Introduction This article is a companion piece to Zinc Oxide – Warnings Cautions and Best Practices, published in our print newsletter, Just Paint, Issue 35, as well as our FAQs Concerning Zinc Oxide (PW 4) in Oil Paints From the start zinc oxide has lived a double life – at turns celebrated and shunned, loathed and loved. On … Read more
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FAQs Concerning Zinc Oxide (PW 4) in Oil Paints PDF version: Zinc Oxide FAQ INDEX Zinc Oxide’s Use in the Past When did artists start using Zinc White? Why was Zinc used? What did it offer? Are older paintings containing Zinc Oxide falling apart? Why do some older paintings still look good? How Does Zinc Oxide … Read more
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors is excited to introduce seven new colors to its line-up: three warm, highly saturated hues, three transparent earth colors and a light color tint. Bismuth Vanadate Yellow, Pyrrole Orange, Pyrrole Red, Nickel Azo Yellow, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, Transparent Red Iron Oxide and Titan Buff all have ASTM lightfastness ratings of … Read more
You may have noticed the letters “C.P.” preceding the names of our GOLDEN Acrylic Cadmium colors, or come across “(CC)” as part of the cadmium pigment listing found on the back of labels and in pigment ID charts. And…you may have wondered what they mean. This has been a common question over the years and so … Read more
While we often report on results from lightfastness testing, we have rarely paused to actually describe the process we follow. And let’s face it, for most people stating that our tests conform to ASTM D4303, Standard Test Methods for Lightfastness of Colorants Used in Artists’ Materials, does very little to fill in the blanks. In an attempt to solve … Read more
Dark yellowing is the reversible, temporary yellowing that dried oil paint undergoes when stored in the dark or subdued lighting. While noted in many historical writings, most painters remain unaware of it and become surprised or concerned when they discover it happening to their own works. Which makes sense. With no other context to go … Read more
It’s summertime and Munsell is in the air. Or at least it seems that way, given the increasing number of requests for various Munsell notations that have recently come our way. And if you happen to be new to Munsell, a widely used standard for classifying colors since its debut in 1905, not to worry – there is … Read more
Editor’s Note: Added April 26, 2022 For some time, our recommendation for artists using oils over acrylic has been to work over harder, matte acrylic surfaces and avoid working on softer gels and gloss products. Our intention was to optimize the level of adhesion that would be achieved on a toothier surface as well as … Read more
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
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
