My Supplies
Rachel PetruccilloPaint Brushes & Brush Care
My favorite brushes are the Spectrum line by Trekell. They make excellent artists brushes for a decent price. I also use Trekell’s brush cleaner and restorer to maintain my brushes.
Oil Paint
Gamblin is the brand I use almost exclusively. I feel that their paint offers excellent value. I primarily use their 1980 line as it is less expensive but offers very good quality and pigmentation. I try to use single pigment paints and some of the more expensive pigments aren’t available as “single” pigments in the 1980 line. If I want one of these colors, I will purchase it from their main line. Every tube of artist paint should list the pigment, I encourage you to learn about the pigments and what to look for when buying paint.
Colors on My Palette
White
Quick drying titanium white oil paint – Titanium is one of the slowest drying pigments so this paint is ideal for my process. I work alla prima and don’t want the paint to stay wet for days.
Yellow
Hansa Yellow Light, Hansa Yellow Medium, Yellow Ochre
Red
Blue
A few extra colors
Dioxazine Purple, Phthalo Green, Ivory Black
Mediums & Solvents
Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium – I never paint with solvent but sometimes oil paint is too thick for me so for a thinner viscosity, I mix some of this gel into my paints. It is odorless and easy to squeeze onto the palette.
Gamblin Safflower Oil – my process is mainly solvent-free (i.e. without toxic chemicals) so safflower oil is extremely useful as both a brush cleaner and painting medium. It is lighter in color than linseed oil and will not yellow.
Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits – while I don’t paint with solvent and it is possible to go completely solvent-free, I am comfortable using a small amount of this product to remove paint residue from my brushes at the end of a painting session. It is odorless but I do keep the small amount I use for cleaning brushes in a closed jar – it does not sit open in my studio. I also use Gamsol to clean my brush after varnishing.