Art Tools of David Shevlino

For this installment of Art Tools and Gears, we have guest artist David Shevlino from the USA. He has a certain looseness to his work and his paintings utilize broad strokes and generous application of paint.

He has exhibited his work in both solo and group exhibitions over the last two decades. He also conducts workshops and has authored two books David Shevlino Paintings Vol 1 and 2 (check out the preview pages on his website).

Qn: Can you give our readers an introduction to what you do for a living?
I’m a full time painter and have been working professionally for about 25 years. I exhibit my work nationally in the US and teach painting workshops around the US. I’ve also produced a series of instructional videos available at my website. The videos are available in both DVD form and as digital downloads.

Qn: I see some brushes and art-tools from the pictures you sent above - Would you be able to tell us more about these brushes and art-tools?
The brushes pictured are made for oil painting by Rosemary & Co. and are part of their “Ivory” series. They’re a small family owned business in the UK. The brushes I use are mainly flats and filberts of varying sizes.

Other tools I use for applying paint are a plastic scraper, a wide bristle brush called a “chip brush" in the US. And also a foam brush. The scraper is good for both scraping paint and also applying it to a paint surface.

The chip brush is large, but lightweight. It’s also economical to use. It’s great for a loose paint application when working on large paint surfaces. The foam brush is handy for dragging paint and blending parts of wet paint.

Qn: I see that many paintings displayed on your blog are painted with oil paints - What are the colors and brands of oil paints you use currently? Which type of oil paints have you used before previously?

I paint with oil paint and have for most all of my career. I mostly use Gamblin and Rembrandt colors. I’ve used too many different oil paints throughout the years to remember them.

Qn: How do you clean up after using the oil paints?
Odorless mineral spirits is best for cleaning up oil paint and adding it for thinning the paint.

Qn: Lastly, what canvas and easel do you currently use and have used previously for your oil paintings? Would you also be able to share with us some pictures of the canvass and easel you use?
I use pre-primed linen canvas, sometimes primed with oil or sometimes with acrylic. I like a smooth weave. I also use boards which I prepare with two coats of acrylic gesso.

The easel I use was custom built by me many years ago. It’s made of oak and can accommodate both small and large painting surfaces.

We thank David Shevlino for this interview. Check out more of his work at https://www.davidshevlino.com and https://www.facebook.com/david.shevlino