The Ryder Studio

Materials

Here you will find materials lists for the following Ryder Studio programs:
    I. Pencil drawing on white drawing paper
    II. Drawing on tinted paper with graphite and white chalk pencils
    III. Portrait painting in oil 
    IV. Academic year ‘Atelier’ program

Printer friendly files:

A friendly note about art supplies:

Your materials don’t need to be fancy but they should be well-made.  Given the cost of the course (a major investment in your artistic future), it will be worth your while to invest a very little more, comparatively speaking, in decent supplies.  It can make a big difference.

I. Pencil Drawing on White Drawing Paper

Paper:
Strathmore 400 Drawing pad, regular surface, 18″x24″

Pencils:
Three each: 2B, 3B,
Two each: HB, B, 4B, 5B, 6B
One each: H, 8B

Erasers:
1 medium Design brand kneaded eraser
1 Alvin White Triangular Pencil Eraser (similar to the triangular Maped “Epure” eraser below): 

Drawing Board: 
19 1/2″ by 25 1/2″ piece of one-half-inch-thick Foam Core
(Recommendation: buy 30×40 sheet and cut down to size.  Use a sharp x-acto or matte knife, and a straight, aluminum yardstick.  Please watch your fingers!  Save scraps for other uses.)

Drawing Clips: 
2 each: Lion Extra Large Grip Clip, 100mm (3.9 inches), no. 50

Other:
Pencil box (Recommendation: ArtBin Sketch Pac Storage Box  6880AB)
A soft brush for dusting eraser crumbs
#1 X-acto knife
#11 blades
Several sheets of glassene for protecting drawings (optional)
20” x 26” black cardboard portfolio with ribbon ties

II. Drawing on Tinted Paper with Graphite and White Chalk Pencils

Note:
The papers listed below cost between $0.95 and $1.15 a sheet.  It’s not a bad idea to have two or three sheets of each on hand.  If you do decide to get paper in single sheets, then I definitely recommend that you also get the 20” x 26” black cardboard portfolio with ribbon ties to store it in.

Paper:
Strathmore 500 Charcoal…19″ x 25″ in single sheets… Colors:

Pottery green
Golden brown
Velvet gray
Storm gray

Strathmore Artagain…19” x 25” in single sheets…
Colors:
#4006725        Moonstone
#4006726        Gotham gray
#4006727        Steel gray

WHITE PASTEL Pencils:
Three each: General’s White Charcoal pencils

GRAPHITE Pencils:
Three each: 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 8B

Erasers:
1 medium Design brand kneaded eraser
1 white plastic Maped “Epure” eraser (see picture above)

Drawing Board: 
19 1/2″ by 25 1/2″ piece of one-half-inch-thick Foam Core
(Recommendation: buy 30×40 sheet and cut down to size.  Use a sharp x-acto or matte knife, and a straight, aluminum yardstick.  Please watch your fingers!  Save scraps for other uses.)

Drawing Clips: 
2 each: Lion Extra Large Grip Clip, 100mm (3.9 inches), no. 50

Other:
Pencil box (Recommendation: ArtBin Sketch Pac Storage Box  6880AB)
A soft brush for dusting eraser crumbs
#1 X-acto knife
#11 blades
Several sheets of glassene for protecting drawings (optional)
20” x 26” black cardboard portfolio with ribbon ties

III. Portrait Painting in Oil

OIL COLORS:
Many colors are available both in their original formulations and in modern alternatives. This is true of professional as well as student grade paints. Alternatives are sometimes, but not always, marked with the additional designation “hue,” as in “Cerulean blue, hue.” Traditional cerulean blue is a compound of cobalt and tin. Cerulean blue, hue, on the other hand, is often a mixture of zinc white and phthalocyanine blue. Though it may appear to be the same when it comes from the tube, its behavior in paint mixtures is significantly different from that of the cobalt/tin compound. I recommend the original formulation when it is not prohibitively expensive or hard to get.

This is not to say that more recently developed colors are inferior. They are in many cases quite useful. The palette below presents a balanced selection of traditional and modern colors.

