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WATERCOLORS - Supply List

Claudia Montero- Instructor

claudiamontero.fineart@gmail.com

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DESCRIPTION

This is a class designed for students who want to learn the art of Watercolor Painting. Basic artistic concepts pertaining to the medium will be covered, such as Transparency, Composition, basic Color Theory, and Value. A fundamental, hands-on working knowledge of the medium and equipment will be addressed. Emphasis will be on problem-solving, skill building, and helping students develop a personal style. Specific techniques will be addressed to help students make decisions and work through and complete paintings. Students should think about & assemble the kinds of subject matter they would like to paint in order to create paintings that they are passionate about.

 

SUPPLIES

Some students may already have some equipment, so feel free to bring whatever supplies you have been working with. You don't need to buy the most expensive art equipment, but it is essential that you buy good quality supplies. Inferior quality supplies are a recipe for frustration and having marginal results at best.

 

Paint: Paint is manufactured in either pre-formed cake pan sets or in tubes that you squeeze into your own palette. If you buy tubes, you will need a "working" palette in which to squeeze your colors. A working palette is a blank plastic tray with pre-formed wells for your colors, a large central mixing area, and a cover.

 

Winsor-Newton, Cotman, DaVinci, Holbein, Daniel Smith, Schminke, Grumbacher are all reputable manufacturers of quality pigments, so choose those that give you the best deal.

 

I recommend the following colors:

  • (YELLOWS) Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Aureolin Yellow

  • (REDS) Rose Madder Genuine, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson

  • (BLUES) Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue

  • (EARTH TONES) Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Warm Sepia or Raw Sienna

  • (GREENS) Pthalo Green("Winsor Green" in Winsor/Newton pigments), Sap Green

  • (DARKS) Payne’s Gray

  • NO WHITE, NO BLACK

 

Brushes: A good "round" watercolor brush is a beautiful tool. It should hold a lot of water, have lively "snap" (resilience), and come to a fine point. Kolinsky Sable brushes are best, but are generally expensive. Sable/Synthetics and Synthetics can be a good and less expensive alternative.

 

Use sizes that fit the size paintings you generally do.

  • Round brush “workhorses” for desktop size paper will be brush sizes #10, or #12.

  • Medium size brushes are #6, #8.

  • Smaller size brushes, #1, #2, #4 can be useful for detail work.

  • Good flat brushes (1 inch, 3/4 inch, 1/2 inch) are useful for obtaining clean edges and strong stroke work.

  • Mops, Hakes, and Skywash brushes are good for covering large areas in your paintings quickly and efficiently with a lot of paint.

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Get a good brush holder to store your brushes, such as a canvas or bamboo roll-up. If you take care of your brushes, they'll take care of you and can last a lifetime. You don't need a lot of brushes, just a few good brushes in the sizes that correspond to the size paper you are working with. Again, for desktop size paper, a round brush in size #10 or #12 that points well will be the most useful. Always buy good quality brushes.

 

Paper: Pads, Blocks, and Single Sheets are all acceptable. I recommend to use a good quality Watercolor Paper. It should be no less than 140 lb. Desktop sizes seem to be most efficient (9" x 12") but feel free to paint in whatever size suits your interest. There are differences between manufacturers in terms of surface, brightness, and absorbency. I prefer "Arches", but Fabriano, Canson, Strathmore, Cotman are all good quality papers. You may have a brand of paper that you are familiar with, so use what suits you best.

 

Other: Extra mixing surfaces (i.e. slant palette, old TV dinner plates, butcher tray), water container, sponges, roll of paper towels. Drawing pencils (HB or 2B), kneaded eraser, and a Sketchbook are useful for working out your designs and compositions.

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