My Painting Setup

One of my readers asked a couple of really great questions. One was, “What’s in the milk jug on the left of my palette?” It’s our odorless paint thinner. We drink bottled water so that is actually a water jug. The top is cut off leaving the handle. We tried using plastic milk jugs for the same purpose but no matter how much I washed them first, they began to smell after a few days. The nice thing about the plastic jug is the sediment settles to the bottom overnight. When I want to change my thinner I just pour off the clear liquid into another bottle, leaving the yuck in the bottom to be disposed of.

My glass palette rests on top of an industrial cook’s cart. The shelves hold all the extra goodies I need close at hand. The toilet tissue used to wipe my brushes is the cheapest double ply we can get in large, economy packages. Pliers and a paint squeezer are always handy to have. The paints on the left side of the lowest shelf are Aklyd Oils. I use these when I want a lot of texture but need it to dry quicker than regular oil paint.

The other question was, “What brands of paint do you use?”  We mostly use Windsor Newton WINTON Oils in the 200ml tubes. We have found this is the best quality for the most economical price. The exceptions are Pthalo Blue, we use Grumbacher because the hue is more intense. And our Hansa Lemon Yellow is Da Vinci Paint made by the Da Vinci Paint company in California. I’m sure there are other brands of this that will work as well. We’re going to start trying some others because Da Vinci has really gone up in price.

Now I have a question for you. Can you find Slinky? He grew up in the wild and has learned the art of camouflage very well. I assure you, he is there. Enjoying the sun in his little hidy-hole! You can click on the picture to see it larger.

THERE HE IS! Slinky woke up, stretched, turned around and went back to his nap in the sun. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

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