Alex Hillkurtz – Foundations of Watercolor – Recorded

This is a list of suggested materials. If you don’t have, or can’t find, anything on this list, don’t worry, we can do a lot with a minimum amount of
materials. I’ve included my personal choices for each item in parenthesis, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to rush out and buy high-end
materials. There are certainly less expensive options.
Pencil –
4B, 6B
Brushes –
• One Round – (I use Escoda Perla 10, Van Gogh “191” 8)
• One Flat – (I use Raphaél “915” 18 or 12)
• One Mop – (I use Raphaél “le 803” petit gris 8, 5 or 3, Escoda Ultimo 14)
Ink Pen –
Any ink pen with waterproof ink.
Sakura Pigma Micron 05, 03, or 01
and/or
Faber-Castell Ecco Pigment fine liner 05, 03, or 01
and/or
• Fountain pen with waterproof ink
(I use a Faber-Castell Guilloche fountain pen with refillable cartridges that I fill with Noodlers Polar Black ink)
Paper –
• A basic sketchbook (approx 22x28cm) suitable for thumbnail sketches as well as watercolor exercises, so a slightly heavier paper that can handle
washes. (I use Strathmore 400 series watercolor sketchbooks,)
• 100% cotton watercolor paper, approx 30x40cm. I like Canson Héritage and Arches cold pressed. I like using paper in blocks so I don’t need to
stretch or mount it on anything. But if you’d rather use loose sheets, that’s fine as well.
Paint –
I use Daniel Smith and Rembrandt paints, but most brands are suitable for what we’ll be doing. Here’s my palette:
• Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Chromium
• Burnt Sienna (English Red if using Rembrandt paints)
• Pyrrol Scarlet – a warm red, similar to W&N “Scarlet Lake”, Sennelier “red”, Schmincke “Vermillion”, Da Vinci “Permanent Red”
Indian red – a very opaque, granulating, and earthy red. Also made by DaVinci and W&N.
Raw Sienna
Raw Umber
• Yellow Ochre
Quinacridone Sienna – Old Holland “Quinacridone Red Orange”, Schmincke “Quinacridone Gold Hue”, W&N “Transparent Yellow” mixed
with a little W&N “Burnt Sienna”
Quinacridone Red
• Cobalt Yellow

Miscellaneous –
• Paper towel
Eraser

Masking tape
• Water bottle
• Water container (plastic cup)

Alex Hillkurtz was born in England and grew up in California where he is a renowned storyboard artist for feature films, television, and commercials. His film credits include “Argo”, “Almost Famous”, “It’s Complicated”, and many others.

Alex currently lives in Paris with his film editor wife, Tiffany, and enjoys discovering the hidden corners of the city that sketching and plein air painting allow.

He uses the language of cinema to inform his images, moving beyond what one sees, and depicting what he wants others to see.

He believes that in our too-crowded lives, sketching and plein air painting invite us to move at a more deliberate pace… a true sense of place, and sometimes unexpected stories are revealed.

Alex recently published the book Sketching Techniques for Artists.