Blue Mountain School of Landscape Painting 2026
Materials List for John David Anderson June 2026
Colours:
Must have…in Acrylics or Oils bare minimum… try if you can to only use artist grade paints especially when it comes to acrylics
Alizarin Crimson and or Permanent Rose sometimes called Quinacridone Rose
Cadmium Yellow Medium - in Winsor and Newton Colours this is called Cadmium Yellow Pale in either Acrylics or Oils
Ultramarine Blue or French Ultramarine Blue.
Titanium White
Nice to have with above colours…
Cadmium Red Light
Cadmium Yellow Light or Cadmium Lemon
Cobalt Blue
Transparent Red Oxide or Transparent Earth Red or Transparent Burnt Sienna or Burnt Sienna - one of these.
Cadmium orange
Red Violet, I use Quinacridone Violet
Not at all necessary but interesting…
Mixing White
Dioxazine Violet
Viridian or Pthalo Green Blue Shade
Pthalo Turquoise
Acrylic painters should have Matte Medium, not gel, with them
Oil painters have many mediums to choose from. I use Liquid Light Gel from Minor Newton a lot. Sometimes just linseed oil.
Surfaces:
Stretched canvas is not recommended. Light comes through the back.
Canvas Panels, plywood panels, Pre-gessoed Panels
I use 1/4 birch plywood or flooring underlay from Home Depot called Shurply. It comes in 4 feet x 4 feet sheets. I cut it to size. 8 x 10, 9 x 12, 11 x 14, 12 x 16 and occasionally up to a 16 x 20 for plein air but rarely.
I paint the wood with a coat of Minwax Matte Acrylic Urethane then cover that with a coat of artist grade gesso, Liquitex Professional is usually my choice.
Plan on 2 surfaces per day.
Palette:
Give yourself ROOM. A 12 x 16 paper palette pad is great.
Brushes:
I recommend long handled Flats from 3/8 “ wide to 1” wide and several in between - depending on the company, sizes 4 to 10.
Palette knife… I like a diqmond shaped 2 - 21/2 “ ling bon the blade, bent handle.
Brush cleaning container…Large Yogurt container for acrylics and a sealable jar or sealable solvent brush washing can. Lee Valley Tools has a great one.
Paper towel, lots or in my case, rags. With oils I prefer rags.
Portable stand up easel
A camp chair if you need one
Dress in layers, wide brimmed hat, possible bug spray and sun screen.