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The mountains are all about the knife, and I know he does some of them with brushes, but for me it makes sense to do a sharp edge with the knife.

For the trees, I highly prefer the fan brush. Pushing in to bend the bristles is really the only way I can make trees that I like. He does his shades of grey trees with a knife, but that's just cause bob is a badass.

Bushes are, as always, a 1 inch brush. He loads his better than I do, so thats how he gets really distinct colors for his bushes. Me not loading enough makes them all not quite as bright white as his. But I feel like when I load them as heavy as he does I don't get quite the pretty hundreds of leaves in one press effect that he gets. I'm still really trying to figure that out.

If I had to choose, I'd do fan brush, 2 inch, and knife. I guess my favorite is the fan brush. I feel like I achieve the effects I want easiest and most consistent with it.

Rereading your question, this was all done with the bob ross basic paint set, except for the canvas which is a 16X20. Link to amazon for the paint set here. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IK0EIA/ref=s9_simh_gw_g201_i2_r?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0EG7RCCPSM8MY9YR8V6N&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

Honestly, It's a great kit to get and play with. I've done maybe 3 or 4 of these paintings and just now had to buy some more paints. It's a great way to try it out and see if you'll love it as much as I do.

>Get a bigger palette.

Thanks, I definitely will :)

>I use a nylon bristled 2" and 1" brush.

Is the nylon not too soft for the oil paint? I guess it doesn't make a huge difference for background work, but I thought I'd ask.

Are there any brushes you use frequently that are missing from the set I found?

>Jerry's Artarama Online

Wow, that's a way better price than other stores I found online. That's awesome, thank you so much! Link for the curious.

>I'm documenting my progress on youtube

I took a look, your paintings look great! I'm excited to get started too, hopefully someday soon. Thanks for all your help!

I have heard that people are generally attracted to either drawing or painting in a polarized fashion. If you aren't finding yourself gravitating toward drawing, painting might interest you. I also spend a lot of time on the computer for work and gaming, so having painting is a nice outlet that is quite different. I will warn that painting can be still pretty physically taxing.

If you are looking at equipment, that sticky post on this subreddit has an amazon wishlist: Wishlist. I'd say that one thing I wish I had gotten first was a Bob Ross pallet like the one he uses in the show: Pallet. Its easier to clean than a wooden one, and its got lots of room for mixing paints. I'd also invest in the "Bob Ross Beater Rack" as this is probably the best way to set up a way to clean your brushes at home. Putting the beater rack into a small office trash can ($5 at some hardware store) contains a lot of the paint thinner. You can just use a (new) empty paint can to contain the paint thinner and the screen. I do also use the Bob Ross paint thinner.

white spirit or any odorless thinners is absolutely fine!
i keep a bottle of "emergency" white spirit around just in case i run out of thinners! LOL

if you are really struggling then look for a product called Turpenoid:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weber-Natural-Turpenoid-16oz-Other-Multicoloured/dp/B00274V5DS

this isnt odorless but smells really nice actually and will clean and condition your brushes and is completely reuseable.

but to answer your question; white spirit, thinner, turps etc are all ok for oil painting.

there really is no need for a mask even without odorless thinners...if the smell really plays you up then just make sure you paint in a well ventilated area and take a breather every 15 mins or so.
i paint in my house, usually for an hour or so if im doing a video and it doesnt bother me at all.
i actually like the smell of oils and thinners etc

If you have any craft stores that sells oil paint, they might have coupons, or start ordering on amazon now!

