I order my supplies from Amazon. Stores like Binders, Artists and Craftsman, Sam Flax or Jerry’s Art-A-Rama have most the products and brands I use. Amazon always has what I need. Stores like Michaels, Dick Blick, or Cheap Joe's are not always well stocked.
I teach two ways of using the very limited supplies of oil paints to learn palette knife techniques. You may choose one or both of the two options of “limited palette” teaching options:
First and most used option:
Rembrandt oils brand (by Royal Talens), the limited palette tubes choice of:
1.Ultramarine Blue Deep
2.Permanent Red Medium
3.Cold Gray
4.Cadmium Yellow Lemon
5.Naples Yellow Deep
6.Titanium White
These 6 tubes can really do it all. Buy these 6 tube colors. I use the Rembrandt brand, but tend to prefer the Gamblin brand with the Cad Yellow Lemon in this color choice.
I use the Gamblin brand with the the radiants for under color and pop colors. The Gamblin radiants are:
1.Radiant pink
2.Radiant blue
3.Radiant violet
4.Radiant yellow.
Buy one choice or all to try. The Rembrandt and Gamblin brands are wonderfully creamy for brush and palette knife, that is why I choose Rembrandt and Gamblin brand. I will demo these colors with palette knife technique and have you follow my lead. Beware of other brands with palette knife skill work. Some are stiff and undependable.
Second option is Cobra Water Mixable Oils: (paints for this are sold only on Amazon)
A limited palette of 4 colors, using the water mixable oils called Cobra Oils, also made by Royal Talens:
1. Zinc White
2.Vermillion
3. Ivory Black
4.Yellow Ochre.
We will try these 4 colors together as I will do one demo with this limited color choice, on paper, and show you how water mixable oils work. I use these a lot for my very abstract work. It is a game changer in water mixable oils using this Cobra Brand. Abstract tricks and happy accidents can happen with the water. And the Cobra oils can also mix with the regular Rembrandt or Gamblin brand oils if necessary. Game changer product.
(Google Anders Zorn who only used this limited 4-color palette. Known as the Zorn Palette. Glorious result)
Again, I choose to use Cobra, Rembrandt and Gamblin brands. They are the best made, creamiest and most healthy. Amazon best to see.
Mid size cotton canvases, maybe 4. Or 5.
14x18 or larger to practice with Palette Knife Painting.
20x20 or 16x20, or 24x24 are good sizes to experiment.
Be sure to purchase canvases that do not have the "+” sharp crossbars on the back of the canvas that lay flat against the canvas. Get the ones w/o crosses or middle cross bars on the back that have air space from the stretcher bars to the canvas. The fold-in sides that are called gallery wrap is best. They give the canvas room to flex. I do not use panels or boards, because they don't give and flex for palette knife application. I do like Paper though, as its texture is unique to palette knife or brush work.
1 tablet of Arches for Oils paper in a red pad, the Small pad or larger pad, whatever they have in stock. Great paper for learning oil painting tricks. Amazon has this too.
Lots of Paper Towels and Baby Wipes, a few little Dixie cups for water or mediums
Paper and pencil(s) with a sketchbook, optional, or if you have black or grey tones magic markers for preliminary sketch. Doodles in sketchbook are great way to get your thoughts together. And to make notes. I do send a document of notes later to you for your memory.
One Grey Matters paper palette pad for mixing your colors. (Please don’t forget this as you need a lot paper palettes for mixing Colors, as I don’t bring enough to share multiples with everyone). These sheets of paper palettes are tossed out when used up. Fab product. Amazon has it.
Coconut oil in a jar from the grocery store to coat our hands before painting and to clean hands after painting.
Murphys Oil Soap for washing paint out of anything like brushes, leather, clothes, skin.
Liquitex Brand large Palette Knife, #11, get 1. it is about 3" and looks like a pie/cake server, is offset so your knuckles don't scrape into the canvas and has round edges. On Amazon, type in Liquitex Brand large Palette Knife, #11. Numbers on palette knives refer to series, so can be very confusing to you and the salesperson. I don't use palette knifes with sharp edges, only the rounded edges work for our technique. Make sure your salesperson is not selling you any palette Knives with sharp edges.
Freestyle #11, type in.... Liquitex freestyle small palette knife, buy maybe 2 of this size, for flexibility to "sculpt" the paint. You will like this One. Every store has their own thing they like to stock. (Also I like, at Binders when in Atlanta to buy the RGM Pastrello series. I have seen these on Amazon too, but not always available, If you type it correctly in the search bar, it may show up).
If you are interested in learning more about abstracted work, I suggest you paint a couple canvases to bring to class with one of the Gamblin brand radiants like violet, pink or blue. To do this, I use a 1 inch wide brush by Escoda brand. It is a lovely brush that gets the paint on smoothly. Having the canvas already painted and dried gets us going faster on learning tricks of the trade. Bring any brushes you may have on hand like a flat synthetic one. A 1/4 inch -1/2 inch flat one is fine. If you are looking to buy some new brushes, try buying Princeton brand synthetics. I have lots of brushes on hand to use, so not necessary.
