Resources & Recommendations

• Cobalt Blue
• Cobalt Teal
• Ultramarine Blue
• Burnt Umber
• Raw Umber
• Van Dyke Brown
• Flake White Replacement
• Titanium White
• Asphaltum

• Payne’s Grey
• Portland Grey Medium
• Portland Grey Light
• Alizarine Crimson
• Cadmium Red
• Transparent Earth Red
• Indian Yellow
• Cadmium Yellow
• Yellow Ochre

Paintbrushes – Finding the right paint brushes can take years of trial and error. My journey has led me here.

More often than not, Trekell is my go-to brand of paintbrushes. As for the types of brushes I recommend, I always stock an assortment of filberts and rounds. I tend to use filberts most for their versatility. I like both the longer and shorter filberts that Trekell makes by hand.

Of their current collection, I particularly like the synthetic hair Legion and Golden Taklon line. The Legion have a bit more spring to them and the Taklon are a bit softer, each serving a very different purpose of oil or acrylic painting.

Oil Painting– This is the brand of oil paint that I’ve been using for over 15 years. In my opinion, it’s one of the best oil paints available. I’ve listed the colors I use most often.

If you’re starting out, I recommend this starter kit or grab a cool and warm version of red, blue, yellow and titanium white and Ivory Black.  You can mix a ton of colors from just the basic core colors.

Oil Painting Mediums – Use these to modify the quality of the paint.

Gamblin Gaklyd – Mix this with your paint and your layers will dry within 24 hours (for thinner layers). It also makes the paint more workable and translucent. Speed up your process by adding a little of this into your paint.

Neo-Meglip – When I’m not in a rush, this medium is incredible. It makes the paint buttery and smooth. It will dry slower giving you so much time to blend and work the paint.

Gamsol – An odorless and nontoxic mineral spirit to thin your paint and to be used as a solvent.

Acrylic Paints – Over the past few years I’ve gotten a lot more serious about acrylic painting and I have figured out how to replicate oil painting techniques in a much faster time frame.

This is the brand that’s helped me to step up my Acrylic painting game big time. What’s really made a difference is the use of various types of acrylics depending on what stage of the painting that I’m working on.

I now have a full array of my favorite colors in these varieties.

• Heavy Tube Acrylics which have a creamy, thick consistency like oil paint,
• Fluid acrylics, which have a consistency like heavy cream.
• High-flow acrylics, which have an ink-like consistency.
• Fine Tip Paint Markers – I really like these.

As for Acrylic Mediums, I use the following very regularly:

Golden Glazing Medium (gloss)– This is a terrific medium. It extends the drying time and also makes the paint more transparent to do very natural blending and building up of color.

Golden Retarder– This will make your acrylic paint dry way slower. You can add it to paint alone, but I also like mixing some of the glazing medium into it. Don’t go too heavy with the retarder or your paint won’t dry properly at all.

Golden Molding Paste/Heavy Gel – Sometimes I like to have heavy globs of paint for a textured look. This is great at building up thick layers of paint to mimic the look of oil impasto paintings.

The Secret – by Rhona Byrne

I have been listening to this audiobook 4-6 times a year for over ten years.

This is a great book for anyone looking to make major changes in their lives and get an overview of how the Law of Attraction works.

I have manifested many of the people and things in my life due to this powerful Universal law.

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life – by Byron Katie

I first discovered the work of Byron Katie in 2018 and have already re-listened to this audio book multiple times. I wish I came upon this book a couple of decades ago.

It’s so incredibly powerful and life changing and yet so simple to learn.

A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose – By Eckhart Tolle

The first of Tolle’s books that I read. It felt like a natural progression on my spiritual journey.

This book will teach you about how the ego attempts to control us and how we can break free of the pain-body and live more purposefully.

The Power of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment – By Eckhart Tolle

I believe this is my favorite of Tolle’s books. I find the words of this book carrying through my daily life.

His spiritual teachings have transformed and allowed me to find the present moment. I now understand the power that this moment contains thanks to this book.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain – By Betty Edwards

I constantly hear from people at my art shows or online about how they can’t even draw a straight line. I believe that anyone can learn to draw. You may not become the next da Vinci, but you can definitely learn to see a person or object and draw it.

When people ask me which book to get to learn the basics, this is the one I recommend most. It gives a good basic insight into how an Artist sees and how to break down objects into shapes in a logical way.

Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier – by Juliette Aristides

If you want to get more serious about your drawing, I love this author’s books. In this drawing book, you’ll learn how the Old Masters rendered form, lights, shadows, and shape with pencil, charcoal, and classic mediums.

This is a sophisticated and necessary drawing book for the intermediate and expert artist.

Waking Up Course – Learn Meditation in 10 minutes a day

This is my go-to app for learning to meditate. I tried at least 5-6 other apps and none of them got me to stick with meditation like this one by Sam Harris.

It takes literally just 10 minutes a day. I wrote more about this app here in my blog.

JC Free Hypnosis – Hypnotherapist in an App

I have been a fan of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy for probably twenty five years. It’s incredibly powerful and has helped me with my anxiety and past junk that I have been carrying around.

I have been using this app regularly and I love how it has so many topics to focus on.

Procreate – The only digital drawing app you need for iPad

I have been a Photoshop guy since version 2, but this app has quickly become a favorite for digital artists. This can knock out Band Posters, Sketches and Professional Level Artwork with the smoothness that you once needed a stand-alone drawing tablet for.

Scrivener – My favorite tool to write in

I used the desktop version of this to write my book and I used this mobile version to edit and add notes and jot down ideas when I wasn’t near my computer.

This is exponentially better than using your regular text editor if you’re like me and love re-organizing structure and adding notes as your write. For any serious writer, blogger or author, this is a must have.

Evernote – Organize & Keep Notes

Another one of my most used apps. I use Evernote to save notes, links, web clipping, articles, pdfs and emails. You can search the entire database quickly and organize into notebooks and use keywords too.

Simple Mind – Mind-mapping made easy

This app has been a huge help to me in getting my thoughts out of my mind and organizing ideas. I’ve used this extensively when writing my book and also in my business.

Time Track – Get a grip on your time management

If you’re the control free, anally OCD organizer that I am, you’ll love this to find out where you’re spending your time. Track habits, activities, routines and tasks and run reports to get a grip on your schedule.

Trello – Organize & Collaborate like a Pro

I’ve been using Trello for years. It’s one of my most frequently used apps. This app is so easy to use.

I use this multiple times per day to organize ideas, links, notes projects, lists and structure my businesses by simply dragging and dropping cards. I also use this to coordinate tasks with my assistant and studio manager.

Best of all, it’s free.

 

WPEngine – Professional Web Hosting

If you run your own business (or are thinking about it), there’s very few things as important as your web site running smoothly. I’ve gone through at least four web hosts since starting my art career.

I’m overly particular about, well, everything. I researched hosting companies for a year until I decided to switch to WpEngine. I gotta say, it’s been smooth sailing and the customer service is a dream.