RGH Oils is a small manufacturer that promotes its wide-range of lead-based whites. I think that is smart. There is an opportunity here for small suppliers to fill the gap left as the larger companies cut production–and raise prices to lurid heights. After using the paints from my first order (shipped instantly, by the way),…
I placed my first order with RGH Paints. They are a small outfit that prides itself on their extensive line of lead white paint. They offer flake white in an assortment of binders and sizes. I ordered a small tube of the cold-pressed version along with a few other colors. If their stuff is any good, that’s a big deal now that some of the big boys have throttled back production of lead paint. As most oil painters know, lead white is the most valuable and useful paint. After I give their stuff a proper workout, I’ll update my Oil Paint Brand reference.
Cerulean blues is an extremely important color. Besides being a core blue (it should be on every palette), it forms complementary tones with most orange-brown colors, such as burnt sienna (another very useful color). Its usefulness is unfortunate because it’s so blasted expensive–one of the most expensive paints on the market. My oil paint brand reference…
The eye loves complementary neutrals. The eye will accept the ‘truth’ of a well placed neutral faster than it will a piece of carefully crafted modeling. Nature abounds with complementary colors. I remember as a child being amazed by the green shadows cast by the light streaming though the red curtains of my bedroom. What…
Here is my general. all-purpose palette. It has a good assortment of every color group and the core neutrals I always mix. You can do just fine with fewer colors–three or even fewer from each group is certainly workable. When I was younger, I had a very limited palette because I had a very limited…
I updated the oil paint brand list with information about the binders used by some manufacturers (Blockx, Old Holland, Michael Hadring, Blue Ridge, and Holbein). I also downgraded my ratings for Blue Ridge. I prefer cold-pressed linseed to alkali refined method they use. They also use a blend of walnut and linseed oils. Finally, I’ve used paint from Michael Harding (ultramarine blue) which seems very good, but I haven’t used it enough to rate it.
What better way to start the new year than in the studio, eh? I was up at 5:00 as usual (no late night revelry for me!) and pitched right in. ‘Main Street #2’ is part of a small series. ‘Main Street #1,’ subtitled ‘The Antique Shop’ is slightly smaller and has 5 figures compared to…
I continue to update the survey of oil paint brands. I have been using a lot of paint from the small producer Blue Ridge Colors. I am constantly on the lookout for reliable day-to-day paints, that is, paints that are good quality and reasonably priced. In this pursuit, I’ve recently used Rembrandt, Winsor Newton, and…