What’s wrong with Rembrandt oils

When I was starting, my budget restricted my paint choices to the cheapest brands. When I had some extra money (haha), I’d treat myself to a tube of Rembrandt paint. Rembrandt was decidedly low-end among the professional-grade oils, but a step up from my day-to-day paints.

Rembrandt oils are still at the lower end of professional-grade paints. Some things have changed, though. Their quality has fallen from several decades ago. Also, where they used to be slightly more expensive than student-grade paint, today their prices are comparable to mid- or upper-tier paint. In other words, Rembrandt paints are overpriced.

So, I hardly use them at all anymore. But I thought, “Why not give them another try?” This photo demonstrates why not.

This photo shows my palette after adding raw umber from a fresh tube. The pool of oil just poured out. I squeezed the paint next to the lake and sopped up the oil. The other paints from different vendors do not demonstrate Rembrandt’s issues. The cadmium medium red-purple and burnt umber are from RGH. The cadmium scarlet is from Winsor Newton.