Online Art Making Class Materials List

Paper (choose either colored-pencil paper or Bristol paper):

• Strathmore colored-pencil pad (30 sheets, 9" x 12") ($9)
• Strathmore Bristol pad (20 sheets, 9" x 12") ($8)

Colored pencils (sets of 24); any of the below sets will work well:

• Raffine ($10)
• Prismacolor ($29)
• Derwent ($35)
• Faber Castell ($41)
• Caran D’Ache Luminance 6901 Colored Pencils (set of 20) ($56)

Specific Colors

1. Violet
2. Alizarin Crimson
3. Permanent Red
4. Cadmium Orange
5. Cadmium Yellow
6. Lemon Yellow
7. Spring Green
8. Grass Green
9. Light Phthalo Green
10. Bluish Turquoise
11. Pthalo Blue
12. Cobalt Blue
13. Light Cobalt Blue
14. Prussian Blue
15. Ultramarine Blue
16. Raw Sienna
17. Burnt Sienna
18. Raw Umber
19. Burnt Umber
20. Warm Gray
21. Cool Gray
22. Ivory
23. White
24. Black

These materials are suggested by the instructor but not required. Any pencil, eraser, and paper will work well.

Paper: For the demonstrations, I use Discount School Supply White Sulphite Paper (12 x 18", 50 lb.). My personal sketchbooks include Moleskine, Strathmore, and a variety of others that have different textures and thicknesses. Everyone has their own preference, so I recommend trying out different papers to see what you like!

Factis Mechanical Eraser: This eraser is helpful for pulling graphite and bringing highlights back into your drawing. It can also be used similar to a pencil, making long strokes of white (erasing the graphite) that add texture to a drawing. 

Tombow MONO Zero Erasers: Round & Rectangular: I use the small, round eraser for the tiniest erasing details. It saves time to have such a small eraser on hand, and creates beautiful moments of light.

Faber-Castell Drawing Pencils: Although you can purchase a set of pencils in varying grades, for the drawing demo I'll be using 6B so that people can see the dark marks better. I am not a fan of anything in the H grade, as the graphite is too hard and light for me to sketch comfortably. I love a 4B or 6B pencil, but that is entirely personal preference. 

General's Pure Woodless Graphite: These pure graphite pencils are a lot of fun to draw with. I usually add them to a pencil lengthener so that I can hold them like a paintbrush. Big, loose marks can be even more fun to draw with—so if you have the ability, give this a try!

Koh-I-Noor Pencil Lengthener (I add the woodless graphite to this): This pencil lengthener was first introduced to me in art school. My drawing teacher would use compressed charcoal in the extender, and hold it like a paintbrush. It allows an artist to draw with a loose hand, moving the entire arm to create curves and gestures. Without it, sometimes a small nub can be harder to hold onto or can limit the range of motion. 

Pastel Paper  

Different papers offer various surface textures for the pastels to grip onto. Choose what you want to experiment with, from traditional pastel papers to cold-pressed or rough watercolor paper on which you can create an underpainting before using pastels on top. Pastel boards are also fun to use.  

• Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Pads (9 x 12 in.) for $9 at Jerry’s Artarama
• Ampersand Museum Series Pastelbord (5 x 7 in. sampler of 4) for $11 at Jerry’s Artarama 

Pastel Colors 

We will use soft pastels for these classes. Oil pastels and hard pastels are also options you can choose, and it's absolutely fine if you choose to use what already you have instead of buying new soft pastels. Soho Urban Artist Soft Pastel Half Stick Sets from Jerry’s Artarama start at $40 for 48 half sticks, which is great to begin with.  

Additional Supplies (Optional) 

• Blending stumps or tortillons
• Small hand towel (old) or chamois cloth
• 2b pencil and sketchbook
• Bulldog clips or artist tape (similar to masking tape, but with less tack)
• Drawing board
• Fixative or reworkable fixative (to set the pastels when done) 

To participate in the watercolor pencil series, artists can use any set of materials that suit them. If an artist already owns plenty of standard colored pencils, purchasing just a few individual watercolor pencils can be a nice addition to an art toolbox.

