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Course Prep:

Welcome! I am so delighted you are joining us for the “Life is an Art: Creative Immersion” Course.

This page helps you prepare your studio space and gather any additional supplies you’ll need in advance of the course, since we will be painting in our first session.

Getting Your Space Ready:

There is not one "right way" to create your space.  However, you will want the following elements to gain the full benefits:

  1. Good lighting

  2. Complete privacy

  3. An unobstructed area to paint, either on a table or wall

  4. The basic supplies listed below

Basic Supplies Needed:

1) Paints

Prang Ready-to-Use Tempera Paint
or
Blick Art Supplies Premium Grade Tempera Paints

This 12-bottle set of opaque, tempera paint is ideal for our process. Feel free to order an extra bottle of white, as this color tends to go the fastest. Tempera paints that have a creamy texture and strong opacity are easiest to apply and cover paintings. I prefer premium grade over student grade options.

PLEASE avoid using washable tempera paints. Outside of the US, I prefer these brands: Prang, Scola, or Giotto.

NOTE: If you cannot obtain tempera paints, acrylic paints are a close substitute. The biggest difference is that you cannot manipulate acrylic paint once it has dried, whereas dried tempera paints can be reactivated with water. Also, tempera paints are made of sustainable substances pigment, clay, and water, whereas acrylics are plastic.

2) Paintbrushes

Royal and Langnickel 12-Piece Brush Set in Vinyl Pouch

1 large “house paint” brush

You will need a few different sizes of brushes, all with a springy tip that bounces back well and mostly round so the paint flows well. Watercolor brushes work well with tempera paints. A nice set could include 3 sizes of round brushes: tiny (0-2), medium brush (6-8), and large brush (10-12), a large house paint brush and a mop brush, plus a small flat brush (4-6), and a large Filbert (12).

3) Paper Options

Choose any one of these three options:

4) Easel

Standing or sitting while painting is up to your preference. Your painting may grow, so the confined area of a "regular" easel is not recommended. Use a big, smooth surface where you paint. Below are a number of options:

  • For Standing:

    • A blank wall covered with plastic sheeting, taped up with painters tape on all top and sides (10x25’ 3.5 mil Plastic Roll)

    • Cardboard, wood, sliding glass doors, refrigerator, shower wall, 6’ folding table leaned against a wall, etc.

  • For Sitting:

    • A large dining room sized table, covered with sheeting or plastic

    • 6’ Folding Table

    • Smooth floor

5) Other Art Supplies

  • Chalk pastels and/or charcoal and/or colored pencils and/or paint sticks

  • Journal

  • Loose leaf paper

  • Writing utensil

  • Palette (Many items can serve as a palette so long as they are white or clear and have no texture where the paints will be mixed. Examples are plastic plates, glass or ceramic plates, and pie tins.)

7) Studio Items

  • Yoga Mat

  • Candle (and lighter)

  • Yummy scarf or wrap or light blanket

  • Wide tape for hanging and taping pages together. Scotch Masking tape.

  • Good lighting (both for your painting and yourself on camera)

  • Old sheets or drop cloths as needed

  • Table to hold supplies

  • Jar of clean water

  • Rags or paper towels

  • Scissors

  • Blow dryer (optional)

  • Chair

  • Additional elements you might like to have (i.e. objects, incense, photos, trinkets, etc.)

Optional Items:

 

The supplies linked in this list are all ones I've personally used and enjoyed, but please feel free to use your favorite brands too. This page contains affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase some of these items, I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you'd prefer not to use these links, you can look up the item names in your preferred search engine and find retailers who sell them.