Bob Ross Documentary: Secrets of Greed. Alternative Art Materials.

Like many other Bob Ross fans, I watched the Netflix documentary. Bob Ross is the entire reason I started painting. I’ve talked about his influence here. He will always remain an influence and I will continue to watch his YouTube channel on occasion and paint along with him. Bob Ross is Bob Ross. Bob Ross Inc. is not Bob Ross.

I have a few quick thoughts about the show before I get into the alternative materials. Nothing in the documentary really shocked me. Bottom line, all Netflix documentaries will have spin. It makes for good drama. I mean the headline itself leads you to believe that there’s some salacious content. However, with all things considered, I heavily lean towards believing Steve Ross and Dana Jester’s story. Here are a few reasons why. 

I had a suspicion that Steve Ross somehow got screwed out of the family business. One of the first clues was his all but total disappearance for several decades.  You would think that he would want to carry on the legacy of his father. Sure, he may have not shared the same passion but to not even pop up during the height of Bob’s reemerging popularity seems odd.  I also recall reading something about a lawsuit at some point where BRI was the plaintiff suing Steve. 

BRI’s own documentary, The Happy Painter, found on YouTube, dropped some hints that there was some financial and professional tension throughout the company. The allegations of Bob’s affair with Annette is not hard to believe. What is also not hard to believe is the greed of the company. Look at all the ridiculous merch out there. Bob Ross breath mints, positive energy drink, socks, underwear, I mean it’s nuts. I always thought it was a little cringe whenever they overuse the positive this, happy little that. Do you really think Bob would want his face plastered on every cheap piece of merchandise made in China? 

Alternative Bob Ross Art Supplies

If you were swayed by the Bob Ross documentary and no longer wish to purchase BRI paint, brushes, and merch, below are some alternatives. Before I get into that, let me be transparent. I have a page listing materials suggested to paint like Bob. That page along with a majority of my blog posts contain links to BRI products. When I started painting, I started with the Bob Ross master paint set. I found artistic success using those paints and brushes so I really believed they were worth the money and would benefit many beginner painters.

Over the time, I have come to try alternative brands that work well for the technique. They’re also a lot cheaper too!  I will list those below and update my other page. I will not be updating all my blog posts but future posts will contain the alternative options. 

Further disclaimer. Some of the links will be affiliate links. By clicking and buying those products, I earn a small commission from the sale which supports this site. Some other links are not affiliates but links to products that work well. So here we go. 

Bob Ross Paint Alternatives

Windsor & Newton.

I’ve heard W&N are a great brand to use for the Alexander/Ross wet on wet technique. Personally, the only color I’ve tried is the Titanium White and I find it to excel for making mountain highlights. It is quite firm which is essential for making clouds and highlights. 

Set of 10 

Burnt Sienna 

Cad Red

Cad Yellow 

Indian Yellow 

Ivory Black 

Alizarin Crimson 

Phthalo Blue 

Phthalo Green 

Prussian Blue 

Sap Green 

Titanium White 

Yellow Ochre 

Gamblin.

This is the brand that Kevin Hill uses for his landscape paintings. I primarily use them for more traditional art and still life paintings I’ve been doing. I could be wrong but I think it’s also the brand Bill Alexander may have used at one point. Either way, Gamblin is a solid brand that will work for this technique and is pretty inexpensive. 

Alizarin Crimson 

Burnt Sienna 

Cad Red 

Cad Yellow 

Indian Yellow 

Ivory Black 

Phthalo Blue 

Phthalo Green 

Prussian Blue 

Sap Green 

Titanium White

Yellow Ochre

Mediums

But what about Liquid White?  Bill Alexander still sells his original formula called Magic White. Bob started out using the Magic White when he was teaching and painting on his show. You can also make your own liquid white by mixing Titanium White and linseed oil in about a 50/50 ratio. You can mix as needed and put it in a little plastic cup or bowl. 

Gesso. There are many, many alternatives to the BRI gessos. You can get white, black, or gray gesso from just about any art store online. 

Bob Ross Brush Alternatives. 

Alexander Art. I have not personally used these but they are the brushes that Bob used when he started his show. For the first 6 or 7 seasons, Bob used to use Bill Alexander products before the distribuitor ran into supply issues opening the door for Bob to create his own line of paints and brushes. Bill Alexander brushes are a bit pricey but if you’re looking for the right tools for this job, they are the original tools for the technique. 

Kevin Hill. I own a few of the brushes from Kevin’s line. I have the ¾”, the ¼” and the liner brush. They are excellent! The liner brush is far superior to the Bob Ross liner brush. Far superior. I highly recommend it. 

Apparently a lot of people use Bob Ross canvases. I’ve used one or two and I found zero advantages to standard cheaper canvases. You can get bulk canvases at many art stores and online. They are perfectly fine for beginner painters. Michael’s often has sales on bulk canvases. 5 Pack

There you go! If you find yourself a bit upset by the Bob Ross documentary and no longer wish to support Bob Ross Inc, there are many alternatives for paint, brushes, mediums and many other oil painting materials. I hope you found this article helpful. Be sure to follow me on social media and check out some of my other blog posts as well as my Etsy shop. 

Happy Painting!