• you're gonna need a canvases, I recommend 16x20, since they are cheap but fit the size needed for landscape, again, craft stores may sell them in packs of 5 for $20 or 25 AUD. Or https://www.amazon.com/US-Art-Supply-Quality-Stretched/dp/B01KOND892/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492312761&sr=8-2&keywords=16x20+canvas
  
  
  
• liquid white, a 236ml cam should be good, I doubt any craft store other than hobby lobby, (but that's an American store)has it. https://www.bobross.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=R6207
  
  
  
• 200ml Windsor newton paint is the best for your buck, it's uncommon for craft stores to have it, I would get sap green, titanium white, phthalo blue, van dyke brown, cadmium yellow. https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Winton-200-Milliliter-Titanium/dp/B0044JPSDW/ref=sr_1_1_sns?ie=UTF8&qid=1492313012&sr=8-1
  
  
  
  
• For the paint brushes, it would be extremely expensive buying 10 brushes, so maybe your local hardware store has horse hair brushes, they should be $8 USD each (10 AUD) http://www.homedepot.com/p/Purdy-1-in-XL-Dale-Angled-Sash-Brush-144080310/100386391
  
  
• And amazon has fanbrushes and knifes. https://www.amazon.com/Martin-F-Weber-Number6-Blender/dp/B0027AEDLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492313813&sr=8-1&keywords=6+fan+brush
  
  
• Your crafts store may these for less. https://www.amazon.com/Loew-Cornell-J-23-Painting-Knife/dp/B0009RNUR4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1492313993&sr=8-4&keywords=Painting+knife
  
  
  
• Paint thinner, you're local hardware store should have it in the painting section, buy at least 2 of the one gallon jugs (3.78 litres x2)
  Then while you're there too, you should get a few bucket to put it in.
  
  And you're pretty much set, if you have any questions let me know.

Amazon has a paint thinner made from citrus that I believe is non toxic. Maybe your mom will let you use this. I know some artists that clean brushes with baby oil but never done it before

Citrus Solvent

There's Turpenoid Natural too


As for liquid white you may be able to try mixing titanium white with some sort of medium. I've used Gamblin solvent free medium before and I like it.

Gamblin

Hope this helps!

I started with the bob set (was a Christmas gift this year), but have since migrated to the Winsor & Newton Winton line, which you can buy 200 ML tubes for a really good price.

Unlike the bob paints where the highlights are thinned in the tube, none of these are pre-thinned (IMO a good thing, as once you get better you want more control over thinning your paints).

Some folks say they have trouble getting these to break when doing mountains, but I've used both and the differences feel pretty minimal. Even so, you can keep a tin of bob's titanium white just for mountains if you so desire.

You probably don't need the chip resin brush for either of those paintings, but it wouldn't hurt to own one. The master set comes with a #2 script liner so you don't really need to buy another one. It also comes with a 1" landscape but if you have the money to spare it's really convenient to have two 1" and 2" brushes so you don't have to constantly clean them. (one with the darker shadow color and one with the highlight color, usually).

The only thing I don't see on your list is the beater rack and a trash bin to set it in. The beater rack is what dries the brush, unless you paint in an area where you don't care about paint splattering and can just dry it on the eisel like bob does. It can also be bought in a combo pack that comes with the screen, bucket, and thinner.

There are also some colors that don't come with the master set that bob uses often. You can definitely get by with the colors in the set, but you may want to check the beginners guide and see if you want any other colors.

I would keep practicing, because honestly I don't think they are bad for a beginner.
Here's my first painting and the pile of paintings I've done, not including ones I have thrown into the garbage:
http://imgur.com/a/4wNQX

In that process I have learned that I'm not so great at mountains and I like to do wooded/ forest scenes. After doing that many paintings, I am making ones that I am mostly happy with, but they still don't look like Bob's:
http://imgur.com/a/KgY4J

Try to do some different types of paintings like a forest scene, a meadow or a seascape and see how you like those.

If you are still having trouble with things turning to mud, try using less liquid clear/white. If you are still having trouble with things turning to mud, you might not be beating the brushes out well enough.

The brush beater rack was the single best purchase I made since I started painting.

And remember, Bob Ross did over 30.000 paintings over his career, you've only done 2 so don't get discouraged!

Spending a bit of money will fix your problem.

What you need to do is buy this thing. And then put that inside of a small-ish wastebin. Something like this thing.

Then buy a big thing of turpenoid, like this for instance.

