For Pastelists
A set of pastels, include some earth colors such as umbers, siennas, and ochers. Try to have a dark, middle, and light value of each of your colors. If you have one of these smaller 30 stick sets, you may want to add to it by buying dark and light values of some of the colors in the set. Most of these smaller sets have a good selection of middle values, but not many dark or light sticks. Some good brands of pastels are Grumbacker, Rembrandt, Schmenke, and Senneilier, Great American.
Warm tones such as light ocher or sienna colors for (Landscapes Workshops)
One piece of paper, for each day of class. Avoid white, bright colors, and very dark colors. Canson is good brand of paper to buy. I suggest Canson only because it is easy to find and relatively inexpensive. If you presently use a sanded paper such as Kitty Wallace, that will work fine.
A bristle brush: I use a # 4 oil painting brush. It is used as an erasing tool. You use it
to brush color off of the paper where you want to rework it.
Fine sandpaper: An additional type of erasing tool. Don’t bother with this if
you are going to use a sanded paper such as Kitty Wallace: This is only useful
only if you are using a paper such as Canson.
A drawing board: I use a piece of 1/8 inch masonite, 18 x 22 inches.
Masking tape: to hold the paper in place on the drawing board.
For Oil Painters
If you have a selection of colors you like go with it. If you need to put a set together. I recommend: Titanium white, Ultramarine blue, Cobalt blue, Alizarin crimson, Cad yellow deep, Cad yellow med, Cad yellow light, Yellow ocher, Burnt sienna, Viridian green, Ivory black.
Brushes, I suggest filberts, one or two each of numbers, 8, 6, 4, 2.
Odorless Mineral Spirits.
Canvas, 2 boards or stretched canvases per day, no larger than 16 x 20
For Plein air painting only: If you bring stretched canvases, you will also need a single piece of mat board the size of the stretched canvas. This is used in back of the canvas to keep the sun from shining through.
Role of paper towels for cleaning your brushes.
For Oil and Pastel Painters
A small sketch book: I recommend one about 4 x 6 inches.
An apron, or smock.: Pastel is a dusty media, avoid wearing good clothes that might
be ruined if you get pastel on them.
Landscape photos/Reference Materials: These are intended to be used as subject
matter in the studio classes