Review: Rublev paint
Rublev oil paint is excellent. Along with Harding, they are my choice for high-end oil paint. I’ve used Rublev oils frequently but only recently moved them into the top tier on my Oil Paint Brand Reference. I used some of their excellent lead whites over the past month and realized how fantastic this paint is.
Old Holland painting medium
No, I haven’t lifted my boycott against Old Holland. But a comment on this related post sent me looking at my dwindling stock of Old Holland supplies–things I bought pre-boycott. This photo shows my bottle of Old Holland Oil Painting medium. The ingredients are nowhere found on the label. Based on smell it contains linseed
Grumpy book review: Lapvona
I don’t fit into the intended audience of most contemporary fiction reviewers so I try to avoid them. But a recent YouTube reviewer had one of my favorites, Blood Meridian, on his top fiction list so I stupidly followed one of his recommendations. If I had researched contemporary author Ottessa Moshfegh better, I would have
Review: Tombow lead pencils
I’m in a drawing period; I haven’t touched a brush for three weeks. The drawings serve as designs for paintings, not standalone drawings. The paintings are my typical size, 40″ x 54.” So, I’ve used a lot of pencils lately. A pencil is a pencil is a pencil, right? Sure, you have to pay attention
Rublev Sun-thickened oil
Rublev’s new version of sun-thickened oil is much improved from its earlier offering and is good oil. This is far different from my conclusion of their first attempt at this product. Sun-thickened oil’s consistency should be similar to that of stand oil. Rublev’s first attempt produced an oil little different from regular linseed oil. With
Good art books: David to Delacroix, The Rise of Romantic Mythology
Dorothy Johnson has written several books related to David and the Neoclassicists. David to Delacroix: The Rise of Romantic Mythology is probably her best work. I think about this little book a lot. Even though the Neoclassicists are best known for their Classically-inspired history paintings, Johnson reminds us that it was under their brush that
Review: Michael Harding oil paint
In the past, I used enough Michael Harding paint to add it to my oil paint reference. My initial rating was “good.” Later, I tried their titanium white and was surprised to discover that it is the best titanium white I’ve ever used. I am not a fan of titanium white but the Harding unbleached
Review: Van Gogh oil paints
When I started my oil paint brand reference, I excluded ‘student grade’ brands. The distinction between student grade and other brands was based on price. Everyone understands that you get what you pay for but art supplies is one product area where the old adage is not reliable. Art supply manufacturers include some of the