Up: [[Expressive Art]] Created: 2025-12-10 Course: Touch Drawing Immersion with Deborah Koff-Chapin on Zoom ### Supplies #### A smooth, non-absorbent board. Good options include: - plexiglas - formica (plastic laminate) - white-board - marker board - tempered masonite - glass if you tape the edges - plastic placemat, laminated wall calendar, plastic cutting board Deborah says standard size is 18x24 but she recommends having different sizes for different needs, i.e., a small 7x10 for working outdoors or a huge one if you really want to get your whole body into it. You don’t need to wash your board in between sessions. It will season with use. These surfaces DO NOT work: foam core, plywood, mat board, cardboard, any rough surface. #### Water Mixable Oil Paint You can use regular oil paint instead. It just doesn’t wash up quite as easily. Water mixable printing ink also works but it’s stickier and harder to roll smooth. In the course, we were encouraged to focus on whether the paint would roll well, not its colour. That said, the marks you make show up better with darker colours. Deborah and Susan use water mixable Winsor & Newton oil paints. For great rollability they recommended purple, burnt umber, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson. Deborah loves Prussian Blue but said it’s difficult to roll. I’m using Holbein water mixable oil in Prussian Blue and not having a problem. These mediums DO NOT work: acrylic paint or water-based block printing ink — both dry too fast. Tubes of watercolour paint are too small, too expensive, and not the right consistency. Deborah recommends buying the larger tubes of paint. While they are more expensive, they’re better value. #### Brayer aka Printmaking Roller A 4” or 6” soft rubber printmaking roller/brayer. Hard rubber works but isn’t as pleasant to use. These rollers DO NOT work: foam roller, house painting roller #### Paper Have lots of it readily available. If you’re using paper from rolls, cut it into sheets ahead of time. You want to be free to make multiple drawings. Paper choice is very individual and often dependent on how you feel at the moment so have a variety of papers available. Deborah recommends lightweight papers because they’re slightly translucent so you can see the drawing as you make it. Some options: wrapping tissue paper, marker paper in pads, sumi rice paper, onionskin, freezer paper, butcher paper, parchment paper for a baking pan, medical examination table paper. Some people prefer thicker paper that can’t be seen through. Newsprint, regular drawing paper, computer printer paper all work. These papers DO NOT work: wax paper won’t accept paint; tracing paper is liked by some people but Deborah found it doesn’t absorb paint very well. I used white wrapping tissue paper, sumi rice paper, and computer printer paper and liked all three. ### Setup This is deep inner work so you need a private space you can treat as your [[Temenos]]. We lit a candle at the beginning of the session and extinguished it at the end. Deborah played drums, chimes and singing bowls while we were working. Normally that kind of thing might distract me, but Deborah’s pieces are beautiful. She has some [videos](https://touchdrawing.com/song-bath-sanctuary/) on her site that I intend to use. Sit or stand. Cover the area where you’ll be working with newspaper. Put your drawing board in front of you with paper, your brayer and paint to the side. Completed drawings can be stacked as they’re done. Touch drawing isn’t very messy, but oil paint doesn’t come out of clothes very easily so a smock is a good idea, as is having a damp cloth nearby. Susan encouraged us to have a journal and pen handy. That’s optional but I did find it useful.