M Graham Oil Paint

[David Brown]

I'm new to Oil Medium...at least it's been 20+ years since last I tried, I've been addicted to WC and Tempera. My question is has anyone here used M Graham paint? It sounds like it helps avoid the solvent/volatiles issue that turned me off of Oils in the past. I couldn't deal with the Headaches and Nausea from the Turps and Petroleum products. As usual all responses welcome, I always learn alot from this community.
Dave

[turlogh]

Originally Posted by David Brown

I'm new to Oil Medium...at least it's been 20+ years since last I tried, I've been addicted to WC and Tempera. My question is has anyone here used M Graham paint? It sounds like it helps avoid the solvent/volatiles issue that turned me off of Oils in the past.

I have nothing against Graham paints, but the idea that they are uniquely suited to painting without solvents is nothing more than marketing hype. The truth is that you don't have to use solvents with any kind of oil paint if you don't want to. You can thin any kind of oil paint with linseed or walnut oil. Obviously, this can cause yellowing down the line if done to excess (especially with linseed), and for layered painting it is necessary to paint fat over lean. But it is perfectly possible. Graham paints are ground in walnut oil, which has advantages and disadvantages, but there is nothing about them that makes them more or less appropriate for painting without solvents.

By the way, oil paint glazes are wonderful over a tempera underpainting.

[David Brown]

Originally Posted by turlogh

By the way, oil paint glazes are wonderful over a tempera underpainting.

Thanks Turlogh, I'm a complete novice to the chemistry of Oil paint although I am researching it. As for glazing over tempera, in my journey in Tempera technique I've seen many references to that and wish to try it. I paint in a classic tech with many layers. I usually use w/c as an imprimatura under Tempera as it is...
Dave

[earthy]

Hi Dave,
There are many Mgraham users here! I had several reasons in making my choice of MGrahams. I wanted a paint that would spread easily without having to use solvents or a lot of oil to thin it out. I am totally pleased with my decision. It's not too stiff to spread easily straight out of the tube or too thin to have a lot of body and work in an impasto technique. As I also didnt want/need the smell and fumes of solvents, the clean up with walnut oil works great. As I am painting, I put a dab of oil on a paper towel and wipe my brush when needed. When I'm thru painting for the day, I swish my brushes in a small jar of walnut oil and then wipe a couple times, then dip into a jar of clean oil and wipe again. You can wash them in soap and water after swishing and wiping if you're not going to use for them for a while. They hardly have any odor at all, just a faint smell of cooking oil. I have 15 tubes/colors, and the only one that smells a little is the burnt umber. The colors I have are clean and beautiful. They have a fast drying alkyd medium that is non-toxic and a fast drying alkyd white. I havent tried either yet, but I do have a bottle of the alkyd medium and there is no odor whatsoever.
I decided to try MGrahams last year after doing a lot of searches and reading here at WC! about the many people that were pleased with them. Then after trying to find a place to buy them online, I found a site with lots of info about them, artpurveyors.com.
If you do an advanced search in the oil forum, you'll find lots of posts on MGraham, Graham, and walnut oil. Another maker of walnut oil based paint is Robert Doak. I havent tried any of his paints yet, but I've read no negative comments about them. I dont know if they have the same viscosity as MGrahams. Rembrandts is a linseed oil paint that is supposed to spread easily without added oil or solvents, but I've never tried it so I cant say how well the brushes would clean up with some kind of oil. And then too, it would smell different than the walnut oil paints. So, FWIW, that's my info!

[Yokovich]

earthy, what a great report--! I agree with every word (and I learned some things too!)
Welcome Dave to the oil painting forum--! I paint nearly exclusively now with m graham because I like how you don't have to thin them if you do not want to & they are really beautiful clean clear pure colors! I found my first "set" of them on eBay and I have been in love with them ever since. I clean my brushes in mineral spirits because that walnut oil stuff is not particularily cheap and I am not worried about fumes etc. I really recommend that you get some of the primary colors and paint with them! I bet you'll get hooked on them too. (btw, they are nicely priced compared to other high end paints!)

