Quail Creek Fine Arts Club: Solvent Free Oil Painting Class Description and Supplies
This is a class aimed at beginners in oil painting but will be of use to oil painters wanting to know more about painting in oil without solvents.
Summary: artist grade oil paints, preferably water based oils, either Royal Talen Cobra or Holbein Aqua-duo Water Based (Holbein is available at the Arizona art store) paints.
Note that if you go to the Arizona Art Supply in person (see below) you can get a 20% discount off regular prices if you show your fine art club card.
A good introductory palette consists of:
For the first class or two cad yellow light, cad red light and ultramarine blue will suffice. Winsor & Newton and Gamblin are good brands.
More details: If you already have oils just bring in your current supplies. Note that water based and regular oils can be used together. But the cleaning will depend on how much regular oil you use. A bare minimum would be a blue, yellow and red - NOT student grade.
Do NOT use student grade oils; they do not last as long anyway. Go to Dick Blick Art Supply store online and you can see MANY artist grade oil paints.
Prices can be expensive; so begin with only a few colors as recommended above. See below for online stores that have better prices usually.
Panels: Fredrix canvas panels will suffice at the beginning and are available at the Arizona Art Store, on sale now. I am not familiar with the Art Alternative. Use a few sizes ranging from 5x7, 6x8, 8x10 up to 12x16. A 12x16 cotton canvas pad can be useful. I will have a few pads available for purchase. And I will provide some small pieces for initial studies as well as some 5x7 oil primed panels.
Brushes and Palette Knives:
Shopping: Allow up to two weeks for delivery from Jerry's Artarama http://www.jerrysartarama.com and Dick Blick (www.dickblick.com). They almost always have a free shipping special if you buy a minimum (can vary). I have found these two online stores to use very similar special prices. I also think that the dick block supplies arrive somewhat faster. The best local store is Arizona Art Supplies, with 20% off regular prices for members of the QC fine arts club.
I have not used the Arizona Art Supply online store (20% discount not available online) and will compare prices, delivery times and update you on this.
More details: I have been using Cobra Water Based Oils (made by Royal Talens, also the maker of Rembrandt). Many fellow artists use this brand. They are somewhat less expensive then Holbein's Aqua Duo (also a good brand). Holbein's might have a few more colors and since we can mix and match look there for a color of choice. But since we are beginning with a limited set this is a non-issue for now.
Jerry's Artarama has somewhat less expensive prices for the Holbein Aqua Duo than either Dick Blick or the Arizona Art Supply. Note that I buy supplies when they are on sale. Some of the prices listed below are sale prices.
Example price comparison (this is too complicated; more later.... I will try to do a spreadsheet):
Holbein Titanium White Large 110 ml tube - $23.68 with Dick Blick and $22.99 with Jerry's
and $25.90 with Arizona Art supply. All these are sale prices so are not discounted further for anyone, including QC club members. Art Supply Warehouse doesn't have Holbein.
Cobra Titanium White Large 150 ml tube
$15.34 with Dick Blick and
$14.89 with Jerry's Artarama
$9.46 with Art Supply Warehouse (member, joining is around $99 a year) www.aswepress.com but never has free shipping; seems to be out of the large tubes of many colors.
Arizona doesn't have this Cobra brand.
Holbein Cadmium Red Light 40 ml tube
Jerry's NA but
Holbein Cadmium Red 40 ml tube
Jerry's -$26.39
Holbein Cadmium Yellow Light 40 ml tube
Jerry's NA
Holbein Cadmium Yellow 40 ml tube
Jerry's - $20.99
Cobra Cadmium Red Light 40 ml tube:
$10.99 - Art Supply Warehouse
Cobra Pyrrole Red Light 40 ml tube (a good substitute for Cadmium Red Light):
Holbein NA
$6.55 - Art Supply Warehouse
Supplies:
Paints:Summary: artist grade oil paints, preferably water based oils, either Royal Talen Cobra or Holbein Aqua-duo Water Based (Holbein is available at the Arizona art store) paints.
Note that if you go to the Arizona Art Supply in person (see below) you can get a 20% discount off regular prices if you show your fine art club card.
A good introductory palette consists of:
- lemon or Indian Yellow
- cadmium yellow light,
- cad red light
- alizarin crimson (permanent if available) or a magenta or carmine,
- ultramarine blue
- cerulean blue (or phthalo blue)
- large titanium white
- and possibly the convenience color, transparent orange by Gamblin.
For the first class or two cad yellow light, cad red light and ultramarine blue will suffice. Winsor & Newton and Gamblin are good brands.
