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David Boles · 04-11-2005, 08:21 PM

I'll put in a vote for Michael Harding Flake #1 as a mixing white. It is a lead / zinc mix but dries relatively quickly and is not overpowering in mixes as titanium can sometimes be. Flake #1 is in linseed oil while #2 is in safflower oil which is a slower drier. Michael Harding Cremnitz is pure lead carbonate and is also a real nice white. The tube I am using right now is terribly stiff but with the addition of some black oil (my preferred medium) it becomes as creamy as you want it to be. The peice I am working on right has a white blouse where this Cremnitz was piled on pretty thickly yet it still dried overnight. The lead in the black oil probably contributes to the fast drying time.

Studio Products Flake white is excellent. Its like the Michael Harding Cremnitz except you don't need to add anything. It's also pure lead ground in black oil so it also dries fast. The down side is you might consider it to be on the pricey side.

All lead whites tend to be a bit on the transparent side so the covering may not be what you want or need. To combat that I would recommend that you add a small amount of titanium. This should give some added opacity while the lead will speed drying. Michael Harding has a lead / titanium mix he calls foundation white. I think it was made mainly to be used as an oil ground, but it can be used as a pigment. I have no personal experience with this yet so I don't really know what its like.

Carlos asked about walnut oil. Doak uses a walnut oil blend in all his paint and while they are nice paints they take just short of forever to dry. Walnut oil is believed to yellow less than linseed oil, but personally I have my doubts about that. Walnut oil is very slippery which is good especially if you make heavily pigmented paints like Doak, however it makes a realtively weak paint film, and dries real slow.

You also asked about adding damar. It will speed up the drying time since damar dries by evaportion. A small amount won't hurt anything. I think most people do use a bit in mediums just to make the paint flow a little better. Take a look at some of the old Dutch still life painters, especially the florals. I'd bet the farm that there is a large amount of resins used in those to hasten drying.

04-11-2005, 08:21 PM	#10
David Boles Juried Member Joined: Mar 2005 Location: O'Fallon, MO Posts: 7	I'll put in a vote for Michael Harding Flake #1 as a mixing white. It is a lead / zinc mix but dries relatively quickly and is not overpowering in mixes as titanium can sometimes be. Flake #1 is in linseed oil while #2 is in safflower oil which is a slower drier. Michael Harding Cremnitz is pure lead carbonate and is also a real nice white. The tube I am using right now is terribly stiff but with the addition of some black oil (my preferred medium) it becomes as creamy as you want it to be. The peice I am working on right has a white blouse where this Cremnitz was piled on pretty thickly yet it still dried overnight. The lead in the black oil probably contributes to the fast drying time. Studio Products Flake white is excellent. Its like the Michael Harding Cremnitz except you don't need to add anything. It's also pure lead ground in black oil so it also dries fast. The down side is you might consider it to be on the pricey side. All lead whites tend to be a bit on the transparent side so the covering may not be what you want or need. To combat that I would recommend that you add a small amount of titanium. This should give some added opacity while the lead will speed drying. Michael Harding has a lead / titanium mix he calls foundation white. I think it was made mainly to be used as an oil ground, but it can be used as a pigment. I have no personal experience with this yet so I don't really know what its like. Carlos asked about walnut oil. Doak uses a walnut oil blend in all his paint and while they are nice paints they take just short of forever to dry. Walnut oil is believed to yellow less than linseed oil, but personally I have my doubts about that. Walnut oil is very slippery which is good especially if you make heavily pigmented paints like Doak, however it makes a realtively weak paint film, and dries real slow. You also asked about adding damar. It will speed up the drying time since damar dries by evaportion. A small amount won't hurt anything. I think most people do use a bit in mediums just to make the paint flow a little better. Take a look at some of the old Dutch still life painters, especially the florals. I'd bet the farm that there is a large amount of resins used in those to hasten drying.