Description
There is no better way to learn than to try out the processes yourself
- There are probably two camps of people for this class, those that intend to jump full on in to oils and those that want to test the waters and see if they connect with the process. Oils can loosely be divided into student quality and professional quality.
- If you want to head full on in, I would say invest on day one with a small mixed set of oils professional grade like Michael Harding, Old Holland or Winsor and Newton oil colours, Schminke, (NOT WATER SOLUABLE AND NOT WITH ALKYD) research the large online art stores for a good deal. Sets are often discounted. Cassart, Jacksons online, Bromleys or SAA
- Small tubes of 20ml are good size and go a long way. Schminke do a 8 piece set for £44 at Jacksonsartonline.
- If you want to just try student grade then try a small mixed set of Winton paints (Winsor and Newton) about £20 even try Hobbycraft, plus the other online outlets mentioned above.
- A good blog post that covers the full spectrum of oil manufacturers is here
- I began with Winton (Winsor and Newton student range) then gradually upgraded to Michael Harding and a few unique Old Holland blues.
- If you are drawn to portraiture or Landscape or seascapes then have a look at the sets done by Michael Harding, Williamsburgh, Old Holland that cater for those colour ranges.
- You will need more Titanium white than any other colour. Rather than be tempted to buying large tubes, just have a couple extra of 60ml size.
- Brushes. Don’t spend a penny on cheap brushes. Even if you only buy two or three brushes, try a filbert, a flat and a blending soft brush from Rosemary and Co. They also do ‘sets’. The brushes have spring and paint holding attributes and options on natural or synthetic bristles. A small set of 7 synthetic brushes around £35 that has a variety of tips is the Ivory Pochade set. Another good set would be the Peter Keegan set. These brushes are the only ones I used where the hairs don’t fall out. A good pair of eyebrow tweezers is good for removing rogue hairs and insects that get stuck in the paint.
- Enjoy a podcast on askanartistpodcast.com from Rosemary Thompson brush maker on here
- Symi (Rosemary’s daughter) gives advice on cleaning brushes here
- Surface. Start small and bring to class either stretched canvas, cradle or wooden panels or canvas board or oil paper pad.
- Perhaps get a variety of palette knives
- refine palette knife marks, edges and glides.
- bring timber palettes or a pad with removeable sheets
- Mediums, cleaners, linseed and additional products that you may wish to purchase are shown in the adjacent photos.
