Alla Prima Portrait Painting Workshop

You may use the supplies you are comfortable with or follow my general supply list here. If you are starting from scratch it may be easier to learn from me by following my list.

Painting Surface: One 12"x16" pad of Arches Oil Paper ( you must also have artist tape and a board to fix the paper to, I recommend foam core board not much larger than the paper.) If you know this paper and do not like working on it, feel free to use a surface that you do like. Whatever you bring, have at least 2 surfaces per day to be safe. Keep your canvases under 12”x16” so that the whole group can see.

Brushes: My favorite brushes these days are Princeton Ashley Series 5200 Natural Bristle Brushes, Long Flats. Sizes up to 4 or 6 would work well. Have at least 6 brushes total if you can.

Oil Paint:

Basic Palette

  • Titanium White

  • Yellow Ochre

  • Cadmium Red

  • Ivory Black

Add more colors-

  • Ultramarine Blue

  • Permanent Rose or Quinacridone Red

  • Cadmium Yellow

*Palette: some suggestions- a sturdy rectangular glass palette which fits into a paintsaver box with the blue lid, or New Wave Palettes. I use the rectangular grey palette (POSH) by Newwave.

•Palette Knife: for scraping palette

•Gamsol/Odorless Mineral Spirits, to thin paint and clean brushes and palette.
All solvents must be odorless and covered with a lid when not in direct use.

* Oil - linseed, walnut, whatever art grade medium you prefer if you use them.

•2 Containers for Gamsol & medium: one larger container for cleaning brushes with just gamsol, and one smaller for clean gamsol/oil medium that you will use to thin your paint as you go.

•Paper-towels