Paint Manufacturers and their Products
Most of the paints listed here can be purchased through
Daniel Smith Artists' Materials: 1-800-426-6740
or
The Jerry's Catalog: 1-800-U-ARTIST.
Call for a Catalog.
Product descriptions are from these catalogs, 1998-99.
Kremer
Pigments , Williamsburg
Paints , and
Astoria Paints (718-777-6605)
can only be ordered direct from the manufacturers.
Only professional quality paints are listed here.
Student grade paints are offered by a number of these manufacturers.
SOME POINTS ON PAINT MANUFACTURE
Many companies today create their paints for the highest customer base,
that being the part time painter / amateur hobbyist. They therefore seek
to make their paints as easy to use as possible, blending many additives
to control drying time and consistency in order to make all the pigments
handle the same. The danger in doing so is that overmanipulation of paint
by these additives can weaken the paint film when dry. Pigments absorb
oil in different amounts and have different drying rates because of it;
while some modification may be desireable and useful, if a company's oil
paints all dry in the same amount of time, then they have been overmodified.
The same can be said of equal consistency of paints; if all paints in a
line are of equal buttery consistency, they have had a dangerous amount
of additives included, especially for indirect painting. Paints should
have as little oil ground into them as each can bear without drying out
in the tube. Some excess oil is necessary in tube colors to prevent hardening,
but this can be drained off by squeezing out your paints first onto an
absorbent cloth or paper towel before placing them onto your palette.
The information quoted below is from the manufacturer's or retail merchant's
sales information, and is therefore subjective.
Kremer Pigments was founded in 1977 by Dr. Georg Kremer in order
to supply unique, hard-to-find and historically accurate art materials
to conservators. Since then, the company has expanded to include modern
as well as traditional products, and our customers include artists, craftspeople,
and designers, as well as restorers, who place value in the processes that
have not been compromised by the economics of a mass market. Kremer-Pigmente
of Germany with a branch office in NYC.
Williamsburg Art Materials: Carl Plansky started out making his
own hand ground colors and eventually started selling them. His small shop
in New York's SoHo district now sells thousands of tubes of paint made
on a 19th century designed three-roll press. Williamsburg paints include
many rare italian earth colors for conservators and artists. These paints
are thick and vary in consistency according to pigment. sold in 40 and
150 ml tubes and 8 oz. and 16 oz. tubes.
Order Direct at 800-293-9399 or http://www.williamsburgoilpaint.bizland.com/
Astoria Paints: Our paints are hand ground with pure pigments
in cold pressed linseed and walnut oil. By using a glass muller on marble
stone and keeping additives to a minimum, the product is thick and remains
fresh in the tube. We are grinding new pigments such as the (DPP) Irgazines
into oil paint, which have proven their excellent lightfast qualities in
the coatings industry. They are very strong, bright and offer a non-toxic
alternative to the cadmiums. Remembering what our favorite paintings are
solidly built up with, we are also offering historical lead paints (Lead
Antimoniate [Naples Yellow], Lead-Tin Yellow, Lead Chloride Yellow [Turner's
Yellow], Red Lead [Minium], and Litharge.) (read more about these pigments
HERE)
Daniel Smith Original Oils: These professional quality original
oils offer strong pigmentation and a uniform buttery consistency. Paints
come in 131 colors. Each color was carefully formulated by their chemist
to balance maximum pigment load with minimum vehicle content. The high
grade of alkali-refined linseed oil they use is selected for its uniformity,
light color, low acid value, low-yellowing properties and good adhesion.
They include a small proportion of additives, less than 1% by weight, to
improve brushability, modify drying time and improve the grind. Sold in
37 or 150 ml tubes, pints, quarts and gallons.
Daniel Smith Autograph Series Oils: Thick, strong, intense, packed
with pigment. You get the pigment load of the best handmade oils combined
with the consistent quality that careful small-batch milling provides.
Great for glazing and economical to use, they'll make a visible difference
in your work. Sold in 37 and 150 ml sizes.
A benefit of Daniel Smith colors
is that they also sell their pigment dry for mixing your own paint and,
therefore, offer technical leaflets concerning their colors, including:
A Basic Guide to Artists' Pigments: discusses the properties and
uses of the spectrum of inorganic and synthetic organic pigments used to
make art materials; Pigment Chart: gives a description of each dry
pigment they sell, and also lists tinting strength, opacity / transparency,
lightfastness in mass tone and tint, drying rate and oil absorption by
volume for each color. Since the dry pigment they sell is the same as that
which they use to mix their own paints, this information can be valuable.
