The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently published its final decision that Cadmium pigments will not be restricted in artist paints. You can read the entire document here: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=8530&lang=en In two previous issues of Just Paint we shared information concerning the possibility of Cadmium pigments being banned in artist paints. Just Paint Issue 4 (October 1996) … Read more
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Archive | Oils
From the earliest times, the darkest shades of natural brown earths, known as Umbers, have been a part of the artists’ palette. Ranging in tones from the greener Raw Umbers, which produce a range of neutrals when mixed with white, to the warmer, dark chocolate notes of Burnt Umbers, which create tans and tawny beiges … Read more
Changes are difficult. As much as you want decisions to be based on facts and facts alone, there is still a wrestling that can happen. Paints, and especially color, escape being easily tied down to just quantifiable clean choices. Rather, one can be caught having to choose between love and lightfastness, between beauty and … 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
“Do you like oil paint?” It’s a seemingly, almost deceptively simple question, and one that I use at the start of almost every Williamsburg lecture and demo. It’s adapted from an anecdote in The Writing Life by Annie Dillard, where a young student, wanting to know if they could become a writer, is asked: “do … Read more
Williamsburg Handmade Oils announces the release of five Special Edition colors that continue to expand the range and options for oil painters. As mentioned previously in this edition of Just Paint, Williamsburg is proud to have one of the broadest variations of pigment grinds available in artist oil paints. This allows artists to determine what … Read more
A tube of paint is opened, pressure is applied, material comes out and it just works. It is this consistent function of a product that allows artists to focus on larger issues such as what to paint and how to achieve it. As both an artist and a Formulator, I am still amazed every time … Read more
The recent introduction of QoR®, our new and original take on watercolors, gave us the opportunity to broaden the range of techniques and applications possible with a companion line of Mediums and Grounds. QoR Grounds greatly expand the breadth of surfaces that can accept watercolor paint and provide the freedom to create original surfaces by … Read more
From the very beginning, oil painters have used mediums to extend, modify, tweak and transform their paint in one way or another. These have run the gamut from the simple use of solvents when creating an initial wash to much more complex concoctions and recipes that involve the blending of various oils, resins, balsams, and … Read more
Recently we set about testing a variety of solutions for what has been a constant problem: preventing a can of paint from forming a skin, especially when stored for months or even years at a time. Plastic wrap pressed against the surface definitely worked, but also created a mess when being removed, while anti-skinning sprays … Read more