Any professional grade will do. Except for the colors listed below to which a manufacturer’s name is appended, my favorite brand is whatever’s on sale at the moment.

Having every color in the world will not make you a painter. These are some of the colors I use when painting in my studio. However, please note that the following list is recommended, not required. You may bring to class whatever colors you like.

Standard (35ml, 37ml or 40ml) tubes:

*Flake white #1-C, Doak
*Titanium white, Vasari
*Genuine Naples yellow light, Vasari
*Jaune Brilliant with lead, Doak 
*Cadmium lemon yellow
*Cadmium yellow, med.
*Cadmium orange
*Cadmium red, med.
*Brilliant pink, Old Holland 
*Radiant Magenta, Gamblin 
*Alizarin crimson
*Cobalt violet, Gamblin 
*Ultramarine violet
*Cobalt blue
*Ultramarine blue
*Old Holland violet-grey, Old Holland 
*Cerulean blue
*Phthalocyanine green (aka phthalo green)
*Chrome oxide green
*Sap green, Winsor-Newton 
*Old Holland ochre, Old Holland 
*Raw Sienna
*Deep ochre, Old Holland brand
*Raw umber
*Transparent sepia, Doak
*Ivory black

The Vasari and Robert Doak colors are not available on large commercial art supply sites, like Blick and Jerry’s Artarama. One must contact them either by phone or through their websites.

Please note their minimum order requirements. Please see below for ordering information and for recommendations on how to make minimum orders. * = colors not on the list, of additional interest and as suggestions to fill out minimum orders.

VASARI
Very fine professional paint makers. Very high-quality paints. Pure & Strong.

VASARI Classic Artists’ Oil Colors
547 West 27th Street, Suite 628
New York, NY 10001
United States

Tel: (800) 932-9375 or (212)-947-1858
Email: info@vasaricolors.com

https://vasaricolors.com
Minimum mail order: $100.00

Naples Yellow Light Genuine  $68.25
Raw Sienna Light                    $13.95      
Titanium White                        $13.95
Raw Umber                              $13.95
Total                                       $110.10

ROBERT DOAK
I don’t know why Mr. Doak organizes his paint catalogue according to two categories, Rare Specialty Colors and Regular Colors, since they all seem rather rare and special to me, and all reasonably priced.

ROBERT DOAK AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
89 Bridge Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-237-1210 or 718-237-0146
EMAIL: rdoakociatesinc@msn.com

Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-4:30pm
Sat-Sun: Closed

https://robertdoakart.com
Minimum mail order: $125.00

To make an order of $125.00, I’d start with the colors recommended on the list, then I’d check the list for colors I might need at the moment. Then I’d check for colors of good use. Here are several I’d recommend.

Jaune Brilliant with Lead  $20.00
Transparent Sepia             $20.00      
Cerulean Lt Stannate         $25.00
Flake White #1-C               $20.00
Alizarine Crimson              $18.00
Aubergine*                         $22.00
Total                                  $125.00    

PALETTE
Recommended: New Wave Posh Table Top Palette, 11.75” x 15.75”, wood, natural or grey

I recommend the above 11.75” x 15.75” rectangular palette as it fits conveniently into a Masterson’s Palette Seal, a flat plastic box used for transportation and storage. See also the image below, showing the rectangular palette set up vertically on a Testrite studio easel.

The color list above corresponds to this palette pictured below, beginning in the lower right and proceeding clockwise to the upper right. Thus, the first tube color on the list, lead white, is the paint patch in the lower right hand corner of the palette. The next is titanium white, then Naples yellow light, etc.

FOR POSTER STUDIES:
9x12 pad of Arches Oil Paper

PAINTING SURFACE
In the 2022 portrait painting workshop we will work on white, untoned panels.  Please order a 12x10 panel from Artefex, in one of two styles, the second being less expensive, but no less excellent for the work. For the 12x10 custom size, please call Artefex at 888-561-6680 and ask for Anton.

The two styles I recommend are the Allinpanel with fine linen (533), and the Lead Oil-Primed ACM Panel in Eggshell (410).