Finally you can buy this guy.

Then here's what you do. When you're ready to change paints, wipe your brush as well as you can with a paper towel. Then clean the brush off in the brush cleaning bucket (which has a screen inside of it, it's not just a bucket--very important). Your brush will be mostly soaked through with turnpenoid, and you then beat off the last bits of paint/turpenoid into the wastebin/rack combo you made.

If you spend this money up front, you will have very pleasant painting experience from now on.

Thank you! I've done a few on canvas pads like this https://www.amazon.com/Fredrix-3501-Canvas-Pads-16-Inch/dp/B000YQGG3A

But this was my first on a stretched canvas. Also I won't be selling this one... (it was my Christmas gift to my mom!)
Hopefully I can paint some that will sell in the near future though!

This is my second tutorial from Michael James Smith's art school, "River" (the names are pretty much just tutorial names).

It's oil on gesso'd plywood because that's what I had ready and cut into a square (12"x12"). I've got some gesso'd MDF boards ready to go, because plywood was not great. It frays way too much when I run it through the saw, and I couldn't ever get a really nice feel when painting on the board. MDF is much more of a pleasure to paint on.

The basic process is:

1. Make a grid layout and get a rough pencil outline in.
   
2. Block in with acrylics.
   
3. Move from back to front. Lots of liner brush work (Winsor Newton Sceptre Gold II liners are what I've been using and they're awesome). MJS uses Liquin and thinner for most every step of the process, plus he uses Winsor Newton Griffin paints that basically have liquin in them inside the tube. I've been using Galkyd because it's what I have right now and it works fine, plus Gamsol as my thinner.
   
   This is about 6-7 hours or so worth of work, although it took me a few days as usual working around the wife and kids where I could.

I second the larger canvas! Tiny canvases mean you need different tools since your area of coverage is drastically different, meaning the 2" brush will be too big. If you want to save money - I'd recommend getting canvas paper, they come in different sizes!

[Experience from painting a 5" x 7" seascape after painting on the 18" x 24"]

If you are getting mud - I'd recommend not loading the brush as much as you think you need. The point is to get some color on the canvas and then later blend. When I was following one of Bob's paintings - he really emphasized scraping off excess paint exactly because the "thin" paint sticks to "thick" paint.

I have Grumbacher Linseed Oil that I got from Michael's. Just a little bottle. Mix it with titanium white for liquid white, keep it clear for liquid clear. I'm sure Bob Ross' stuff has extra ingredients, but I like the idea of keeping it more simple anyway. I'm just an amateur, but the masters used just linseed oil for hundreds of years, right!

https://www.amazon.com/Grumbacher-Linseed-Medium-Paintings-558-8/dp/B001OV925I

Painting can be definitely be messy if you let it be, but a roll of paper towels and a brush beater rack should help you keep the mess to a minimum.

To start, there's always the Happy Little Beginner's Guide. If you still have questions after reading the guide, feel free to post them here.

A Bob Ross starter kit is about £50 with free UK delivery. Not sure how it'll convert if you're not from the UK. Winsor & Newton are a good alternative, if you don't fancy paying more for Bob Ross branding.

Personally, I've spent far more than £50 on this, but that's because I bought 200ml paint tubes, and have been painting a lot, so I've gone through quite a few canvases.

Try these: Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour Paint Starter Set

The Winton oils are a good paint, and with a similar consistency to the Bob Ross oil paints.

For the Bob Ross Magic White medium, just mix a little linseed oil with Titanium White.

I use these paints after I ran out of the ones that came with the master set and have been happy with the quality: https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Winton-Colour-Paint/dp/B002E9GUZ4/

They might not have the exact same consistency as the Bob Ross paints but that hasn't been an issue. And they're a heck of a lot cheaper!

I use mason jars, and I have the Bob Ross brush cleaning bucket.

https://www.amazon.com/R6545-Brush-Cleaning-Bucket-Screen/dp/B000CSSASE/ref=pd_sbs_201_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BB19N39R5VX0DZ39B2M4

Wait till that is on sale because that price right now is ridiculous.

