Workshop Materials Lists
YOU DON’T NEED EVERYTHING ON THE LIST! A FEW GOOD BRUSHES, JUST 3 PRIMARY TRANSPARENT COLORS AND GOOD QUALITY PAPER ARE THE ONLY ESSENTIALS.
WATERCOLOR PIGMENTS
Winsor Newton unless marked (DS) Daniel Smith, or (MB) Maimeri Blu
YELLOWS
AUREOLIN / BURNT UMBER / New Gamboge / Raw SIENNA / RAW UMBER / BURNT SIENNA
RED
CADMIUM RED PURPLE (Holbein) (for mixing darks only) / PERMANENT ALIZARIN CRIMSON / PERMANENT ROSE / QUINACRIDONE CORAL, (DS) / QUINACRIDONE MAGENTA, (DS) / QUINACRIDONE VIOLET, (DS) / WINSOR RED / WINSOR VIOLET
BLUES
BERLIN BLUE (MB) / CERULEAN BLUE / COBALT BLUE / FRENCH ULTRAMARINE BLUE / INDIGO / PRUSSIAN GREEN, (DS) / PTHALO BLUE, (DS) / COBALT TURQUOISE (DS) / PTHALO TURQUOISE, (DS) / WINSOR GREEN
Other transparent, lightfast colors are fine. Try a limited palette of only 2 – 5 colors in one painting. Refer to the Wilcox Guide To Watercolor Paint for light fastness ratings.
BRUSHES: At Least 2; A Medium and a Large; Rounds or Flats, whichever you are comfortable with.
I use some of the following, depending on what I am painting:
FLATS: ½”, ¾”, 1”, 1 ½” Sable or Sabeline, such as Sable Essence by Grumbacher,
Winsor Newton Sceptre Gold or series 995, Holbein series 500
ROUNDS: #10, 12, 14 Winsor Sceptre Gold, Princeton 4050R, Lowe Cornell 7020 Ultra Round, Cheap Joe’s Dream Catcher
Escoda Sable (not necessary, but nice)
Additional: 1 ½” Flat For Blending and large washes
*No. 4, 5, 8 Princeton Neptune Quills: great for large washes(I love these!)
OLD BRUSHES For use on Gesso
PALETTE Robert E. Wood, John Pike, or other covered palette with large wells.
OTHER
*Standing, or table Easel, or a prop for your board (small 2×4” board)
*Two water containers
*Pencil
Kneaded Eraser
*Drawing board, such as Gatorboard
*4 clips (OXO Magnetic Kitchen Grips are great if you can find them)
Scrubbing tools, stiff brushes, toothbrush, Exacto knife
*Tissues
Paper Towels
*Spray bottle of water
Sketchbook
Working mat
*Your own photos or sketches for reference
Optional: (Golden’s Matte Fluid Gel Medium) (Liquitex acrylic gesso)
PAPER
Not All Mandatory: select those desired.
A. TRADITIONAL WATERCOLOR PAPERS (Need NO Coating)
JACK RICHESON 140lb, 200lb, OR 300lb COLD PRESSED
LANAQUARELLE 140lb, 200lb, OR 300lb COLD PRESSED
WATERFORD SAUNDERS by T.H. Saunders – 140lb, 200lb, OR 300lb Rough
FABRIANO ARTISTICO 140 lb COLD PRESSED
These well sized papers allow beautiful washes, do not buckle or need stretching. They allow glazing and some lifting. (Arches papers and un-sized or soft papers are not as versatile for my techniques)
OPTIONAL
(B. SMOOTH SURFACES: FOR TEXTURES, LIFTING & EXPERIMENTAL Need NO coating)
STRATHMORE 500 SERIES, HEAVYWEIGHT, 5 PLY ILLUSTRATION BOARD: 20 x 30”
HIGH PLATE FINISH: This very smooth surface, allows quite a bit of lifting and produces
interesting textures without additional gesso or gel medium.
VELLUM FINISH: A cold pressed surface that behaves more like watercolor paper and
allows lifting.
STRATHMORE BRISTOL BOARD (500 SERIES) HEAVY PLATE SURFACE: 4 PLY 23 X 29”
A smooth surface, similar to illustration board.
STRATHMORE WET MEDIA BOARD
CRESCENT 114LB COLD PRESSED WATERCOLOR BOARD
ARCHES HOT PRESSED WATERCOLOR BOARD
All 3 Allow lifting and textures.
YUPO: PLASTIC SHEET: 20 x 26”; 5PK
Paint runs easily on this very slick surface, which allows nearly
total lifting back to white. Staining colors may leave color if removed.
This usually lifts with Simple Green cleaner on a tissue or soft paper towel.
C. COATED SURFACE: MAKE YOUR OWN SMOOTH SURFACE
AQUARIUS II 90LB PAPER BY STRATHMORE (FOR SURFACE COATING ONLY)
This thin paper is terrible for regular painting, but great for coating,
remaining pliable with no cracking. Other papers work too, but heavy
weight papers may curl and produce cracking of paint. Cover evenly with:
LIQUITEX ACRYLIC GESSO OR GOLDEN’S FLUID MATTE GEL MEDIUM
SURFACE COATINGS
Gel medium will give a smoother finish than gesso, but still leaves a slight texture. Both applications allow easy lifting, but produce slightly different textures. I like both.
1. GESSO: Liquitex:This produces a rough, gritty surface that can ruin good brushes and shows the marks of the applicator unless sanded smooth. A roller makes a fairly smooth finish.
METHOD: Place paper on plastic, board, or a non paper surface it won’t stick to. Pour Gesso full strength, about the size of a fried egg for a ½ sheet, onto the middle of the paper. Then spread evenly around all edges and in all different directions until the sheet is evenly covered, using a dampened 2 – 3″ house painting brush, roller, or sponge applicator. Lift each edge up after covering to discourage sticking. Let dry about ½ hour, or use a hair dryer for faster drying. Two thin coats are better than one thick one. Let dry between coats.
2. MATTE FLUID GEL MEDIUM: Golden’s
METHOD: Dilute 50/50 with water. Mix this in a small container and brush evenly over the surface as explained above using a dampened 2 – 3″ house painting brush, roller or sponge applicator. This will dry in about ½ hour. A hair dryer can speed drying time. Two thin coats are better than one heavy one. Let dry between coats and be sure the paper is totally covered.