Course Supplies

Art 260 — Design Foundations II

Our main supplies are acrylic paints, brushes and related materials. We use acrylics because of the high-quality pigments, and thus color, available. Acrylics also offer versatile methods, quick-drying and easy clean-up. Since this is not a painting course, per se, we aim to buy only what is needed to enable diverse color mixing and color-composing experiences.

For the general interest artist, acrylics are the logical choice for doing plate and chart work. They have a broad color range, and they dry quickly. Oil paints dry too slowly for our purposes.

Brands and Quality: Acrylic paints are available in varied levels of quality -- from cheap "student grade" paints with poor, transient pigments in low proportions, to artist-grade paints with dense, varied, and permanent pigments. For this course, buy good quality paint such as Golden, Liquitex Professional, Winsor-Newton Artists', Holbein, Lasceaux, Sennelier etc. Dick Blick's in-house professional acrylics, Blick Artists Acrylics, also appear to be of good quality.       ( Dick Blick video discussing Professional vs. Student grade paints)
Avoid Duro, Skylark, Liquitex Basics and other cheap or “student grade”, “Academy” products. Their colors are inferior and you will be training your color eye accordingly.
Note that you are NOT required to use Liquitex products. But note that different paint manufacturers use different names for their colors/paints – also, the pigments and the colors may also vary even when the paint has the same name. Each color manufacturer selects, prepares and blends their pigments to produce a unique selection of colors. Thus, the color names, listed below, may vary in other product lines. So, if you select paints other than Liquitex Professional, it will be tricky selecting the preferred set of colors.

For the graphic designer and the interior designer, colored paper, art markers, colored pencils, and less viscous acrylics in jars are often used in professional practice. Full ranges of colors are available in each of these media.
If using felt-tip markers, choose Coptic Sketch Markers, Letraset Tria Marker Pens, or Blick Studio Markers.
Prismacolor pencils are also very useful.

ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE A SET OF ACRYLIC PAINTS FOR PLATE WORK.

Acrylic Paints

The following Liquitex Heavy Body Professional Acrylic Artists Colors (preferred) will be needed for class work. You may also choose the 2 oz./59ml jar colors (Liquitex Soft Body Acrylics) if you want to use a thinner, more fluid paint (price is sometimes less, and color is somewhat less rich). You may want to add some of the other colors listed as you have the need—the required set offers a good spectrum for color mixing and exploration.

You are free to buy paint from other manufacturers than Liquitex. However, check the notes, above, on paint brands before making your purchase.

	Red Purple Deep Magenta   (6.5RP; M (+Wht)) or Quinacridone Blue Violet   (8.66 RP; S) or Alizarin Crimson Hue Permanent (3.3R; 9C) or Quinacridone Magenta   (9.25RP; S) or Deep Violet    (1.33R; M)		Red Cadmium Red Medium Hue    (6.25R; 14C; M) or Naphthol Red Light    (7.36R; 14C; S ) or Pyrrole Red    (6.2R; 14C; S; Opq ) or Quinacridone Red    (5.43R; 11C; S )		Red Orange Burnt Sienna (0.2YR; 4C; S) or Red Oxide    (9.01R; 8C ; S ) optional intense RO: Vivid Red Orange (0.8YR; 13C; NR)
	Orange Cadmium Orange Hue (3.9YR)(M3) or Pyrrole Orange (S:PO73; $) or Yellow Orange Azo (8.5YR; 13C; T ) *AND* Burnt Umber		Yellow Orange Raw Sienna    (5YR; 5.44C; S ) *AND* Raw Umber		Yellow Indian Yellow or Yellow Medium Azo (6.6Y; T ) or Cadmium Yellow Med. Hue (2.1Y) optional: Yellow Oxide (Yellow Ochre) (0.4Y; 7C; S) optional: Yellow Light Hansa (7Y; Transp)
	Yellow Green Vivid Lime Green (7.6YG; 10C; O; M3) or Brilliant Yellow Green (6.22GY) (M4) (Optional - mid Chroma YGreen)Chromium Oxide Green		Green Hooker's Green Hue Permanent (7.4GY; 2.3C; M) or Green Deep Permanent (6.8G; 3.4C)		Blue Green Transparent Viridian Hue (6.8BG; 3C; TL; S) or Phthalo Green (Blue Shade) (a.k.a. Thalo-, Phthalo-) (0.43 BG)
	Blue Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) (S/PB15) or Brilliant Blue (8.0B) or Indanthrene Blue		Blue Purple Ultramarine Blue (green shade) (9.3BP; 7.3C; TL; S) or Cobalt Blue Hue (7.48BP; 13C; O; M +Wht)		Purple Dioxazine Purple (5P mislabeld 9R; 0.5C; TP; S) or Prism Violet (7P; S)
	Black Mars Black optional: Ivory Black		White Titanium White (* 8 oz. large tube or jar *) (S; O ) optional: Transparent Mixing White (Zinc White) (S; TP)

