WHAT?II. What’s in paint?B) Binders Are you not amazed at the difference between these two paintings by Andrew Wyeth? Same talent, same subject, virtually the same angle, but the one on the left is painted with tempera on masonite and the other with watercolour on paper. The density of the board, the finesse of the…
Author: stillatthecentre
My passion for the moment is centered on art materials.... who does what, how well they do what they do and what goes into all these adult lollies in which you can indulge without putting on the slightest weight! I also enjoy meeting artists who have a special way of using their materials... travelling around the world and meeting all these creative and dedicated human beings.
Binders in order of appearance
WHAT?II. What’s in paint?B) Binders After this cycling detour, let’s go back to the beginning… oil will have to wait for quite a few centuries (millennia, to be fair) and have a look at binders in order of appearance.In most cases, it is hard to trace thousands of years back which binders have been used……
My introduction to binders
WHAT?II. What’s in paint?B) Binders Binder, when I first heard the word, was only evocative of books… something (thread + glue + leather embossed in gold?) that would efficiently keep the words tight, the folios in their intended order, the story making sense of this crazy world, perhaps. Could there be an analogy with binders…
Supports
WHAT?II. What’s in paint? You might be surprised that I include supports in our paint ingredients and as the very first one, too, but I have good reasons. This is where it all begins… and, in the end, not only will it have become part and parcel of your artwork but an integral part of…
The basic recipe
WHAT?II. What’s in paint? Despite all these superlatives, paint is, in fact, a rather simple material. (And yes, although I understand perfectly well that it’s a multi-ingredient affair, it still feels to me as if it’s the one material in the end… do you feel the same way?) You need a pigment or two or…
Is there a possible definition?
WHAT?I. What is paint? All of this said, can there even be a definition of paint? “Paint: A coloured substance which is spread over a surface and dries to leave a thin decorative or protective coating.” The Oxford Dictionary, obviously, has only been to the hardware store! You would hardly think of a Singer Sargent…
Paint is a concept
WHAT?I. What is paint? Paint is a concept, but surely you were all aware of that.In a hardware store, you might ask for paint for this or that. You are simply trying to find the best one for the support you have in mind to colour. In an art store, there might be some restrictions as to…
Why Me?
WHY? Sometimes I go to my store on a Sunday. The curtains are drawn, the place is cut off from the world, its hustle and bustle, of course, but too its smells. After just a few hours of confinement, all the artists’ ingredients, paints and mediums get a chance to exude their very own subtle…
Why Paint?
for all those I lovefor Vianney“something resiny, earthlike, and fragrant” Mine is the oldest profession in the world, and, dare I add, I’m not only good at the job, but it also gives me enormous pleasure. Now, don’t you grin as you might be confusing a painted woman, which was one of low morals (a…
Hues in Tubes (the book)
Dear community of colour lovers, makers, worshipers, whisperers and other multi-hued wizards… I have decided to put online my whole book about Paint (eight years of research and ninety thousand words!)I feel Hues in Tubes is done and interesting (Pigments! Binders! Paint making! History! Science! Art!… in short, just about everything of importance) and worthy…
in bed with mona lisa 