For a new painter, the master paint set, a cheap canvas, and odorless mineral spirits will do you pretty well but there are other things that you will need before you get started.
Basic Tools:
- The Two Most Important Tools In A Painter’s Repertoire
- Bucket / Trash Can (Also important)
- Odorless Mineral Spirits (the transparent kind, not the milky “environmentally friendly” kind)
- Pallet (Paper plates work fine)
- Paper Towels
- 18″x24″ Stretched, Double Primed, Canvas (but any similar aspect ratio will work). I use this for practicing
- Pallet Knife
- 2″ Flat (a typical firm bristled brush)
- Fan Brush (firm bristled)
- Script Liner brush (soft synthetic hair)
Soft synthetic brushes smear the paint more than a firm hog’s hair or nylon brush. Don’t wash natural hair brushes with soap and water unless you are planning on walking away from them for a while. If that’s the case, rinse them in something like linseed oil or safflower oil to disperse the pigment, first, then wash gently with soap and water.
There are things that you will find useful once you get a little bit more experienced:
- Black Gesso / White Gesso
- 1″ Flat/Glaze (soft Synthetic, used for “3 hairs and some air” blending)
- 1″ Flat (a typical firm bristled brush)
- “Refined” or “Cold Pressed” Linseed Oil
- Round Brush (larger, check Bob Ross’s website)
- #4 Filbert Brush (Hard Bristle, rarely used)
