Gold leaf has been used to beautify and evoke meaning in painting throughout history, functioning as a luminous counterpoint to flesh, fabric and nature. Artists today still use gold leaf, but have also added other metal foils, glitters, iridescent and interference paints to their palettes to activate and enliven their work. For oil painters looking … Read more
Home>Color> Oils > Not All That Glitters Is Gold – Williamsburg Iridescent and Interference Oil Colors
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Editor’s Note 3/8/21 With YInMn Blue having been out for a while now, and with a lot of questions received and answered since this piece was published, we wanted to briefly provide an update: As noted in the article, the pigment has some unique strengths, being considered extremely lightfast, durable, and chemically resistant, as well … Read more
If a single color embodies the dividing line between pigments considered suitable for permanent works of art, and those that are suspect and poor in lightfastness, Alizarin Crimson (PR 83) would be it. And yet it is still used by many artists who are drawn to it in spite of its many problems. Some of … Read more
While the practice of pouring artist paints is certainly not a new way to apply paint, achieving consistent results can be frustrating and costly. However, it is vital to the process to conduct experiments to gain the knowledge of what are the most critical controlling factors which preside over paint pours. Studio Preparation One sure … Read more
The March 2016 article “Painting on Location with QoR Modern Watercolors” included a suggested palette of six QoR paints selected for their own attributes and for their ability to create a spectrum of beautiful saturated colors. This article will first discuss the selection process, and then demonstrate the paints’ mixing potential when organized around an … Read more
Overview: An acrylic “skin” is a dry acrylic film that can be made of paint, medium or a combination of paint and medium, that is not attached to any substrate. While acrylic skins can be made with just about any GOLDEN Acrylic Medium, Gel, Paste or Paint, our Fluid Acrylics work particularly well since the … Read more
Plaster has been decorated with paint since its earliest known usage back in 7500 B.C. Jordan. The rather simple mixture of lime powder, crushed limestone and water was used to achieve smooth walls for interior wall decoration. Ancient Egyptian builders employed calcined (heated) gypsum into their plaster, which improved the functional use. The duel use … Read more
It’s been a problem for a very long time. At least according to the historical record. Blotchiness. Sinking in. Dead spots. For oil painters these are well known terms, conjuring up images of skin disease as much as painted surfaces, but whatever words are used the implication is clear – it’s an undesirable nuisance; a loathsome … Read more
Oil painters concerned with fat over lean will often turn to information about the oil absorption values for particular pigments as a way to compare how oily or lean certain colors might be. However this has led to many misconceptions and outrightly wrong conclusions which seem to persist in various forums and articles. In what follows … Read more
We are surrounded by units of measure we rarely give a second thought to; common scales and rulers that parcel out the world in units of ounces and inches, meters and miles. But alongside these are others we rarely use, or could easily explain in any precise way, such as centipoise and mols, decibels and … Read more