Below is a list of materials that I have used, currently using and have become familiar with throughout my own exploration of technique. There are a lot of options when it comes to painting materials, below are my thoughts and some tips on my process and knowledge (by no means the only way and should be taken with a grain of salt).

Oil paint has a bad reputation of being unhealthy, takes forever to dry, is difficult to learn, and expensive. The truth is that the same pigments that are in oils are in fact the same in acrylics. On any paint tube, you can find the pigment number and look it up in the Artist Handbook of Materials & Technique by Ralph Mayer (a great resource every artist should have) to find the chemical make up and its source of raw materials.

For instance: Ultramarine blue is made from pigment: PB29, Pigment Blue 29 (C.I. 77007) is an Ultramarine Blue (Sodium Aluminum Sulfosilicate) with chemical formula Na8-x[(Al,Si)12]O24(Sy)2. It comes from the stone Lapis and was usually reserved for the use on Mary, as a symbol of royalty. Lapis Lazuli (lapis with pyrite), a beautiful deep blue stone of Lazurite with flakes of fools-gold, Lapis is a semiprecious stone that has been sought after since antiquity for its intense color.

PAINTS

Again, this is personal preference. I typically buy the paint I can afford that give the most out of consistency, pigment load, and pigment range. My go to brand these days tend to lean upon Gamblin Oil Colors, but by no means do I limit myself to a certain brand. Some certain colors that I prefer are from certain manufacturers. That being said, I never buy student grade paints. While these paints are more affordable, the pigment-to-vehicle ratio tends to be higher on the vehicle rather than pigment. The pigment(s) are the same, but the oil content is higher. You’ll ultimately use more because of the lower pigment load. So you’ll go through them faster. A good rule is simply to buy what you can afford— expensive paints wont make you a better painter.

THINNERS & SOLVENTS

For most of my life I used Turpenoid, a petrol-based OMS (Odorless Mineral Spirits) as a thinner and brush cleaner. It is relatively cheap, and works but over the years the fumes have given me headaches once I had a dedicated studio indoors. When you use OMS products indoors, you have to ensure you have proper ventilation. With my wife and dogs in the house, add the heat of Texas, there was no way I was opening widows. Enter Chelsea Classic Studio.

A little more expensive, but not having solvents in the studio is definitely worth it. Plus you get the choice of aroma; lavender or citrus. I prefer the citrus and after a long day /night of painting, the studio (and house) smell great. My wife always knows when I am painting. The benefit health wise is worth the price alone. I would love to remove petrol-based solvents from my process completely, but one of my favorite under-painting techniques just works better with OMS.

When I have to use OMS, which is very limited in the whole process, the only solvent I currently use is Gamblin’s Gamsol. Its clean, odorless and works well for thinning paint. Again, you get what you pay for and Gamsol works for my process. Gamblin goes to extreme lengths to not only help artists, but the environment as well.

BRUSHES

This is very much a subjective subject….get it? ;) —There is no ‘wrong’ brush, and even I keep old brushes for textures; I rarely throw out brushes. In my experience, I have found that there is a brand of brushes that I prefer and continually repurchase when needed; Dynasty - Black Gold Series. I prefer the long handle and soft hairs of this line of brushes. They’re relatively inexpensive and readily available in my area when I need a new brush. Honestly, the brand makes no difference, but for my process, the style pf brush does have a purpose.

• Squares & Brights- these brushes can be from synthetic or boar hair, known as bristle brushes. I typically us these for the first layers of painting. The initial layer, after the under-painting, you are blocking-in major shapes, hence the square brush. Details are ignored somewhat and general color, shape and placement are the focus.

• Filberts & Angles- These are my go to brushes. They are universal in application, can achieve levels of detail, limits build up on the edges of the stroke that is seen in a square/bright, and has the ability to remove/smooth brush strokes. A great brush for glazes as well as texture.

• Rounds, Liners, & Riggers- These are your detail brushes. Dependent upon the shape & size, they hold a significant amount of paint, have the ability to produce hair lines, and with the right medium, longer lines can be produced without having to repeatedly “pull” the stroke.

• Mops & Badgers- These brushes are used for blending and removal of strokes and come in a variety of sizes.

THE PALETTE

I have used multiple different palettes; paper, wood, plastic and glass. The best approach is to contact a local shower and tile company in your area and ask for scrap glass at around an 1/8th to 3/8th-inch thick. They usually have this stuff lying around and glass works the best. Once the paint is dry (or even somewhat), just take a paint scraper with a retractable razor blade and scrape the paint right off; good as new. Today, they actually make “Clear” glass as opposed to glass that has a green tint to it called “Ultra Clear” or “Star Fire Glass”. This glass has a significantly lower iron content to it, so you don’t get that “green” look; if you are trying to color match where the green in the glass can affect your mixes.

Place a neutral-gray matte board or paper under the glass and that gray gives a neutral look to the palette which gives you an accurate representation of the color next to others on the palette. And if we are talking about color on your palette, we have to talk about light in your studio. Warm light, or yellow light (2500k-3500k) merits cooler mixes to compensate warmer light. Same goes for cooler light, your mixes come out more warm. The light you have in your studio should be around 5000k (kelvin)- just slightly cooler than that of daylight. When under normal gallery lighting your colors won’t lean too warm or cool, no matter the light.