Oil Painting Class No. 5 | Mini Landscapes
Whenever I’m feeling stuck or tight or I can only fit in a little time in the studio, I like working on mini landscape paintings. In this class, we paint four of them together. They are so quick and low-pressure and I’ve enjoyed sharing them in this live class.
Mini Landscape Reference Photo
List of Materials
- Oil Paints – Buy the best you can. This is where you want to spend your money, because artist-grade paints have more concentrated pigments, so you can mix the colors without making mud. I like Windsor & Newton and Gamblin. (See below for some alternatives.)
- Titanium White – W&N Titanium White
- Ultramarine Blue – W&N Ultramarine Blue Green Shade
- Yellow Ochre Pale – W&N YOP
- Burnt Sienna – W&N Burnt Sienna
- Cadmium Yellow – Gamblin Cadmium Yellow Medium
- Gamsol (This is to thin the paint and clean brushes. You can also use turpentine, paint thinner, etc.) – Gamsol 14 oz bottle
- Container for Gamsol/solvent (You can also use a glass jar with a screw-on lid) – Leak-Proof Solvent Container
- Mini canvases (2×4, 3×3, etc.) OR a canvas pad, index cards, card stock, watercolor paper, oil paper, craft paper, etc.
- Acrylic Gesso if you’re using paper
- Palette – I use a wood palette, but you can order a glass one (white or gray), a paper palette (again, white or gray), or use a paper plate, a piece of cardboard, or even a piece of glass in a cheap/old frame.
- Paper towels
- Ziplock bag
- Soap to clean brushes & hands – I use Murphy’s Oil soap to clean my brushes and baby oil to clean my hands. You can also use an olive-oil-based soap or any soap that will clean off oil and grease.
- Easel – You don’t have to buy an easel, but could purchase an inexpensive tabletop easel. If you want to get a little fancier, you can buy a pochade box that has an easel and palette built-in. Really, though, you can paint flat or just prop your canvas up on some books or a cardboard box. Don’t let the lack of an easel stop you from joining us! I have found it’s best to clip these minis to a piece of cardboard or thin MDF board. (A clipboard would work well, too!)
- Brushes – One note about the brushes! The bushy brush I’ve been using is actually not an Eclipse, but a Master’s Choice Long Filbert No. 4. You can get it HERE, too. I’m so sorry, but I just realized the mistake a couple of days ago. The stiff-bristled brush I use is the No. 1 Ivory Long Flat (you can get it HERE, too) both from Rosemary & Co. Both of these shops (one in the US and one in the UK) are shipping to customers.
Mini Landscape Video
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If you’d like to share your work, ask questions, and connect with other artists, you can join our Facebook group HERE.
I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.
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