Caran d'Ache NEOART Pastels

I came across Caran d'Ache NEOART Aquarelle Pastels for the first time at Patchings recently. Always a sucker for a big wooden box full of juicy colours I took a photo!

Caran d'Ache NEOART Aquarelle Pastels
The finest wax pastels

...and then started to try and find out a bit more about them to see if they're likely to be something I want to investigate further.  (I've got to that point where any new product needs to earn its place in my home).

I particularly wanted to know what was the difference between these bigger NEOART pastels and the smaller Neocolour II pastels.

This post provides links to:

• the Caran d'Ache product pages for Neoart Aquarelle Pastels
• explains the difference between NEOART and Neocolor II
• comments by bloggers and people participating in forums

Caran d'Ache NEOART Aquarelle Pastels


This is how Caran d'Ache describe them

NEOART™ Aquarelle
Pastel of large diametre recommended for works on big surfaces
Bright and semi-opaque colours
Very high pigment concentration

Now - these are:

• NOT dry media (ie soft or hard pastels as we normally think of them)
• NOT another name for Caran D'Ache Neocolor II wax-based water-soluble pastels used by a lot of artists for underpaintings

Both NEOART and Neocolor II are water-soluble wax pastels - but

• Do they work in the same way?
• What, if any, are the differences?

These tables summarise their characteristics.  They persuade me that those using Neocolour II for underpaintings would do well to check out their favourite colours in the NEOART pastels

NEOART AQUARELLE

Water-soluble wax pastel

Artist / Professional Grade

Very high pigment concentration - provides exceptional purity and intensity

Excellent Lightfastness

Strong, bright semi-opaque colours (60 in total) - available in sets and individually

dry or wet drawing on all supports

techniques: watercolouring, washes, scraping back (Scraffito)

Large diameter (width of large marker pen)

Brochure (PDF) Colour Chart - PDF

Neocolor II

Water-soluble wax pastel

Hobby Artist Grade

High pigment concentration for bright and opaque colours

excellent lightfastness

exceptional covering power

dry or wet drawing on all materials

widest range of colours for water-soluble pastels on the market

normal pencil stick breadth

Brochure - PDF

Colour Chart - PDF

Product Reviews by artists online

This is what I could find from artists commenting online

• Neoart Watersoluble Wax Pastels- Charts is a long post by an artist participating in the Water Media Forum of Wet Canvas.  She's done a good overview of the colours

A big difference to the artist between the two is the size and hardness. The Neoart pastels are harder and seem a bit waxier than the neocolors. Since they come in a large size, they are a bit more awkward to hold in the hand, and the ends are blunt, not sharpened, so control can be a bit more difficult to achieve with them.

• Kelly Kilmer is a mixed media artist/tutor and major fan of NEOART Pastels.  She describes them as "must have supplies" and she ships and repackages them for her students

Caran d'ache Neo Art Watersoluble Wax Pastels (NOT oil based at all, these are big chunky crayons) I Love these to add color "here and there" on a page. I mostly use them dry with a heavy hand and "rub" them into the page using an old rag. Yet, since they are watersoluble anything "wet" will move them around. I have two sets of the 60 colors (one for me, one for classes) and these puppies last a LONG time. I dumped them out of the box and put them in a bag and they're not so "precious" once you do that ;)

• Jolene in Orange County, California shows us what you can do with them in a 2007 post Caran d' Ache 

After everything was dry I started coloring with the wax pastels. I smooshed them around with my fingers and rubbed them with an old rag. Then I grabbed the first sharp object I found on my art table (a needle I use for bookbinding) and I began to scratch into the pastels. And oh how I loved the effect I was able to achieve! 

UK Supplies

In the UK it appears that you can order sets from Jacksons Art.  The stall that brought them to Patchings was Caran d'Ache working with Gadsbys of Leicester

Oil painting on Sintra PVC Board

David Eichenberg likes to paint portraits which are based on the pictoral qualities of historical paintings.  However he used a very modern support made of pvc on which to paint - called Sintra.  It strikes me that there are others like me that have never heard of it before - hence this post!

"Tim II" (2009)
Oil on Sintra Panel, 13.25" x 12.75"(without frame)

copyright the artist

David told me that it is completely inert and very rigid and consequently will last a very long time.

It's also very lightweight so could be a very sensible option when sending paintings overseas as David had to do when sending the portrait on the right from Toledo, Ohio to London.

