Materials

 

The importance of using the correct tools for the job cannot be understated. In addition to our rigorous curriculum, we also have compiled this comprehensive list of materials for the courses that we offer. Using the correct materials will ensure that you have the tools you need to start–or continue–your artistic journey. Since the beginning of the school 30 years ago, this list of materials has been carefully considered and determined to be the best for learning how to draw and paint in the Reilly method.

 

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Charcoal

Easily the most cost-effective way to learn how to paint is to start with drawing using charcoal and smooth newsprint. Charcoal is fantastic for training because many of the methods and techniques that you will learn using these have direct applications to painting. Excellent for anyone just beginning, but even experienced painters will want to have some on hand to practice on and maintain their skills.

 

Smooth Newsprint Paper

Smooth Newsprint is the ideal surface for your charcoal drawing efforts. The way that the paper takes strokes from a charcoal pencil closely emulates working with oils for the purposes of training. Importantly, ensure that you use smooth newsprint and not rough newsprint for the desired effect.

 

• Pacon White Newsprint
• Strathmore 300 Series Newsprint – Art supply Warehouse
• Strathmore 300 Series Newsprint – Blick

 

Drawing Board

 

• Helix Wooden Lightweight Drawing Board
• Blick Art Board

 

Pencils

 

• Wolff’s Carbon 6B or 4B Charcoal Pencils
• Conte 1710 B
• Alternative: Galart Charcoal Pencil Set

 

Kneaded Erasers

 

• Prismacolor Design Kneaded Rubber Eraser

 

Razor Blades

 

• Canopus Single Edge Razor Blades

 

Sanding Pad

 

• Sandpaper Pad

 

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Graphite

Ideal for long efforts due to its fantastic rendering capabilities, graphite is the go-to choice for our long-pose drawing classes.

 

Pencils

 

• Staedtler Mars Lumograph 12 Pack

 

Erasers

 

• Tombow Eraser Stick
• Kneaded Eraser

 

Pencil Sharpener

 

• Staedtler Metal Double Sharpener

 

Paper Options

If you’re unsure which one to choose, go with the first one.

 

• 18×24 Strathmore 400 Series drawing paper
• 18×24 Strathmore 400 Series Smooth Bristol

 

Drawing Board

 

• Helix Wooden Lightweight Drawing Board

 

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Gouache Paints

This fast-drying medium is ideal for learning how to tile, as well as for blocking out compositions before going into a longer effort.

 

Paint

For your paints, generally you will want to buy Windsor and Newton brand where available. As an alternative, you can buy M. Graham or Holbein paints.

 

Monochrome Palette

 

• Permanent White
• Ivory Black

 

Warm/Cool Primary Palette

 

• Permanent White
• Ivory Black
• Cadmium Lemon Yellow
• Cadmium Yellow Deep
• Flame Red
• Alizarin Crimson
• Cobalt Blue
• Ultramarine Blue
• Windsor Green

 

Additional Optional Colors

 

• Cadmium Orange (for more powerful oranges)
• Sap Green (to add a warm green to the palette)
• Dioxazine Purple (if you don’t have this, vibrant purples are difficult to achieve)
• Burnt Sienna (convenience color for stains and mixing)
• Raw Umber (for same reason as above)
• Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White (a more powerful white)

 

Brushes

For our brushes, we’ll be using the “Simply Simmons” brand.

 

• Round Size 1 – #06725-1001
• Round Size 3 – #06725-1003
• Round Size 5 – #06725-1005
• Flat Wash 1/2″ – #06733-4012
• Flat Wash 1″ – #06733-1001

 

Palette

 

• Ceramic Butcher Tray 11″ x 15″ – #03066-1015

 

Illustration Board

Either of these options will work.

 

• Crescent No. 114 Illustration Board
• Crescent No. 110 Illustration Board 15″ x 20″

 

Miscellaneous

 

• A ruler or straightedge
• Artist’s Tape – Pro Art 3/4″
• A large container for water, such as a coffee can, tupperware, or large yogurt container
• Blue Shop Towels (recommended)
• Standard Paper towels (alternative)

 

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Oil Paints

The “Rolls-Royce” medium which is ultimately what you will be building toward; this versatile medium is great for everything from looser gesture-style paintings, or longer, more rendered efforts.

