White Paint–in Praise of Lead
The most important color–by far–is white. White oil paint comes in three flavors: Zinc white (zinc oxide, PW4, usually called Chinese White when used in watercolors). Although known from ancient times, its common usage is relatively modern, dating from the 18th century when it was developed as a replacement for lead white, which was long known to be
Oil Paint Brand Ratings
Latest update: 2/7/25 I’ve used oils paints from almost every producer known to man, or at least those known in the US. This photo shows my two paint cabinets. The one on the left has tubes of blue, green, yellow, and earth red. The top-drawer, for example, contains only yellows. The barely-visible cabinet on the
Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces
All artists are self-taught today. It doesn’t matter if you have a masters degree or never set foot in an art school–everyone is on their own. The most important piece of painting gear my last professor had was a pair of fishing boots. His technique was to cover the studio floor with huge canvases, and pour