More details: If you already have oils just bring in your current supplies. Note that water based and regular oils can be used together. But the cleaning will depend on how much regular oil you use. A bare minimum would be a blue, yellow and red - NOT student grade.
Do NOT use student grade oils; they do not last as long anyway. Go to Dick Blick Art Supply store online and you can see MANY artist grade oil paints.
Prices can be expensive; so begin with only a few colors as recommended above. See below for online stores that have better prices usually.
Panels: Fredrix canvas panels will suffice at the beginning and are available at the Arizona Art Store, on sale now. I am not familiar with the Art Alternative. Use a few sizes ranging from 5x7, 6x8, 8x10 up to 12x16. A 12x16 cotton canvas pad can be useful. I will have a few pads available for purchase. And I will provide some small pieces for initial studies as well as some 5x7 oil primed panels.
Brushes and Palette Knives:
- Brushes: a few hog bristle brushes of various sizes and styles, a few synthetic sable brushes, including small ones. Look for good quality brushes at the Arizona Art Supply store or online. Cheap brands tend to lose hairs and the ferule can get loose. I have liked Robert Simmons Hog Bristle. I don't know if Arizona Art Supply has these.
- Palette Knives: Get two or three (Che Son) palette knives, with bent handles: between 1 and 3 inches or so.
- (water based) Artisan's medium
- Gamsol solvent free gel or liquid
- M. Graha's walnut oil/alkyd (for faster drying)
- Also, I am trying Medium W, a medium that converts regular oils to water based oils.
- (water based) Arisan's thinner, water
- Vegetable oil and/or Gentle dishwasher
- Hardware store soap in a tub
- Master's brush cleaner
- In an emergency, outside, some Gamsol mineral spirits from Gamblin to finish cleaning brushes.
- Paper towels (Viva preferred - not the bumpy kind)
- Apron
- Easel: available in classroom or bring your own portable.
- Palette: for portability I like the Masterson 12x16 Stay wet palette (without sponges or paper).
- Plastic table cloth to cover ground and table (neutral color)
- Cups or small jars for your mediums.
Shopping: Allow up to two weeks for delivery from Jerry's Artarama http://www.jerrysartarama.com and Dick Blick (www.dickblick.com). They almost always have a free shipping special if you buy a minimum (can vary). I have found these two online stores to use very similar special prices. I also think that the dick block supplies arrive somewhat faster. The best local store is Arizona Art Supplies, with 20% off regular prices for members of the QC fine arts club.
- Location: 4343 North Oracle Road Tucson, AZ 85705
Phone: (520) 388-5555
I have not used the Arizona Art Supply online store (20% discount not available online) and will compare prices, delivery times and update you on this.
More details: I have been using Cobra Water Based Oils (made by Royal Talens, also the maker of Rembrandt). Many fellow artists use this brand. They are somewhat less expensive then Holbein's Aqua Duo (also a good brand). Holbein's might have a few more colors and since we can mix and match look there for a color of choice. But since we are beginning with a limited set this is a non-issue for now.
Jerry's Artarama has somewhat less expensive prices for the Holbein Aqua Duo than either Dick Blick or the Arizona Art Supply. Note that I buy supplies when they are on sale. Some of the prices listed below are sale prices.
Example price comparison (this is too complicated; more later.... I will try to do a spreadsheet):
Holbein Titanium White Large 110 ml tube - $23.68 with Dick Blick and $22.99 with Jerry's
and $25.90 with Arizona Art supply. All these are sale prices so are not discounted further for anyone, including QC club members. Art Supply Warehouse doesn't have Holbein.
Cobra Titanium White Large 150 ml tube
$15.34 with Dick Blick and
$14.89 with Jerry's Artarama
$9.46 with Art Supply Warehouse (member, joining is around $99 a year) www.aswepress.com but never has free shipping; seems to be out of the large tubes of many colors.
Arizona doesn't have this Cobra brand.
Holbein Cadmium Red Light 40 ml tube
Jerry's NA but
Holbein Cadmium Red 40 ml tube
Jerry's -$26.39
Holbein Cadmium Yellow Light 40 ml tube
Jerry's NA
Holbein Cadmium Yellow 40 ml tube
Jerry's - $20.99
Cobra Cadmium Red Light 40 ml tube:
$10.99 - Art Supply Warehouse
Cobra Pyrrole Red Light 40 ml tube (a good substitute for Cadmium Red Light):
Holbein NA
$6.55 - Art Supply Warehouse
