My Materials

I am always experimenting with new materials. Here is what I am currently using.

(Please note, some of these links are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I'll receive a small commission. This allows me to continue creating helpful and entertaining free content! I only recommend products that I use and love.)

Painting supplies (Studio):

• Best Santa Fe II studio easel
• Glass palette over middle value gray
• Paper towel (Viva - I have an Amazon subscription)
• Cling wrap (keeps leftover paint fresh on the palette for about a day)
• Fine to medium grit sand paper
• Palette knife (3” straight blade)
• Air Tight Brush Washer filled with Artists' Grade Gamsol
• Painting medium (Oleogel for slow drying and Liquin for fast drying)

Painting Surfaces:

• Linen canvases stretched, sized and primed by myself. I prep them using 2 coats of rabbit skin glue and 2 coats of oil-based primer or lately, lead ground. To learn my process in more detail, visit this link: http://artworkbyannarose.blogspot.com/2011/09/preparing-linen-canvas-how-to.html
• Linen panels - I use Raymar double-primed Claessens linen, or Centurian oil primed linen panels. Both brands are excellent!
• When I want to my make my own custom linen panels, I mount Claessens #13 linen to hardboard using Miracle Muck.

Paints:

I use a variety of high quality paints. This list below are my current favorites. Paints with an asterisk (*) are almost always on my pallette.

• Titanium White 2 (Michael Harding)* 
• Warm White (Michael Harding)* 
• Burnt Umber (Michael Harding) 
• Burnt Sienna (Gamblin) 
• Transparent Oxide Brown (Rembrandt)* 
• Transparent Oxide Red (Rembrandt)* 
• Ultramarine Blue (Michael Harding)* 
• Ivory Black (Sennelier)* 
• Greenish Umber (Sennelier)* 
• Viridian (Rembrandt)* 
• Phthalo Blue (Sennelier) 
• King's Blue Deep (Michael Harding) 
• Phthalo Green (Vasari) 
• Radiant Turquoise (Gamblin) 
• Radiant Green (Gamblin)* 
• Radiant Violet (Gamblin) 
• Yellow Ochre Pale (Winsor & Newton)* 
• Cadmium Lemon (Sennelier)* 
• Yellow Lake (Michael Harding) 
• Mentler Mustard(Rembrandt)* 
• Cadmium Yellow Pale (Winsor & Newton)* 
• Cadmium Orange (Rembrandt)* 
• Cadmium Orange (Old Holland) 
• Cadmium Scarlet (Winsor & Newton)* 
• Cadmium Red (Michael Harding) 
• Quinacridone Magenta (Gamblin) 
• Permanent Rose (Winsor & Newton) 
• Brilliant Pink (Michae Harding) 
• Alizarin Crimson Permanent (Gamblin)* 
• Permanent Mauve (Winsor & Newton) 
• Cobalt Violet Hue (Sennelier) 

Brushes

• Rosemary Long Flat Mongoose brushes, series 279, in sizes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 
• Rosemary Short Flat Mongoose brushes, series 274, in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 
• Rosemary Pure Sable flats, series 77, in sizes 6-14 
• Grey Matters rounds, series 9811, in sizes 4-8 
• Flat hog bristle brushes in all sizes from 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 (Robert Simmons Signet or Rosemary Ivory series) 
• Long filbert hog bristle brushes in sizes 2, 4, 6, 10 (I like Silver Unlimited Grand Prix) 
• Round sables in sizes 00 (or as small as you can go!), 2, 4, 6 (such as Rosemary mongoose series 272, or Rembrandt) 

Lighting

Good lighting is a must! I try to have the same temperature light on my canvas and palette as on my model. I work with a couple different lights: a fluorescent daylight-balanced softbox set-up on a boom stand (available through Cowboy Studio, see below), and an LED temperature-adjustable light from Aputure, which I usually have set to 4500K. These lights offer cool lighting that comes as close to natural north light as one can get.
Click the image to view this continuous set from Cowboy Studio:



Click the image to view the Aputure Light StormLS1C:


As far as light stands, I recommend using a metal boom stand (you can balance it with a sandbag) to light the model or a still life setup, as it gives you a lot more control over the lighting angle. Here's what I have in my studio:

Painting Supplies (Plein Air):

• I use a Prolific Painter Fly on the Wall Easel, for plein air/hiking.
• I use an Edge Pro Paintbook for all other times when I need to pack up my gear and take it somewhere (i.e. for open studios, portrait demos, etc.), but it's awesome for plein air as well.
• Camera Tripod
• Walnut oil or painting medium in small jar
• Air Tight Brush Washer filled with Artists' Grade Gamsol
• Long flat bristle brushes, one or two medium sables
• Paper towels (I have an Amazon subscription for VIVA Paper Towels)
• Plastic trash bags
• Limited palette:
  
  
  • Ultramarine Blue (Michael Harding) 
  • Titanium White 2 (Michael Harding) 
  • Pthalo Green Lake (Michael Harding) 
  • Cadmium Yellow Pale (Winsor & Newton)* 
  • Cadmium Red (Michael Harding) 
  • Cadmium Orange (Rembrandt)* 
  • Yellow Ochre (Michael Harding) 
  • Burnt Sienna (Gamblin) 
  • Alizarin Crimson Permanent (Gamblin)


• Sunscreen, bug spray, bottled water, hat or visor