[kerosene]

Thanks again, folks. Your feedback means a lot to me.

Labrat, for supplies, I am sure (and as you have seen) opinions about what is best are as varied as artists themselves. I can tell you about the different items I have used, though, if that helps:

Oil Paints:
- I like Gamblin brand the best, but if a color I want is not available in that brand, I go with Windsor Newton Artist Grade Oil Paints. Now, these are kind of expensive and I have been collecting different colors as I can afford them, but when I really need a certain color and can't spend the money on the expensive stuff, I go with Windsor Newton Winton oil colors. They are cheaper because they are considered "student grade." All this means is that they are cheaper and are not as concentrated in pigment. Nothing wrong with using those.
- Medium is necessary for oil painting. You need it to make the paint flow. There are all different kinds to choose from. They all vary based on things like drying time, viscosity, glossy vs. matte. A common medium is linseed oil. You can also mix mediums sometimes. I know an artist who uses a mixture of linseed, stand oil and walnut oil. I am not sure why. I think it is just preference. I usually use liquin fine detail or galkyd lite as my medium. They are basically the same. These media are made to dry the paint more quickly. they get mostly dry in around 2 day's time. This is useful if you are layering your oil paints. Not as useful if you want to do more blending on the canvas later. Sometimes I mix a little turpenoid (paint thinner) with that to keep the medium from getting too gummy. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I also mix some stand oil with it to get a stickier texture. Mostly not, though. You might consider get a few small bottles of different kinds and experimenting to see what you like best.
- You will need a paint thinner for cleaning brushes and sometimes thinning the medium. I use turpeniod(sp?) because it doesn't smell as bad as traditional turpentine. You can use turpentine, though, too...and Grumbacher makes something called grumtine, which smells kind of like orange flavored stomach acid. But I am sure it works just as well.
- Rags, paper towels, etc. I got some of those flour sacks at walmart...you can probably pick up lint free towels at a goodwill for cheap...get something you can wipe your brushes on after you dip them in turp. you can use paper towels...but I just like the towels better. Preference thing, again.
- palette. You need something on which to mix your paint. They make fancy ones with sealing lids and then there are those big round ones like Bob Ross had. I like just a piece of glass with duct tape on the edges to keep from cutting myself. Your hardware store should be able to hook you up there....or find an old picture frame and use the glass from that. Also, if you use a piece of glass, you might want one of those paint scrapers from the hardware store to get the paint off before it dries and cements itself to the canvas. Clean your canvas everyday and that shouldn't be a problem. Or you can get a disposable canvas thing, which is nice, but sometimes I feel guilty about throwing so much away every day, so it is up to you.
- Brushes. I like natural hair brushes...they are better for oils because the solvents can dissolve synthetics. If you like really chunky brushstrokes, maybe try out some different hog hair brushes in different sizes and shapes. You are going to want to experiment with these. The art store will have brushes sorted by the type of paint you do (oil, acrylic, watercolor...) I like mongoose hair brushes. They aren't that expensive, compared to some. But they let me get a really nice smooth texture to my strokes. Try all different kinds and find what you like best.
- Ground. Alot of artists use canvas. Some use board. Some take a piece of cloth and gesso it. You can get stretched canvas at an art store....it is usually pre-treated. If you buy canvas raw and stretch it yourself, you will need to prime it with acrylic or oil based gesso. I like stretching my own canvas, because they are heavier, feel more solid and I can control the size and shape. The sturdier, the less likely it will warp. Stretching canvas isn't that hard, once you do it more. I kind of enjoy it. You can also use board, which is more rigid than canvas and thinner, but usually will require a frame in order to hang on the wall. You can get masonite board at a hardware store, but you will need to get some acrylic or oil based gesso and prime it before painting on it. I use acrylic based gesso for both oil and acrylic paints. You probably wouldn't want to use paper for oil paint, but you could with acrylic paint, if you primed the paper first.
- brush cleaner. I know I said you needed a turp solvent for cleaning brushes, but you will probably also want to keep your brushes really clean, so I would recommend getting a bar of soap just for your brushes. After you are done painting for the day, dry them as well as you can, then wash them really well in soap and water. Trust me...it took me a lot of ruined brushes to finally get myself in this habit. Turp is good for cleaning between colors. Soap and water works for cleaning between painting sessions.

Whew. I don't think I have anything else to say at the moment. If anyone else has anything to add to this, please do. Razz, perhaps you might want to discuss the benefits of using acrylic paint? If you want, of course.