Paper (choose either colored-pencil paper or Bristol paper):

· Strathmore colored pencil pad (30 sheets, 9" x 12") ($9)

· Strathmore Bristol pad (20 sheets, 9" x 12") ($8)

Watercolor pencils (set of 24) with brush:

Cezanne watercolor pencils ($12.99)

Color pencils (set of 24); any of the below sets will work well:

· Raffine ($10)

· Prismacolor ($29)

· Derwent ($35)

· Faber Castell ($41)

· Caran D’Ache Luminance 6901 Colored Pencils (set of 20) ($56)

Watercolor Materials: under $25

Paper

12 9 x 12" sheets ($6)

Paint

Marie's Student Watercolor Set of 12 - 12 ml tubes ($7): Colors include Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Crimson Red, Lamp Black, Lemon Yellow, Prussian Blue, Sap Green, Vermillion, White, Yellow Ochre, Violet, and Green Deep.

Palette

12 wells that fit the 12-tube set ($7): 

Brushes

• $2 for the Try-It! Polarflo Brushes Pack of 2
• $4 Polar-Flo Watercolor Brush 700R Round

Watercolor Materials: $25 and up

Paper

There will be times when you are experimenting and probably don’t want to waste good paper, and times when you are ready to paint a well-drawn composition. For the good-quality paper, the Arches Blocks are wonderful. The paper is already stretched, and you paint on the top sheet, one at a time. After it dries, you can separate it from the sheet below (a letter opener helps). You will notice choices in size and name. For the size, choose the biggest block that works for you financially. For the name, everything offered is either Hot Press, Cold Press, or Rough in 140 lb. There is one thicker paper that is 300 lb Cold Press in the larger blocks, but 140 lb is just fine for now. Hot Press is slick, smooth paper, while Cold Press has some texture. Rough has even more texture. This is a personal preference, though I notice students have a more forgiving time when they purchase 140 lb. Cold Press paper. A 10 x 14” pad is $42 for 20 sheets, so $2+ a sheet. But that should last a while as it’s intended for serious painting efforts, not experimental play. For that, you can purchase a Canson XL Watercolor pad with 30 sheets for about $10.

Paint 

This is something that will change as you grow as a watercolor painter. Here is a list of colors that are recommended to start, but feel free to add whatever excites you! Some tubes are $4–$25, depending on their ingredients. With that in mind, here are some lists of colors to fit different stages of your budget. One note of caution: some professional artist paints contain toxic ingredients. Be on the lookout for anything that has cobalt or cadmium especially. You can substitute those colors with a cadmium hue or a cobalt hue. This means that it’s the color of the original without the toxicity. But be sure to check safety labels to confirm.

If you had to pick just 6 colors to start with:

• Red: Pyrrol Scarlet (Cadmium Red)
• Yellow: Hansa Yellow Medium (Cadmium Yellow)
• Blue: French Ultramarine (Ultramarine)
• Green: Sap Green (Sap Green)
• Earth Red/Orange: Burnt Sienna (Burnt Sienna)
• Magenta: Quinacridone Rose (Purple Lake)

If you have the opportunity to purchase more:

• Aureolin Yellow
• Cadmium Yellow Light
• Yellow Ochre
• Quinacridone Gold
• Cadmium Orange
• Cadmium Red
• Permanent Alizarin Crimson
• Quinacridone Rose
• Sap Green
• Viridian
• Cerulean Blue
• Cobalt Blue
• Prussian Blue
• French Ultramarine Blue
• Raw Sienna
• Burnt Sienna
• Burnt Umber
• Payne’s Gray
• Gouache - White

Palette ($16)

I like this palette because it allows for 24 colors and has two generous mixing areas. I use one area for mixing warm colors and the other for mixing cool colors. The lid helps protect your pigments from dust, and from spilling after a painting session, when everything is wet. It’s also a good price for a palette. The only drawback is that the plastic it is made from is a bit light. If you want a palette that is heavier, though it doesn’t have 2 mixing areas, this one is great ($23). There is also a really great color wheel palette for $17.

Brushes

Flats 2" and 3/4” (Flats need not be sable. These are good for washes.)

Rounds #12 and #8 (But feel free to buy more: #6, #10, etc., if you can.)

Brights (Square tip. I usually don’t use this shape brush with my own painting, but I encourage people to explore–please feel free to use this type of brush in whatever size you like.)