gunzorro
11-22-2009, 05:44 PM
How’s this for timing? Almost exactly one year ago (Nov 17, 2008), I posted my introduction to Blue Ridge paints.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530314&highlight=blue+ridge+paint
Last Friday (two days ago), I received a selection of Blue Ridge paints (provided by the manufacturer, for those keeping score on integrity points).
I immediately noticed the labels on the tubes look better, and the tubes were jam-packed with paint. Still no color sample on the label, but excellent nonetheless. Packaging for shipment of the individual tubes was better as well.
I was so excited to try them out that at around 10:30PM on Friday night (supposedly just before going to bed), I started a sheet, mixing some of my main interests. I’d been told by Eric Silver (who knows of my dislike of gritty paints) that the natural earths he makes are on the gritty side. Still, I wanted to see for myself. That’s why the Burnt Umber is at the top of the list.
I was also very interested in the Smalt.
I needed to unscrew the caps to see what the paint looked like (the downside of no color swatch label), so why not try some out? Before long, I was knee deep in colors and checking (briefly) against other brands.
My intention is to do a true A-B comparison against other brands, leaning on the Premium lines. That will involve more time and energy and a somewhat disciplined approach. All of which I was not in the mood for on a late Friday night, and this comparison is done to satisfy my personal curiosity.
By the time I was nearly done with this sheet, and having a few questions for Eric (and wanting to show him), I realized I had a document that could provide insights of its own, reflecting on the Blue Ridge paint brand.
My main conclusion from working with these paints is that the product is considerably improved from what I evaluated around a year ago. At that time, I had a few issues with the consistency and handling from pigment to pigment, and a general stiffness or waxiness and slight dullness to the finish. I rated it as belonging in the Artist Grade paints, but not up to the standard I consider allow a paint brand to be considered Premium Grade.
After working for a few hours with these paints, I’m happy to say I can endorse Eric’s hard work and consider his paint line to be in the entry level of the Premium lines that include Michael Harding, Old Holland, Blockx, Vasari, and others. I’ll back this up in the next few days and weeks with direct comparisons to these and other well known brands like Winsor Newton Artist. Congratulations to Eric Silver!
**************
Here are the colors on the chart, along with my initial impressions. Blue Ridge Flemish White used throughout the mixes.
Left column
Burnt Umber – Yes, it is gritty and has a granular/matte type finish. But the color is wonderful, reminding me very much of Blockx’s Burnt Umber (we’ll see later if I am right).
Smalt – An ancient pigment made from blue cobalt glass crystals. Gritty and a weak tinter, but that is to be expected and not unusual. This paint is wonderfully brilliant and would be excellent for painting detail on Wedgewood china, for one thing. A special paint, but excellent at what it is intended for.
Orange Ochre – A natural pigment paint that is under consideration for addition to the Blue Ridge line. I like it very much, leading to some of the later flesh-colored mixes in the right column. Nice consistency and handling and not gritty, slightly matte finish.
Cadmium Black – This pigment is new to me. Eric has said it is cadmium selenide, but I don’t see this on my list of black pigments. Could there be an error? Could it be Cobalt Black? The jury is out collecting info (readers: please share I you have any info). Regardless, the paint is a near-black with a Value around 1 to 1.5, noticeably not “black”. The color is cool when mixed with white – lovely color with great handling and consistency.
Cerulean Blue – Recent pigment acquisition. Very light, bright blue color PB35. A bit matte in finish and waxy in mixing, but not uncommon for Cerulean pigments. Lacks the dull greyness of OH Cerulean, but consistency is similar.
Cad Yellow Light – Absolutely one of the best and most archetypical Cad Yellow Lights I have ever used. Nearly as bright as Cad Lemon, but without the greenish tang. Consistency is awesome, blending is great and pigment is strong as any cadmium should be. Slight matte surface finish. I am so impressed with this paint – I highly recommend it.
Cobalt Violet Deep – As good as any I have in my collection. Warrants comparison test.
Ivory Black “genuine” – another experimental paint, not on the list. Not fully genuine, but needs a name if it goes into production. This paint contains genuine Ivory Black (so I’m told), plus Charcoal Black and Quinacridone Red (cancels the bluish tint). This is a gritty, somewhat mushy/juicy paint with nearly neutral characteristics. (Personally, I think if Eric is going to do a mix, he should think about making a few Neutral Greys, like Value 3, 5 and 7, or 4-6-8, – what do you readers think?) This one is under consideration, but I was pleased to see it.
Center column
Cadmium Vermilion – What Doak called “genuine Vermilion”, Eric is more aptly calling cadmium, and until positive chemical testing is done, I agree the paint is most likely cadmium. Outside of that debate, this is a wonderful, brilliant creamy-rich color. I strongly recommend it and hold it in as high opinion as the Cad Yellow Light above.
Cad Red Light – Pretty, perhaps more red than some brands. It has a slightly waxy consistency (very slight) and slightly matte appearance. Not as exciting as the Cad Vermilion, but still very nice.