It struck me that it might possible be a very sensible option for daily painters who have lots of overseas customers - so I decided to do some more research.

After talking with him last week, I went away and found the website  http://www.sintrapvc.com/ . 

Sintra is a lightweight yet rigid board of moderately expanded closed-cell polyvinyl chloride (PVC) extruded in a homogenous sheet with a low gloss matte finish.

Product Availability
Sintra PVC Foam Board is available in 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5,mm, 6mm and 13 mm. It can be suctom cut to any size but comes in stock sheets of 1Mx8, 4'x8', 4'x10', 5'x10', 2Mx 10'.

It's actually a building material which is used for exeternal sign displays and consequently is designed to resist all sorts of extremes. The website suggests that its benefits are:

• Lightweight yet rigid and durable 

• Easily formed into just about any shape imaginable using wood and foam board fabrication techniques 

• Heat formable and chemical resistant 
• 
Superior dent and scratch resistance 

• Custom colors and special cuts available

I'm guessing that David has found out all about its properties because he majored in sculture while doing his degree - and sculptors tend to know an awful lot about how materials work and whether or not they deform over time.

Painting Sintra

David coats the Sintra he uses with acrylic gesso before painting on it using oil paints.

I looked around for websites talking about its use for painting and found one used by modelmakers and robit builders.  Somebody asked for a tutorial on how to use paint on Sintra and was given this answer.......

Tutorial:

1. Buy Sintra.
2. Buy Paint.
3. Apply Paint.
4. Let Dry.

However, from what I could see others had experienced problems and the trick seems to be to find something which provides the first coat and which then allows other paints to be used on top.

I wrote to David about this post and he sent me the method he uses.

• Step 1: I rough up the surface with 220 grit sand paper to remove the semi-gloss finish and to give the Sintra a little tooth to help with the gesso adheision.
• Step 2: Apply gesso, I use Liquitex Professional Gesso, I find that this is pretty close to the working properties that one might find with traditional gesso. When set it is absorbant which is how I prefer my base. The student gesso is non-absorbant and the paint seems to just push around on it.
• Step 3: Apply 2-3 coats of gesso and let dry overnight.
• Step 4: sand with 220 lightly then move to 320 or 400 grit, depending on what type of surface you prefer.
• I use the 6mm board.  The 3mm board will warp from the gesso pulling as it dries on one side. Any warping that does happen is minimal and can be corrected by framing. The spring is less than that of wooden panel. I have had paintings done using this method in my studio, which is not climate controlled and sees extreme temperature and humidity chages throughout the year with no integrity issues, whatsoever.

David Eichenberg

These are more links to websites which talk about Sintra and working with Sintra

Manual for working with Sintra

There is a manual which is mentioned by some as the best reference for working with Sintra - I think this is the pdf file for the Sintra Manual created by Alcan Composites.

This is what the manual says about painting on Sintra

Types of paints known compatible with Sintra material
A. Vinyls 

B. Acrylic Lacquers 

C.    Two part polyurethanes
With Sintra material, water-based latex systems and oil-based enamels generally do not have the good adherence properties of solvent based systems. Although, the use of primers can improve the adherence of non-solvent based systems, the adherence is usually minimal.

It also indicates the preparation required prior to painting.  The Manual also recommends testing.

By artists

• Tips for painting on Sintra by Gail Niebrugge (niebruggestudio.com)
• Smallworks - small scale paintings by Scott Bennett - who is using painting with acrylics 

By Model/robit makers

• Sintra: The basics -- what it is, where to get it, how to shape it
• Sintra: Marking, painting, finishing 
• Iron Man Armor (Sintra) !WIP! 

In terms of supplies, I'm guessing we're talking about specialist suppliers only.  Foamboardsource.com is one source of Sintra that I found on the net and David confirms this is the one he uses.

Many thanks to David for providing notes on how he uses Sintra - that's helped to clarify how it's used and I have to say David's oil paintings look extremely good on it.

Note:  David Eichenberg lives in Toldeo, Ohio and graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in sculpture and painting in 1998.  

• Finalist in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009 at the Smithsonian Museum.
• 3rd prize in the BP Portrait Awards at the National Portrait Gallery in London (June 2010).

