For me there is one answer to the question. My favorite oil paints would be the ones I make for myself. You should give it a try! I started with just a sheet of glass, a big palette knife and some inexpensive earth pigments.

I can choose the carrier, be it linseed, walnut, safflower or poppy seed oil, walnut being my favorite or a mix of walnut and linseed. The texture and stiffness of the mix, pigment type & load, alkyd or no alkyd, thixotropic or not, etc. It isn’t rocket science. Oil plus paint plus mulling. Done. There are not very many paint brands out there made with walnut oil. Now I can mix any color I want in walnut often for a tiny fraction of the cost and never as much as buying it over the counter plus it is relaxing and enjoyable to do. My only regret is that I didn’t try this 50 years ago.

Of course the standard negative forum response to making your own paint is, “I would rather paint than make paint.” A valid position if your time is limited or you don’t like it. I have unlimited time but limited funds, plus I like to paint 4 to 6 foot wide panels. Making my own encaustics and oils allows me to do that well within my budget. For the less expensive pigments the most expensive component is the TUBE so I put the paint in re-usable solvent resistant syringes or jars. After having done this for a few years now with encaustics and just recently with oils, even if it cost the same as the artist quality store bought stuff, I would probably still choose mulling my own over buying it as.

As for it taking away from painting time, it doesn’t cut into my painting schedule at all. I start painting between 6 and 8 AM,and usually stop after 6-8 hours since my eyes, my brain and my left hand fingers can’t take much more than that. Mulling paint takes very little concentration and is good exercise for the arm, shoulder and hand muscles. I can use my non painting hand to mull so it is not fatigued at all from the morning painting session. I can watch a movie, talk with friends or family, listen to an e-book or music while doing it.

My favorite store bought paint is also an easy one answer for me. M. Graham, though I do like quite a few others too. I just don’t buy any of them anymore.

At present I am concentrating on using up a hodgepodge of oil paints that I “inherited” from several painters who quit painting.

However, my choice for oil paint is now those that are available from “The Art Treehouse” in Madison, Wisconsin. They are bound in Walnut Oil, and I like the behavior of paints such as those. Since The Art Treehouse does not offer all the colors that I feel I need, I purchase M. Graham paints from local supply stores. Their binder is Walnut Oil, as well, and they are very good paints, at a reasonable price.

My choice for paints whose binder is Linseed Oil is Grumbacher Pretested Oils. In my opinion, those are the best quality paint for the price.

I also mull my own paint, and love the process. It’s hard work, yes, but worth the effort. no fillers, I get to control the quality of my oils. I mull with cold pressed Walnut oil as I prefer my oils to dry a little slower.

Michael Harding.
Blockx.
Williamsburg.

In that order:).

For those who make their own paints, good for you. I personally take 2 years per painting or so:), making my own paints would be like growing my own cotton to assemble my own fabric so I can sew my own blue jeans, it just isn’t worth the time.

Plus, am I going to make better paint than Michael Harding, who’s been doing it for like 40 years professionally? Not likely.

Anyone can mull their own oil paint, it’s not rocket science.

Neither is making ice cream, but I don’t care for the idea of churning cream and sugar for 30-60 min. and freezing it when I have a craving at midnight:).

When you get 3-4 hours a day – max, to paint, who wants to make their own paints? Plus, I reiterate that I couldn’t make better paint than someone like Michael Harding, who’s been doing this for 40+ years.

I also don’t believe anyone who’s in the market for my paintings care in the least if I make my own paints.

But in the end, one must put in a word for good old W&N. It’s available everywhere, the quality is usually good, and the ubiquity of the stuff means that it is pretty easy to find sales.

W&N is very underrated (at least by people who want to sound like they are more knowledgeable than the average artist).

W&N is very underrated

due of the myth that homemade or extremely expensive boutique paints, are “oh so much better!” than ordinary bourgeois grade paints.