• Art notebook or art journal: I suggest keeping an art journal that fits your temperament. It should suit you, feel right, and be important to you. I want you to fall in love with your art journal.

You will use your art journal to take notes, draw, plan, map out ideas, problem solve compositions, document color palettes, and even write the memoir of your travels. You’ll certainly want to document your experience on this journey.

• Two suggestions are:
  • 100% Genuine Leather Vintage Style Traveler’s Notebook Diary Journal Handmade Cowhide Notebook Set HERE.
  • Handcrafted Lokta Paper Notebooks~Made In Nepal HERE. (Handmade in Nepal by some wonderful friends of mine.)
• Sketchpad for preliminary studies: I would like you to have a 6” x 8” mixed media pad, with a glued edge (not spiral bound).
  • • • I recommend… Strathmore 400 Series Black Mixed Media Pad, 6″ x 8″, 15 Sheets
• Chalk Pastel kit

You will be working small, so I advice thin pastel sticks. Also, you’ll want a good range of colors: a box of 48 sticks is perfect. More sticks might be a bit confusing, and less might limit you palette.

• • I recommend… Prismacolor 27051 Premier NuPastel Firm Pastel Color Sticks, Box of 48 Color Sticks
• Pencils, pens, or markers for working on small preparatory sketches.

• Acrylic paints

As this is a beginner’s course in painting, I recommend using acrylic paints due to the versatility of the medium. Thinned with water, acrylics can behave like watercolor paint; and with medium, they can also behave like oil paints; plus, they have their own unique properties… such as a quick drying time, which makes it easy and even ideal for us to paint amazing Mediterranean scenes and then pick up and go on our tours.

The techniques that you will learn and practice in this course are most suited to the acrylic medium. And with some reflection, you’ll see how they can be applied to other media.

A good set of paints typically has a logical arrangement of colors. Typically you’ll want white, black, and a medium gray; a warm and cool version of the three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow); the secondary colors (green, orange, and purple); and a variety of earth tones. It’s always nice to have a few extra tubes of the colors you use the most, which is typically blues (sky and water) and greens (trees and foliage).

• • I recommend getting an extra tube of white, as you’ll use it the most for blending.
  • Also, whatever set you choose, you must have (or be able to mix) a medium gray as we will use it when practicing the grisaille technique.
  • I recommend…
    • Master’s Touch, Acrylic Paint – 36 Piece Set or
    • ARTEZA Acrylic Paint, Set of 24 Colors
• A Variety of Brushes

Different brush shapes allow you to paint in different ways, as we will explore.

• • I recommend… Artify 2020 New 10 Pcs Paint Brush Set Includes a Carrying Case Perfect for Acrylic, Oil, Watercolor and Gouache Painting
• Disposable painting palette pad

You’ll be mixing paints, and they’ll dry quickly. The pad allows you to keep your colors organized.

• • I recommend… Bellofy Palette Painting Pad – Disposable 50 Sheets – 9×12 inches, 24lb / 65GSM – Perfect for Mixing Acrylic Paint, Oils, Watercolors, Caseins – Paint Mixing Palette, Oil Paint Mixing
• A palette knife for mixing paint

I have a palette knife and a variety of painting knives. I tend to use the painting knives more often than the palette knife for mixing paint. You can have a lot of fun experimenting with painting with the different knife shapes.

• • I recommend… Arrtx 5 Pieces Painting Knives Stainless Steel Spatula Palette Knife Oil Painting Accessories Color Mixing Set for Oil, Canvas, Acrylic Painting-Arrtx
• A water container

A large mouthed traveler’s water bottle is fine.

• A segmented palette painting dish

This may seem redundant, since you will be mixing on a palette pad, but I like to have an intermediary water source for dipping brushes in. It allows me to keep my primary water source cleaner, and I can use the palette segments for washes.

