What to bring to outdoor painting classes
You can pick one medium to focus on or bring two. Simpler is usually better. Your choice.
Here are the materials I use for all my classes, indoor and outdoor:
Drawing Materials
- #2 pencils or your favorite .9 mm mechanical pencils with HB or B lead
- medium point marker (like a “Sharpy laundry pen)
- 24 sheets of white, used or unused copier paper on a clipboard
- Pen for taking notes (See below for the rest of the materials)
- Sanford Tuff Stuff eraser stick
- Pentel Clic Eraser
- White “Magic Rub” type eraser
- medium size paper stomp (shader)
Watercolor
Paints
- Winsor yellow or cadmium yellow pale hue
- cad. orange hue
- perinone orange
- cad. red pale hue
- alizarin crimson hue
- permanent rose
- dioxazine violet
- ultramarine blue
- pthalo blue
- pthalo green
Support
Arches cold pressed watercolor paper 140# to 300#
- The maximum size of watercolor paper to use for en plein air painting is 11×15 inches
- Do not by to use cheap or student grade paper, it will greatly limit your progress
One inch wide 3M/Scotch masking tape (#2050)
Palette
- 12 x16 inches or bigger, with a large flat central mixing area
- The Pike palette is the best. (the 11×15″, 20-well version.)
Easel
- If you don’t have an easel it’s fine. You can use a folding chair and a 16 x 20″ lap board. Your watercolor paper and drawing paper taped lightly to the board. Palette sitting on your supply box nearby.
Other supplies
- Gallon jug with opening near the top for brush rinsing.
- Paper towels to adjust and control water loading in your brush. For cleaning palette.
- Mist-type sprayer. Don’t use the plant-type sprayers which produce heavier droplets.
Drawing
- An HB, B, and/or 2B pencil
- White magic-rub eraser
Brushes
Soft nylon, such as sablette, golden taklon, etc.
- 3/4-inch flat
- l/2-inch flat
- 1/8-inch round, minimum
Acrylic
Support
- The maximum size of canvas board or museum board to use is 9×12 inches.
- To start in oil or acrylic, use 6 x 8 inches.
Paints
- Napthol red light
- hansa yellow light or azo yellow medium
- acra magenta (Quinacridone Magenta) (Liquitex or Golden brand)
- ultramarine blue
- thalo green
- thalo blue
- dioxazine violet
- titanium white
Brushes
- 3/4-inch flat,
- l/2-inch flat,
- 1/8-inch round, minimum
Palette
- A Masterson palette seal.
- A pump type sprayer for fine mist, not a plant sprayer.
- Gallon jug with opening near the top for brush rinsing.
Easel
- 1/2 French or watercolor type, or box-type and chair (see above)
Oil
Paint
- Cadmium red light hue or napthol red light
- cad. yellow pale hue
- alizarin crimson hue or permanent alizarin crimson
- ultramarine blue
- thalo blue
- thalo green
- dioxozine violet
- thalo rose or permanent rose
- titanium white (the white can be on alkyd based if you want faster drying)
Brushes
- #6 bright (short bristles)
- #3 or #4 bright bristle
- #3 or #4 round synthetic
- Small pointing knife or palette knife
Palette
- Paper palette or wood palette with carrier
Supports
- Canvas boards (Raymar.com has the best ones)
- Museum mat coated with gesso
- Flat box with lid for carrying wet painting
Easel
- 1/2 French, or box and portable chair
Clean up
- Odorless turpentine or mineral spirits
- Rags or toilet paper roll for wiping brushes
- Latex gloves
- Plastic grocery bags to dispose wipes
- Lidded jar with good seal for used thinner
- Bar of paint soap to clean hands