Turquoise PB16 (Pigment Blue 16)

A few months ago I purchased a few of the German Lukas paints to try. I had read some good reports about them and  they are very well priced, although the standard tube size, a large 24ml, might put some artists off - but they also have pans.  Great Art are currently running a `special' on the pans. With quality watercolour paints now excruciatingly expensive, a more economical alternative is welcome.  This is the price situation with Lukas in Europe but prices may be higher elsewhere, certainly in Australia, according to my friend John Softly.  I did cover the Lukas range in general recently (January 2013) so if interested you might  refer to that. There are certainly colours worth buying as you can mix paints from several manufacturers whatever may be said to the contrary.

 PB16 is one of the phthalocyanine pigments epitomised by the popular PB15, which appears in all ranges and comes in several versions. PB16 is described by Handprint as "a lightfast, transparent, heavily staining pigment, moderately dark to very dark valued".  Bruce also rates it as a `Top Forty' pigment.  It has been slowly gaining popularity and is available from seven manufacturers. Winsor & Newton call it `Phthalo Turquoise', Maimeri `Turquoise Green', Lukas `Turquoise', Old Holland `Caribbean Blue', Schminke `Helio Turquoise' , Holbein `Marine Blue' and Da Vinci `Phthalo Turquoise'. When Winsor & Newton introduced it Bruce McEvoy said Daniel Smith were sure to follow. So far they haven't but do have the superb Cobalt Teal Blue (PG50) which many prefer. A criticism of the Phalo pigments is that they are heavily staining and the colours can appear harsh and unnatural. On the plus side they are very lightfast and transparent. I used to think the colours were harsh but have changed my mind somewhat. They are also excellent for mixing with several other paints

The top left and middle paint are both PB16, the Lukas and Maimeri versions. I don't see much difference, the Maimeri perhaps slightly darker but that may be down to my mixing not the paint. For comparison purposes I have added the Maimeri  Primary Blue Cyan PB15:3  (Green Shade) which looks very similar and is the PB15 version most often offered. When you do swatches like this it does make one think and perhaps alter the existing perceptions you have. For example is there any point in not just having the PB15:3? Incidentally Lukas have several versions of PB15  (PB15:1 to PB15:6) in different blues as well as PB16.  Names vary with Phalo Blue, Cyan Blue as examples. I recommend always check pigments numbers and don't be seduced by names.

I gave both Yvonne Harry and Jan Weeks of Avon Valley Artists blobs of the Lukas colour to try. Yvonne liked it but is resisting buying any more colours as she has so many, and dreads me coming along - again - saying try this one! Jan much prefers Cobalt Teal Blue from Daniel Smith. I think there is room for both as the shades are distinct but certainly only in an extended palette of 20 plus colours. Look however at the W & N Cobalt Turquoise and compare it to the Daniel Smith Cobalt Teal Blue.

Just out of interest I have included a swatch of Rowney Cobalt Magenta (PV14) more for my friend John as anything else. He has been trying to find one that suits him and appears to be settling on the Graham version. John has tried Rowney, but his is the old version called Cobalt Violet while that above is from the current Rowney range. It granulates beautifully, although a rather weak colour which is a feature of PV14. I did have some little trouble with it which I related in the piece I wrote on the problems with the Graham Mineral Violet PV16  (October 2012 Problem Pigments). Compared to most other PV14 paints the Rowney and Lukas are the most economical price wise, but they are not consistent across makes, as a swatch John put on Wetcanvas of  several PV14s showed  a wide variation.

The compliment to PB16 Turquoise is orange, Handprint say Perinone Orange (PO43). I think it  great with the Schminke Transparent Orange or Lukas Permanent Orange, both PO71. 

Lukas is available from Atlantis Art in London who do mail order www.atlantisart.co.uk/ but the website  seems well out of date, Great Art www.greatart.co.uk/ and W.E Lawrence www.lawrence.co.uk/. In the USA and Canada it appears Jerry's Artarama www.lukasamerica.com/ have the franchise  If anyone has any information to add to the above or  other comments I'd be pleased to hear them.

Daniel Smith Pt.3

Following up the previous posts on Daniel Smith the question arises are they worth the extra premium UK  and European buyers have to pay? I say this because prices in the USA are lower and in addition DS, through their retail shops and internet site, have regular special offers - lots of them in fact. If we had  similar offers then I'd not hesitate to say yes, although I like Graham and have not tried DaVinci, both highly rated by American artists. What we shouldn't lose sight of is that we have several very good manufacturers in Europe who have been making watercolour paints for a very long time, much longer in fact, and comparing quality and price there is a very good case for sticking to them, certainly on many of the standard colours.  Winsor & Newton, still and for  many years the top rated watercolours by many professional artists, are much more competitive in price here than in North America, where I sense they are losing out to the American makes. At the beginning of this year the new much higher prices for W & N made Daniel Smith  more competitive but almost immediately discounted offers appeared. Perhaps W & N realised the threat these new paints posed which they certainly do.

Previously I have noted that the DS range is split into three or four groups. The standard colours, those that follow most other makes, comprise the biggest number - 100 plus. Standard but still including some unique colours not duplicated elsewhere. The remainder include the Primateks, Duochrome and Iridescent paints. These two latter are for specialist purposes and most watercolourists would stick to the standard colours. What about the Primateks? Here I urge you to carefully  read what Bruce McEvoy of Handprint writes in a very comprehensive review  www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/primatek.html  Essentially Daniel Smith has been gathering mineral pigments from mines all over the World. They don't have pigment numbers and are expensive. 

Here is a further selection of colour swatches. I have added pigment details and will add them to the previous posts. You will note that in many instances the pigments are those in common use by the other makers.

