{"id":10041,"date":"2022-01-22T20:13:25","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T01:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=10041"},"modified":"2022-01-24T11:11:48","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T16:11:48","slug":"review-cranfield-oil-paint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2022\/01\/review-cranfield-oil-paint\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Cranfield oil paint"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part of a recent paint buy included a tube of Cranfield’s King’s blue deep, which I’d bought in order to review. The Cranfield brand is new to me and King’s blue is not a palette regular but I like to try new paint brands and colors.<\/p>\n

Cranfield is a British firm that originally produced printing inks. Not too long ago they bought the British paint maker Spectrum. I’ve never used Spectrum either. Along with Spectrum’s stock of paint, oils, and recipes, Cranfield acquired 3 grinding mills. Cranfield attributes their paint quality to the mills. Cranfield still makes printing inks.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Stephen Pentak at Bonfoey<\/span><\/a><\/div>

I’ve used the Cranfield paint several times now. Their King’s blue is strongly pigmented and opaque; it handles well. This tube color is a blend of titanium white, zinc white, and sodium aluminum silicate. Titanium white can easily overpower a color but Cranfield has kept it in check with this color. Many low-end and student-grade brands ruin colors by overusing titanium. <\/p>\n

Cranfield’s pricing is middle-level. On Blick, the paints range from $8.64 to $34.56. By contrast, the mid-range Winsor Newton prices run from $6.65 – $52.55. Cranfield’s cerulean blue is priced at $33.92, while Winsor Newton’s is only $16.55. Both manufacturers offer a single pigment color–cobalt stannate. Why is Cranfield’s twice as much? Is it twice as good? More heavily pigmented perhaps? I can’t answer that question without more testing. By the way, the high-end brand Old Holland wants $74.31 (!) for cerulean blue.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Cleveland Museum of Art Staff Exhibition<\/span><\/a><\/div>

The tube of King’s blue deep is good enough that I plan to try additional colors including cerulean blue. I like their covering strength and pigment load.<\/p>\n

On the negative side, Cranfield offers a modest range of colors. Another negative is that they do not produce the all-important lead white. Finally, I could not find a reference to their paint binder. If it was high quality, they’d probably highlight it.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces<\/span><\/a><\/div>

I’ve updated the oil paint reference<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Initial verdict:<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Thumbs-up: van Ruisdael; Thumbs-down: Renoir<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Quality: B<\/p>\n

Price: B  <\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Mary Cassatt and the Feminine Ideal in 19th-Century Paris<\/span><\/a><\/div>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part of a recent paint buy included a tube of Cranfield’s King’s blue deep, which I’d bought in order to review. The Cranfield brand is new to me and King’s blue is not a palette regular but I like to try new paint brands and colors. Cranfield is a British firm that originally produced printing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":10044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[332,208,46,24],"tags":[100,60],"class_list":["post-10041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grumpy-review","category-materials","category-reviews","category-shop_talk","tag-artist-oils","tag-reviews-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/cranfield1.jpg?fit=800%2C536&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9861,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/09\/oil-paint-brands-update-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":10041,"position":0},"title":"Oil paint brands update","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"September 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"To update my oil paint brands review and reference, I bought some paints that I don't normally use. I have never used Cranfield or Bob Ross. I list Maimeri Puro and Richeson in my reference but I haven't used them enough to rate them. This purchase allows me to correct\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-tubes-a5.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-tubes-a5.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-tubes-a5.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/5-tubes-a5.jpg?fit=1000%2C808&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":573,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2012\/12\/oil-paint-brands\/","url_meta":{"origin":10041,"position":1},"title":"Oil Paint Brand Ratings","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"December 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Latest update: 2\/7\/25 I've used oil paints from almost every producer known to man, or at least those known in the US. \u00a0This photo shows my two paint cabinets. \u00a0The one on the left has tubes of blue, green, yellow, and earth red. \u00a0The top drawer, for example, contains only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Shop Talk"","block_context":{"text":"Shop Talk","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/shop_talk\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/flesh4.jpg?fit=800%2C783&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/flesh4.jpg?fit=800%2C783&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/flesh4.jpg?fit=800%2C783&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/flesh4.jpg?fit=800%2C783&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11576,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2022\/11\/review-michael-harding-oil-paint\/","url_meta":{"origin":10041,"position":2},"title":"Review: Michael Harding oil paint","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"November 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/z-harding1.jpg?fit=1000%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/z-harding1.jpg?fit=1000%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/z-harding1.jpg?fit=1000%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/z-harding1.jpg?fit=1000%2C410&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5230,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/07\/review-charvin-fine-oils\/","url_meta":{"origin":10041,"position":3},"title":"Review: Charvin Fine Oils","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"July 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I bought some cerulean blue from Charvin. Actually, Charvin doesn't produce a true cerulean blue but something they call 'cerulean blue hue.' Charvin produces two lines of paints: Fine, and Extra Fine. This review is about the 'Fine' line. I don't know what Charvin\u00a0thinks cerulean blue is, but their cerulean\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rvin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/c-blue.jpg?fit=444%2C465&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10820,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2022\/08\/titanium-white\/","url_meta":{"origin":10041,"position":4},"title":"Titanium white","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"August 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In the past, I trolled titanium white users--zinc white users too. These whites, inferior as they are, provide the only competition for the champion of oil-paint white, lead white. Actually, it isn't even a contest; lead white wins easily on every metric that matters: blending, body, and all-around handling. 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I've used their paints daily in order to write a fair review. Gapka is following a clever strategy. They make single-pigment paints aimed at professionals, as well as others for weekend warriors and hobbyists, such as their neon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grumpy review"","block_context":{"text":"Grumpy review","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/grumpy-review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251007_154547.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251007_154547.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251007_154547.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251007_154547.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Gw6F-2BX","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10041"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10051,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10041\/revisions\/10051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}