White by Gamblin, or DaVinci’s Oil with Alkyd. It dries in a fraction of the time oil dries, and speeds up the drying of any oil color it is mixed with. Try a smaller, 37ml tube for starters. For a complete explanation of the benefits of alkyds, visit that page at my website: http://www.mitchalbala.com/learning/alkyds/alkyds.html
- Ultramarine Blue
- Phthalo Blue or Daniel Smith Artists' Materials Mediterranean Blue (phthalo with a little white already added to it.)
- Cadmium Red Light or equivalent - If you wish to save money or avoid cadmium, there alternative “hues.”
- Alizarin Crimson Permanent - Gamblin Colors’ lightfast Alizarin Permanent.
- Cadmium Yellow Medium or Hansa Yellow - If you wish to save money or avoid cadmium, try Daniel Smith Artists' Materials Hansa Yellow. Watch out for other brands of Hansa Yellow, as they are often too light and lemony.
- Lemon Yellow or Nickel Titanate Yellow - I prefer Nickel Titanate over regular lemon because it’s “coolness” is more distinct. Daniel Smith Artists' Materials Titanate is excellent.
- Green - I don’t recommend a lot of greens. If you want to have a cool green and a warm green, I suggest Viridian and Sap, respectively. However, these two greens are transparent and tend not to be strong in mixture. If I were to have only one green in my palette, I would choose Chrome Oxide Green. Unlike viridian and sap, it has strong covering power and can easily be manipulated in cool or warm directions.
- Burnt Umber
- Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna
- Gamblin's Dioxazine Purple or Daniel Smith Artists' Materials Carbozale Violet Cadmium Orange Naples Yellow
You do anywhere from 6 to 12 paintings in the 5-day Skagit workshop, and about half that in in the 5-week Seattle class.
Important: Do not color or tone the surfaces before coming to class. We start with a white surface.
Canvas: Fredrix is the preferred brand because it has just the right amount of absorbency. Other brands are often too absorbent or too slick. I recommend Fredrix 12 x 16" canvas pad or canvas panels of various sizes. These are inexpensive and portable. The sheets from the canvas pad can be cut to various sizes and taped to a “backboard.” An old 16 x 20" canvas panel makes for an excellent, lightweight backboard. (For a picture of the cover of the canvas pad, see Supplemental Supply List.)
Sizes: Since outdoor work tends to be shorter, large paintings are not practical. 5 x 7", 8 x 10", 9 x 12", or 11 x 14" are ideal. It’s a good idea to have extras of small sizes at each class for quick studies.
Stretched canvas (optional). These can be expensive, but if you want to have the experience of working on stretched canvas, feel free to bring a few small ones.
ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES
- Hard palette, approx. 9 x 12": preferred over disposable palettes. Students frequently struggle with disposable paper palettes; the edges don’t stay down, the sheet detaches from the pad and they can waste a lot of paint. Very important! Wood palettes usually come unfinished. The raw wood is absorbent and is not usable without sealing with two to three coats of polyurethane. Lightly sand in between coats. (The folding wood palette that comes with the half-size French easel is also unfinished and needs sealing.)
- Bulldog Clips (small) to hold things down.
- Masking tape, at least 3/4" wide.
- Palette knife, metal, essential for mixing! Try not to use the long flat bladed type. (For a picture, see Supplemental Supply List.)
- Disposable Vinyl Gloves - ESSENTIAL: Can be found in most pharmacies or hardware stores. Test fit for size before you buy! Reusable and good for other classes, too.
- Painting Medium: Daniel Smith’s Painting Medium for Oils & Alkyds which only comes in a large tube or Liquin, very similar, but can be purchased in small jars.
- Palette Cup: The small metal kind that clasps to the edge of the palette. The plastic type with the screw cap lids are NOT good. The mouth is too small. Optional: just use a jar cap instead of the palette cup.
- Viewfinder - ESSENTIAL: ViewCatcher is a good plastic, adjustable cropping tool. Or make your own. (For instructions, see Supplemental Supply List.)