Schmincke Mussini Finest Resin-Oil Colors: named for Cesare Mussini,
a professor of painting technique at the Academy in Florence, who passed
on his resin-oil expertise to Schmincke's founders in Dusseldorf, Germany,
a century ago. Unique in formulation, Mussini Resin-oils remain among the
most popular products in Schmincke's line of more than 20 different types
of artists' materials. Mussini oils replace a portion of the linseed or
other fatty oils used in oil paint production with natural resins in an
etheric oil solution. According to Schmincke, this reduces aging and cracking
of the paint film, and allows more even drying. Color layers are more durable,
and the resins help refract light penetrating the paint film, resulting
in a slightly more brilliant appearance. Sold in 35 ml tube size.
Schmincke Norma Professional Oil Colours: Popular with European
painters, Norma Oil Colours are Schmincke's high quality professional oils,
considered one of the finest colors made in the world. They produce clean,
reliable blends and color mixes since only one or two pigments are used
for any color and absolutely no fillers. They use a standard linseed oil
base rather than the linseed / resin base used in the Mussini line, and
are aged 2-3 months before being filled into tubes. This increases concentration
of pigment and reduces excess oil. Sunflower oil is used for lighter shades
so colors will never yellow. Made with both classic and modern pigments,
these finely ground stone-milled paints give you brilliantly uniform color
in every stroke. Sold in 35 and 120 ml tubes.
Old Holland Classic Oil Colours: These colors are made in the
oldest artist's paint factory in the world. Established in 1664, Old Holland
classic oil colors have been used by Van Gogh, Vermeer, Van Ruysdael, and
other Dutch masters. All colors are completely lightfast except madder
lakes and cremnitz white which are nearly lightfast. All colors are manufactured
using stone rollers that won't change the color of the paints (metal will
oxidize Cadmium colors). Only pure cold-pressed linseed oil is mixed into
the pigment. All colors are free of cheap fillers and artificial driers.
Therefore all colors have the highest possible concentration of pigments
providing great covering power, strength of color and color intensity.
These colors are extremely concentrated and may be blended to a huge variety
of shades. Although they are expensive at first glance these colors are
an excellent value when comparing the amount of pigment that you are buying.
Due to their high pigment concentration these colors will go further than
other oil colors when you're covering your canvas due to their opacity
or when mixing with white or gels to obtain a desired shade. They are one
of the world's finest and available in an array of 162 colors. Sold in
40 ml tubes.
Old Holland Imports
60 Grant Street, New Haven, CT 06519
Talens Rembrandt Extra-fine Oil Colors: Artists have relied on
the consistency of these professional grade Dutch oil paints for nearly
a century. Considered by many professionals and competitive manufacturers
as the finest oil color ever produced. Each color contains only the finest
and most lightfast pigments and the purest quality linseed or safflower
oil. Each contains the highest amount of pigment, which is extremely fine-ground
on a triple roll mill. The new well-balanced selection of 120 colors has
traditional and contemporary tones. Sold in 40 ml tubes.
Grumbacher's Pre-Tested Artists Oil Color: permanent oil colors
for artists and hobbyists. A superior quality of rich, brilliant colors
with high tinting strength. They are made of pure pigments, ground in refined
linseed oil. Over the years, their dependable unvarying standard of hue,
buttery consistency and even texture have made these colors a most popular
choice with professional painters, illustrators and instructors. As the
name Pre-Tested implies, every batch of color is checked and tested. Sold
in 37 and 150 ml tubes.
Winsor and Newton Artists' Oil Colors: Supreme quality due to
the careful selection of pigment found throughout the world. Great care
is taken to preserve each color's unique individual qualities while exercising
maximum quality control. An outstanding range of 114 colors. Each with
a maximum pigment content, consistent with good handling qualities and
highest tinting strength. For the professional a reliable oil color that
withstands all tests for quality. Sold in 37 and 120 ml tubes.
Shiva "Signature" Artists' Oil Colors: superior in
color intensity, brilliance and permanence. Scientifically formulated and
controlled, thoroughly ground and aged, Shiva pigments provide the perfect
color consistency, brushability, impasto and gloss. The Signature Oil Color
line contains an unmatched range with many exclusive color features. Shiva
offers the richest in color intensity, brilliance of hue and chemical purity.
Shiva artists' oil colors are absolutely permanent, free from darkening,
yellowing, fading and cracking. All Shiva formulations are thoroughly ground
in up-to-date mills under exacting laboratory controls. Each pigment is
ground to its own correct degree of fineness and every color formulated
individually. Sold in 37 ml tubes.
Gamblin Artists' Oils: Produced under the close supervision of
Robert Gamblin, these colors are formulated using pure pigments and refined
linseed oils. No adulterants are used so each color retains its unique
characteristics of tinting strength, undertone and texture. Sold in 37
and 150 ml tubes and 8 oz. and 16 oz. cans.
Visit the Gamblin website for further information
http://www.gamblincolors.com
Lefranc & Bourgeois Artists' Oil Colors: Lefranc oil colors
have a rich tradition that dates back to 1720. Lefranc is considered to
be one of the best colors ever produced for serious fine artists. They
are made from the finest pigments, fully loaded to saturation for exceptional
tinting strength and ground slowly on triple roll granite or steel mills
to a smooth buttery consistency. Sold in Jumbo 250 ml tube sizes that,
at 6 1/2 times the size of a studio tube are a best value in oil colors.