Cobalt Blue Violet  (PV19/PB28)

Duochrome Autumn Mystery

Cobalt Teal Blue (PG50)

Garnet Genuine 

German Greenish Raw Umber (Pbr7)

Green Apatite Genuine

Lunar Blue (PBk11/PB15)

Serpentine Genuine

Undersea Green (PB29/PO49)

Hansa Yellow Medium (PY97)

Quinacridone Sienna (PO49/PR209)

Quinacridone Rose (PV19)

I could go on forever - well almost - but with the other illustrations in Pt. 1 & 2 you should have a good idea of what is available. I am personally intrigued by the number of granulating paints offered. Rui who comments on here is fulsome in his praise of the Lunar colours for their granulation properties and I intend to try some other than black which I already have.  Jan Weeks love Serpentine Green, Moonglow and Cascade Green. Rui likes them  but says you need to be careful what you mix Cascade Green with.  German Greenish Raw Umber is another favourite.

A good source of individual pigment details is; www.premiumartbrands.com/products/watercolour-tubes-15m/  For the complete range try www.danielsmith.com/item--i-G-284-600 If you print this off it runs to 19 pages! The Daniel Smith website, which is a selling site with various other brands and products is: www.danielsmith.com/ There is a mass of information including `peeks' at some DVD instructional videos they sell. In addition if you go onto Youtube `videos',and type in `Daniel Smith Watercolors' you'll get a mass of promotional videos with lots of information. In the USA the wonderful Dick Blick site has very good pigment details, although each colour has to be looked at individually.

Finally quality versus price? Are Daniel Smith watercolours worth the extra premium we are charged in the UK and Europe? As things stand Daniel Smith are the most expensive watercolours in the UK. Winsor & Newton are cheaper, certainly while the special offers continue. It isn't straightforward to compare them as the number of price categories vary manufacturer by manufacturer. Daniel Smith, Holbein and Old Holland have six, Sennelier five, Maimeri, Winsor & Newton, Bloxx, Schminke four while Daler Rowney and Rembrandt only three, although in reality Daler Rowney have only two prices as has Lukas.  Graham and DaVinci are only available from one source, Lawrence of Hove who have a fixed carriage charge on top of the prices but they do offer 20% off for 6 or more tubes. This is further complicated in that manufacturers don't all sing from the same song sheet. Apart from basic colours like the earths, usually in the cheapest category, other colour ratings vary from one make to another. In order to get an accurate picture you must compare them not just by colour, which can confuse, but more accurately by pigment numbers. Some manufacturers Winsor & Newton, Lukas, Sennelier, DaVinci and Rembrandt offer larger tube sizes that are cheaper per ml. This is another factor although personally I think W & N would have been far better with a 21ml or 24ml large size rather than 37ml. The further I get into this the more complicated it becomes so I'll leave it at that and may return to the subject at a later date. 

So are Daniel Smith paints worth the cost? Are they better than the paints from say Winsor & Newton or some of the others listed? They are good but so are most of the other artists quality makes and in the end it comes down to the depth of your pocket and personal preferences. For the average watercolour painter probably not, but they do have a whole range of wonderful, often unique, colours  so I shall continue to buy them, although selectively. For impulse buyers like me they are very seductive. As for the other makes Daler Rowney, Lukas, Rembrandt and Maimeri are very well priced and offer good quality with a choice of around 70 colours. 

Indanthrone Blue - Pigment Blue 60 (PB60)

Indanthrone Blue PB60, one of the least known or popular blues is the darkest valued pigment available next to Black Pbk6. There have been suggestions it is gaining more supporters and certainly all the main manufacturers include it in their ranges. The main criticism is that it is dull. It can also dry much lighter, up to 50% according to Handprint.

Click to Enlarge

With these swatches for comparison purposes I have mixed in two versions of Indigo and for further contrast French Ultramarine and Ivory Black. Originally I planned to do a piece purely on Indigo brought on by my recent purchase of the Daniel Smith version, which I like very much. Indigo isn't a staple of many artists's palettes - the late John Lidzey apart www.johnlidzey.co.uk  - and can be mixed quite easily by adding black to one of several blues. I decided to major on Indanthrone Blue instead but include Indigo as the colours can be very similar.

The first swatch is DS Indigo followed by the Maimeri Faience Blue which is PB60. Once again we have manufacturers identifying their paints by a different selection of names. All the more important to have a basic understanding of pigments and select paints by this means rather than colours. Some mixed convenience colours are very popular but that's another story. Next is the Maimeri Indigo, a mixture of PB27 Prussian Blue and Pbk7 Black. This is a very nice paint that leans towards green in undertone. The Schminke PB60 Delft Blue is very dark and I don't like it  at all with last of this group the Rowney PB60 Indanthrene Blue. The Rowney version is quite bluish in tone, noticeably more so than Maimeri. For comparison purposes at lower right are swatches of Rowney French Ultramarine PB29 and Maimeri Ivory Black Pbk9. I'll get to those at the extreme right later. Pbk9 Ivory Black is considered by Handprint a `Top Forty' pigment but there are several other blacks ranging from Pbk6 up to Pbk31 Perylene Black. Look at the Handprint Guide to Pigments if you are interested in digging deeper. http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/waterfs.html
What mixtures do we have in the various versions of Indigo? Phalo Blue PB15 (which version?) seems to feature quite often, in the case of Rowney a PB15/Pbk7/PV19 mix, blue, black and red. Winsor & Newton is a similar mix while Schminke is PB15:1/PB66, Sennelier PB15/Pbk7 and Rembrandt PB15/Pbk6. I would say, just a suggestion, that if you like Indigo either mix it yourself by adding black to a dark blue OR stick to either Daniel Smith or Maimeri. Others may disagree having tried some of the other manufacturers paints. This assumes you have black in your palette which most artists don't, having been told (incorrectly) that black much like Paynes Grey, is a colour to avoid. Did you know that black was once regarded as `The Prince of Colours' by the old masters?  It may be better to stick to Indanthrone Blue or in a limited palette leave it out altogether in favour of Ultramarine.

