MATERIALS

l A small board or canvas. Make sure that the primed surface is suitable for use with oil paint. I used an oil primed linen made by Belle Arte, which is available from Jackson’s Art Supplies.

l Oil paints – ivory black and titanium white.

l A palette knife with a long blade for mixing.

l Palette

l Your preferred thinner – turpentine, Sansodor, Zest-it and medium –- linseed oil or Liquin.

l A selection of brushes. I used a mix of rounds and filberts from the Shiraz and Ivory ranges from Rosemary & Co. A rigger brush is used first for drawing and establishing the composition within the rectangle. Once the major landmarks and placing of the head has been established, a variety of rounds and filberts, mostly with a synthetic bristle are used.