Book Review: Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico

Title: Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place by: Barbara Buhler Lynes, Lesley Poling-Kempes, Frederick W. Turner

Synopsis: Beautifully illustrated, the book accompanies an exhibition of the same name at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It reproduces the exhibition's 50 paintings and includes striking photographs of the sites that inspired them as well as diagrams of the region's distinctive geology. The book examines O'Keeffe's work through essays by the three noted authors

Summary review: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED The landscape of New Mexico is just a strong motif in Georgia O'Keeffe's work as her popular flowers.  This book explores the locations she painted in and analyses her approach to her landscape work in New Mexico.  It provides insight into both the character of the place, the painter and the person.

Highlights extremely well researched - the text is as interesting as the images of the places and the paintings comparisons of paintings with photographs of current geology - identifies how little she changed and what elements she emphasised an example of how to 'see' paintings and distill and strip down to something very simple excellent catalogue of the details of all the images included in the book illuminating essays on different topics by the three authors very interesting explanation of the geology of northern New Mexico and the different motifs in O'Keeffe's landscape  excellent reproduction of images high quality production values evident throughout

Think Again? If you like your landscapes green and verdant this may not be for you the geology does not dominate - but if you're not in the least interested in landforms you may find it tedious

Who should buy this? fans of Georgia O'Keeffe's work artists exploring 'place' in their landscape painting people who love the eccentric landforms and landscapes of New Mexico

Who should not buy this? the landscapes are about the geology of the 'badlands' - and may not appeal to people who like their landscapes lush and green

Authors: Barbara Buhler Lynes, Lesley Poling-Kempes, Frederick W. Turner (Publisher)Princeton University Press; 3rd edition Technical data: Publication Date: May 4, 2004 Hardcover (with dust jacket) -  140 pages; ISBN-10: 0691116598 ISBN-13: 978-0691116594

[  See also my post today about Georgia O'Keeffe's landscapes of northern New Mexico on my The Art of the Landscape blog. ]

When Georgia O'Keeffe first visited New Mexico in 1917, she was instantly drawn to the stark beauty of its unusual architectural and landscape forms. In 1929, she began spending part of almost every year painting there, first in Taos, and subsequently in and around Alcalde, Abiquiu, and Ghost Ranch, with occasional excursions to remote sites she found particularly compelling. Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico is the first book to analyze the artist's famous depictions of these Southwestern landscapes.
Princeton University Press

I love books which compare the place 'as is' with the paintings produced by an artist.   I'm also a huge fan of geomorphology and geology so any artist who enjoys landforms always catches my eye.  When they are as accomplished a painter as Georgia O'Keeffe, it would be fair to say I was 'sold' on this book as an idea from the off!

Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place by: Barbara Buhler Lynes, Lesley Poling-Kempes, Frederick W. Turner delivered to my expectations and more.

This exhibition catalogue is a really marvellous example of the homework that went into the 2004 exhibition of O'Keeffe's painting of New Mexico at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe - Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place.  I'd have loved to have seen this exhibition but unfortunately paid my visit to the Museum some two years later in 2006.

It's extremely well researched and makes the experience of looking at the paintings that much more rewarding.  The locations were tracked down and photographs were taken of the current geology - at which you point you begin to realise how faithful her paintings are to the contour and how wonderfully she extracts and simplifies to produce her wonderful paintings of New Mexico.

The book also includes three essays by people covering different aspects of her life and work.  All of them bring to life the experience of the environment both as a stimuli and as a context for O'Keeffe's paintings.

• Barbara Buhler Lynes, Curator of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and organizer of the exhibition, discusses the relationship of the artist's paintings to the places that inspired her and how she reduced and simplified forms to abstract the essence of the place while retaining its inherent beauty.  The juxtaposition of photos and paintings is simply stunning.
• Lesley Poling-Kempes provides a chronology of her years in New Mexico.  She also explains the geology and why there are such intense colours and dramatic shapes within the landscape. As an amateur geologist I found the explanation of the 225 million years of geology in the layers of rocks in the mountains at the back of Ghost Ranch to be absolutely fascinating.   Her explanations of what produced the warm and cool colours will interest anybody who likes to understand the formation of a landscape.
• Frederick W Turner covers her relationship with the land in New Mexico and her somewhat uneasy relationship with locals around Abiquiu and the art communities of both Taos and Santa Fe.  New Mexico is a place to which many artists gravitate however he recalls that when he and his wife first went to live in Santa fe in the mid-1970s there was never any talk of Georgia O'Keeffe who, at the time, was still living at Ghost Ranch.  He explored what he terms "the wall of silence".  It appears O'Keeffe liked her seclusion, belonged to "another world" and had very strict rules about her contacts with the rest of the world.  He speculates also about how O'Keefge developed a strategy for dealing with painting the landscape of the place she found herself in.  Ultimately he finds himself in awe of her work when faced with the motifs she painted

O'Keeffe's style was like walking out on a rocky ledge, I thought, with no room for misstep: either she would estblish dominion or she'd be defeated and the paintings would be botches in which viewers wouldn't be able to sense what she'd dared.....and whatever your ultimate judgement of O'Keeffe's work work might be, there could be no cailing with the profound sincerity of her engagement, here, the danger of it.  For her this had been no playground.