The best compliments to Indanthrone Blue are deep yellows like Raw Umber, Raw Sienna (both PBr7), Gold Ochre (W & N PY42), Quinacridone Orange (PO48) and Gold (PO49). There are several others. For more suggestions see http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/mixtable.html .

I mentioned the three swatches on the far right. They are nothing to do with this topic but for the interested I'll explain what they are. Daniel Smith do a very nice paint called Rose of Ultramarine. Yvonne Harry has bought it and likes the colour very much. It has been mentioned by contributors on Wetcanvas. Curious I looked it up and found it was a mixture of PB29 Ultramarine and PV19 Quinacridone Rose. The first two swatches from the left are  attempts at matching it and the middle colour is very similar, a sort of mulberry shade. Forget the one on the extreme right I think I mixed in Perylene Maroon (PR179) by mistake OR it may have been the violet shade of PV19 from Rowney.  Comments (or corrections) welcome.

The Butt & Oyster

I posted a feature on my visit to Pin Mill in July. After reviewing the photographs  I took, some of which are featured in that article, I decided the two main subjects of interest were the famous Butt & Oyster and the Thames barges. There are other ways of looking at it as there are some glorious panoramic views but unfortunately not my strong point. In the end I decided to concentrate on the Butt & Oyster and cropped one photograph to maximise the pub.This is the result and here it is warts and all as finished. Should I have ignored the fence?

The Butt & Oyster Waterford 18" x 14" not

Greens were mixed from various combinations of yellow and blue except where Hookers Green was utilised, adulterated with touches of Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber to try and make it more natural looking. Only two brushes Rosemary Series 33 Kolinsky Nos 6 and 9. The roof of the pub was a combination of Cadmium Red Pale (Rowney), Cerulean Blue (W & N ), Avignon Orange (Maimeri PR206) and Burnt Umber. The walls are a mixture of Raw Sienna and Gold Ochre (W & N PY42). All colours mixed on the paper. Small touches of other colours like Viridian on the canopy to the right. Darks are usually Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna or Burnt Umber.

Plein Air

Last Saturday 23 July I painted in the garden at Pats house at Bitton.  This has been an annual event for several years, often twice during the Summer, but sadly this is the last occasion as Pat, who is quite elderly, is selling the house and moving to a much smaller property. We get coffee and biscuits on arrival and tea and cake after we have finished! I shall miss these occasions. 

Alan Coster painting last Saturday.

Alan has known Pat for many years and previously arranged similar outings at her former home which was a large converted farmhouse. It is actually arranged for members of Hanham Art Club, but I was once  a member and get invited because Alan and I also belong to the Avon Valley Artists. Alan is recovering from a serious knee operation and this was  only his second  time painting in nearly three months. 

On this occasion I decided to paint a small section around a window at the rear, having previously done mainly front views.

Window and Pots. Fabriano Artistico 18" x 12" Not

I used mainly two brushes Escoda series 1214 retractable Kolinsky-Tajmyr  sables sizes 12 and 8. Colours for the walls included Gold Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna and greys mixed from Cyan Blue and Cadmium Orange (both Maimeri). Although the walls look grey there are many subtle colours and representing them is a challenge. Gold Ochre for the window surrounds and various mixes to achieve a wide range of greens. Hookers Green (Maimeri) was used as a base, adulterated with other colours like Burnt Sienna and  Avignon Orange (Maimeri PR206). Faience Blue (Maimeri PB60) was used to darken the greens and Green Gold (Rowney PY129) to get a lighter yellow-green. Probably some Ultramarine in there somewhere and also touches of Ultramarine Violet (Rowney PV15). Take care with Gold Ochre (W & N PY42) as it is on the opaque side and used full strength is very powerful. A lovely rich colour nevertheless.

Wildflowers (and Fruit)

Being very discontented with my last offering I followed my normal procedure and instead of sulking pressed ahead with another painting. There are some wonderful wild flowers in a large open meadow, part of the Community wood, near my home. Last week I collected some intending to paint them, but fate intervened in that my youngest grandson was unwell so grandparenting duties intervened.  Fortunately he has recovered but by then the flowers were dead! I determined to have another shot and there were still plenty of fresh flowers so I collected a bunch yesterday. I'm not sure as to the exact legality by doing this  but I didn't dig them up and none were rarities so ........!

  

Wildflowers with added fruit

I added the fruit as I felt the area around my favourite jug looked a little lonely.

I did the intial drawing with a loose outline to start, erasing some of the marks later and then commenced the drawing proper, avoiding becoming too detailed, with the pink flowers in the centre. Once completed I started painting those same pink flowers.

 

Wildflowers & Fruit. Fabriano Artistico 90lb Not 15" x 11"

As you will note I painted on 90lb Fabriano and find this weight perfectly satisfactory for my sort of painting with no large washes. Colours used were Permanent Rose and Opera Rose (both W & N) for the pink flowers. As they had a violet tinge, particularly in the shadows I added Ultramarine Violet (Rowney PV15). Yellows are mainly Hansa Yellow Medium (Daniel Smith PY97) and a little Indian Yellow (Rowney PY153). Ultramarine Violet was also used for some of the flowers plus Permanent Carmine (W & N PR N/A) with a little Cadmium Orange (Maimeri PO20). The greens were mainly Hookers Green (Maimeri) adulterated with eithers Burnt Sienna or darkened with Faience Blue (Maimeri PB60), Burnt Umber also. The jug was mostly Cerulean (W & N PB35) with some Ultramarine Violet. On to the fruit with the grapes Perylene Maroon (Rowney PR179), the orange Cadmium Orange and Raw Umber and the apple mainly Permanent Carmine with touches of yellow and green. Raw Sienna in the background.

