Necessities for this course:

All you really need is a writing utensil and some paper. That’s it!

Want to Expand?

I have made the case for using items you have in your home for this workshop, and that still holds true.

Yet some of you may find you benefit from particular things set aside especially for this course. This could serve as a good motivator to keep writing or encourage you to expand your artistic pursuits.

If you aren’t particularly keen on writing, purchasing a journal or a fun, new pen may help motivate you.

If you want to get past your fear of trying something unfamiliar, choose just one new medium (the material an artist uses) to expand your horizons; if you want to push a bit further, try several new things, but don’t overwhelm yourself.

Favorite Stores:

Jerry’s Artarama

Blick Art Materials

Recommendations.

Surfaces:

Journal

Mixed media sketch pad, approximately 9”x12”

A mixed media sketchpad should cover your bases. If you know you would like to do a lot of painting, it may be wise to purchase either a water color block (a block of paper attached together so the paper won’t warp) or an acrylic painting pad. Or, go big and purchase some blank canvases!

Art Mediums:

Colored pencils

Inks

Pen

Pencil

Watercolor

Chalk Pastel

Oil Pastel

Acrylic paint

Crayons

Charcoal

Things to Consider:

Do you want to be able to fill up your paper quickly or slowly?

Do you like the look of smooth lines?

Do you like the look of rough edges?

Slow Fill:

Oil pastel

Pen

Pencil/ colored pencil

Crayons

Quick Fill:

Watercolor

Acrylic paint

Ink

Chalk Pastel

Charcoal

Smooth Lines:

Ink

Pencil/colored pencil

Watercolor

Acrylic

Pen

RoughLlines:

Chalk pastel (also smooth)

Oil pastel

Crayons

Charcoal (also smooth)

Words to the wise and quick tips:

I find oil pastel and even chalk pastel quite challenging, but those colors are gorgeous!

Spray hairspray over your finished chalk pastel or charcoal drawings. It helps to keep them from smudging. For a more archival solution, look into purchasing an acid free fixative specific to your medium. Art stores are your best bet for this type of product.

Watercolor is a great medium for those who don’t like to fuss. Let the paint pool and swirl, and don’t worry about tweaking it too much.

If you like to fuss, acrylic paint may be more your style. You can layer and layer bearing in mind to not let your paper get excessively soggy. And if you really want to build layers, go ahead and buy some blank, stretched canvases that have already been gessoed.

Workshop Homepage.