There is no one type or brand of paints that a given artist uses. Some grind their own
pigments (such as painters using the traditional egg tempera technique), use cheap
off-the-shelf generics to create temprorary work, swim in poster paints that kindergarten kids
use (and often wear), use the more expensive brands like Liquitex and Golden, favour
economical varieties (also known as student) paints), and any variation that can be imagined.
For me as a starving artist, economy is essential. Paintings are
substantial investments and
as you would expect when buying a fine pino noir wine or a Corvette, you have every right
to expect that quality materials were used, and as close to perfection in the application
of ingredients and workmanship as humanly possible.
There are many types of paint: principally, I use acrylic paint. Acrylics were first
first invented in the 1940s, and developed for artist use
by an Ohio company Permanent Pigments in 1955. Acrylics are made with a liquified acrylic
polymer resin (a plastic) and pigment emulsified in water. They work and look like oil paint,
but are typically less toxic, they dry and cure much more quickly, and since acrylic
cures as essentially a plastic, present a
durable, long-lasting, waterproof finish. Other paints that I use occasionally are:
There are many considerations in the quality of paints. Lightfastness is extremely
important for artists and art lovers alike.
Lightfastnest of a colour is a measure of its permanence, saying
The lightfastness rating indicates the resistance a colour hue has to change when
exposed to light. Colors can lighten, fade, darken or turn grayer. Paint with poor
lightfastness qualities may create an entirely different painting in time, generally not
something you would want. Who wants a Dorian Gray when you
purchased a Dorian Red? Pardon that ... forgive me Mr. Wilde.
The systems used for lightfastness ratings of a paint and printed on the label depends
on who manufactures them and the rating system used. There are many systems used (
manufacturers' in-house systems are common). Two examples of international systems are the
American Standard Test Measure (ASTM) and the British Blue Wool systems.
The ASTM gives ratings from I to V:
Yellows
Paints and paint properties
I do not endorse one brand or another. To each their own ... to each undertaking,
whatever works ...
The quality of being paint
Lightfastness
"The red stays the same red the day I bought this work and with luck, my descendants
can admire that same red too."
Cadmium Yellow Light Hue, lightfastness II**
Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue, lightfastness I***
Oranges
Cadmium Orange Hue, lightfasteness I
Cadmium Red Light Hue, lightfasteness I***
Portrait Tone, lightfasteness I***
Earth colours
Yellow Ochre, lightfasteness I
Raw Sienna, lightfasteness I
Burnt Sienna, lightfasteness I***
Red Oxide, lightfasteness I***
Raw Umber, lightfasteness I****
Burnt Umber, lightfasteness I
Reds
Cadmium Red Medium Hue, lightfasteness I***
Cadmium Red Deep Hue, lightfasteness I***
Alizarin Crimson Hue Permanent, lightfasteness I***
ACRA Magneta, lightfasteness I***
Purples
Deep Violet, lightfasteness II**
Dioxazine Violet, lightfasteness I****
Blues
Indigo, lightfasteness II**
Cerulean Blue Hue, lightfasteness I****
Cobalt Blue Hue, lightfasteness I
Ultramarine Blue, lightfasteness I
Pthalocyanine Blue, lightfasteness I***
Greens
Deep Green, Permanent, lightfasteness I***
Light Green, Permanent, lightfasteness I***
Hooker's Green, lightfasteness I***
Grays, Whites and Blacks
Neutral Gray, Value 5, lightfasteness I***
Titanium White, lightfasteness I***
Carbon Black, lightfasteness I***
Contact Douglas Laing and sons Arts & Letters for further information.
P.O. Box 659, Winchester, Ontario. K0C 2K0 613-774-5180
e-mail
© 2012 Douglas Laing