Brushes used were Rosemary series 33 No 9 and Da Vinci Maestro Size 6.

I'm much happier with this than the previous painting. I intend to do more still lifes incorporating flowers but also studies of fruit and  possibly vegetables. I like the shapes and brilliant colours of peppers. Having been studying Shirley Trevenas work recently and her treatment of fruit, together with that of my guru Charles Reid, I will be striving to improve my treatment of these subjects.

The Eyes Have it!

This was the caption on the photograph below which was on the cover  of the Guardian weekend magazine 26 June. I was so taken by it that I decided to try and paint the subject, who was an Indian gentleman in an article entitled `The People and Portraits of Steve McCurry'.

I initially did a loose drawing, getting it as accurate as I was able and then painted the features beginning with the eyes, nose and mouth. The eyes are a little on the small side I can see that. I then painted his hand and then began the turban just to see how it would look. At that stage I finished for the day, partly to enable me to think about how to proceed with the rest of the painting. I am very conscious that paintings can go wrong at any stage and you always reach a certain point where it either succeeds thereafter or bombs. I was also feeling that I needed an extended break rather than just a few minutes. This was session one.

An Indian gentleman -16" x 12" Fontenay Rough

Looking at the original photograph I was first of all struck by the brilliant red of his turban, followed by the deep brown/sienna colour of his face and the cream of his shirt. I don't aim for a super realistic result, as this is watercolour after all but an almost impressionistic effect, although obviously it has to resemble the subject. I finished the painting the following day in one session, taking regular little breaks to review progress. The whole thing took about two hours.

I painted the features with my Isabey Series 6201 size 6 (Jacksons) and followed up with the Rosemary series 33 size 6.. These two brushes were used for the face. The rest of the painting was completed with my Da Vinci Artissimo 44 No Kolinsky mop, approximately the size of a 14 round.

Colours used for the features were a mixture of Perylene Maroon  (Rowney or Graham PR179), my first real use of this colour, and Faience Blue (Maimeri PB60) added for the darker areas. I also used Quinacridone Rust (Graham PO48) in the lighter areas. The odd touch of Cerulean ( W & N PB35) was added. Touches of Ivory Black (Maimeri PBk9) around the moustache. This was a new approach for me in terms of skin colours.  The turban comprised Cadmium Red Pale (Rowney PR108), Quinacridone Rose & Scarlet (Daniel Smith PV19, PR206 respectively) and  Avignon Orange (Maimeri PR206). Although the Daniel Smith and Maimeri above are both PR206 the colours are quite different. Touches of Faience Blue  were used in the shadow areas, both on the turban and more heavily on the right and left sides of the face. 

The shirt was painted with diluted mixes of Raw Sienna (Maimeri PBr7), some Gold Ochre (W & N PY42), and a little Cerulean. 

I am generally pleased with the final result although I realise, as always , it could be better. Comments welcome.

Quinacridone Gold - Pigment PO49 (2)

As a follow up to my previous post this is the current position. Only one manufacturer of artists  watercolours offers the genuine article - described by the famed Australian watercolourist Robert Wade in his 2002 book, `Robert Wade's Watercolour Workshop Handbook', as "the best thing for years". The sole source of genuine Quinacridone Gold (PO49) is the American company Daniel Smith.

According to Bruce McEvoy of Handprint manufacture of the pigment, a mixed crystal form of PV19 alpha and beta (don't ask me what this means because I don't know!), ceased in 2001.The reason was that the automotive industry, the prime source of demand, dropped it. Pigment volumes for paints is a drop in the ocean compared to that from the automotive, ceramics and chemical industries so  paint makers are at the mercy of the market. They follow demand rather than drive it and get what they can.

Confusion has been caused by Maimeri continuing to put out `Golden Lake' with PO49 Quinacridone listed as the pigment ingredient. Soon after PO49 manufacture ceased Maimeri changed their formulation. Actually the information on both tubes and chip charts was wrong as they said `PV49', and still do although it also says `Quinacridone' which PV49 is not, an error never corrected. When I enquired about this from Maimeri they did not reply but Bruce McEvoy of Handprint has considerably more clout than little me and sent me a copy of an e-mail from them in Italian which nevertheless translated that PO49 had been replaced by PY42 `a similar pigment'. PY42 is a yellow oxide which is widely available from up to 30 producers Worldwide. It varies considerably in colour and tone depending on a number of factors affecting manufacture. The other main source of `true' Quinacridone Gold was Winsor & Newton who ran out of the pigment pretty quickly and have replaced it with a three pigment mix of PR206, PV19 and PY150, all excellent pigments but do not call it a `hue', which it is, and using it for mixing will give a different result.

What then of Daniel Smith? It is assumed they bought up a large consignment of PO49 and this is why they are able to continue to offer it. I shall have to ask my friend Hap, who lives not far from the Daniel Smith headquarters, to see if he can clarify this. How long will stocks last? Hap offered to take me there, should I visit Seattle again, and introduce me to the chief chemist. Much as I'd like to visit Seattle once more our days of long haul flights are more or less finished. Now if I were to win the lottery and could travel first-class things might be different.....

One problem is the price. The Daniel Smith UK price via Jacksons is £9.55 for a 15ml tube. Daniel Smith's website list the price as $10.45 or $9.40 if you buy 12 tubes overall. This is under £6 so once again we in the UK get the short straw. What are the alternatives?