You can buy from Amazon UK by clicking this link 
Georgia O'Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place

'The Art of Botanical Painting' is being reprinted

I'm extremely pleased to hear that, after a very long delay, Harper Collins have decided to reprint The Art of Botanical Painting.

This book was written by Margaret Stevens, the Immediate Past President of the Society of Botanical Artists, in association with the Society - many of whose artists contributed botanical artwork for the book.  Consequently, it's excellent at showing you the standard of work required to become a member.

Margaret is also the Course Director of the Distance Learning Diploma Course in Botanical Art run by the Society of Botanical Painting - for which this book is a core set text.

It's been very difficult if not impossible to get hold of a brand new copy for quite some time.  Students wishing to do the course have had to buy second hand but even second hand copies are now proving difficult to find.

For those wishing to do the Diploma, I very much recommend that you buy a copy as soon as they become available which I understand will be August.

Applications for the next intake of Diploma students close in mid October.  Placing an order now will give prospective students a very good insight into what's involved before deciding whether to submit an application

For others interested in learning more about botanical painting I highly recommend this book as a standard primer.  You can read more in my Book Review: The Art of Botanical Painting (May 2009)

Summary:  An essential book for all artists contemplating the SBA's Diploma Course. An excellent introduction to botanical art for all experienced artists interested in developing their knowledge of and skills in botanical art

Links to Amazon.co.uk below 


or, if you live in the USA and want to buy via Amazon.com, click The Art of Botanical Painting

Patchings Art Festival

I visited Patchings Art Festival for the first time yesterday.  It's based in the fields behind the Patchings Art Centre just outside Nottingham and hence is much better located than London for amateur artists wanting to buy art materials and see demonstrations.

Photograph of the entrance to Patchings Arts Festival
taken as we were leaving at 5pm - there had been lots of visitors earlier in the day

The Patchings Festival is celebrating its 17th year this year and has so far survived the recession.  It's also survived whatever caused the demise of a very similar festival which I used to go to a lot which the Artists and Illustrators Magazine ran for many years at the Business Design Centre in Islington.  Patchings is not as big as that event used to be - but that said it still provides for a jolly good day out for members of an art society.

I went with Vivien Blackburn (Paintings, Prints and Stuff) and we didn't get anywhere near getting round the whole show.  (I should mention this was partly because Vivien kept meeting ex-students and fellow art teachers who she knew!).  However over a cup of tea sat outside in the sun we cogitated over what we thought of the festival.

[UPDATE:  Here's what Vivien thought in her review of the festival - Art Events weekend - Patchings Art Festival and here's what Gayle's review of her experience - Patchings Art Festival 2010]  Gayle notes the change in type of visitor at the weekend which brought more individual 'art shoppers' compared to the coaches which brought art societies on Thursdays and Fridays]

Observations, Pros and Cons for artists / visitors

map of Patching Art Festival - from guide

Other than the big marquees for materials and demonstrations associated with major exhibitors / sponsoring organisations (eg The Artist/Leisure Painter, Derwent, Winsor & Newton and St Cuthberts) nt-size: and featured artists there are three main marquees for:

• painting, works on paper and glass
• art and craft materials
• crafts (eg jewellary, textiles, wood, metal, ceramics and sculpture. mixed media and made in yorkshire)

Click the links to see who was exhibiting in which tent.

Pros

• The Festival gets a lot of visitors and consequently attracts some very good quality exhibitors
• a number of demonstrations by different artists on different days
• Good selection of art materials - somewhat unexciting but some bargains to be had.  Materials very much oriented towards painting and works on paper.  It seemed to me that the watercolour, acrylic and pastel artist was well catered for.
• Parking is included in the price of ticket and there's lots of space for cars to park - which means you can fill your boot if you want to!
• a good venue for a visit by the sort of amateur art society with artists who like demonstrations and buying art materials
• The Festival is relatively easy to find and is not on a busy road so doesn't produce some of the snarl ups which can be experienced at other places when everybody tries to exit at the end of the day!
• Refreshments tent on site - OK (unexciting) but not as expensive as some exhibition centres.  Plenty of seats for people to sit down.  We also saw people picnicking in the nearby car park.

