Alternative to W&N paints?
 

Hi,
Garth's analysis of Raw Umbers from different brands in this thread lead me thinking about other brands of colors. Over here in Singapore, i'm only exposed to brands like ol' Winsor, and other premium ones like Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

I thought of changing to a better brand of paints, which is not as thin / viscous as Van Gogh or Rembrandt colors...colors which can be applied thickly easily like W&N, but richer in colors. Does anyone have good recommendations?

Thanks for sharing! :santa:

Marcus,

Don't know if you can find 'em in Singapore, (if not, order 'em off the web anyway) but Blockx, Gamblin, Grumbacher (occasionally) and Old Holland work for me. They're not cheap though.

Utrecht brand paints are the most economical I've seen anywhere.

Best, a.

Hi Albert, thanks for the reply. Yes, I have heard about Grumbacher and Old Holland (Grumbacher's seem to be a popular brand with artists in the forum). Never seen Grummy around here in Singapore before though.

Now Utrecht seems to be another name I came across, but I thought they are jz a brand for brushes...I didn't realize they sell colors too :oops:

So have you compared the brands you use, with W&N before? I'd love to hear how you feel about your colors.

Merry Christmas!

I'm certainly not a paint expert but I have used a few brands and W&N is one that I like. I also like M Graham and have only used one color of Gamblin. I started with Grumbacher and I tried one color of Rembrandt to see how I liked it. I like W&N, M Graham and Gamblin because I like their consistency out of the tube. They are very smooth and buttery, not sticky or stiff or too loose. I still use some of the Grumbacher colors but only the ones that have similar working properties as the brands I prefer.

There are so many different brands to try it may take some time to find your perfect fit for the colors you want to use but I don't think I would chuck my W&N paints because of a comparison of pigment load in Raw Umber, there are other issues to consider. For me a top priority along with permanence is workability out of the tube. I don't need to add medium to tweak the paint to my desired consistency, it comes the way I like it out of the tube. Personally with a color like raw umber I don't mind that it is not packed with pigment because I usually only use it to knock a color back, and only rarely as a full strength color on it's own. For that same reason I like a few of Grumbachers colors for tining ( they don't overpower).

I do more out of studio painting than in studio so my preferences are about simplicity and speed. I'm not the type that wants to fiddle with my materials every time I put paint on my palette. But I know some would rather have a stiff highly pigmented paint that they can manipulate to their desired working properties and I'm sure you will hear from them as to what paints they prefer.

In the end, if a paint has permanence and the working properties I prefer and is also well pigmented, I don't really need to replace it. In my opinion W&N is a good brand of paint, there are more highly pigmented brands out there but I like the way it handles and also the color choices. I've also built a palette of M Graham paints and I like them as well but prefer some of the W&N colors, I have also added one Gamblin color to my palette.

I'm sure someone here will be able to help you find what you are looking for. Have fun trying as many different paints as you wish and let us know what you find.

Peace and Blessings in the New Year,

Dave

Hi Dave, Merry xmas to you too!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about paints. I'm no I too have no qualms about using W&N, 'cos of their good quality and low price.

But having seen what Rembrandt and a couple of "Ferrari brand" paints and the richness of colors they exude (and not to mention the artworks of our online masters like Garth Herrick and William Whitaker), I thought of finding out more about other brands which offer the advantages of textures of ol' Winsor, and the richness from Rembrandt colors. At the end of the day, I can't imagine how my portrait works will outshine my previous works with the new color ranges! :o

But I will take your advice and try out different brands, starting with those recommended by Albert...but don't count I'll be able to provide a rocket-science analysis of the colors, like how Garth did with Raw Umber! kekeke

I'll bet that whatever you paint with, your work will be brilliant.

Peace, Dave

www.michaelharding.co.uk

The best and he will talk to you as well about any painting related problems.

A very fussy handmade paint maker. Absolutely the best for portraits as his paints do not suede (change color with the direction of the paint stroke). The colors are INTENSE, especially his Venetian red. You really need to use only a little bit.

Sharon, What is the consistancy of MH paints? Have I read that it is somewhere between OH and W&N? I'd like to try a few colors in the near future.

Peace, Dave

I don't care for Old Holland as they are too stiff. I have not used either of those paints in quite awhile so I cannot hazard a quess.

For me, the Michael Harding's are like the little bear's stuff for Goldilocks, "just right".

Marcus,
Even if you may not find Grumbacher paints in Singapore, they can probably still be mail ordered. Utrecht is an old artist's supply store here in the Big Apple. (and else where) They are, to my knowledge, the most competitively priced store in the world. They also make their own line of products, including paints. Their paints are the cheapest I've seen anywhere!! Now, I won't vouch for the archival quality of 'em, but, man, they're cheap. Again, if you can't get 'em in Singapore, mail or web. utrecht.com, and/or (800)352-9016.
I only use a two W.&N. colors, Rose Madder Genuine & what I call Flake White Impasto'.
My favorite brand is Old Holland.
a.