[mirza]

Originally Posted by celestia

I clean my brushes in mineral spirits because that walnut oil stuff is not particularily cheap and I am not worried about fumes etc.

It's also perfectly possible to clean (at least) natural bristle brushes in nothing more than soap and water after wiping them well. I use Kiss My Face olive oil soap, and keep soaping them up until no more color shows in the lather. Simple, effective, and your hands feel great, too.

[earthy]

Thank you Celestia! And I enjoy the positive attitude in your posts


BTW- I have read that some members buy a pure walnut oil wih no additives/preservatives/vitamin E in some grocery stores/health food stores that costs less. I havent found any in my area yet

Sandy

[David Brown]

Wow what a wonderful response and warm welcome for a newbie to this forum. I've learned alot. I put a list of M Graham paint and walnut oil on the xmas list for the wife and kids...my main source of special art supplies...lol. I've tried to reattach one of my paintings from the portrait forum here so you can see an example of my work in W/C. Hope to soon post an oil.
Thanks

123033&stc=1

[Marc Sabatella]

Originally Posted by turlogh

I have nothing against Graham paints, but the idea that they are uniquely suited to painting without solvents is nothing more than marketing hype. The truth is that you don't have to use solvents with any kind of oil paint if you don't want to. You can thin any kind of oil paint with linseed or walnut oil.

This is mostly true, but to be fair, there are at least a couple of *potential* reasons why MGraham paints might be better suited to this approach than others:

- The viscosity of the paint itself, which indeed I do find easier to spread around straight out of the tube than many other brands. It's not just butter, it's butter that's been sitting out on the table for a couple of hours...

- Due to the yellowing tendency of linseed oil, I can see why people would prefer using walnut over linseed for the purpose of making paint more fluid. Also, walnut oil itself can tend to be more fluid than linseed, it seems to me, although I'm sure that has a lot fodo with processing. Anyhow, MGraham is implying, if not claiming outright, that there is some advantage to using a paint that is actually made of the same oil you use as your medium (based on quote from a centuries old textbook). I have no idea how true this is, but on the surface, I can imagine that there might be something to this.

Whether one buys into any of this or not, these definitetly seem to be very good paints at a very good price.

[shokan22]

Seems I am reviving an old thread. Can someone recommend an MGraham collection of paint colours as a set that any professional oil painter would be very pleased with? Here's a list of MGraham's colours from an online retailer, but I don't know if it's all that are available.

Maybe someone here could make a quick selection of about half to two-thirds of these, please? Or, if you think it would be worth my while to buy all on this list, feel free to recommend that.