Archival Oils: The world's first non-cracking artists quality
oil paint. Using only the finest materials and modern technology to modify
either the linseed oil or sunflower oil binder. These colors will develop
a paint film that will remain flexible. The binder removes the brittleness
and increases the life expectancy of the paint film and at the same time
creates luscious oil colors with a smooth buttery consistency. Archival
oils are absolutely lightfast and permanent and may be mixed with other
oils to modify their paint film. They work and mix like traditional colors
but will last forever. Sold in 40 ml tubes.
Sennelier Artists' Oil Colors: Sennelier professional artist
quality oil paints are rich and heavy but never stiff. The colors are luminous,
their feel is smooth and buttery. The oil chosen for each individual color
is selected according to the specific properties of the color's pigments.
This custom oil to pigment matching makes Sennelier oil paints resistant
to fading and cracking. The evidence of this is in museums worldwide on
the canvases of the impressionists, as well as artists such as Chagall,
Kandinsky, Modigliani and Yves Klein. All colors enjoy either a good or
excellent lightfastness rating. Imported from France. Sold in 34 ml tubes.
Holbein Artists' Oil Colors: One of the world's finest colors
produced in Japan. It is by far the best technically manufactured paint.
Ground 3 to 5 times as necessary to achieve a universally consistent viscosity.
Each color is modified to compensate for the inherent differences in the
working characteristics of the pigment. The entire manufacturing process
is monitored to insure optimum quality as it relates to pigment purity,
color tone, applicability and adhesion, physical stability, light stability,
thermo-stability and antibacterial stability. By using Holbein you can
be sure that the time you put into your art will never be wasted, that
the color you want in a custom blend is reliably achieved and the working
qualities that you depend upon to accomplish your techniques remain consistent.
Permalba line of Professional Oil Colors: Recently reformulated
to bring artists the same unequaled quality as Permalba white. All colors
are densely pigmented with a lightfast rating of 1 (excluding iridescents).
Lighter shades with safflower oil binder to minimize yellowing. New formulations
with carefully selected pigments that yield clear, crisp hues without muddying
when mixed with white or other colors. They carry an ACMI non-toxic seal
and each tube is labeled with pigment content, lightfast rating, and opacity
information. Sold in 37 ml studio tubes.
Blockx Handground Oils: In 1885 Jacques Blockx, a wealthy chemist,
went to work to produce for his painter friends good colors that were not
available. His goal was to produce colors that would bring forth brilliant,
lasting results & with a strong paint film. Today his great grandson
Jacques Blockx carries on the name with the same uncompromising dedication
to quality. Now you can enjoy the legendary quality of Blockx oils in 84
colors. Still made the old fashioned way on slowly rotating stone mills
using the purest pigments and poppyseed oil. Extremely concentrated extra
fine artists oils from Belgium produce colors that are fully pigmented,
highly lightfast and simple to mix and blend. Sold in 35 ml tubes.
ALKYD PAINTS
Alkyds get their name from being a combination of a polyhydric alcohol
and a polybasic acid. These ALcohol / aCID or AL-CID resins became known
as Alkyds. These petro-chemical synthetic resins are usually modified by
the immixing of a drying oil. Many such oils can be used to create a paint
vehicle for house paints and industrial purposes, but the best quality
for artist purposes incorporate linseed oil for a flexible paint film.
Alkyds dry much faster than linseed oil and may cause problems when
used to glaze or layer over linseed oil films. (however, artists are using
them in this way without apparent issues becoming visibly apparent) Alkyd
paints or mediums may be used, and are popular for, underpainting since
they dry within 24 hours. They are also being used in Titanium primers
for canvas and board. It is believed that they will last as long as oil
paints based upon testing.
Winsor and Newton Griffin Alkyd Colors
Dry to a semi-gloss finish and due to their oil modified alkyd resin binder
dry to the touch in 12 - 24 hours, do not yellow with age and remain flexible
with no tendency to crack. You can mix with oil colors to reduce drying
rates or mix with liquin to speed the drying time. Sold in 47 ml and 60
ml tubes.
Liquin
Oil-modified alkyd resin medium that thins the consistency, controls the
flow and speeds the drying of oil and alkyd colors. Dries to a virtually
non-yellowing film when used for glazing. Can be thinned with turpentine
or mineral spirits. If painting in layered technique with alkyd colors,
add increasing amounts of liquin medium to each successive paint layer
for fat-over-lean approach. Comes in 2.5, 8.4, 16.9, and 33.8 oz glass
bottles.
Som artists are also brushing liquin over completed paintings to oil-out
the image, creating an even sheen and clear protective coating in place
of resin varnishes.