Supplies for Letters as Art
updated February 4, 2025
Watercolours – tube watercolors work very well. I will demo possible colour schemes. These three cool colours make excellent mixes – Winsor and Newton (WN) Winsor Lemon, WN Permanent Alizarin Crimson and WN Winsor Blue (Green Shade). These warm colours make good mixes - Daniel Smith (DS) New Gamboge, DS Cadmium Orange, DS Cadmium Red Medium, DS Permanent Green, WN French Ultramarine Blue and WN Winsor Violet. You do not need all these colours – they are just suggestions. If you are new to tube watercolours – I would recommend buying the 3 cool colours and sharing them with 2 or 3 people for the workshop. Bring whatever tube watercolours you have, and we can work with them.
Watercolour pencils…. suggested brands are Derwent, Faber Castell. Not to worry if you do not have any…Lorraine has lots.
Half a sheet of water media paper like Arches Text Wove. Text Wove works well for embossing and painting. You can bring small pieces of paper you might like to use.
Ten sheets of white bond paper 8 ½ by 11 inches or your sketchbook for trying out designs.
A cereal box for embossing –it is the right thickness. Please bring the whole box - don’t cut it up into small pieces.
HB Pencil, white eraser, 2 jars or plastic cups for water, pencil sharpener.
A ruler – a gridded see-through ruler is wonderful! But any 12-inch ruler is fine.
Small pointed watercolor brush like a 2, 3 or 4 size.
Another brush you can use for mixing colours, doesn’t have to be perfect.
A flat-edged watercolour brush – like ½ inch or an inch – this brush must be very clean and will be used for gilding.
Gluestick
Removable tape – it comes in a roll and has a blue label.
Scissors, paper towel.
Palette with wells for mixing watercolors. There are plastic palettes with six or twelve wells. Save the white plastic tops from containers like yoghurt, margarine, etc. They make excellent mixing trays. If you have five or six of those you will be happy.
Bone folder, if you have one.
These kinds of templates are handy for drawing, they come in circles, ovals, etc.
Things the whole class can share…
FOR EMBOSSING STATION
Lorraine will bring a set of embossing tools …. does anyone have a little set of embossing tools they could also bring? They come in a package at Michael’s and have little round ball tips of different sizes.
FOR GILDING STATION
A smooth tile or glass…. if you have one or two that would work. The surface must be clean and smooth. Doesn’t have to be big - like 8 by 8 inches would work. The glass should be a bit heavier than window glass with the sides taped. The reason for using them is to provide a hard cold smooth surface. You are going to press quite hard on them.
PLEASE LET MOLLY (MNSYKES@SHAW.CA) KNOW IF YOU CAN BRING EITHER OF THESE THINGS.
THINGS TO BRING IF YOU HAVE THEM
A very clean bone folder with no bumpy stuff on it (to be used for gilding).
A sharp X-acto knife like a number 11 X-acto or Olfa cutting knife (called a boxcutter) with several replacement blades.
