Soulful Abstracts

supplies and tools

Soulful Abstracts

Mixed media art class

Here is a general list of suggested supplies and tools for the class. The images below will take you to the Amazon shop for your region when available (affiliate links).

IMPORTANT: You don’t need to buy everything on the list! I’m including a large variety of options so hopefully you can find plenty of things you already own. For instance: you may not have a black Stabilo All pencil but maybe you have some charcoal sticks that would work just as well!

Watch the videos first

The class includes a 5-part video series where I demonstrate the basic supplies for mixed media art + a few fun favorites. The videos are already available as a free workshop HERE.

Don’t go crazy with shopping until you’ve watched them, as they will help you find out which supplies you really want to try and will inspire you to find alternative materials you may already own.

Don’t hesitate to go on a scavenger hunt and collect any tools and materials that you could (safely!) experiment with, or that you could use as substitutes for the ones I use in the lessons. 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.

set up your space

The basics:

  • A palette and/or other small containers

  • Water & spray bottle

  • Rags

  • Something to protect your surface (table-cloth, packing paper...) and your clothes (apron, old shirt...)

  • Scissors

  • Assorted paintbrushes, including a medium-sized flat brush and round brush

  • A plastic palette knife

  • White Gesso

  • Matte gel medium (regular or soft)

  • Heavy Watercolor paper (300gsm)

  • An Art Journal/Sketchbook for all your creative experiments!

Optional:

  • A heat gun/heat tool to speed up drying

  • An old plastic card

  • Masking tape

 

Spray Bottle

Scissors

Heat gun

Assorted Paintbrushes

Plastic Palette Knives

White Gesso

 

Matte Gel Medium

 
 

Art Journal

 

Watercolor Paper A3 Pad

painting

Substrates

You will find recommended substrates listed within each lesson. Remember to be creative: use what you’ve got or what feels best, in any size that you like!

  • Stretched canvases

  • Wood panels (MDF panels from the DIY store are a great, inexpensive option)

  • Heavy Watercolor Paper (300 gsm or more)

Acrylic paints

  • Titanium White and a few neutrals of your choice like Raw Umber, Titan Buff, Neutral Grey, Naples Yellow Light, Parchment, Payne’s Grey…

  • Your choice of colors: choose the ones you are most attracted to!

Optional

  • Acrylic inks

  • Alcohol inks

  • Black India Ink

  • Walnut Ink and/or Instant Coffee

  • Archival Ink Pad (Black or Brown)

  • Plaster gauze

  • For the Faux-Encaustic technique: Super Heavy Matte Gel Medium by Liquitex (but Regular Matte Gel works too). NB: I do NOT recommend using the Heavy Gel by Golden as some students have reported that it made inks bleed, even acrylic ones.

Acrylic neutrals

Titanium White

Raw Umber

Titan Buff

Neutral Grey

Payne’s Grey

Parchment

Acrylic colors

NB: We’re going to work on your personal palette in the class!

 

ACRYLIC PAINTS: A few favorites

Sap Green

Light Turquoise

Portrait Pink

Yellow Ochre

Acrylic inks

A great set to get started:

Other Inks

India ink

Alcohol Inks

Walnut Ink Crystals

Archival Solvent ink

Stazon Ink Pad.jpg

Collage

Papers

You don't need to buy anything here: go on a scavenger hunt and ask around to friends, family and your local library.

  • A variety of papers: tissue paper, packing paper, book pages (preferably from a book that inspires you), sheet music, dried, empty tea bags, sewing pattern tissue, old magazines...

  • Some fibers: cheesecloth, ribbon, lace, yarn etc.

Optional

  • Small found objects: washers, buttons, feathers etc

  • Photographs (your own, or copyright-free images).

  • Plaster gauze:

NB: Make sure to print any images with water-resistant ink. Laser copies/photocopies are best, or if you have an archival ink printer that’s great too. Avoid regular, home/office inkjet printers.

DRAWING AND MARK-MAKING

All of these are optional. You can use any alternative that you like.

Pens and pencils

  • Regular graphite pencil, mechanical pencil

  • Black water-soluble pencil (Stabilo All, Inktense…) or water-soluble crayon (Neocolor II)

  • Charcoal Sticks

  • Water-soluble Graphite Bars or Soft Pastels

  • Black and White Posca Pens

  • Brush-tip Pitt Artist Pens in colors you love

  • NeoColor I Water-resistant Pastels

  • Neocolor II Water-soluble Pastels

Stamping etc.

Look for anything that could create interesting marks (we’re going to explore this in the class):

  • Plastic card & Palette Knife

  • Pottery Tool Set: these usually include a needle tool, metallic scraper + a little round sponge that works like magic for image transfers!

  • Stamps & Stencils: bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard and other found materials, as well as store-bought ones like text stamps.

  • Natural materials (twigs, feathers…)

Stabilo All Black Pencil

Charcoal Sticks

Charcoal+Sticks.jpg

Black Pitt Artist Pens

Black & White Posca Pens (Medium & Fine)

Color Pitt Artist Pens

 

Water-soluble Graphite Blocks

Neocolor I (water resistant)

Neocolor II (water-soluble)

Pottery Tool set

French Text Stamp

 

FINISHING TOUCHES

Matte Varnish

Satin Varnish

Laly Mille