The swatches above show Quinacridone Gold compared with Gold Ochre, Raw Sienna and purely for comparison, a true yellow Azo Yellow. The first three are earth colours but note Gold Ochre. This is the Winsor & Newton version made with PY42, a commonly used pigment, widely available from pigment manufacturers and (apparently) capable of a quite wide colour range. This is a favourite of Bruce McEvoy of Handprint and I think he is onto something. It is shown almost full strength but can be diluted down and is even touted as a possible alternative to Raw Sienna. Is it an alternative to Quinacridone Gold? One big advantage is that it is much cheaper, certainly in the UK and can be purchased from the online suppliers at under £7, much cheaper than the DS paint. In the USA this is reversed with W & N paints amongst the dearest so the DS Quinacridone Gold is a viable purchase but for how long?.

Watercolour Painting on a Budget

Generally speaking  the advice given by nearly all professional artists is to use the best materials. By this they mean Artist Quality paints, 100% cotton papers and Sable or possibly Squirrel brushes. There are exceptions, Ron Ranson being someone who questioned the need to spend the large sums of money necessary to fulfill these recommendations. I suppose they are aiming their advice at either other professionals or serious amateurs but don't - largely - seem to recognize that there is a large - very large - number of hobby painters for whom such materials are either unaffordable or bluntly a waste of money.

As a start what did Ron Ranson paint with before he moved to the USA? With paints he used a limited palette of Winsor & Newton Cotman student quality, Paper was Bockingford, which is made from high quality wood pulp, and brushes comprised a hake and two or three synthetic rounds.

My reading of Ron's approach was to demystify some of the  things surrounding watercolour painting,  one being that you had to spend a fortune on materials. The very finest materials may be beneficial to the talented and experienced artist, who knows how to use them to the best advantage, but is this the case with many amateurs? It is also a fact that quite a few  professional artists paint with either Cotman or a mix of student and artists quality, Bockingford paper and synthetic brushes. The famous British landscape artist Edward Wesson used 140lb Bockingford paper exclusively, then switched to 200lb, which was initially produced specifically for him. He also used, and popularized, such was his influence, what were originally called `French polisher  mops', which I take to be the Isabey range widely used today. Isabey however are not cheap. Various  manufacturers have produced Isabey `equivalents' but in general the original is still thought the best.

Bockingford Tinted 11" x 15" sheet pack

There are some who will tell you not to use Bockingford because it isn't 100% cotton. I also notice on the Ken Bromley website that the artist Trevor Lingard is complaining about recent variable quality, but such complaints are made from time to time about other well-known makes, with claims that quality has deteriorated. Bockingford is available in a wide range of weights and also tinted sheets.

When I first started painting I mostly used the  16" x 12" Bockingford spiral pads. There are several other budget makes, one of the best being Brittania from Hahnemuhle, made from cellulose. I have tried it and thought it fine, especially the rough surface although I wasn't so impressed with the cold pressed. It is very hard sized and so the paint doesn't sink into the paper, remaining bright. I think a lot depends on how you paint. There are others so try them and see how you get on.

I have tried a wide range of papers and have reached a provisional consensus that Saunders Waterford and Fabriano Artistico are my favourites, taking into account cost and quality. I do like Fontenay but the price has suddenly rocketed well out of reach and the Great Art website now talks about it being `handmade'. In any event this is about budget materials so I'll leave it there. According to Ian Sidaway the Daler Rowney Langton is also Bockingford. For the best buy some of the mail order specialists, specifically Jacksons and Ken Bromley, sell special offer packs of Bockingford cut into either half or quarter sheets, 50 or 100, at very keen prices equating to around 30p per sheet for the 11" x 15". Any 100% cotton paper will be more than double that and if you buy blocks even more expensive. Try Bockingford and if you are happy with it why buy anything else? Many professional artists do. I have no knowledge of other budget papers available outside Europe either in Asia or the North American Continent but I'm sure they exist.

Comparison of Cotman Tubed paints (Top three rows) and W & N Artists quality pans (bottom three).

 Can anyone looking at the above say the Cotman results appear seriously inferior? I might add since I did this, several years ago, Cotman has been upgraded and are using better quality pigments, many being exactly the same as the artists range. Another thing we are often told is that it is a false economy to use student quality as the pigment concentration is so much higher in the artist paints. The pigment concentration may well be higher but  this statement is very debatable. A comparison of costs per ml ( Jacksons prices) taking the Series 1 Artists quality price 14ml tube and the 21 ml Cotman gives figures of 48p and 15p respectively. This means that Cotman is less than a third of the cost. Has the artists range three times as much pigment? I think not. Bruce McEvoy of Handprint says actual pigment content in paints varies between 20% to 50%. The differences are variable between different pigments and are not dictated purely by cost. The balance is made up with additives and fillers. A brilliant Chinese artist who uses Cotman paints is Guan Weixing www.guanweixing.com/  Have a look at his wonderful paintings. Michael Wilcox says, in one of his books on colours and pigments, if you wish to economize on paints start with the earth colours.

Where you do tend to lose out is in expensive pigments like the Cadmiums,  Cobalts, Cerulean and Viridian. They are replaced by `Hue' equivalents. In the Cadmiums many manufacturers offer additional  `hue' versions as the toxic and opaque qualities of the true Cadmiums are anaethema to many artists. With blue one of the Phalo Blues or Ultramarine is used with added white to make `hue' equivalents of Cobalt and Cerulean Blue.  Viridian is replaced by a  `hue' version based on Phalo Green. Nothing to stop you buying a few Artist Quality as several good professionals use a mixture of the two. See my post on Paul Weaver, a very fine up and coming Bristol artist www.paulweaverart.co.uk/

I also think two other student quality paints are worth consideration. Van Gogh from Talens (Rembrandt) and Venezia from Maimeri. Maimeri is not easy to get in the UK but Van Gogh can be found with a little searching. Both are available in the USA. In each case, as with Cotman, the range is 40 paints and the same remarks apply regarding the Cadmiums and expensive blues. There may be others but these are the only ones I have experience with. St Petersburg and Shin Han paints come (in my opinion) into a different category - perhaps a halfway house, although both lines have question marks against them, particularly in the use of fugitive pigments, especially St Petersburg, while Shin Han have many multiple pigment paints, with white in quite a number. 

