Layers of Light

Mixed media art class

supplies and tools

Below is a list of supplies for the class.

Please also visit the "Encaustic Set-Up" page HERE.

I have included links to some of my favorite supplies to get you started: click on the images to order from Amazon (affiliate links).

Whenever possible, I'm listing a variety of options so you can use whatever you already own: I really encourage you to go on a scavenger hunt and collect any tools and materials that you can (safely!) experiment with, or that you could use as substitutes for the ones I use in the tutorials. It's the beauty of mixed media and it is exactly how it all started for me, and how I came up with some of my favorite personal techniques (oh that white-out pen!)

setting up your space

• A palette (or a white plate etc.): As you'll see in the videos, I personally like to use a whole lot of small transparent plastic lids (as some of you have guessed, yes, they are from... Pringles cans!). Nowadays I often use a whole lot of small, round, stackable ceramic palettes. Petri dishes are another good option and often have a lid to prevent paint leftovers from drying. If you like to work on a table, a big glass palette is a great option too.

• Water

• Spray bottle

• Rags

• Scissors

• Something to protect your surface (old towel, table-cloth, plastic bag...)

• Something to protect your clothes (apron, old shirt...)

Ceramic Palettes

Spray Bottle

Apron

Scissors

painting

Painting tools

• Your choice of paintbrushes (one or two can be enough, we will be using our fingers a lot!)

• An old plastic card (credit card, key card...) and/or palette knives

Craft Heat Gun: To speed up drying and for encaustic.

Substrates

• Stretched canvases or wood panels, including a big one for the final project in Lesson 6! NB: wood & MDF left-overs from your DIY store are a great, unexpensive option.

• For the warm-up in Lesson 2: Sturdy white paper like heavy watercolor paper or cardstock, cardboard... You can also gesso over brown cardboard, cereal boxes, old mailers...

For the purpose of filming, I'm using small substrates, but if you feel like going big, don't hesitate!

Acrylic paints

• Titanium White

• A dark brown like Raw Umber or Burnt Umber

• Your choice of colors (choose the ones you are most attracted to)

• Optional: a few neutral tones of your choice (Titan Buff, Warm Grey, Naples Yellow...), but you can mix your own with the paints listed above.

Black India ink

Optional:

• White gesso (recommended, but you can use white acrylic paint instead)

• Acrylic inks

• Alcohol inks

• Watersoluble crayons like NeoColor 2

• Soft pastels

• Oil pastels

White Gesso

Watercolor Paper

Wood Panel (8”X8”)

Streteched Canvas (16”X20”)

Assorted Paintbrushes

Large Flat Brushes

Plastic Palette Knives

Heat Gun

Acrylic paint: Titanium White

Acrylic paint: Raw Umber

Acrylic paint: Titan Buff

Black India Ink

A FEW FAVORITE COLORS OF MINE

ACRYLIC PAINTS

Acrylic paint: Sap Green

Acrylic paint: Neutral Grey

Acrylic paint: Paynes Grey

Acrylic paint: Turquoise Green

Acrylic paint: Yellow Ochre

Acrylic paint: Persian Rose

Acrylic inks

Acrylic ink: Titanium White

Acrylic ink: Magenta

Acrylic ink: Olive Green

Acrylic ink: Turquoise

Acrylic ink: Paynes Grey

Acrylic Ink: Yellow Orange Azo

ALCOHOL INKS

Lakeshore set

Butterscotch

Lettuce

DRAWING AND MARK-MAKING

Pens and pencils (look around your craft supplies, scrapbooking and office supplies):

• A regular HB to 4B pencil

• Black, fine-tip permanent pen: pigment pen or india ink pen like Pitt Artist pens, or fine-tip Sharpie. Regular ball-point pens are a nice option too

• Black watersoluble pencil (Stabilo All is my favorite supply in the whole world!) or watersoluble crayon

• White fine tip pen like Posca pen or Liquitex acrylic pen

Optional:

• Fine-tip correction pen ("white-out")

• Brush-tip Pitt Artist Pens in colors you love (below are a few favorite of mine)

A variety of materials to stamp and make marks with. Some of my favorites are bubble-wrap, shelf-liner, plastic mesh, corrugated cardboard, feathers, wood skewers and coffee stirrers... Look around you and use your imagination!

BLACK & WHITE

Graphite Pencils

Stabilo All Black Pencil

Black Pitt Artist Pens

Black Pigment Liner

White Posca Pen (Fine)

White Correction Pen

Pitt Artist Pen: A few favorite colors

Earth Green

Sepia

Light Flesh

Green Gold

Cinnamon

Cobalt Green

COLLAGE & "FAUX ENCAUSTIC"

• "Matte acrylic gel medium or "binder" (Liquitex or other brand). NB: since filming this class, I’ve also had wonderful results with the Super Heavy Gel by Liquitex. But I do NOT recommend the Heavy Gel by Golden as some students have reported that it made inks bleed, even acrylic ones.

• Medium-sized flat paintbrush (see "Painting" section above)

• A wide, plastic palette knife (see "Painting" section above)

• Old magazines with images that you love (libraries will often happily give away outdated issues)

• A variety of papers in neutral tones: tissue paper, packing paper, bookpages (preferably from a book that inspires you), sheet music, dried, empty tea bags, sewing pattern paper...*

• Some pieces of fiber: old clothes, cheesecloth, ribbon, lace...*

Matte Gel Medium by Liquitex

... Remember: You don't need to buy lots of things, ask around to friends and family!

PLaster substrates in lesson 3

Plaster Gauze

Burlap

Pliers

Plastic-Coated Wire

warm-upS / inspiration prompts:

• Pen and paper

• Your camera (the one on your phone is absolutely fine)

• A journal to write in. If you already have one going, you can absolutely use it.

• Optional: a Pinterest account!

For encaustic

Please visit the "Encaustic Set-Up" page: