Paint Supplies – Intermediate and Advanced Painting
Carla Poindexter, Instructor
PAINT: Acrylic Paints Only (No Oils due to ventilation problems in the studio)
REQUIRED PAINTS:
MARS BLACK (Not Bone or Carbon Black), TITANIUM WHITE, COBALT BLUE, CADMIUM RED MEDIUM,
PRIMARY YELLOW or CADMIUM YELLOW LIGHT
You will need these ESSENTIAL colors and if necessary you can get by with them for most of the semester
with careful mixing.
Please purchase colors that conform to ASTM D4236 Safety standards for low or non-toxic levels.
See certification stamps AP or other Non-toxic Safety Certifications on the back of tubes.
Try to purchase opaque or heavy body paints – rather than transparent paints. (You will be saving
money by mixing opaque paints with transparent glazing mediums to make transparent colors in this class.)
Look at the color charts or sample images on the tubes for opacity levels. I recommend professional quality
paints such as Liquitex, Golden and Daler Rowney System-3 brands. They are more expensive, but the
smaller 2 oz. tubes will go on smoother and much further than the cheaper large tube brands.
I do NOT recommend Basics and Academy brand paints. The pigment to binder ratio is too low and
the paint tends to be sticky making it very difficult to execute the level of paint application that is required in
this class. Heavy Body paint offers the highest pigment load possible for acrylics. However, Soft body paint
in any of the recommended brands, although more transparent, can still be suitable for this class.
Other suggested colors for advanced students and final intermediate project:
ALIZERAN CRIMSON or QUINACRIDONE MAGENTA, ULTRAMARINE BLUE, CERULEAN BLUE,
PHTHALO BLUE (GREEN SHADE), RAW UMBER, YELLOW OCHRE, RAW SIENNA, BURNT SIENNA,
AND PERMANENT GREEN LIGHT, TURQUIOSE OR OTHER BRILLIANT BLUE-GREENS
REUIRED CANVAS PREPARATION MATERIALS AND GLAZING MEDIUMS
Gesso: LIQUITEX BASIC Brand Acrylic white gesso is recommended.
Transparent Glazing Mediums: Select one small Gloss and one large Matte (These are in plastic bottles).
Recommended: Golden Liquid Acrylic Matte or Liquitex Liquid Matt or Gloss medium and Varnish.
Intermediate Class: (Do not purchase these items in tubes, do not buy gels or pastes, and do not purchase
slow-drying gels or textured mediums)
Brushes:
Purchase brushes that are designated for Acrylic painting. Purchase an assortment.
I suggest the Simply Simmons Brand for quality and economy. You can purchase them individually or in
group packages Purchase an assortment of small, medium and large flats (3) and pointed rounds (2-3).
You will also need two - 1 ½” – 2” tapered, flat, good quality, House painting type brushes. One for applying
transparent glazes and the other for surface preparations with gesso (These are usually less expensive at
hardware stores or home improvement stores. Look for brushes that do not loose their bristles.)
Optional: A liner brush (long and very thin bristle for fluid line work with thin paint and inks. Also, filberts and
fans are great to have but are not necessary for most assignments.
Other Essential Supplies
Purchase a good flexible metal palette knife for mixing paint and medium soft charcoal pencils or vine
charcoal for preliminary drawings on canvas. Plenty of clean old rags, (torn towels, t-shirts, etc.), an apron or
smock to protect clothes, plastic container for water, plastic wrap to keep paint moist, little disposable plastic
containers with covers to store glazing mediums and large quantities of mixed paint, hand soap (bar) for
cleaning brushes, metal glass scraper with razor blades to fit.
Container to store supplies – Tackle or Tool Box, etc. Combination or key lock for locker.
REQUIRED Palette: (Students who do not make a required palette will not be allowed to paint in the
classroom after the first two weeks of the semester.)
It is very important to have a clean, smooth, white palette when using acrylics. Acrylic paints need to
scraped and cleaned from the palette after each session. Build your own glass palette (not plexi-glass
because the surface scratches and paint collects in the grooves.)
How to make it:
Use 2 sheets of standard glass (purchase at Lowes, Home Depot, or a glass company may have matching
scraps). Minimum size roughly 12” x 20”. Paint one side of each with opaque, white gesso. When the gesso
dries, place painted sides together (to the inside) to form 2 glass surfaces – front and back- with a pure
opaque white surface in-between. * Protect the edges on all four sides with at least 2 layers of heavy duty
wide duck tape. Pay attention to the corners. Write your name with a bold sharpie on the duck tape.
Stretched canvases
Intermediate painting students: Purchase two 11 x 14” or similar sized canvases to begin the semester.
Even with pre-prepared, surfaces the gesso applications are often too thin and are of low quality. Apply at
least two more layers of gesso until the surface is relatively smooth and the weave of the canvas is not
prominent. Use a very light application of fine sand paper in between applications.
NOTE:
You will be required to stretch your own canvas onto a purchased or built canvas frame at the end of the
second half of the semester. You are encouraged to purchase pre-stretched canvases that are inexpensive
and of good quality from the art supply stores or on line. However, ALL canvas surfaces must be
supplemented with at least 2 coats of gesso (due to the nature of the first four assignments in Intermediate
painting – allow a full day for drying).
Advanced painting students: Select canvas sizes as they relate to the content and context of each painting.
PAPER for figure painting (later in the semester, after mid-term)
Intermediate and Advanced Students: Later in the semester all students will need 5 sheets 22” x 30” good
quality drawing/printmaking paper (gesso the surface once the day before class to allow for plenty of drying
time.) (Rives BFK or Arches recommended)