Keynsham Park 16" x 12" Bockingford 140lb Not

This painting was done using Van Gogh paints several years ago. My style was different then or probably more correctly still in a state of flux. Still is to some extent. I think Van Gogh paints are excellent, highly pigmented and a very good budget alternative to the eye wateringly expensive top ranges. Bockingford paper also. I don't present it as a good painting but not a great deal wrong with it. The same comments apply to Van Gogh as Cotman in that you might want to supplement them with a few tubes (or pans) of the expensive blues and/or Cadmiums only sold  in Artists Quality, although in the USA and Canada they are available in Cotman - 10 additional colours in all, slightly more expensive than the normal 40 colours but still very well-priced. Memo to Winsor & Newton. Why not in the UK? No more spurious excuses please.

We now come to brushes and the choice is plain, either animal hair or synthetic. With sable there is a choice of either Kolinsky or Red Sable, the latter generally cheaper. This is simplified because there are several different grades of sable and they vary in quality, depending on gender of the animal, time of year when harvested and also what species the hair comes from. Buy from a well-known source and beware cheap offers of `Kolinsky Sable' brushes. See my post on Rosemary and explore her catalogue online. Red Sable is the budget sable choice and then we move to synthetic/sable mixes. All the leading brushmakers offer a range and they are only slightly more expensive than pure synthetic. Rosemary, Stratford and York and  Pro Arte all make them. The SAA (Society of All Artists) now have a full range of own label brushes and have recently introduced a sable/synthetic. You need to be a member or know someone who is to buy at members prices. Jacksons are gradually increasing their own label brushes and there are some good buys amongst them. I think the Da Vinci Cosmotop Mix B is well worth a look being a mixed hair brush. Rosemary says that both Mongoose and Shiraz are suitable for watercolour. I have a Mongoose fan and it works well for tree  foliage although I don't use it much - perhaps I should. New synthetic brushes are coming onto the market all the time and are getting closer, so we are told, to emulating sable. Certainly some artists prefer the firmer feel of synthetic compared to the softness of sable. Yvonne Harry is one. The Internationally acclaimed Australian artist Robert Wade uses synthetic brushes exclusively, although they are his own signature brand made by Neef.

Paints, paper and brushes are the most expensive materials in painting although you can spend considerable amounts on other items like easels but again the range is vast, both in choice and price. I have previously posted on plein air equipment and admit that I have wasted a lot of money overall  on stuff I use only sparingly, or not at all, so be warned! Unfortunately I'm something of an impulse buyer although I have bought a lot of good stuff  at bargain prices. Art shops and mail order catalogues are full of interesting items but buy only what you really need and don't be seduced by siren voices saying you need this or that, all of which will make you a wonderful painter in a week or two. One tip is to get on the e-mail list of the mail order suppliers who regularly have special offers. When items you use appear buy! If you belong, and it is a good idea, to a local art group buy together to avoid paying carriage charges. I buy for my AVA group and  monitor  special offers.

The same general comments apply to books and dvd's which appear in ever increasing numbers. You can spend a fortune on them if not careful. From the many to choose be selective and buy only those that will be of use, although this is easier said than done. You really have to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Having said all this I will now don sackcloth and ashes and admit I buy (mostly) Kolinsky sables, 100% cotton paper and artists quality paints. I do shop around and buy at the best prices, also special offers which are frequent. For example prior to the January price increase Great Art www.greatart.co.uk/ were offering Fabriano Artistico paper at half price. I bought a shipload. Amongst artists quality paints Daler Rowney are often the best priced. Lukas via Great Art are well priced and so is Maimeri from either Jacksons (only on the website) or Turnham www.artistmaterial.co.uk who are cheaper. With Turnham you have a fixed carriage charge regardless which has to be added. In the UK Winsor & Newton are very well priced and cheaper than the American imports Graham, Daniel Smith and Da Vinci. These latter are all very good but expensive in the UK. Jacksons www.jacksonsart.co.uk offer well-priced own brand paints, made I'm told by Sennelier. And so on. Watercolour painting is an expensive hobby but you can cut corners and work within a limited budget so don't despair. Unfortunately local art shops tend to sell at full price. Some will give a 10% discount to students and members of local art groups. It is a fact that you can save considerable sums of money, at least 20-30% and sometimes up to 50%, buying from the mail order specialists, of which there are an increasing number. Jacksons, Ken Bromley www.artsupplies.co.uk/  and Great Art, all waive carriage charges over a certain amount. Some of the others now seem to be catching on to this. In the USA there are many excellent internet suppliers like Dick Blick, Cheap Joes, ASW, and Jerrys Artarama to name just four. On the continent you obviously have Great Art, who are German, but I don't as yet know of any others. The language barrier is a problem as are carriage charges. I also point out once more that countries outside the EU can order from UK suppliers and the 20% VAT is deductable. Carriage charges will be higher but they will give you a quote and you might be surprised how competitive some of the prices are.

The question of what to buy, especially that between  `best' materials and budget ones never stops. The consensus leans towards the best but as I've said this depends on circumstances. Brilliant paintings have been and are being produced by some very fine artists using cheaper materials.. I think the key thing here is the `very fine'. Their skill enables them to overcome any deficiencies which might be insurmountable to the lesser talented. 

I shall be taking a weeks holiday at Lake Garda in Italy starting tomorrow so no more posts for probably ten days. Comments (and corrections!) welcome. 

Time to Experiment

I decided to chance my arm yesterday and made an experimental painting from the photograph below.