ARTEFEX ALLINPANEL
Artefex Allinpanel (lead primed) is the perfect surface for painting the portrait in oil. It is a professional art panel for oil painting with 100% linen canvas lead oil-primed and adhered with BEVA 371 film to a two-sided aluminum composite panel, consisting of two aluminum sheets laminated to both sides of a black polyethylene core. This panel is available in Medium (531), Fine (533), and Extra Fine (532) in sizes from 8 x 10 to 20 x 24 inches.

Please specify the Fine (533) linen and custom size: 12”x10”.
FYI: https://www.artefex.biz/product/allinpanel-lead-oil-primed-linen-canvas/

ARTEFEX OLEOPANEL
Artefex Lead White Oil-Primed ACM Panel is likewise the perfect surface for what we do, taking charcoal and paint in the same way as the Allinpanel. It is a professional art panel for oil painting with lead white oil priming on a two-sided aluminum composite panel, consisting of two aluminum sheets laminated to both sides of a black polyethylene core, onto which is hand rolled a lead-titanium primer in two layers. This panel is 3mm thick and is available in Smooth (411) and Eggshell (410) and in sizes from 5 x 7 to 24 x 30 inches.

Please specify the Eggshell (410) surface and custom size: 12”x10”.
FYI: https://www.artefex.biz/product/lead-oil-primed-acm-panel-2/

By way of a price comparison of the two supports, a 9”x12” Allinpanel costs $33.00 while the 9”x12” Oil-Primed ACM panel costs $20.00.        

BRUSHES
Rosemary & Co:
http://www.rosemaryandco.com

2 each: Rosemary & Co. Pointed round golden synthetic, long handle: 301 #2,3,4,5
1 each: Winsor-Newton long handle “University” Series 235, #1,2
1 each: Winsor-Newton “Monarch” Series 5503, #10
These are all synthetic rounds.    

SOLVENT
Gamsol - 1 liter

PAINTING MEDIUM
Please note: medium will be provided.  The recipe below is for your information only. To make 525 ml (a little more than a pint) of medium:

5 ml Larch turpentine
20 ml Dammar varnish
100 ml Stand oil
400 ml Gamsol

We prepare painting medium by the quart and distribute it to the students.  

PAINT STORAGE
I recommend a lightweight, portable storage box or cabinet of some kind, with drawers and slots.

OTHER SUPPLIES
12 pack, Winsor-Newton Medium vine charcoal
Kneaded eraser
Sand paper, 150 grit
Chamois
Masterson’s Palette Seal (12×16)
Palette knife (I recommend the style pictured below):

Paper towels (Viva, recommended)
Pliers (for opening stubborn paint tubes)
Holbein air tight brush washer, #1052-15M, or Da Vinci Air Tight Brush Washer, or Newton Air Tight Deluxe Brush Washer, or a similar, air tight, stainless steel, canister type brush washer.

OPTIONAL
Binoculars for taking a closer look at the model. I haven’t used them myself, but these are popular with some of the students.

PENTAX PAPILIO
Extremely Close-Focusing
0.5 m/1.6 ft.
8.5 x 21  6.0′

RECOMMENDED READING
Drawing with an Open Mind
Ted Seth Jacobs
Watson-Guptill
ISBN: 0-8230-1465-7

Light for the Artist (out of print)
Ted Seth Jacobs
Watson-Guptill, 1988
ISBN: 0-8230-2768-6
or:
Light for the Artist 
Ted Seth Jacobs
Dover Publications, 2014
ISBN: 0-4864-9304-0

The Dictionary of Human Form
Ted Seth Jacobs
Available through the Art Renewal Center:
arc-store.com/diofhufo.html

The Artist’s Complete Guide to Figure Drawing
Anthony Ryder
Watson-Guptill, 1999
ISBN: 0-8230-0303-5

IV. Academic Year ‘Atelier’ Program

Students enrolled in the Atelier are advised to bring the drawing materials listed in Section I (Pencil Drawing on White Drawing Paper) and Section III (Portrait Painting in Oil).