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DAY AND NIGHT SCENES

WORKSHOPS with ZUFAR BIKBOV

These are suggestions. If you prefer, please, bring your own preferred painting setup. If you are more comfortable using different materials or equipment, that’s perfectly fine.

Easel 

For outdoor painting, please bring one of the following:

* French easel

* Pochade box setup that accommodates the recommended canvas sizes (see below)

* Any other portable plein air painting setup you regularly use

For indoor studio sessions, studio easels will be provided. You are also welcome to use your own outdoor setup if you prefer.

Oil Paints 

I recommend using artist-grade oil paints whenever possible.

 
Please avoid studio-grade or imitation paints for important pigments such as cadmiums and cobalts whenever possible. While artist-grade paints cost more, they contain genuine pigments (listed on the tube) rather than substitutes, resulting in cleaner, more predictable color mixtures. This very important for Cadmiums, Cobalts and even Titanium White.

 
I personally prefer Utrecht Artists' Oil Colors, which offer excellent quality at a reasonable price. For workshops and studies, I also use some Van Gogh Oil Colours.

 
Recommended Palette

 
* Titanium White

* Cadmium Lemon Yellow

* Cadmium Orange (preferably Utrecht)

* Alizarin Crimson Permanent (preferred) or Alizarin Crimson

* Ultramarine Blue

* Cerulean Blue (Imitation or Hue is acceptable)

* Raw Sienna

* Burnt Umber

* Raw Umber (optional)

* Transparent Oxide Yellow (Van Gogh)

* Permanent Sap Green Deep (Utrecht)  

* Emerald Green (Van Gogh)

BRUSHES

Bring the brushes you normally enjoy painting with.

I recommend having a combination of stiffer and softer brushes, as each serves a different purpose and provides greater flexibility while painting.

Bristle Brushes (at least 3–4 ones)

Natural bristle or stiff synthetic brushes, Recommended sizes: #6–12

Soft Brushes (at least 4–6 ones)

Soft synthetic or Kolinsky-style brushes suitable for oil or acrylic painting (not watercolor brushes). Recommended sizes: #2–8

Also bring: 

* One small #0 or #00 brush for signatures and fine details.

VALUE STUDY SETUP 

Acrylic paints and painting panels for value studies will be provided.
Please use your own brushes from Brushes list above.

OIL PASTEL (optional) 

1-2 sticks (grey or brown color) of inexpensive brand like Van Gogh oil pastel

PALETTE KNIFE 

Bring any palette knives you normally use for mixing paint or applying paint.

PAINTING SURFACES

Bring pre-stretched canvases, canvas panels, or primed painting panels.
It is always better to bring one or two extra painting surfaces.

For this workshop, we will need aat least four painting surfaces:

Smaller size 

* 8 × 10 or

* 9 × 12

Larger size 

* 11 × 14 or 

* 12 × 16 or

* 16 × 20 (if you are comfortable painting larger works quickly)

SUMMARY: 

For Day scene Painting : 2 canvases/panles. These may be white or lightly toned with a warm beige, light ochre, or raw sienna wash.

* one small panel or canvas

* one larger panel or canvas

For Nocturne Painting : 2 canvases/panles. These should be toned with a warm gray or neutral brown (Raw Umber or Burnt Umber works well).

* one small panel or canvas

* one larger panel or canvas

TONING SURFACE

The toned surface should be a thin, transparent mid-value wash—not a dark opaque layer.
If your panels are acrylic-primed (acrylic gesso), they can easily be toned beforehand with diluted acrylic paint.

PALETTE

Bring a palette or another flat surface suitable for mixing paint.
I personally prefer a glass palette with a glass scraper because it is quick and easy to clean.

PAINTING MEDIUM

Bring at least one oil painting medium.
I recommend one of the following faster-drying mediums:

* Galkyd Gel Medium (my choice) or Galkyd Lite Gel Medium

* Liquin (Gel, strong odor, may be not comfortable indoor)

* Galkyd Medium (Liquid)

* Galkyd Lite Medium (Liquid)

These are especially useful for the first painting layers because they allow the paint to set up more quickly.
If using a liquid medium, please also bring a palette cup.

BRUSH CLEANING 

Please bring one of the following:

* Turpenoid Natural (My choice) - not available in CT stores and online except Amazon

* Odorless Mineral Spirit e.g. Gambol

* Any oil for brush-cleaning

Also bring a separate palette cup or container for your brush cleaner.

Please note: Your painting medium and brush cleaner are different products. You will need both.

Reference Material 

Reference photographs for the workshop will be provided and projected onto a large TV screen.


If you would prefer to work on your own project, please bring:

* High-quality printed reference photographs, or

* An iPad or other tablet device.

 Other Supplies 

 
* Paper towels

* Apron or painting clothes (recommended)

* Sketchbook (approximately 6 × 9 to 11 × 14)

* Pencil

* Gloves

* Snack in a Lunch-box

* Water or other beverage

Questions? 

If you have any questions regarding materials, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Text (preferred): 203-206-3283

 
Email: [email protected] (email responses may take longer)

I look forward to working with you!

Don’t worry if you don’t have every item on this list. The goal is to help you arrive prepared, not to purchase plenty of new equipment. If you’re unsure whether your current materials are suitable, simply contact me —we’ll make it work.

If you prefer shop online, here is my affiliated link with GREAT DEALS from BLICK with free shipping for over $79.