Cad Red Medium Select – This one is listed as a special paint, and I agree. I have an older tube of David Davis Cad Red (medium) that is losing its handling due to use and aging in the tube (losing its stringiness and getting a touch rubbery). It has been my “go-to” Ferrari Red color. Now this one makes a more than suitable replacement. Amazing consistency and mild gloss finish – super vivid. Another super-premium paint.
Ultramarine Blue (medium) – Like many/most UMBs, this one is slightly waxy due to the needed stabilizers. Color, tinting strength and handling are similar to the Old Holland versions I favor. I wish I had had this a few days earlier to include in my UMB comparison – it’s that good.
Cobalt Blue – Light and vivid, it begs to be compared to the best. Good handling and semi-gloss finish.
Burnt Sienna – Deep brown, semi-opaque. I’m curious to see how this stacks up against Vasari’s version. Similar to Vasari, it is quite loose and fluid, but has good tinting strength. Listed as a natural pigment PBr6.
Mars Red – Wonderfully warm and mixes into great flesh tones. Very nice red, rivaling Mussini English Red and Vasari Mars Red – must compare! Smooth consistency and great tinting strength.
Sepia – Another experimental consideration for including into the line. This color is a mixture of ivory black and azo burnt orange, matching Doak’s formulation. Produces a wonderful near-grey that is almost a purple.
Right column
Florentine Lake – a mix of Ruby Pyrol PR264 and Quinacridone Violet PV19, the same pigments as Blockx Carmine (proportions may be different). Very good consistency – not runny or overly waxy, with smooth semi-gloss finish.
Yellow Ochre – Perhaps this seems boring to include, but a lot can be learned from a paint maker by studying the simpler, cheaper paints in the line, like Yellow Ochre. This version is synthetic “Mars-type” PY42, but not as greenish as some. Tinting strength is not overpowering (which I find a plus)and the consistency is very good to excellent with semi-gloss finish.
The next section is a series of mixes featuring earth colors in approximations of useful flesh tones:
Yellow Ochre + Orange Ochre (predominately Orange Ochre, about 3:1)
Orange Ochre + Mars Red (same proportions as above)
Yellow Ochre + Mars Red (equal proportions)
Orange Ochre + Cad Vermilion (about 1:4 ratio)
Burnt Umber + Florentine Lake (about twice as much BU)
Terra Rosa -- Finally, another experimental color, not yet listed in the product line. This is a synthetic, similar to the Mars Red in color and tinting strength, but slightly more orange. This might be an even better choice for skin colors. Very nice handling with semi-gloss finish.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/gunzorro/IMG_7984web.jpg
I'll have some A-B comparisons in the very near future, showing how directly compares with other premium brands.
Feel free to ask question or post comments. :)
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=530314&highlight=blue+ridge+paint
Last Friday (two days ago), I received a selection of Blue Ridge paints (provided by the manufacturer, for those keeping score on integrity points).
I immediately noticed the labels on the tubes look better, and the tubes were jam-packed with paint. Still no color sample on the label, but excellent nonetheless. Packaging for shipment of the individual tubes was better as well.
I was so excited to try them out that at around 10:30PM on Friday night (supposedly just before going to bed), I started a sheet, mixing some of my main interests. I’d been told by Eric Silver (who knows of my dislike of gritty paints) that the natural earths he makes are on the gritty side. Still, I wanted to see for myself. That’s why the Burnt Umber is at the top of the list.
I was also very interested in the Smalt.
I needed to unscrew the caps to see what the paint looked like (the downside of no color swatch label), so why not try some out? Before long, I was knee deep in colors and checking (briefly) against other brands.
My intention is to do a true A-B comparison against other brands, leaning on the Premium lines. That will involve more time and energy and a somewhat disciplined approach. All of which I was not in the mood for on a late Friday night, and this comparison is done to satisfy my personal curiosity.
By the time I was nearly done with this sheet, and having a few questions for Eric (and wanting to show him), I realized I had a document that could provide insights of its own, reflecting on the Blue Ridge paint brand.
My main conclusion from working with these paints is that the product is considerably improved from what I evaluated around a year ago. At that time, I had a few issues with the consistency and handling from pigment to pigment, and a general stiffness or waxiness and slight dullness to the finish. I rated it as belonging in the Artist Grade paints, but not up to the standard I consider allow a paint brand to be considered Premium Grade.
After working for a few hours with these paints, I’m happy to say I can endorse Eric’s hard work and consider his paint line to be in the entry level of the Premium lines that include Michael Harding, Old Holland, Blockx, Vasari, and others. I’ll back this up in the next few days and weeks with direct comparisons to these and other well known brands like Winsor Newton Artist. Congratulations to Eric Silver!
**************
Here are the colors on the chart, along with my initial impressions. Blue Ridge Flemish White used throughout the mixes.
Left column
Burnt Umber – Yes, it is gritty and has a granular/matte type finish. But the color is wonderful, reminding me very much of Blockx’s Burnt Umber (we’ll see later if I am right).
Smalt – An ancient pigment made from blue cobalt glass crystals. Gritty and a weak tinter, but that is to be expected and not unusual. This paint is wonderfully brilliant and would be excellent for painting detail on Wedgewood china, for one thing. A special paint, but excellent at what it is intended for.
