Welcome to your “Inspired by Natalie” Art Class! This class focuses on oil painting, but the basic techniques for painting in general can help you with any other style of painting you choose. Some of you may prefer watercolor, acrylic, or folk painting.
Class Materials
First you need to decide if you are merely watching the class videos, or if you want to participate as an artist. If you plan to paint, next you should plan what type of paint, medium, brushes, and table/easel you’ll use, how much you’re willing to spend on supplies, and if you want an easy clean up.
Watercolors have muted soft colors, and require little money to get started. You can find inexpensive student sets. If you wish, you can use watercolor pencils to add details to your work. This type of painting is less messy than other types and can be easily cleaned up with water. You may use heavy watercolor paper.
Experimenting with watercolor to practice art concepts taught in this course- such as generating ideas, planning a project, choosing whether to paint from life, photos, or your imagination, creating a layout, selecting colors, and more- will still allow you to benefit from this class even if you don’t want to invest in oils.
The same is true for acrylics or folk painting, which are also less expensive and easier to clean than oils, and a canvas or easel isn’t necessary. You can buy heavy paper for acrylic painting that comes as a pad or in separate sheets. If you aren’t set up for painting on an easel, you may want to think beyond that idea.
You may also consider painting on wood for acrylic or folk painting. There are many options for wooden projects, and perhaps this is something you’ve already done. You can purchase wooden craft items that are sold for painting on, or simply use a piece of wood (bought new, or found). Painting on furniture is always nice. Feel free to use these class lessons to complete a project of your own, that has nothing to do with oil painting.
But for those of you who want the oil painting experience, here’s what I recommend for a quick start:
– These six colors in small tubes: white, black, blue, yellow, red, brown. There are many variations of these basic colors. Soft mixing white or Titanium White? For the purpose of this class, especially if you’re new to oil painting, it doesn’t matter which white paint you use. Both will allow you to use the paint as white itself, and will also be useful for color mixing to lighten other colors. If you love oil painting, you’ll eventually want to own a variety of shades. Some brands and colors (pigments used to create the color) are more expensive than others. Level 1 (the cheapest) tend to get watery and run. Level 3 is thick, more expensive, and unnecessary. Level 2 is what I use.
– For canvas, you can get the kind that is stretched around a wooden frame, or a flat board. Both are inexpensive and easily found in any craft or art store.
– Four brushes recommended, but you can get through the class with fewer. If your budget allows, buy three brushes of your brand’s medium/average size (not the largest, not the smallest): fan brush, angle brush, and one other of your choice- chisel, round, flat, etc. Then choose one of your brand’s smallest size fine detail brushes, any variety. Eventually you’ll want to have more brushes in your collection, but those four will get you started. If your budget is tight, choose fewer than the recommended four. Don’t buy cheap budget craft brushes- they barely function at all for oil painting. Get real art brushes, level 2 if labeled that way (the medium price range offered in the store of your choice).
– An easel is recommended– the inexpensive folding tabletop kind is fine. If budget and space, a floor length easel or art desk with an easel top are better.
– A clean glass pickle jar, a bar of Ivory soap, Dawn dishwashing liquid for non-toxic cleanup of your brushes (I’ll demonstrate this method in class)
Learn at your own pace. Relax and have fun. Be joyful, be free!
Be inspired to paint!
/See next documents: Class Syllabus and Lessons/