My Techniques: Supplies That I Use


	My Supplies

I have been using alkyds manufactured by Windsor & Newton since my last year in art school. Before that I had been using acrylics which dry very fast. I found that I couldn't blend them the way I wanted to and I couldn't get the textures that I wanted. Oils dried too slowly for me and of course, you always have to be careful about the "fat over lean" rule. This means that you need to know the oil content of the different colors or face the possibility of the paint cracking off (I actually had that happen to me at an art show. Just as I was about to hang the painting, a piece of the sky chipped off).

Alkyds take only 1 day to dry regardless of the color and you can varnish them in a month. All the colors have the same amount of oil so there isn't the worry of cracking. Also, it froms nice textures when applied thickly.

The colors that I use in my present palette are:

Titanium White Cadium Lemon Cadium Yellow Light Cadium Orange Cadium Red Light Cadium Red Medium Permanent Rose

Dio Purple Thalo Blue Ultramaring Blue Permanent Green Sap Green Terre Verte Thalo Green

Yellow Ochre Raw Sienna Red Oxide Indian Red Burnt Sienna Burnt Umber Lamp Black

I use Robert Simmons bristle brushes because they seem to keep their shape. Grumbacher also makes a good brush.

A trick that I learned while I was still in art school to keep my brushes in order was to use a woven placemat and weave the handles of the burshes through it. This can be hung up near where you are painting and it makes it very easy to find the right brush. It can also be rolled up and brought to art class.

In my studio, I find that a rolling TV cart makes a very good base for a palette. I put an ordinary piece of glass on top of it for the paint (double stick tape will hold it down). If the paint is still wet (that means if I remember to do it), I just wipe down the glass to clean the paint off. If the paint dries on the glass, a razor will take the paint off. Also, I use the two extra shelves that the cart came with to store extra supplies.

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My Supplies