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 Charles
Sovek, an internationally known and popular, award-winning
artist, began painting in 1956. He has written four
books, including, Catching Light in Your Paintings;
Oil Painting: Develop Your Natural Ability; and
Keying Your Painting. As a contributing editor to
The Artist’s Magazine, he has written dozens
of feature articles. He has also authored various
books on drawing, painting and the artistic life
through his own publishing enterprise, THE BACK
PORCH PRESS. Widely traveled, he has painted, exhibited,
conducted workshops and judged shows throughout
United States and abroad. His paintings are represented
in countless private, corporate and museum collections.
Most recently, Sovek had the honor of being the
subject of a PBS special entitled "Plein Air
Painting in America". The artist will represent
New England, focusing on Cape Cod and its role in
plein air painting today. Sovek spends summers on
the Outer Cape; he is represented on Cape Cod at
the Addison Gallery in Orleans. For free lessons
and further information please see the artist’s
website at www.sovek.com
GENERAL
INFO & MATERIALS LIST:
GETTING STARTED - If you've never picked up a brush
before, congratulate yourself. An exciting adventure
awaits you. And like any new enterprise, having
the right outfit can go a long way in helping to
insure success. If you haven't already done so,
I recommend going over the Basics Page on my website
at www.sovek.com and make sure the various ideas,
principles and approaches are clear. Not that you
have to master the exercises immediately, think
of them instead as windows opening on to the possibilities
of what lies ahead. Equipped with both some basic
directions and a kit packed with the proper materials,
your journey should be more than pleasant. Or as
the bumper sticker on the Maine fisherman's pickup
truck proclaimed, "The kick is in the catch,
not the keep!".
EASELS - Either a full or half French easel, one
of the new aluminum jobs, pochade box with tripod
or any of the other portable easel / sketch box
arrangements compatible to your painting approach.
Err on the side of simplicity, here. I've seen masterpieces
painted on a canvas propped against a rock with
a fishing tackle box for supplies. So don't go overboard.
BRUSHES & PALETTE KNIFE - For oils and acrylics,
two each or #7, #5, #3 and #1 bristle flat, round
or filbert (your call) and a small rigger for detail
stuff. Watercolor and gouache painters need one
each of a #7, #5 and #3 round sable (good brushes
are critical for these mediums so be sure and get
the best you can afford), a 1 inch flat sable or
synthetic and a small rigger. A palette knife is
useful for all mediums. Be sure to get the kind
with the inverted handle rather than the more awkward
model shaped like a table knife.
PALETTE - Wood or Plexiglas, or tear-off paper for
oil painters. Paper tear-off for acrylics. Watercolor
and gouache painters will need either a white butcher
tray or one of the many plastic palette on the market.
The John Pike palette is the best of these.
PASTELS - Same color palette as above in no less
than 5 gradations for each color.
PAINTING SURFACES - Canvas board, masonite panels
primed with gesso or stretched canvas are all possible
choices. You'll need at least 12 panels for a 5
day class in sizes of either 8 x 10, 9 x 12, 11
x 14 or 12 x 16. You may want to throw in a few
squares for variety. Acrylic and gouache painters
need the same size and number in cold press illustration
board panels. Bainbridge # 80 (single or double
weight), or Crescent cold press are equally fine
surfaces.
Watercolorists should have the same size and numbers
in either a cold or hot press surface no lighter
than 140 pound in weight in either sheets or blocks.
Pastelists, the same size and number of various
pastel papers in colors of your choice so long as
the tone of the paper is no darker than a middle
gray.
PAINT THINNER, TURPENTINE, WATER - Oil painters
should bring at least a quart of paint thinner,
odorless, turpenoid, whatever (I've been using vegetable
oil) for a 5 or how many day class along with a
jar with a coiled wire on the bottom (Silicoil makes
one for about $5). Water based painters need a large
water container (at least a quart in capacity) for
swishing out brushes.
COLORS - Whether painting in oils, acrylics, watercolor,
gouache or pastel, you'll need the following colors:
COOL RED
Either thalo red rose, permanent rose (Windsor Newton
trade name for thalo red rose) or alizarin crimson
WARM RED
Cadmium red light ORANGE
Cadmium orange
WARM YELLOW
Cadmium yellow medium (opaque mediums), new gamboge
(watercolor) COOL YELLOW
Cadmium yellow light, pale or lemon (opaque mediums)
aureolin (watercolor) GREEN
Thalo green, Windsor green (Windsor & Newton
trade name for thalo) or viridian
BLUE
Both ultramarine and Cerulean blue
BLACK
Ivory WHITE
Large tube of Permalba, Utrecht or Grumbacher (Superba)
white (oil), titanium white (acrylic), Windsor Newton
permanent white (gouache)
MEDIUMS - For oil, Container of thinner with lid-
Gamsol or Sansodor for thinners & Galkyd or
Liquin for mediums, or any of the gels such as Resin-Gel,
Win-Gel, Zec, etc. Water based paint seldom needs
a medium or gel except acrylics, which responds
nicely to any of the various acrylic gels on the
market.
MISCELLANEOUS STUFF - Paper towels or rags for cleaning,
razor blade scraper for your palette, screw on umbrella
for your easel, sketch book, pens and pencils, a
camera and plenty of film and lastly, don't forget
the bug spray.
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