Orange Ochre – A natural pigment paint that is under consideration for addition to the Blue Ridge line. I like it very much, leading to some of the later flesh-colored mixes in the right column. Nice consistency and handling and not gritty, slightly matte finish.
Cadmium Black – This pigment is new to me. Eric has said it is cadmium selenide, but I don’t see this on my list of black pigments. Could there be an error? Could it be Cobalt Black? The jury is out collecting info (readers: please share I you have any info). Regardless, the paint is a near-black with a Value around 1 to 1.5, noticeably not “black”. The color is cool when mixed with white – lovely color with great handling and consistency.
Cerulean Blue – Recent pigment acquisition. Very light, bright blue color PB35. A bit matte in finish and waxy in mixing, but not uncommon for Cerulean pigments. Lacks the dull greyness of OH Cerulean, but consistency is similar.
Cad Yellow Light – Absolutely one of the best and most archetypical Cad Yellow Lights I have ever used. Nearly as bright as Cad Lemon, but without the greenish tang. Consistency is awesome, blending is great and pigment is strong as any cadmium should be. Slight matte surface finish. I am so impressed with this paint – I highly recommend it.
Cobalt Violet Deep – As good as any I have in my collection. Warrants comparison test.
Ivory Black “genuine” – another experimental paint, not on the list. Not fully genuine, but needs a name if it goes into production. This paint contains genuine Ivory Black (so I’m told), plus Charcoal Black and Quinacridone Red (cancels the bluish tint). This is a gritty, somewhat mushy/juicy paint with nearly neutral characteristics. (Personally, I think if Eric is going to do a mix, he should think about making a few Neutral Greys, like Value 3, 5 and 7, or 4-6-8, – what do you readers think?) This one is under consideration, but I was pleased to see it.
Center column
Cadmium Vermilion – What Doak called “genuine Vermilion”, Eric is more aptly calling cadmium, and until positive chemical testing is done, I agree the paint is most likely cadmium. Outside of that debate, this is a wonderful, brilliant creamy-rich color. I strongly recommend it and hold it in as high opinion as the Cad Yellow Light above.
Cad Red Light – Pretty, perhaps more red than some brands. It has a slightly waxy consistency (very slight) and slightly matte appearance. Not as exciting as the Cad Vermilion, but still very nice.
Cad Red Medium Select – This one is listed as a special paint, and I agree. I have an older tube of David Davis Cad Red (medium) that is losing its handling due to use and aging in the tube (losing its stringiness and getting a touch rubbery). It has been my “go-to” Ferrari Red color. Now this one makes a more than suitable replacement. Amazing consistency and mild gloss finish – super vivid. Another super-premium paint.
Ultramarine Blue (medium) – Like many/most UMBs, this one is slightly waxy due to the needed stabilizers. Color, tinting strength and handling are similar to the Old Holland versions I favor. I wish I had had this a few days earlier to include in my UMB comparison – it’s that good.
Cobalt Blue – Light and vivid, it begs to be compared to the best. Good handling and semi-gloss finish.
Burnt Sienna – Deep brown, semi-opaque. I’m curious to see how this stacks up against Vasari’s version. Similar to Vasari, it is quite loose and fluid, but has good tinting strength. Listed as a natural pigment PBr6.
Mars Red – Wonderfully warm and mixes into great flesh tones. Very nice red, rivaling Mussini English Red and Vasari Mars Red – must compare! Smooth consistency and great tinting strength.
Sepia – Another experimental consideration for including into the line. This color is a mixture of ivory black and azo burnt orange, matching Doak’s formulation. Produces a wonderful near-grey that is almost a purple.
Right column
Florentine Lake – a mix of Ruby Pyrol PR264 and Quinacridone Violet PV19, the same pigments as Blockx Carmine (proportions may be different). Very good consistency – not runny or overly waxy, with smooth semi-gloss finish.
Yellow Ochre – Perhaps this seems boring to include, but a lot can be learned from a paint maker by studying the simpler, cheaper paints in the line, like Yellow Ochre. This version is synthetic “Mars-type” PY42, but not as greenish as some. Tinting strength is not overpowering (which I find a plus)and the consistency is very good to excellent with semi-gloss finish.
The next section is a series of mixes featuring earth colors in approximations of useful flesh tones:
Yellow Ochre + Orange Ochre (predominately Orange Ochre, about 3:1)
Orange Ochre + Mars Red (same proportions as above)
Yellow Ochre + Mars Red (equal proportions)
Orange Ochre + Cad Vermilion (about 1:4 ratio)
Burnt Umber + Florentine Lake (about twice as much BU)
Terra Rosa -- Finally, another experimental color, not yet listed in the product line. This is a synthetic, similar to the Mars Red in color and tinting strength, but slightly more orange. This might be an even better choice for skin colors. Very nice handling with semi-gloss finish.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/gunzorro/IMG_7984web.jpg
I'll have some A-B comparisons in the very near future, showing how directly compares with other premium brands.
Feel free to ask question or post comments. :)