Buy less than you think you need. Most people arrive with more than they will use and less of what they will actually reach for, so talk to Lorraine before you spend anything.
Treat the list below as a suggestion. You can work with more or with less, you can substitute what you already own, and if you are unsure about something, ask her before you buy it. She will tell you what is worth the money and what can wait.
Paints
Look for Grumbacher Professional or Gamblin, though not the Gamblin 1890 line. Student grade paint has less pigment and the difference shows the first time you mix a color.
- Cadmium Yellow Deep
- Cadmium Yellow Medium
- Sap Green
- Dioxazine Purple
- Magenta and Alizarin Crimson
- Cadmium Red Light
- Ultramarine Blue
- Cerulean Blue
- Yellow Ochre
- Titanium White (large tube)
Brushes, mediums and the rest
- Brushes: a small round, plus flats, angled or brights in small, medium and large
- Mineral spirits, for oil only. Gamsol is the best of them
- Disposable palette paper, or a sealed palette box to keep paint wet between sessions
- Canvas, board or panel in a size you can finish
- Paper towels and a container for solvent
Where to buy
- Jerry’s Artarama, usually the better prices
- Jerry’s Artarama, West Hartford
- Dick Blick
What the class covers
Bring a work in progress or start something new. The class covers painting technique, materials and how to apply them, composition, color theory and the effects of light, at every level. Each session includes demonstrations and critiques.
Course objectives
- To understand and develop skills of constructing a painting technically and aesthetically.
- To develop visual perception using basic concepts of space, color, surface, form and content.
- To understand the physical properties of the painting medium.
- To develop a sense of visual composition.
- To develop an ability to verbalize ideas and judgments of the work.
How work is assessed
Group critique for each painting assignment, and each painting is evaluated individually.
If you are starting in acrylic instead, the acrylic materials list is the one you want. The painting classes Lorraine Skelskey-Chapin teaches in Southbury, Connecticut are listed with the schedule and where each session meets.