As the previous poster mentioned, I pour the used thinner into mason jars with lids, leaving the sludge in the bucket. I pull out the brush screen and wipe that down, then I then close everything up and let it settle. Later, I wipe out the sludge out of the cleaning bucket with paper towels and throw them away, and reuse the thinner once the paint has settled to the bottom, adding more clean thinner as I go.

Disposal I don't know, I was asking that same thing in my other thread. So far I'm just keeping it in mason jars until I find out what to do with it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/HappyTrees/comments/5vd6ds/specific_questions_on_bob_ross_painting/

That's a thing.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07MWDYK41/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_xgsBDb0KDMSGH

Winton (Windsor and Newton). It's not the fanciest and not the crappiest. Fairly affordable, probably available at your local art supplies store. It seems to last a while, I only bought white in a large tube and have only had to replace 2 colors

https://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Artists-Indian-Yellow/dp/B001E1X65K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501082104&sr=8-3&keywords=indian%2Byellow%2Boil%2Bpaint&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/MR6070-37-Ml-Artist-Indian-Yellow/dp/B0027AEEGC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1501082104&sr=8-5&keywords=indian+yellow+oil+paint

https://www.amazon.com/Gamblin-1980-Indian-Yellow-150Ml/dp/B00K0JTSMC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1501082104&sr=8-7&keywords=indian+yellow+oil+paint

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-F-Weber-Master-Paint/dp/B000IK0EIA

all you need

Like this?

Here you go - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000IK0EIA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483156481&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bob+ross+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=51kIr0BuvTL&ref=plSrch#immersive-view_1483156504083

Master Paint Set

If it's this master paint kit, the DVD is half an hour intro to the equipment--the different paints and brushes--and then the half-hour painting Mountain Summit. I remember that it comes with a print of Mountain Summit, but I don't remember whether it also comes with a written set of instructions for the painting.

https://www.amazon.com/Martin-F-Weber-Master-Paint/dp/B000IK0EIA

From Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winsor-Newton-37ml-Artists-Colour/dp/B001E1X65K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501098712&sr=8-2&keywords=indian+yellow+oil+paint

If that's still a problem, any transparent yellow can be used instead -- it may alter the final color of the painting but that's your choice.

No I the master paint SET the kit was more pricey. this is it

I started with synthetic brushes and ended up getting bristle brushes afterward. It's the type that Bob Ross uses. They pick up more paint and are a bit stiffer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N0J37MT

I highly recommend staying away from Turpentine. It's known to sensitize the body resulting in skin reactions such as eczema, difficulty breathing, irreversible kidney damage and even nerve damage.

It's just not worth the risk in my opinion. Check out odorless mineral spirits or terpenoid as a much safer alternative.

CDC Occupational Health guideline for Turpentine:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0648.pdf

The Master Paint Kit is fairly inclusive. It doesn't come with canvases or mineral spirits, but it's otherwise a decent launching point.

8 paint colors at 37mL are roughly $40, each brush is roughly $8. Piecemeal might be cheaper. If you can get it under $70, it's a decent bargain.

Avoid the "basic" paint kit with 5 colors and the "deluxe" kit that comes with a $35 relatively useless wooden box

I have both linseed and thinner but I usually just use my thinner because I already have it out. And you are correct its the same stuff that you probably use to clean your brushes. When I say thinner I mean Odorless Mineral Spirits.

This is what I use but from what others have said any kind of odorless mineral spirits will work. Apparently some are more odorless than others but I wouldn't know.

There is a Bob Ross brand odorless mineral spirits if you wanted to stick with the bob brand

​

Also there is this stuff called Gamsol. I have read conflicting arguments whether or not it works better than regular odorless mineral sprites. Its more refined I think? I don't know hopefully somebody more knowledgeable can chime in.

​

If you have the time this Tree and Bush tutorial shows how and why you need to thin the paint to add layers.