M Graham Oil Paint #010 ALIZ CRIMSON

M Graham Oil Paint #012 ANTHRAQUIN BLUE

M Graham Oil Paint #014 ANTHRAQUIN RED

M Graham Oil Paint #016 AZO GREEN

M Graham Oil Paint #018 AZO YELLOW

M Graham Oil Paint #020 BURNT SIENNA

M Graham Oil Paint #030 BURNT UMBER

M Graham Oil Paint #038 CADMIUM ORANGE

M Graham Oil Paint #040 CADMIUM RED

M Graham Oil Paint #045 CADM RED DEEP

M Graham Oil Paint #050 CAD RED LIGHT

M Graham Oil Paint #060 CADMIUM YELLOW

M Graham Oil Paint #063 CAD YELLW DEEP

M Graham Oil Paint #070 CAD YELL LIGHT

M Graham Oil Paint #080 CERULEAN BLUE

M Graham Oil Paint #090 COBALT BLUE

M Graham Oil Paint #100 DIOX PURPLE

M Graham Oil Paint #107 HANSA YELLOW

M Graham Oil Paint #109 INDIAN YELLOW

M Graham Oil Paint #110 IVORY BLACK

M Graham Oil Paint #112 LAMP BLACK
3
M Graham Oil Paint #114 maGNS BLUE HUE

M Graham Oil Paint #115 maRS BLACK

M Graham Oil Paint #120 NAPHTHOL RED

M Graham Oil Paint #121 NAPLES YELLOW

M Graham Oil Paint #125 OLIVE GREEN

M Graham Oil Paint #128 PAYNES GRAY

M Graham Oil Paint #130 PERM GRN LIGHT

M Graham Oil Paint #140 PHTHALO BLUE

M Graham Oil Paint #150 PHTHALO GREEN

M Graham Oil Paint #153 PRUSSIAN BLUE

M Graham Oil Paint #155 QUINID RED

M Graham Oil Paint #156 QUIN ROSE

M Graham Oil Paint #158 QUIN VIOLET

M Graham Oil Paint #160 RAW SIENNA

M Graham Oil Paint #170 RAW UMBER

M Graham Oil Paint #174 SAP GREEN PERM

M Graham Oil Paint #179 TERRA ROSA

M Graham Oil Paint #180 TITANIUM WHITE

M Graham Oil Paint #185 TITANIUM WHITE RAPID DRY

M Graham Oil Paint #186 TRANSPARENT ORANGE

M Graham Oil Paint #187TRANSPARENT RED

M Graham Oil Paint #188 TRANSPARENT YELLOW

M Graham Oil Paint #189 TURQUOISE

M Graham Oil Paint #190 ULTRAmaRINE BLUE

M Graham Oil Paint #193 ULTRA VIOLET

M Graham Oil Paint #194 VAN DYKE BROWN

M Graham Oil Paint #195 VIRIDIAN

M Graham Oil Paint #200 YELLOW OCHRE

M Graham Oil Paint #205 ZINC WHITE

[monkhaus]

The three Quinacridones are worth it, as is the Ultramarine Blue and the Cobalt Blue, the Azo Green, and both Anthraquinones. Otherwise I'm iffy on them.

Quin Rose is the best of the bunch.

In my opinion.

[Red 9]

Indian yellow is great so is the titanium white.

[Einion]

Originally Posted by shokan22

Seems I am reviving an old thread. Can someone recommend an MGraham collection of paint colours as a set that any professional oil painter would be very pleased with?

With paint preferences being so individual that's a really tall order - one person's must-have colour would never be bought by someone else. Other than simple likes and dislikes preferred subject-matter and painting method can play a large part in palette selection.

Is this for someone as a gift or for yourself?

Generally I'd like to have at least one good yellow, a scarlet (orange-red) paint, something around rose or magenta, one or more blues and a few earths as the minimum palette to paint with, with one green and maybe a violet for occasional use. White is obviously an essential, and there's not much harm in going with standard Titanium White. Zinc White you might want to avoid since it's believed to be a definite cause of cracking.

I might go with these as a simple starting set:
Cadmium Yellow
Cadmium Orange or Cadmium Red Light
Quinacridone Rose
Yellow Ochre
Terra Rosa
Burnt Umber
Ultramarine Blue
Phthalo Green

Expanding on that a bit I'd add:
Turquoise
Dioxazine Purple
Indian Yellow
I'd also like to have at least one black available so I'd probably throw in Mars Black too.

Not being stingy by not having more paints on my list - nothing else would be necessary for me, and this is quite a few more colours than some people use.

There are a large number of prior threads on palette selection here and in Colour Theory & Mixing forum (click graphic in my sig) if you'd like to see more of the selections that people go with.

Einion

[DAK723]

I, too am wondering if this going to be a gift for someone?

If it is, then the person probably already has a preference as to which colors they prefer on their palette and would want to keep it that way! A gift certificate that would cover the cost of about 12 tubes would be a great gift.

If this is for you and you are just starting out, then by all means start with somewhere between 8 and 12 tubes maximum. (If you were more experienced I would recommend less tubes not more). A good way to start is with 2 tubes of each primary; a yellow that leans towards green and one that leans towards orange. A red that leans towards orange and one that leans towards violet. And a blue that is more greenish and one that is more violet. This way you cover a greater range of the color wheel. Also Titanium white, a black if you want, and perhaps a couple earth tones like yellow ochre and burnt sienna. If you are going to paint flowers then you might want a purple, too. That would be plenty of tubes.

Einion's list above has some excellent choices.

Good luck!

Don