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Expressive Watercolor: Susan O’Neill
NOTE: If you have previous materials bring them to class. No need to purchase all new. We will discuss different pigments and paper during the first class.
Supplies can be expensive, however, better quality materials yield better results. Quality over quantity is what is important. You do not need an abundance of materials. More advanced students may bring their favorite supplies rather than purchasing new. When buying a brush consider how it holds water and the point, kolinsky sable are best for this, however squirrel hair brushes are more inexpensive and a great substitute. This will make a difference in the experience and quality of work that you produce.
NEEDED FIRST DAY OF CLASS:
-Two to three watercolor brushes, large in size, no smaller than #10
-Paper for exercises (even for exercise I would recommend a better quality paper, such as Arches or Fabriano (you can tear large sheets into 4-6 smaller sheets for the exercises. These exercises will be invaluable for learning to understand and grow in watercolor painting.
-Several colors of paint – red, yellow, blue, and Burnt Sienna are enough
-Porcelain mixing dish (small kitchen bowl is fine)
BRUSHES:
A surprisingly good and popular brush for price: Silver Brush 3000S (Brand)- Black Velvet Short Handle Blend Squirrel, Round, Size 12. You do not need many brushes. One nice round that will come to a point and can hold a good amount of water is important. If you can only purchase one brush I would recommend a #12 squirrel mentioned above watercolor brush.
No need to buy new if you already have some brushes, you can use what you have but have at least one good brush with a nice point and full belly,
a stiffer synthetic watercolor brush (any). All will be discussed the first day of class.
***Do not buy new if you are unsure. They will be discussed on the first day of class. If you are in-person class the Instructor will have some to try.
WATERCOLOR PAINTS:
It is not necessary to purchase all new paints if you already have a basic set of soft tube colors. You must have one warm and one cool color for each hue. See below for choices. I would recommend ‘Professional artist grade’ over ‘student grade’ paints to achieve better results. (Winsor & Newton student grade watercolor is called “Cotman” so take notice when purchasing the Winsor Newton brand.) Professional artist-grade paints contain more pure saturated color and less filler. Your tubes will last for years, so consider this an investment.
Paints are best in fresh soft tubes. Do not use old paint dried on your palette, your results will never be ideal. Sometimes it is okay to use dried paints if it has only been a week/month or so. Not 15 years old.
COLORS to purchase: Not all colors are the same across brands. For example, a basic color such as Burnt Umber may look and paint differently depending on brand. NOTE the word “OR” in the categories below. One warm and one cool hue from the list below are necessary for a well-rounded palette. **The colors that are underlined are essential to have.
(Plein-Air painters may want to have convenience colors, meaning ‘readily available,’ for quick access in ever-changing light. Usually, greens, oranges, and purples fall into this category. For example, you know that you will be painting flowers or the Carribean, a brighter color such as fuchsia or teal may be needed as well.
TUBE COLORS are great but pans are fine as well. 15ml tubes are the best value and will help you to more fully explore watercolor.
YELLOW:
warm (must have one) —Cadmium Yellow Medium (warm); Daniel Smith New Gamboge (warm) OR Hansa yellow deep (warm) / Hansa Yellow Medium – (warm neutral)
cool (must have one)—Hansa Yellow Light (neutral ) OR Azo yellow (transparent cool) OR Cadmium yellow light (opaque cool)
RED:
warm (must have one) — Cadmium red light (warm) OR Scarlet lake (warm) OR Pyrrol Scarlet
cool (essential are underlined) – Permanent Rose (cool) OR Quinacridone Rose(cool) AND Permanent Alizarin Crimson (cool)
BLUE: (all are essential):
Cobalt blue (neutral)
French ultramarine blue (warm)
Cerulean blue (cool) or Phthalo Blue GS (cool)
PURPLE: Quinacridone Magenta, Winsor Violet
GREEN: Sap green (warm) / Phthlalo green BS (cool) or Hooker’s Green (somewhat neutral) Nice to have a Viridian. It is good for mixes and not as staining as Phthalo.
EARTH COLORS (all are essential):
Burnt sienna, Raw sienna, Raw umber, Burnt umber
Chinese White or gouache
OPTIONAL:
Quinacridone Magenta
Pyrrol Orange Transparent
Perylene Maroon
Quinacridone Gold
Potters Pink (Winsor & Newton)
Cobalt Teal
Transparent Red Oxide
(If you are new to watercolor, purchase basic colors listed above. If you are more advanced, my advice is to spend time getting to know the paints that you already have in your palette rather than buying new colors. I suggest that you hold off for a month or so to work out how you might change your palette rather than just blindly purchasing new color. Of course, a couple of new colors could inspire new directions in your paint mixes.)
WATERCOLOR PAPER:
Cold press watercolor paper is preferred, and 140lb. or heavier is ideal. Full sheets are 22” x 30”. Arches and Fabriano are two widely available brands.
You can purchase 3-5 sheets and and divide one sheer in four pieces for exercises, homework, or small paintings. Or a watercolor black. I like the Arches Cold Press block 18” x 24”.
PALETTE:
You may purchase a large OR medium palette. Large —John Pike brand palette or any palette with a lid. / Medium – Mijello Fusion plastic palette that can be folded up. Palettes should be carried flat to and from class if holding fresh paint so paint won’t ooze where it should not. The Mijello palette states that it is air-tight, but should be placed in a ziplock for possible leaks
EXTRAS:
Small spray bottle for water
porcelain dishes for mixing. Or a mixing tray
water container
paper towels
pencil and eraser
pipettes
old tooth brush
Magic Eraser kitchen sponge
Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to purchase a selection of items from the above.