In this course, we will learn a brief history of oil painting, how to prepare a palette, and how to mix colors using a palette knife. You’ll also get hands-on experience with mixing mediums, understanding their effects on the paint’s consistency and drying time, as well as the importance of safety procedures when working with these materials. An essential part of our course will be creating a color chart, which serves as a valuable reference for mixing and understanding color relationships.
Finally, we’ll put all these skills into practice by starting a small painting. This project will allow you to experiment with your new techniques and develop your own artistic style. The goal of this course is to instill excitement and confidence in using oil paints, providing you with a solid foundation of skills to express your creative vision on canvas.
About the Instructor: Lauren Karjala
Lauren Karjala is a figurative painter based in Newmarket, NH. Her paintings incorporate figures and symbolism to reveal dreamlike, autobiographical narratives that blur the line between memory and imagination. She received a BFA in painting from the University of New Hampshire in 2014. Lauren has been exhibited widely throughout New England, and her work has been featured in three issues of Vanity Fair UK (2022) and the I Like Your Work Podcast Catalog (2023).
Materials List:
Paint - I will be going over traditional oil paint as well as water-soluble oil paint. Traditional oil paint is thinned in odorless mineral spirits, which releases fumes that require a well-ventilated room. Water-soluble oil paint can be thinned in water, and is preferable if you will be painting for long stretches in a small or enclosed space.
Brands:
Traditional Oils: Gamblin, Windsor and Newton Water-Soluble Oil Paint: Windsor and Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oils Recommended Palette (Small or 37ml Tubes)
***Please have these colors or similar. The rest are optional. You may also bring an introductory set of colors to the class and I will help you use what you have. Feel free to reach out with any questions
Reds:
Burnt Sienna ***
Cadmium Red (Medium or Light) ***
Quinacridone
Red Yellows:
Yellow Ochre ***
Cadmium Yellow Light (or Lemon Yellow)
Cadmium Yellow Medium***
Indian Yellow
Green:
Viridian***
Sap Green
Blue:
Ultramarine Blue***
Cerulean Blue
Purple:
Quinacridone Violet (or Magenta) ***
Dioxazine Purple ***
Neutrals:
Titanium White ***
Burnt Umber ***
Brushes:
Hog Bristle Brushes - quality does not matter. Try to avoid the soft and synthetic style of brushes. You want them to have some tooth. Brush sets are recommended so that you can try varying sizes and shapes to see what you like best. For example, https://www.dickblick.com/items/winsor-newton-winton-hog-bristle-brushes-set-4-pkg-of-5/
Palette - Paper tear off palette, 9x12 or larger, or a piece of glass painted white on the underside.
Palette Knife - medium trowel https://www.dickblick.com/items/blick-painting-knife-78-x-2-34-painting-style-30-/
Brush Cleaning Jar https://www.dickblick.com/products/silicoil-brush-cleaning-tank/
Second Glass Jar (recycled from the kitchen)
Rags or Paper Towels
Apron
Drawing implement (pencil, colored pencils, or non-permanent marker)
8x10 painting surface - pre-primed canvas or panel
I will be providing different mixing mediums, odorless mineral spirits, and paper for color mixing exercises, and still-life objects.