This is down Manor  lane near my home and I went through the gate this morning on my daily walk, down on the edge of the farmers field and into the Community wood. Saw a deer, a doe, she was only about twenty yards away, standing stock still until I walked off.  Since I took the above photograph, some weeks ago, the foliage growth has increased and looking at it from close up it seemed quite different. For one thing the detail in the rear was visible and the darks were not so dark.

 The Gate - 18" x 14" Not Canson Acquarelle.

I decided to experiment and move towards `realistic abstracts' a la Victoria Prischedko - well partially at least. The gate is the key feature and I have used colour in a far more vibrant way than the dullness one gets with greens. Although we are only at the beginning of June the weather here has been so warm and mild that everything is beginning to have a mid-Summer look.

I first made a loose drawing without much detail and then painted using a No.14 Sable brush labelled Simonart. This is one I bought in my early days when I was studying at Mary Shaw's studio by the River Avon. It was from a wholesale catalogue only for professionals. The head is quite large more like a 16 when compared to some other makes and it has a sharp point. The only other place I have seen them on sale was at a framing gallery in Bath.  I should have said I first applied Winsor & Newton masking fluid to the gate, parts of the trees and various other places. After this had dried I splashed paint! The paper is Canson Acquarelle, not one of my normal choices by any means but I just happened to have some. In fact this was painted on the back of another experimental painting that I did at one of my AVA sessions. When I removed the masking tape some of the paper came with it.

The darks were various combinations of Permanent Carmine (W & N PR n/a), Cyan Blue (Maimeri PB15-3), Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. There is some Viridian in there somewhere and I mixed the greens with combinations of Hansa Yellow Medium (Daniel Smith PY97)  and various blues. Gold Ochre (W & N PY43), was used on the tree trunks and parts of the wall and touches of Ultramarine Violet (Rowney PV15). Greys were mostly a mix of Cyan Blue and Cadmium Orange (Maimeri PO20). I think there are touches of Raw Umber and Raw Sienna as well. Comments welcome.

Tim Hetherington

Tim Hetherington was a famous war photographer and journalist. I say was because, sadly, he was killed in Libya by a mortar bomb on 20th April. He was also a filmmaker and one of his recent documentaries `Restrepo', about a US Army platoon in an especially dangerous area of Afghanistan, won awards.If you wish to learn more about him go to www.timhetherington.com/

Tim Hetherington

I happened to pick up this magazine when at my sisters recently. It struck me as a very evocative study which epitomizes the strain, pressures and danger that war correspondents/photographers, who do these dangerous jobs, are under.

 This was my setup in my study - a converted bedroom

I first of all I made a loose drawing,  as accurate as possible, with the help of a ruler. I did get the Variscaler out but didn't use it. This was to get the proportions right. I do portraits without them and am getting better at doing so but every little helps!

Stage 1 Eyes and Nose

As usual I started with the main features first, beginning as always with the eyes followed by the nose. My brush was the Isabey No 6 retractable. This brush, of which Jacksons sell two sizes ( I think that's all Isabey make), is very slim and pointed, much smaller in diameter than a normal 6. I find it excellent for this purpose. It is also good for small detail.

Stage 3 I completed the mouth and upper lip.

Tim Hetherington -Fontenay 16" x 12" Not

This required a different approach to my other portraits, one reason I tackled it. I used pan paints for the features and .put in some of the darker areas first with Manganese Violet (W & N PV16) heavily diluted. The basic mix then applied was my usual Cadmium Red Light/ Yellow Ochre  mix adding Cobalt or Cerulean Blue where I wished to darken it - round the eye sockets and eyebrows. I then used a toothbrush to spatter darker spots of either Manganese Violet or Burnt Umber to represent the dirt and grime. I also tapped the toothbrush onto the paper when holding diluted amounts of these colours.

Apart from the Isabey, brushes used were the Da Vinci Artissimo 44 No 2 and Rosemary Series 33 No 6.

As you can see from the photograph his face is surrounded by dark areas with no visible detail. I did not want to put a very dark wash all over but tried to create the sense of  him being in a war situation with all the attendant danger. Mostly cool colours Cerulean, Viridian (Rowney PG18) with  Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine, mixed partly on the paper for the dark hair. I added Cadmium Orange (Maimeri PO20) top right and over his left shoulder to suggest the colours of warfare. Overall I'm quite pleased with it. Comments welcome.

 Note Added 1/06/11: To avoid confusion and bearing in mind the comments from Mick and Yvonne (in an e-mail) I have changed the Stage 1 & 2 paintings so they are more accurate. They liked the very strong darks but they were inaccurate and did not represent the real studies correctly. Those now shown are actually a little lighter than the painting but are the nearest I can get. I frequently have trouble getting a fair representation of my paintings on here, probably due to faulty photography, and tinker about with the `auto correction' feature but it has misfired on this occasion. Food for thought for the future.

Wild Flowers

The other day I wandered along the lane near my home and collected a bunch of wild flowers, both from the verges of the road, down into the farmers field, and beyond into the community forest. I have done two  paintings with flowers collected from my small garden in the last two weeks, but wasn't really that enamoured of them. Recently I have started to question whether I was becoming too focussed on portraits to the detriment of other subjects. What exactly do I want to paint? I like doing portraits in the loose manner but also  still lifes, incorporating flowers and other objects in the manner of Charles Reid. Pure landscapes? Not really as I prefer old buildings with thatched roofs, and small boats on the rivers and canals around here.

 I managed to collect a good mixture of wild flowers, including a dark-coloured geranium from the verges outside one of the very old buildings along the lane, that may have been a garden escapee. Here is the result.