 

Paints

 

Level 1: Burnt Umber Pickout

• Burnt Umber

 

Level 2: Burnt Umber Direct

• Burnt Umber
• Titanium White (Large Tube)

 

Level 3: Zorn Palette

• Titanium White (Large Tube)
• Ivory Black
• Yellow Ochre
• Cadmium Red Light

 

Level 4: Warm/Cool Primary

• Titanium White (Large Tube)
• Cadmium Lemon
• Cad Yellow Deep
• Cad Red Light
• Permanent Rose
• Cerulean
• Ultramarine
• Ivory Black

 

Basic Landscape Palette (Scott Christensen Palette)

• Titanium White (Large Tube)
• Cadmium Red
• Ultramarine
• Cadmium Yellow Light

 

Intermediate Landscape Palette

• Titanium White (Large Tube)
• Cadmium Yellow Light
• Cad Orange
• Permanent Rose
• Ultramarine
• Viridian Green
• Burnt Sienna

 

Brushes

We recommend Rosemary Princeton or Robert Simmons brand brushes, however the set linked below makes for a great starting point to your collection, as it has a number of bristle and sable brushes, along with a variety of sizes.

 

• Casey Childs Basic Set

 

Surface Sizes

 

• 5×7 – Great for gesture paintings
• 6×8 – Good for gesture or small portraits
• 8×10 – Good for portrait, still life, or landscape paintings
• 9×12 – Good for portrait, still life, or landscape paintings
• 11×14 – Good for portrait, still life, landscape, or figure paintings
• 12×16 – Good for portrait, still life, landscape, or figure paintings
• 16×20 – Good for figure or landscape. This size should generally be reserved for larger projects, and are not recommended for most classes.
• 18×24 – Good for figure or landscape. This size should generally be reserved for larger projects, and are not recommended for most classes.

 

Surface Types

 

• Masonite (hardboard) with gesso can be bought from Lowe’s/Home Depot. Buy Gesso from any art store and a house painter’s brush or black foam brush. 3 coats of thin gesso works best.
• Centurion Canvas Oil Primed board
• Senso Acrylic Primed Linen board
• Fredrix Red Label

 

Solvent

 

• Gamblin Gamsol 33.8 fl oz.

 

Solvent Container

 

Shop Towels

 

Palette

We recommend the Masterson sealable palette with the gray glass insert in the bottom. This will allow your paints to stay wet for a long time and provides easy transportation.

 

• Masterson Sealable Palette
• Glass Insert
• Alternate, cheaper option (less transportable, and will not keep your paints wet as long)

 

Clove Oil

Putting a drop of this in your paint will make it stay wet for much longer, saving you hundreds of dollars over your painting career. Works great with the sealable palette.

 

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Sculpture

If you’re looking to take your creations into the third dimension, you’ll need to grab some clay and get sculpting. Here are our recommendations for those materials. We also have a video available on YouTube which goes over the materials listed here.

 

Lazy Susan

Either of these options are fine choices.

 

• Option 1
• Option 2

 

Armature Wire, 1/8″

 

 

Sculpture Mesh Wire

 

 

Picks and Tools

 

 

Clay

 

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Inking

Although inking has been frequently used in comics and other modern media, this discipline has been around for hundreds of years. As such, there is no shortage of different kinds of materials one can use to ink. This list compiles the most commonly used tools here at Watts Atelier.

 

Paper

 

• White, tan, or gray sketchbooks – for use with ballpoint pens.
• Strathmore smooth bristol (100 lb.) – for use with quill and brush.
• Hammermill color copy paper – for use with quill and brush.

 

You may also want to experiment with other papers that you find. Use caution when using the brush or quill approach on light-weight papers, as the ink could potentially bleed through and leave you with a mess.

 

Pens (Ballpoint, Tech, and Brush Pens)

 

• Standard Bic ballpoint pen
• Pilot Hi Tech C pen
• Sakura Pigama Micron (0.05, 0.1, 0.5, etc.)
• Brush Pen (Zebra, Sakura, Faber-Castell, Staedtler, etc.)

 

Quill Pens

 

Zebra, Hunt, Niko, Speedball, the options are really endless. We suggest you visit your local art store and look in the Calligraphy section for various nibs to get started. You’ll also want to check Jet Pens or Blue Line Pro for more nibs and nib holders. Be aware that nib holders are not always sold with nibs that you may buy online!

 

Brushes

 

• Windsor and Newton Series 7 size 3
• Raphael Kolinsky size 1

 

Ink

 

• Dr. Martin’s Waterproof Black
• Dr. Martin’s Bleed proof White (white ink)

 

 

 

 

Painterly Charcoal Drawing

Drawing tools and paper recommendations for a more painterly style.

 

• • Strathmore Drawing Paper
  • Applicator Palette Knife
  • Vine Charcoal
  • Generals Compressed Charcoal
  • Generals Charcoal Pencil set
  • Blending Stumps
  • Drawing Board
  • Optional – Charcoal Powder + Brush (brush not included in link)