- Backboard: Used to tape canvas pieces onto. An old canvas panel is ideal for this. 16 x 20". (A masonite panel is too heavy.)
- Gamsol Solvent, pint sized. Do not bring whole can on excursions. Put a quantity into a plastic bottle. See below.
- Small plastic bottle for solvent, 8 oz., with the flip down spout, like hand lotion bottles. Convenient and safe. (For a picture, see Supplemental Supply list.) Tip: It’s easier to pour the solvent into this small-mouthed bottle with a tiny plastic 2 or 3" funnel. Transfer the solvent to the plastic bottle before you come to class!
- Sketch book: 5 x 7" or 8 x 10"
- Pencils: Broad, bold drawing tools are best for our thumbnail process, such as 2B and/or 6B, Ebony, or Lyra Graphite Stick (2B or 6B)
- Small container/jar for brush cleaning on site. Small. Approx. 8–12 oz. with a screw top lid.
- Plastic grocery bags, approximately 10 for rag disposal. (In 5- week Seattle class, just one bag per class)
- Sun cap or hat
- Paper Towels
- Rags - ESSENTIAL: And plenty of ’em! T-shirt type cloth is best. Cut into small 8 x 8", 6 x 6" pieces before you come.
- Skagit class only - Soap for cleaning brushes
- Drinking water bottle
- Sun block lotion
- Tiny bottle of baby oil: Gets paint off your hands easily without unnecessary exposure to solvents.
- Masterson Sealable Palette Box: The Masterson Sealable Palette Box is “Tupperware for your palette.” It saves paint and is extremely handy when painting every day. (It’s also useful with other classes, allowing you to save paint between home and classes.)
- Standard Bungee Cord: Helpful to hold things in place on easel.
- Mini-Bungee Cord: This 10" cord is perfect for holding the hard palette to the French easel.
- Plastic Sheet: In case the ground is wet, a small sheet of plastic (I use on old poncho).
- Artist’s Sun Umbrella: Invaluable if you plan on continuing with landscape. Utrecht sells a nice umbrella for $50.
- Camera: if you wish to take record shots of the scenes for future reference.
- Skagit class only - Books of your favorite artists. We have a table in the main studio for everyone to enjoy.
The following Art Store Sponsors offer a 10% discount to Gage students with current letters of registration (class & workshop students):
Artist & Craftsman Supply
Web site: www.artistcraftsman.com
4350 8th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105
Tel: (206) 545-0091; toll-free: 1-(877) 545-0091
Bellevue Art & Frame
Web site: www.bellevueartandframe.com
E-mail: belleartwa@bellevueartandframe.com
1024 116th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Tel: (425) 453-8959; toll-free: 1-(800) 843-6348
Dakota Art Store
Web site: www.dakotaartstore.com
6110 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115
Tel: (206) 523-4830
Daniel Smith Artists' Materials
Web site: www.danielsmith.com
Order online or call (800) 426-6740
Seattle Store:
4150 First Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98134
Tel: (206) 223-9599
Bellevue Store:
15112 NE 24th Street, Bellevue, Washington 98052
Tel: (425) 643-1781
Savoir-Faire
Web site: www.savoirfaire.com
A sponsor of the Gage Drawing Jam and Student Show, Savoir-Faire imports art materials from the finest European manufacturers, such as Sennelier, Fabriano, Cretacolor, and Lascaux. These exceptional art supplies can be purchased at local stores such as Dakota Art, Daniel Smith Artists' Materials, Utrecht and more. For a complete list of stores and more information on products, go to the Savoir-Faire web site.
Tacoma Art Supply
Web site: www.tacomaartsupply.com
E-mail: info@tacomaartsupply.com
1552 Commerce, Suite 101, Tacoma, WA 98402
Tel: (253) 444-2341
Utrecht Art Supplies
Web site: www.utrechtart.com
E-mail: store11@utrecht.com
1124 Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101
Tel: (206) 382-9696