Over the years I have honed my recommended egg tempera painting supply list down until it includes the bare necessities for an enjoyable and productive learning experience. This is my go to list for students who want to learn egg tempera basics without blowing the bank. Most of these supplies are easily available from Blick or in a good local art supply store. But I have also linked to a few specialized items that I recommend you order from Trekell or Natural Pigments. Please note that this supply list is for egg tempera painting according to the working methods taught by contemporary classical realist painters like Koo Schadler, Julio Reyes, and Fred Wessel. If you are planning to paint traditional Byzantine icons you will need a slightly different set up.

• Koo Schadler Egg Tempera Pigment Set. This is a great little set of pigments that give you a full classical painter’s palette for an affordable price. It also avoids toxic colors, which is well worth it if you plan to paint regularly.

• Tempanel Egg Tempera Panels. I’m going to honest. These panels aren’t ideal. If you get serious about egg tempera painting you will eventually have to learn to make your own panels. But these will get you started. And in some ways the fact that they’re a little finicky can be good too; they force you to learn to control excess water and dress your brush properly right from the start.

• Trekell Golden Taklon Brush Set. Unless you want to spend hundreds of dollars on Kolinsky sable brushes, stick with Golden Taklons. I don’t know how they do it, but they have managed to make something that almost handles like sable but at 1/5 the price.

• This palette knife. Don’t ask why. There are a million wrong palette knives. This is the right one.

• a glass painter’s palette. It needs to be made of tempered glass because you will need to grind paint on it. I love New Wave Palettes, but if you’re on a tight budget you can make your own palette by simply buying a piece of tempered glass at the hardware store.

• A small atomizer or cosmetic spray bottle for keeping your paints wet.

• 12 jelly jars or disposable dixie cups with lids to store your mixed paints

• an HB pencil

• painter’s tape (the green masking tape)

• a roll of paper towels (Viva brand if you can get them)

• a pad of 25 lb tracing paper and a bottle of 90% alcohol to make non-wax based transfer paper (grain alcohol or vodka will do in a pinch)

• And of course … EGGS!