Painting with Oils & Acrylics

This course is suitable for those who are new to painting with Oils and Acrylics.

During the course you will be taught brush techniques, blending, composition, colour theory and more.

These techniques will enable you to create your own paintings in a style that suits you.

Tutor's Materials List 

Support:

You will need to bring in a board or canvas or paper pad for oil paint to work on. Is not recommended to use oil on normal paper. The oil will deteriorate the paper unless this has been primed.

Colours:

You can get a starter set or buy specific colours in individual tubes. Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowney makes good paint to start. If you are buying individual tubes then good colours to always have at hand are; Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, Prussian Blue, Cobalt Blue, a primary yellow and red for instance Chrome Yellow Hue and Cadmium Red, Viridian, Titanium White, Naples Yellow & Permanent Rose.

Optional: you may also wish to bring with you, if you have them already, a small range of acrylic colours if you think you will need a few undercoats to build up the beginning of your painting depending on your composition of choice.

Brushes:

The larger brushes on the list should be coarser haired bristle brushes and the medium and smaller brushes could be a combination of both coarse haired brushes e.g. hog hair or a synthetic equivalent and softer nylon or sable brushes. You don't have to stick to the below guide just aim to have one coarse large brush, a couple of medium brushes in different types and one or two small brushes.

- 2inch Flat Brush approx.
- 1inch Flat Brush approx.
- 1/2 inch Brush (Flat/Bright) approx.
- A range of Filbert Brushes ( Large, Medium & Small ) Medium and Small Round Brushes - Fan Brush
- Palette knives

Mediums:

Suggested mediums are linseed oil and Liquin. A small amount of odourless spirit like Sansodor is useful at the start of the painting. Please note that in the class Turps and White Spirit cannot be used due to health and safety.

Palette:

You will need a palette to work on; you can bring a ceramic plate/tile or bring in a flat plastic box (like an empty Ferrero Rocher chocolate box). A box will allow to transport your palette home and save paint! There are disposable palettes available in most art supply shops which save time cleaning but are a bit more wasteful.

Cleaning The Brushes:

I will go through a brush cleaning method in the first class, we don't use white spirits or turpentine in class. You can get non-toxic brush cleaner for oils such as 'The Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver’.

For transporting the wet painting:

Transporting a wet painting can be challenging. Online there are lots of options to make this task easier! Below are a few options.

- Wet panel separator
- Wet painting carriers
- Wet canvas clips
- Canvas pins/separators - Craft box

If you plan to use ACRYLIC (Mainly) below is a list of materials:

Paint:

You can get a starter set or buy specific colours in individual tubes. Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowney makes good paint to start.
If you are buying individual tubes then suggested hues are: Lemon and Cadmium Yellow, Permanent Rose and Cadmium Red, Cerulean, Ultramarine Blue, Viridian, Burnt Siena and Payne's Grey. You will need a large tube of white because is usually the colour that runs out first.

After getting confident with basic acrylic, I would suggest some high flow acrylic, water- based acrylic spray and a few other mediums/materials.

Brushes:

- 2inch Flat Brush approx.
- 1inch Flat Brush approx.
- 1/2 inch Brush (Flat/Bright) approx
- 1 small round brush for details
- Fan Brush
- Palette knives
Daler Rowney System 3 Skyflow Acrylic Brushes make good flat brushes to work with acrylic.

Support:

Acrylic paper, board or canvas. If you use paper 2 inches of masking tape would be advisable to fix the paper on the board and keep the edges tidy. Avoid acrylic paper that is too shiny/smooth.

Palette:

A ceramic plate or wood palette are easier to clean compared to a plastic palette.
There are disposable “Tear-off” palettes available in most art supply shops which save time cleaning but are a bit more wasteful.
A "stay wet palette" is my favourite choice. You can make one using a recycled box or A4 craft plastic box. I will show you how to make a “stay wet palette” in the class!

About the tutor

Daniela Balmaverde is a visual freelance artist who lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Born in Italy, she studied at the College of Art in Turin in 1998. She went on to study in Holland (Groningen) and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin where she graduated with a BA (First Class) in Stage Design in 2003.

She has been commissioned to create pieces of art including public art, community arts, portraits and paintings, sculptures, trompe l’oeil, and different types of decoration and ornamentation on both the inside and outside of buildings in Italy and Northern Ireland.

She has been teaching in Northern Ireland, France and Italy since 2005. 
Her work is included in many private collections in Canada, France, Germany, Holland, Italy and Northern Ireland.

For more info:

DanielaBalmaverde.com

Instagram.com/DanielaBalmaverdeArt