• • I recommend… Round Petal Clear Plastic Palette Painting Dish 7 Well Flower Paint Tray Watercolor Painting Mixing Palette for Oil Acrylic Watercolor Gouache,Easy Wash, 6.6 Inches,Artist

Working in acrylics, you have several painting surfaces to choose from. For this course, I recommend 1.) canvas boards or 2.) paper (mixed media or watercolor paper) depending on how you want to work. Due to its bulkiness, stretched canvas is not recommended for traveling.

If you choose to paint on canvas board, you’ll need:

• Canvas board

• • I recommend… 12 Pack 8X10 Canvas Panels – Academy Art Supply Value Pack Blank Canvas Panel Boards.

You won’t need 12 canvas boards on your trip. Specifically, we will be working on three different assignments (i.e. three canvas boards), but it’s always nice to have a few extra canvas boards to work with in your spare time.

• Travel easel

Recommended for painting on canvas boards.

• • I recommend… Artist Easel, Ohuhu 66″ Aluminum Field Easel Stand with Bag for Table-Top/Floor, Art Easels with Adjustable Height from 21-Inch to 66-Inch Back to School Art Supplies Great Gift for Student Children, or
  • T-Sign 66″ Reinforced Artist Easel Stand, Extra Thick Aluminum Metal Tripod Display Easel 21″ to 66″ Adjustable Height with Portable Bag for Floor/Table-Top Drawing and Displaying

If you choose to paint on paper, you will need to tape (and/or clip) your painting to a painting board.

You will need:

• Paper
  • If you want a smooth surface, I recommend… Canson multimedia paper
  • If you want a thicker and more varied surface, I recommend… Canson watercolor paper
• Painting board
  • I recommend… Artlicious – Sketch Tote Drawing Board (13×17). Note: make sure you have a size that fits in your luggage.

If you prefer to hold your painting, as in working with a painting board (above) but want to work on the texture of canvas, a third option is to hold the canvas board as though it were a painting board, but to measure off an inch margin around the edges where you won’t paint and can grip the canvas board. You’ll paint within this cropped area. (For example, if your canvas board is 8 x 10”, you’ll paint within a 6 x 8” area.)

Also, taking a similar approach, you might clip your canvas board to your painting board and tape down the other edges. (For this, thicker tape is preferred.)

Above you have four options for how you can position or hold your painting while you work on it. Discover what works best for you.

• Artist tape
  • I recommend… PRO ART 1/2-Inch by 60-Yards White Artist Tape
• Medium size Alligator Clips

You’ll need these to clip your preliminary studies to your art board or easel.

• Measuring, proportion, value, and color tools:

The set below has everything at the most reasonable price. I personally adjust my viewfinder using a permanent red marker to divide it into thirds.

• • I recommend… Grey Scale Value Finder, Color Wheel, Artists View Catcher Finder Viewfinder on Lanyard with Measuring Tape Tools for Artists Drawing by Pixiss
• A portable travel chair

As we will be painting outside in the garden and other beautiful venues, having a portable travel chair will be nice for you to sit in while you paint using your easel. Or if you stand in front of your easel, you might want to use the chair as a place to put your supplies.

• Backpack or tote to carry your supplies

Your preference and supplies will determine what you need to carry them.

• • Take a look at bags such as… Tanchen 4K Canvas Artist Portfolio Carry Shoulder Bag Multifunctional Drawboard Bags for Drawing Sketching Painting (Gray)
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
•  Hat
• Plastic bag or other containers, to keep your area neat

I often keep my paints in their original package so that there isn’t any confusion with security or customs. Otherwise you might place them in zip lock bags. Palette or painting knives must be placed in checked luggage for security reasons.

In security, if asked about your paints, refer to them as “artist supplies” rather than “paints”, as security personnel is trained to treat “paints” as flammable materials. As long as you are not an oil painter carrying turpentine with you onto an airplane, your materials should be airplane safe. Acrylic paint is, after all, just heat-drying plastic.

I look forward to meeting you in our journey of painting together in southern Italy. If you have any additional questions about supplies, I will answer your questions from my contact page.