Cons

• which artists are on which day may change at fairly short notice
• the quality of the artists demonstrating on the stands in the arts and craft materials and paintings tent varied hugely.  Some easily matched the calibre of some of the 'featured' guest artists in the demonstration tents while others were very much still at the hobby artist stage themselves
• 'named' guest artists featured by the Festival and the major manufacturers were typically well known
  

Observations, Pros and Cons for Exhibitors

The stands are all in marquees set out in fields behind the Centre buildings.  Great if it's summer and all is dry but I'd guess it might be less nice if the weather wasn't very good.  The temperature inside the marquees was rather high and whereas we could take a break outside, there was little respite for exhibitors.  I suspect if the weather was wet or cold it might have felt a very different experience - but such is the lot of anybody exhibiting in a marquee at any outside event.

Those offering tuition seemed to be split between painters offering courses (in the painting tent) and artists offering tuition in booklet or video format (in the art materials tent.  Those offering tuition appeared much more impressive when present in person and actually able to demonstrate what they were did and how they did it.  I noted however a few artists who weren't demonstrating at all on their own stands. There's always a balance to be struck between looking competent, appearing approachable - mostly to do with how people sited themselves relative to the visitor - and running the stand and keeping an eye on the stock.

It's worth checking out the categories as to which is the best to list in.  My friend Gayle Mason (Fur in the Paint) (see her stand in the photo) works in mixed media (coloured pencils, pastels and acrylic) on paper and listed under mixed media but moved tents so she was in with the painters.

Gayle Mason Fine Art - exhibiting at Patchings 2010

It's worth remembering that while many people come to Fesivals like this to see and to learn, many have also come prepared to spend money! However many also have to carry their purchases home with them.

In my view, for those not in cars, this is a marketplace for high volume sales of items which don't break the bank and are easy to carry.  Small, lightweight and inexpensive iterms (eg fine art prints and cards by artists, calendars and small originals) appeared to me to be much more likely to be popular than heavy weight large items such as orginal artwork in frames.  Gayle also confirmed that her step by step tutorial pack on creating an animal's was proving to be very popular and a number of people were taking her very nice and informative leaflet about commissions.


Pros

• Many people are coming fully expecting to spend money as well as watch demonstrations
  
• Many of those who attend are very interested in attending demonstrations and hence are more likely candidates for additional formats for learning about art.  The Festival is good for soliciting interest from hobby artists in different forms of art education - videos, booklets, holidays, courses and workshops.  
• a good range of categories for arts and crafts oriented exhibitors with significant numbers of good quality exhibitors in each.  It provides a good mix for the visitor.
• The Centre has accommodation and refreshments for visiting exhibitors who don't want to spend their profits on hotel prices

Cons

• Most visitors are amateur hobby artists and crafts people who were mainly visiting to buy art supplies and see demonstrations  [Gayle says this changed at the weekend when there was more sale of original art and fine art prints]
• It seemed to me to be unlikely that there was going to be much custom for sales of original art at serious prices
• People are coming from all over the country so it's unlikely to generate large numbers of artists for art tutors associated with a specific place (unless they are relatively local) 
• I wouldn't want to be trying to move stock across the field if there has been a lot of rain and the ground is sodden!  

For the record I came away with two small wooden apples in Spanish Olive and Tulip Wood (for my wooden fruit collection), some Caran d'Ache Pablo and Luminance pencils from open stock (ignoring the £:Swiss Franc exchange rate), a couple of Jakar battery erasers (see Product Review: Jakar Battery Operated Eraser Pen) and a KUM Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener.  I also looked long and hard at purchasing another electric pencil sharpener from Jakar but didn't because of the weight (train/tube etc).  Last time I bought I was in the car and this time I was travelling by train.

However I was very taken with the offers on paper (but again didn't fancy carrying it home) and the stands by Linda Wain's Procolour, Jakar Caran d'Ache / Gadsby's and Jackson's Art Supplies - which is one you will see at all the art events in the Midlands.  Vivien was very taken with an offer on 24 White Light watercolour pans for £5 by Jacksons which she thought was an amazing bargain.  The Rosemary & Co Brush stand was also extremely impressive!

