WHYEVER? Hues in Tubes… and how they made a name for themselves I mixed on a glass palette, colours that went beyond Windsor and Isaac Newton—nameless colours…Derek Jarman, Chroma At last, and whatever the binder we have chosen… we… have… PAINT! We could use it all now, if we were greedy, but perhaps not that exciting…
Should I, before we get sidetracked, state the obvious?
WHYEVER?Hues in Tubes… and how they made a name for themselves Should I, before we get sidetracked, state the obvious? Never a great idea but the title of this book being what it is, I must at least clarify that there were many centuries in which, obviously, hues were not in tubes. For that to…
The impact of Binders on Pigments
HOW? Materials dictate their terms and conditions. You (unfortunately, perhaps) might not be aware of having ticked “I agree” to a 24-page document when you decided to play with a new binder, but in truth… You have! And it will let you know soon enough. It certainly did so to some poor pigments who had…
Paintmaking
HOW? At last (and thanks for your patience)… Paintmaking!! Whether you buy your pigments in an art store or produce them yourself, making paint by hand is definitely an option, especially with certain binders, and, in my opinion, one of the most satisfying steps is actually pre-mixing your pigments. As the title of a good…
Pigment Making
HOW? I feel like admitting right now that, although I researched this HOW? section as thoroughly as I did my whole book, I personally am no pigment or paintmaker… Yes, of course, I’ve tried my hand at both, but compared to some out there who have made that, if not their whole life, at least…
Some pigments are powerful, some are weak
WHICH?PIgment Characteristics Finally, some pigments are powerful, and some are weak and having said that, I’ve said it all. Unlike the total neophyte I was at the time, she who went to her first oil painting class with a mishmash of damaged tubes and samples given to her by reps (I had no intention of…
Some pigments are coarse and gritty, some are fine and silky
WHICH?Pigment Characteristics What makes a good paint is very subjective. It has to please first the colourman making it. Secondly, the artist using it. It’s a bit like food… the chef might like it, and the client not. Or the client might find it perfectly delicious while the chef is, in fact, a bit disappointed…
Some pigments are opaque, some are transparent
WHICH?Pigment Characteristics Where goes the white when melts the snow?Shakespeare (perhaps) A long time ago, I read that titanium dioxide is entirely transparent. Only when ground, as the crystals get smaller and light scattering becomes more intense, slowly but surely do we begin to ‘see’ the pigment as white, until… we don’t! Keep grinding titanium…
Some pigments are glossy, some are matt
WHICH?PIgment Characteristics “Might’nt shiny black and matt black have different colour names?” mused Ludwig Wittgenstein in his Remarks on Colour. (But they do, dear Ludwig… just check above image!) And yet, open jar after jar of dry pigment and see for yourselves. As luscious as they are, all of them are totally matt. For sure,…
Some pigments are clean, some are… dirty? muddy?
WHICH?Pigment Characteristics Well, actually, forget just for this once my comparison to school kids… paint can be dirty business, yes! But pigments? Pigments are always clean. Of course, Colour is discussed here, but the confusion exists. When painters and paintmakers talk of a “clean” colour, they usually refer to the fact that it hasn’t been…
in bed with mona lisa 