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In an Interview with Mark Golden, Meet Ellen Lyon, Our Newest Materials & Application Specialist at GOLDEN

Mark Golden  I am joined today with Ellen, the newest member of our Materials & Application Specialist team here at Golden Artist Colors. These conversations have become one of my favorite parts of Just Paint because they allow our community to meet the exceptional people behind the materials they trust every day. Our Materials & ... Read more

Limited Palettes: A Color Mixing Approach

Introduction A limited palette is a color mixing approach that could benefit your studio practice. It is an effective way to simplify mixing for beginners and provide a challenge for experienced artists who find themselves reaching for the same colors repeatedly. Color mixing can be overwhelming, especially with the wide range of colors offered by ... Read more

Compatibility in GOLDEN Products – what do we recommend?

At Golden Artist Colors we have a team of Materials and Application Specialists who are central to education and developing our product recommendations based on testing and research. As part of our commitment to being a generous resource for artists, this team is available to the public to assist with any materials or application questions ... Read more

Preparing Stretched Linen with Acrylic Gesso

Linen is a beautiful material that some artists prefer over cotton canvas for its pronounced weave and sensuous feel. Linen fibers are also stronger than cotton, resulting in a more durable, longer lasting support. While they are durable and rugged, flax fibers absorb moisture from the environment, or an applied product, more quickly than cotton, ... Read more

Creating a Water-based Fixative for PanPastel

In a previous JustPaint article, we explored the effectiveness of several commonly used spray fixatives to secure PanPastel artwork. Only one was non-aerosol, the SpectraFix Degas, which contains water and alcohol instead of solvents and propellants. This fixative uses a pump-sprayer called the Flairosol, and although this sprayer works quite well, it loses pressure when ... Read more

5 Small Habits to Keep Your Paint Tubes in Top Shape

(Or, how to keep your tubes from turning into tiny, paint-filled fossils)    Let’s be honest—during the heat of painting, “tube maintenance” isn’t high on anyone’s list. We’re more likely to lose the cap than to carefully twist it shut. But once the flurry of creation settles, taking a few minutes to give your paints ... Read more

Making Acrylic Paints from Pigment Powders

Being able to make paint from pigment powder is empowering and opens up possibilities. While the steps are straightforward, one might have to experiment for a while to get to a formulation that works for a specific application. In this article we provide a general recipe for making acrylic paints from scratch. Please keep in ... Read more

Lightfast Testing Results for QoR Artist Watercolors Introduced in 2024

New pigmented QoR Watercolors New Iridescent and Interference QoR Watercolors GOLDEN introduced new colors to QoR Watercolors in February of 2024, six months after this article about our lightfast testing of the entire QoR watercolor line. The newest colors were not included in the article since the paints were not yet available to artists. We tested ... Read more

Meet Artist Gordon Millsaps – Materials & Applications Specialist at Golden Artist Colors

Mark Golden: Gordon, thank you so much for allowing me to explore your story and share it with our artist community. As our newest Materials and Applications Specialist, I’m sure they will get to know you and certainly appreciate your expertise, so thank you for this opportunity. Gordon Millsaps: Thanks for showing interest. Mark: You ... Read more

Spray Fixatives for PanPastel

A pastel painting radiates color from a matte pigment-rich surface. This distinctive medium is also incredibly fragile, so pastel works are typically displayed behind glass. Fixative coatings provide stabilization, keeping the delicate dry pigment particles from falling off the surface and landing on the glass or frame. We often receive questions from artists regarding fixatives ... Read more

How to Test for Lightfastness

Golden Artist Colors, Inc. January 1, 1995 No Comments

Artists, photographers, printers and other users of colored materials need to be familiar with how lightfast the elements of their work are. Some materials can be exposed to strong light for decades without showing a visible color change. Others may start to change within a year. For paints, particularly oils

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Introduction to Varnishing

Golden Artist Colors, Inc. January 1, 1995 1 Comment

EDITOR’S NOTE (4/26/23): Please note that Polymer Varnish has been discontinued and replaced with Gloss Waterborne Varnish. You can read more about it here. The application of varnishes is a topic which generates frequent questions. This is a complex issue which does not always lend itself to easy solutions because

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