I think if I'd brought my car and had been at the fair for longer there's a very good chance I'd have gone home with more 'stock'!

Overall conclusions:

• If you're a visitor: there is enough here to provide a full day out for all amateur/hobby artists.  
• If you're an artist / art teacher: Professional painters might be more interested in the opportunity it presents to sell smaller works and fine art prints and to offer tuition, workshop and painting holidays.

Links:

• Patchings Art Centre . Oxton Road . Calverton. NG14 6NU
• Patchings Art Festival
• Google Maps - Patchings Art Centre 
• Making A Mark - Gayle Mason at Patchings

Jonathan Linton's Review of the lightfastness of White Oil Paint

Jonathan Linton (Theory and Practice) has published images of the results of his comprehensive test of various white paints - oils and alkyds - in The White Test. . . 5 Years in the Making 

These are the white paints he tested

Winsor & Newton (Artist Oil Colors)
    Titanium White  37 ml
     Zinc White  37ml
     Flake White #1  37 ml
     Foundation White  37 ml
     Cremnitz White  37 ml
     Transparent White  120 ml
Winsor & Newton (Griffin Alkyd)
    Titanium White  37 ml
     Mixed White  37 ml
Gamblin (Artist Oil Colors)
    Titanium White  37 ml
     Radiant White  37 ml
     Titanium Zinc White  37 ml
     Zinc White  37 ml
     Quick Dry White  37 ml
     Flake White Replacement  37 ml
     Flake White  37 ml
Grumbacher (Artist Oil Colors Pretested)
    Titanium White (soft form)  1.25 fl. oz.
     Titanium White (original form)  1.25 fl. oz.
     Zinc White  37 ml
     Flake White  37 ml
Holbein (Extra Fine Artist Oil Colors)
     Ceramic White  50 ml
     Zinc White  50 ml
Lukas 1862 (Finest Artist Oil Colors)
     Opaque White  37 ml
     Zinc White  37 ml
     Titanium White  37 ml
Old Holland (Classic Oil Colors)
     Mixed White #2 (zinc & titanium)  40 ml
     Titanium White  40 ml
     Cremnitz White  40 ml
     Flake White #1 Cremnitz & Zinc  40 ml
Vasari  (Classic Artist Oil Color)
     Titanium Zinc White  40 ml
     Zinc White  40 ml
     Titanium White  40 ml
Permalba (Artist Oil Color)
     Original White  150 ml
     Zinc White  37 ml
     Titanium White  37 ml
     Iridescent White  37 ml
Chroma (Archival Permanently Flexible Artists Oils)
     Titanium White  40 ml
Chroma (Professional Artists Oils)
     Tinting White (Pearl/Titanium)  40 ml
C.A.S. Alkyd Pro
     White Luster  70 ml
     Titanium White  70 ml
Rembrandt (Extra Fine Oil Colors)
     Transparent White  40 ml

His colour charts group paint by type (eg Titanium, Zinc, Flake etc) and then go on to demonstrate

• how the white behaves when painted over a black stripe ie what is its covering power; how opaque or transparent is the paint and how does it behave when used as a glaze
• what it's like when mixed with black
• what colour the paint is after five years - in both solid form and brushed out

I give you the results of this expanded White Test (or Off-White Test, as it is known in-house.) 

The charts demonstrate which remain the same and which change - and, if they change whether they have a tendency to go towards orange or yellow.

A small sample of Jonathan Linton's colour charts for white oil paint

His charts when clicked produce large images and it's very easy to read which paint is which.

He then produces a ranked list for

• those which remained white, 
• those which practically turned orange and 
• those which had a distinct lemon yellow tint.

This is definitely a RECOMMENDED READ for all painters. Do also make sure you read the comments as they contain interesting discussions about different paints and indicate what he's now planning for the next tests!

Have you reviewed an art magazine?

My new website Art Magazines & Journals - Resources for Artists is, so far as I am aware, the only one which lists and links to all the better known magazines and journals for artists

It would be a good to develop it by adding in consumer views about the different journals.

I want to add in a section for reviews of magazines by artists.  So, if you've ever done an online review of a magazine or journal for artists - or read one - and can provide a link, can you please leave a link in a comment to this post so I can add it into my new resource.


What's your favourite magazine for artists?  There's also a poll this month on Making A Mark - about whether or not people subscribe to magazines for artists and which is their favourite magazine.

Click the link, you can find the poll in the right hand column - just below the pics of people who follow the blog.  Don't forget to answer both parts!