What colors of paint do I get to start???? Ummm..

[patriclop2pl]

Hi guys,

Its me again!! I am writing to ask what colors do I buy to start with??

I will mostly be painting Santa, Wizards, elves, and others caricatures!!

I have around $30 to spend and I am buying from this website:

https://www.decoart.com/Merchant2/me...tegory_Code=DA

What do I choose to have a range of colors to start? Then I will add more later on.

Any suggestions welcome,
Patty

[Claude]

Before you buy at that price, plus pay shipping, you can get the same paint at Michaels craft stores. There's one in Brooklyn, plus a half dozen over in Manhattan.

As to colors, I'd recommend the followng:
Black
White
Burnt Umber
Burnt Sienna
Yellow (plain yellow, yellow ochre)
Orange
Blue (brilliant blue, midnight blue, pale blue)
Green (plain green, evergreen)
Red (Christmas red, rust nail, barn red)
Satin water-based varnish
Gloss water-based varnish
(I put a coat or two of the Satin WBV on the wood and let it dry before painting. This helps reduce the blotchy color from the paint soaking into the end grain.)
...and if the price at Michaels is less that $2 each, get whatever other colors strike your fancy.

BTW, when you go into Michaels, look for one of their flyers - they usually have a great discount coupons.

Claude

[toycarver]

I will just list some of my favorite or most often used colors,

Midnight Blue
Adobe Red (for blush on cheeks)
Medium Flesh
Tomato Spice
Barn Red (Burgandy)
Asphalton
Deep River Green
Cape Cod Blue
Black
White

I don't use yellow very often, but when you need it, you need it...besides it is a primary color so good to get a nice yellow to be able to mix.

[Bob K.]

Well Claude beat me to it! I would recommend basically the same colors. I also agree with him on trying out Michael's. That's where I get all of my paints.

[patriclop2pl]

Originally Posted by Claude

Before you buy at that price, plus pay shipping, you can get the same paint at Michaels craft stores. There's one in Brooklyn, plus a half dozen over in Manhattan.

As to colors, I'd recommend the followng:
Black
White
Burnt Umber
Burnt Sienna
Yellow (plain yellow, yellow ochre)
Orange
Blue (brilliant blue, midnight blue, pale blue)
Green (plain green, evergreen)
Red (Christmas red, rust nail, barn red)
Satin water-based varnish
Gloss water-based varnish
(I put a coat or two of the Satin WBV on the wood and let it dry before painting. This helps reduce the blotchy color from the paint soaking into the end grain.)
...and if the price at Michaels is less that $2 each, get whatever other colors strike your fancy.

BTW, when you go into Michaels, look for one of their flyers - they usually have a great discount coupons.

Claude

Originally Posted by toycarver

I will just list some of my favorite or most often used colors,

Midnight Blue
Adobe Red (for blush on cheeks)
Medium Flesh
Tomato Spice
Barn Red (Burgandy)
Asphalton
Deep River Green
Cape Cod Blue
Black
White

I don't use yellow very often, but when you need it, you need it...besides it is a primary color so good to get a nice yellow to be able to mix.

Originally Posted by Bob K.

Well Claude beat me to it! I would recommend basically the same colors. I also agree with him on trying out Michael's. That's where I get all of my paints.

Claude, toycarver, and Bob K!!! Thank you for providing me with my starter list. Also on the heads up on Michaels. Jesus, my local store has them for $0.77!!!

Patty

[toycarver]

Oh boy!! That's a super price!!!

[Robson Valley]

Please be careful: economical (aka CHEAP) paint might be made with very poor quality ingredients. I'm convinced that this is a fact, even for house paint.
There's half a dozen top quality paint manufacturers for the Fine Arts.
When you stand at your table to sell your works.. . . . . .

BTW, The grocery lists of colors are excellent. Toycarver might have listed a brand.
I sold my watercolor paintings for 30+ years, never less than W&N colors and Arches papewrs.

[Midnight Carver]

I am far from being a good painter and am color blind, in other words I'm no expert, but I also find myself using a dark (charcoal) and light (quaker) grey fairly often. Alot of times I don't like black, and the charcoal is a little less bold, and I use the quaker to mix with the charcoal if I want a lighter grey.

Eric

[toycarver]

I agree with Midnight Carver on the grey/charcoal colors, also another good one is some sort of harvest gold and a lighter version of that.
Plus...a nice metalic gold and silver.

[Wildbirdcarver]

I very seldom use black paint. Mix a blue with burn sienna or burnt umber to get a dark color. Try not to mix white with a red color because you will get pink instead of just making a lighter shade. Mix yellow with red to make a different shade. I summary I would get the yellow and forget black. Just my opinion. Dick