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Oil Painting Your Dreams The Easy Way

Artist Palette emoji 22 items
Ok, let's be real - oil painting is kinda expensive for a hobby. The tubes of paint that are affordable are either small or the pigment just isn't there after a few weeks! All the different tools and methods can be migraine inducing. This list intend...

Paint Container: Oil paint can last a long time out of the tube if you know how to keep it. I use a shallow Rubbermaid food storage container that has a gasket around the lid and two latches on opposite sides. If I haven't already, I add one drop of ...
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Split Primary Paint

Study up on your color theory and be prepared to mix for what you need. I find this to be the best part and I can zone in on just mixing for far too long! This aims to cut down on the amount you are spending on paint.

 
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Great for creating petal pinks on lips, blush, flower blooms…
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Permanent Alizarin Crimson
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This is that “WOW” cherry red that pops with it's vibrant heat.
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Cadmium Red Deep Hue
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It may be called Lemon Yellow Hue but I think of it like summer sunshine.
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Lemon Yellow Hue
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Yellows are sometimes hard to define in terms of “warm” & “cool” but this one comes off cooler than the Lemon.
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue
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Cool pthalo blue
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Pthalo Blue
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Hot French Ultramarine
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. French Ultramarine
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You will be using a lot of this to lighten the value of your colors so trust me when I say, “Get the bigger one.”
Winsor & Newton™ Winton 6.75oz. Titanium White
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Tremendously Helpful Additions (Paint)

You don't HAVE to have these but they sure do make color matching easier for skin, green foliage, shadows etc.

 
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Add with Gamsol (mineral spirits) to get a thin canvas scrumbling/wash
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Burnt Umber
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Adding warmth, skintones etc.
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Raw Sienna
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Take this Yellow Ochre and add in a touch of your choice blue & red + a bit of white and bam, skin tones.
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Yellow Ochre
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I find this shade of purple to be nearly impossible to mix. Easy route is to grab a tube.
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Dioxazine Purple
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Another one of those shades that is hard to manually mix!
Winsor & Newton® 1.25oz. Sap Green
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Mediums & Varnish

I've tailored this section down to the things I couldn't go without for whatever reason!

 
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Mineral spirits back in my day. I almost didn't find what I needed when I went to the store after the name changed! Lol.
Gamblin Gamsol, Size: 4.2 fl oz
 
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If you only get 2, let it be this and Gamsol. But let's talk: This is an absolute work-horse medium but it can be fierce. Chemical heat happens as linseed oil cures so please do not ball up your towels/tissues. They are safest submerged in water or l...
Winsor & Newton® Artisan™ Linseed Oil
 
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“Jesso” for priming your surface. Yeah! Did you know that you can oil paint on wood, cardboard etc? Just apply a coat of gesso, allow to dry, apply another, dry, sand smooth and PAINT!
Liquitex BASICS® White Gesso, Size: 16 fl oz
 
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THICK PAINT! Wanna do impasto? This is your stuff. :)
Gamblin 150mL Solvent-Free Gel
 
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Just when you think the wait for every layer to cure is over, this pops up. There are a lot but I stick to this one. If you prefer a different finish, try out matte, satin, gloss, etc.
Winsor & Newton™ Dammar Varnish, Size: 75 ml
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Tools

Tools of the trade that make life easier. I'd obviously get the brushes first!

 
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If you are just starting out you are going to kill brushes by forgetting to clean them or by using one with a quick drying medium and it will be a poor palette knife at that point. I use this set just fine. If you want a fan brush, stick to synthetic...
Brown Synthetic Flat & Round Brushes by Artist's Loft® Necessities
 
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Save your back and get an easel. It can be a tabletop like this or a standing one. Just get one so you aren't hunched over a painting for hours. I would come up for air or food and have tears form in the corners of my eyes. I was so stiff!
Adjustable Flat Surface Wood Table Easel by Artist's Loft®
 
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It takes some practice but a flexible palette knife is everything when it comes to mixing paint, removing paint from the palette to the storage container. I've tried making one from things around the house but I can never get it right and they aren't...
Painting Knife by Artist's Loft™, Size: 2.25"
 
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I dont use one of these anymore but I used to! It's helpful since it is flat but these days I mix & swipe out of my paint storage container.
8" x 12" Clear Acrylic Palette by Artist's Loft™
 
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8x10 canvas x10. A great size to learn on as it doesn't take up a lot of your paint!
10 Pack 8" x 10" Super Value Canvas by Artist's Loft®