Extra Goodies you may need

When I first learned to paint with oils I didn't know what I needed in the way of supplies (besides the obvious paints) it was trial and error for me.

So on this page I hope I can help those beginner painters who are not sure what else they may need in the way of supplies. What I learned as time went by that an artist also needs other things such as an apron to protect your clothes. If you get oil paint on your clothes it is very difficult to get it out - near impossible.

Another thing you need is a rag or paper towel to wipe your brush off when you change to a different color. Old clothes work well for this purpose and you just throw them away afterwards.

Another item you will need is a good brush washer jar. You can make one up using an old pickle jar and put some chicken wire in the bottom. Or you can buy one from an art supply store.

Here is an example of a brush washer that is portable....



To clean your brushes when your done painting there are special brush cleaning soap you can buy from the art store. But you can just use dish washing soap to do the job too. Just put a little blob of dish soap in the palm of your hand and rub the brushes through it thoroughly and rinse with water to get soap out.

For people with sensitive skin I recommend rubber gloves to use while painting to protect your skin.

Cotton buds or Q-tips are handy for small blending jobs.

You may need some flint charcoal which is just charcoal made especially for artist to draw with. It is easy to use and if you make a mistake, you just rub it out with a rag and begin again. The art supply store carries this product.

Another item you may want is a "mall stick" this is just a long stick with a cushion on the end (covered with leather) that you use to lean your hand on for the detail painting work at the end .

I hope this information helps you with your oil painting experiences.