What to Bring for Outdoor Painting

Our experienced instructor, Anne Johann has put together categories of supplies that you may need
for painting outdoors.

Basic Art Supplies:

Medium or mediums of your choice (see below).  Water for painting. Good to have so you don’t have to look for it (Rest Room) on site.  Luggage Trolley or hand cart so you won’t need to carry your things.  Lightweight folding chair or stool, or blanket to sit on. Phone or Camera. Wide brimmed hat or visor.  Long, lightweight slacks/jeans. Long sleeved lightweight shirt (to protect yourself from sun) Sneakers, or other sturdy shoes. Insect Repellent, Sunscreen, Water to drink or something to hydrate yourself. Optional: Portable watercolor easel and/or folding table (if you have one). Portable easel such as a Julian, Open M Box, or Guerilla Box for oil/acrylic painters. Painting umbrella and lightweight tripod for umbrella (not necessary but strongly suggested). Rain jacket or poncho. Sweater or sweatshirt (if the weather is cool). WetWipes small travel size is very convenient to have no matter what your medium.

Miscellaneous:

2 water containers, paper towels, HB drawing pencil, kneaded eraser, sponge. (optional: masking fluid).     Oil/Acrylic Painters: Oil Paint Brands: Winsor & Newton, Schminke, Old Hollands, Vasari. (Use what you have!) Acrylics: Golden heavy body. New Golden Open Acrylics (stays wet longer) email for colors. Great Acrylic set: Golden Color Mixing Modern Theory. This includes a mixing guide. Oil Colors:  Titanium/Zinc White    Permanent Alizarin Crimson Lemon Yellow    (Cerulean Blue, expensive, optional)  Cadmium Yellow    Cobalt Blue Yellow Ochre    Ultramarine Blue  Raw Sienna     Pthalo Blue Burnt Sienna     Pthalo Green  Cadmium Red Light    Ivory Black  Canvas/Boards: You may work on canvas, however, I prefer boards while working outdoors. Ampersand GessoBoard is recommended. Sizes 8 x 10, 9 x 12, 11 x 14. Brushes: assorted Robert Simmons Signet Series 42 bristle filberts, #1 - 8. A few flats, and small synthetic sable rounds for detail. Other brands are acceptable.   Oil Palettes: paper palettes can blow in the wind. Best to use wooden palette. Use a pochade box (Open Box M, Guerrilla Painter) or French easel with its wooden palette. Acrylics Palette: Stay moist palette. Spray bottle to moisten palette, Retarder to keep paint workable longer. 2 plastic containers for water. Miscellaneous:  painting rags/paper towels, palette knife, soft vine charcoal, plastic wrap,  jar with Gamsol, rubber gloves and plastic garbage bags for clean up. Wet canvas carrier, or shirt/gift boxes to store/transport wet oil paintings.
 
 

Watercolor Painters:

Paint Brands: Winsor & Newton (W&N) and Schminke (S) are my favorites. It is OK to use other brands/sets. I purchase small tubes (5ml/.17 oz or larger). I set them up in my palette starting with the lighter colors (yellows, to orange, to red, to medium value earth colors, to blue, to green, to dark earths. These remain in their wells. You may use a set if that is what you have. Minimum colors:  Aureolin Yellow (W&N)  Cobalt Blue Deep (S) Cadmium Yellow Medium(S) Pthalo Blue (S) or Winsor Blue green shade (W&N) Cadmium Red Middle (S)   Pthalo Green (S) or Winsor Green blue shade (W&N) Permanent Alizarin Crimson (W&N) Other colors: Permanent Rose (W&N), Ultramarine Finest (S), Payne’s Gray, Sepia,  Yellow Raw Ochre (S), Raw Sienna (S), Burnt Sienna (W&N), Transparent Orange (S), Cadmium Orange Deep (S), Hooker’s Green (S), Indian Red (W&N), Venetian Red (S),  Cobalt Cerulean (S), Scarlet Red (S).    Paper: 140lb. Cold Press watercolor blocks 9”x12“, 10”x14“, or 12”x16.” Try the new ‘landscape panorama’ sizes as well. Examples: Canson/Montval Watercolor blocks (Cheap Joes, Jerry’s Artarama.) Kilimanjaro watercolor blocks (Cheap Joes.) Arches, available at most suppliers, more expensive, but it is beautiful paper. Pick up some when it is on sale! Brushes: Buy a synthetic sable such as Winsor & Newton ‘Cotman’ or Princeton synthetic sable.  Sable is the best, and if you can afford one, buy. One flat: ¾” (½ “ or 1” if you cannot get a ¾). One #8 round.  One Liner or Rigger #2. Great set: Robert Simmons Synthetic Wallet set of 5. Palette: There are many plastic palettes available. I use a John Pike palette.

Pastel Painters:

(soft or oil) Pastels: An assortment of soft, medium soft, hand rolled, and semi-hard pastels. If new to pastels, consider purchasing a ‘landscape set’ and a small set of semi-hard pastels for detail work. Boards/Paper: You may find that you prefer boards while working outdoors, otherwise you need to have a support such as Gatorboard or other lightweight smooth drawing board for your paper. Use Bulldog, Binder, or other clips to hold your paper to the board. Ampersand PastelBord is one board recommendation. PastelMat is a card weight paper, so it is more substantial than paper. A 9 x 12” pad of  12 sheets 4 colors is $30.23 at Jerry’s Artarama. Canson Mi-Teintes ‘Touch’ is another paper and board product to try. Art Spectrum makes ‘Colorfix,’ a fine tooth pastel paper. Sizes 8 x 10, 9 x 12, 11 x 14 are best, but if you work quickly, challenge yourself with a larger size. Miscellaneous: rags/paper towels, blending tools, portfolio for loose paper/boards, Wet Wipes/, latex gloves/invisible glove product to protect hands, tracing or other thin paper to protect artwork, and plastic garbage bags for clean up. You may want to use gamsol to wash in your under painting. In that case, a small jar for the gamsol would be required.