Wild Flowers- Fabriano Artistico Extra White Not 16" x 12"

I used a lot of colours in this painting. Transparent Yellow (W & N PY150), Cadmium Yellow Pale (Rowney PY35)), Indian Yellow (Rowney PY153) plus Green Gold (Rowney PY129). Reds were Permanent Carmine (W & N PR N/A), Opera Rose (W & N), Permanent Rose (W & N PV19). Greens were mixed partly from  yellows and blues except for Hookers Green (Maimeri PO49/PG7)) which was modified with Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and darkened with  Faience Blue (Maimeri PB60). The geraniums were Permanent Mauve (Rowney PV23) with some Carmine added. Other blues were Cerulean (W & N red shade) and French Ultramarine (Rowney PB29). A lot of the colours were mixed on the paper. The limited palette artists might flinch but flower painters usually have larger palettes and so do I. Opera Rose? A paint with limited lightfastness, although W & N say it is still better than many paints used in the past. I used it sparingly.

Conversely I only used three brushes. All Rosemary, Series 33 Kolinsky rounds in sizes 6 & 8 and Series 44 pure Kolinsky rigger size 7. Although this brush is called a rigger it is quite full bodied compared to most riggers and more like a very long No.6. I have bought a Da Vinci Series 35 No 8 specifically for flower painting but not used it yet. I quite like the result. Comments welcome.

Latest Portrait

As a change from my Amerindians I was taken by an illustration in one of the weekend colour magazines.

This is the young lady concerned. Her name is Nadja Benaissa of the German pop group  No Angels. Judging by the story which the photograph illustrated she certainly isn't.I'll say no more about the content of the article.

I first did the drawing which was basically accurate but not overdrawn. Then the features followed by the hair.

 The completed painting. Fontenay 16" x 12" Not.

Slightly modified final version. Can you spot the differences?

I can see one or two mistakes in my painting but generally the likeness has been captured reasonably well. I rather like the earlier  stage before I put in the darker shading on the left hand side of the face. Face colours were my usual Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Light and Cerulean to darken. The hair initially was a mix of Indigo (Maimeri PB27 and Pbk7) and Cyan Blue green shade (Maimeri PB15-3). A day later I added French Ultramarine using one of the (correction) tecniques Charles Reid taught me, which was to dampen the hair with clear water first and then paint into it with the Ultramarine. The dark of the dress is a mix of Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine. It isn't great but certainly much better than I would have done a year or so ago.

I have actually completed another portrait of the Apache cowboy who is the subject of the April challenge with Mick Carney www.thepaintingstruggle.blogspot.com/  I may do a second one because one aspect of the painting - which I won't go into at this stage - causes me concern.

Daniel Smith Watercolours (or is it watercolors!)

At long last the good news is that the acclaimed Daniel Smith range of watercolour paints, 247 colours and rising, is now available in the UK via Jacksons http://www.jacksonsart.co.uk/  or e-mail sales@jacksonsart.co.uk.
The bad news is that price is a problem, not so much for the professional artist perhaps but  certainly  for the amateur. While this range has a whole raft of unique colours and is widely praised by American artists as ` the best'  UK prices are higher than those in the USA and dearer than Windsor & Newton, as well as ALL  other leading makes. Are they worth it? Time will tell. The other benefits of the DS range, apart from the huge choice  http://www.danielsmith.com/ are a very high number of single pigment paints, high pigment content and a formulation that means the paints can be easily re-wetted.

With Graham http://www.mgraham.com/  now being stocked by Lawrence of Hove http://www.lawrence.co.uk/ and also the new Da Vinci range http://www.davincipaints.com/ we have the three leading American brands. Without doubt they are a serious combined threat to the long standing supremacy of Windsor & Newton. I have already ordered two colours to try, a small sample true but I am very well stocked with paints at the moment! I shall certainly buy more over time but I already have a good number of Grahams.

The ones ordered are Quinacridone Gold (PO49) and Quinacridone Fuschia (PR202). I am told by American friends on the Wetcanvas forums that the Quinacridones are particularly lustrous, but they have many other favourites. DS have apparently  bought  the remaining stocks of PO49 and are probably the sole source of this unique pigment, which has been discontinued by the usual producers. Many of these pigments are developed for the automotive industry and if they drop the colour then demand from the art world is insufficient to keep production going. Maimeri supposedly still offer Golden Lake which proclaims `quinacridone' on the tube but also details the pigment as `PV49'. A question to Maimeri about this went unanswered!  PV49? A  mistake it seems because this is an uncommon violet pigment (DS may offer it|) but what actually is in this paint?The Maimeri version is gritty and slightly greasy not at all like the original W & N version which unfortunately is now a three pigment mix. I still just happen to have two full pans of the original W & N version.

Shot-in-the-Eye

Shot-in-the-Eye Oglala Sioux 1898 courtesy  www.firstpeople.us/

Shot-in-the-Eye was an Oglala Sioux who fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, where he was wounded and lost an eye. What he was called prior to this battle is unknown. This was the famous battle in which General George Armstrong Custer, a very controversial figure in American history, was killed together with nearly 300 troopers of the 7th Cavalry. The Sioux, with some Cheyennes and possibly Arapahoes,, amassed a huge force of several thousand warriors and overwhelmed the numerically inferior cavalry. Custer had earlier split his force for which he has been heavily criticized. This was the last desperate attempt by the plains indians to maintain their traditional ways and within less than two years they were confined for ever more to reservation life. The above photograph, which has been edited, was taken at the US Indian Congress Trans-Missisipi and International Exposition in 1898. He died about 1910.

My initial drawing together with  work on the features and skin tones.

Shot-in-the Eye. Waterford Not 16" x 11"

I used Cadmium Red Light and Yellow Light together with Ultramarine Blue plus Cerulean for the features and skin tones. The red colour is Windsor and Newton Permanent Carmine, otherwise, Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Gold (Maimeri), Raw Umber and touches of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna plus some Viridian (Rowney), Brushes used were nos 2, 4, 6 Kolinsky sable plus my Da Vinci Artissimo 44 Kolinsky mop.