Professional Oil Paints

[Mikey]

Bob, for the sake of time and postage charges I bought a W&N Artists Yellow Ochre in the shop and was disappointed with it. But then I have their Permanent Rose which I really do like. The difference with Michael Harding is he never disappoints.

[wetbob]

i ve bought winton tit white, and was disappointed about it.

Few pigments and watery consistency, like all their tubes

[sidbledsoe]

If Jackson Pollock tried Old Holland paints he would have been disappointed in them, he chose hardware store Dupont enamel.
I have both the best artists grades, the lowest student grades, and a variety in between. I use both but I don't use Old Holland type paints for quick studies, painting from the tube sans medium, toning large canvases, underpaintings, Van Gogh studies, overly pigmented strong paints like phthalos, or when I just want to sqeeze out gobs of thick paint and paint large canvases like I am a millionaire.
For those I use the dreaded no good student brands
I read these campaigns against certain paints, mediums, types of canvases, types of pigments, and it probably is counterproductive, ie. trying to convince me not to use something that has been working just fine for me for years.

[Mikey]

But he didn't use Dupont Enamel to paint portraits.

[sidbledsoe]

That is what I am attempting to say. There are pro artists who have been very happy using Winsor Newton yellow ochre, George Cherepov was one, Edward Hopper, many others with the resulting work now in museums.

[Mikey]

As they say horses for courses. Schierenberg successfully uses very thick Winton paint. But anybody using thinner paint is going to appreciate a higher pigment loading.

[sidbledsoe]

Originally Posted by Mikey

But anybody using thinner paint is going to appreciate a higher pigment loading.

I highly prefer using Winton prussian, pthalo, perm alizarin crimson, and a few others because I don't want a high pigment load in those colors, I also use student whites for glazing because I want less opacity or pigment load.

[Mikey]

I can imagine Vasari Pthalo Blue is a bit over the top. I am using loaded Alizarin at the moment and admit I have to take care when mixing it with Raw Sienna. I am happy with it though. I use Cremnitz White bound with Walnut Oil for the top layers. I like the semi transparent properties of the pigment.

[jdadson]

Originally Posted by gunzorro

Ha-ha! Perhaps old jdadson was a touch beyond reason.

If you want white paint with very little covering power that takes months to dry, have at it.

[bwjnsn]

I let my paintings dry 6 months to a year.

[CalArtist]

Originally Posted by Mikey

I already like Venetian Red for underpainting. I very much like its strength. I am not so happy with it for asian skin though, where I find Trans Red Oxide preferable.

By the way, If you use Venetian Red, I absolutely love BLOCKX Venetian Red. It's supposed to be genuine, from the original area in Italy, and it's not very expensive compared to the other Blockx oils. I get it in 200ml tubes.

It's always nice to buy the lesser expensive colors made by the most expensive lines of paint.

[Mikey]

Cal, I've only heard good things about Blockx. I didn't think they were available here in the UK, but a quick google tells me they now are. I also notice that their Cerulean Blue is a lot cheaper than Michael Harding or Old Holland.

[CalArtist]

I have certain colors in the blockx line. I just picked-up their Pthalos, because of the actual pigments they use in them, especially the blue. I don't think you can go wrong with blockx, but they sure are expensive in the cads and cobalts. I like Manganese Blue, and they are one of the few still selling one. And their Venetian red as mentioned. Their tubes of color weigh a lot, which I believe is a good sign because of their reputation. Only 35ml with such weight!

[Brian Firth]

Originally Posted by jdadson

If you want white paint with very little covering power that takes months to dry, have at it.

Months? Seriously? Lets see some evidence to back up that claim.

Little covering power? Eh? Sorry, Winton Titanium white is pretty opaque. Besides the nano-titanium pigmented transparent whites, almost any titanium is pretty opaque. Please post examples of what you are claiming.

[gunzorro]

CalArtist -- I think you will find all current Blockx Manganese Blue is a hue made from phthalo and white. They ran out of the genuine pigment a couple years back. If you can find an older tube, it is the real deal and one of the best. You can still get genuine Manganese Blue from Old Holland and Vasari.