Dick Blick: Blick Artist Acrylics | Liquitex Artist Acrylics | Golden | Lascaux | Windsor Newton

Brushes

For acrylics, use soft synthetic nylon or polyester brushes. (NOT bristle, natural fiber or hair brushes)
• Video on selecting natural vs. synthetic fibers •

*** Spring '12: this DickBlick set of 4 would do fine: 05397-1001 Set of 4 Brushes on this page. ***
DickBlick Studio Grade Synthetic Brushes

Or you can pick your brushes individually using these specs as a general guide:

Rounds: #2 & #4, 5 or 6 (a small round, and a medium round)
Flat/Bright: #6 & #14 (a medium flat and a large flat)

A l/2" - 3/4" flat would also help. Hyplar Supreme [Blick Studio Synthetic: Bright-6, 14; Round: 2, 6, 10 ]
(note that the Supplier page lists a few brush sets at some of the web retailers)

l l/2" - 2" sponge brush is helpful, but not required.

Palette knives

Ideally get a small trowel shape knife for mixing... (above left is Liquitex #12)
... and a broad knife for cleanup.
Links to several types of palette knives: basic — basic — very nice — really fancy.         (just get one for now, unless you know you're into knife painting).
Here is a nice set if you really want to try knife painting tactics.

Palette

In this course we mix colors A LOT. Thus, a palette is important because thats where the mixing happens.
There are a lot of variations on palettes and mixing trays. For this course, you just need basic functionality.

The essential traits of a good palette: a surface that is white, flat and cleans easily.

Many options will suffice, from old white ceramic dinnerware, butcher trays, to disposable paper palettes.
A favorite: get a all-white smooth-plastic placemat. Walmart sometimes has these 4/$1.
Also in the kitchen department: a large, smooth-surfaced, plastic or glass cutting board or chopping mat.
Disposable palettes are pads of white, wax paper. Peel a sheet off after each work session.

A simple solution is a small sheet of glass on top of white paper. (Lowes cuts glass...or there is a glasscutter downstairs in our woodshop.)
The ideal may be a large sheet cake container (e.g. tupperware), and a sheet of glass cut to just fit inside. The glass cleans easily and the plastic container can keep mixed paint moist for hours or days.

Palette container/sealer (optional but helpful) A piece of glass and a tupperware-type sheet cake container makes a very good combo. Avoid palettes with "mixing bowls" or insets...these tend to make mixing more difficult, not easier. Most artists prefer a broad, flat, smooth surface (unless mixing watercolors...).
Some DickBlick.com options: (my preferred type...similar to the glass and tupperware option decribed above), (others 1 2 )

Misc. items

Rags/Towels:
You can use paper towels in the classroom, but rags do a much faster and more thorough job of cleaning your brushes and knives. While mixing and applying accurate color, you will clean brushes and knives a lot.
Old, worn out towels or washcloths work well.

Tool/Paint box:
Have some way to store, organize and transport your materials. A nice tool/storage/art box can be had for $10-12.

Spray Bottle:
A spray mister is really handy for keeping your paint moist — so you don't have to keep remixing paint. Grab your roommate's old pump-spray deodorant bottle.

Smock/apron/”painting shirt”:
You will get paint on you. Some of you more than others.
Be prepared.

Purchase as/when needed

Some additional supplies (canvas, presentation board, masonite panels, acrylic gesso, mediums, CD-Rs, etc.) may be needed depending on the particular assignment options you choose.
Major projects must be ready for portfolio presentation and so mounting boards and matt boards may be needed.

Optional supplies may be suggested or may be necessary for individual projects.

Suppliers