My Favorite Paint Brands
I am often asked which brands of paint I use. Over the years, my answer has changed, but I just realized that for the first time ever, I DO have a favorite brand of acrylic paint and a favorite brand of oil paint. I even have a favorite oil medium. And, there are a few brands that I tried to like, but absolutely could not work with. I won't talk about those, because everyone has their preferences and I have friends - even friends who paint similar to me, tightly rendered, high saturation, lots of tiny details - and they love the brands I despise. Go figure.
So, even though you may not have the same feelings for them as I do, I wanted to share my go to paint brands with you.
HERE is a link to an article by Oliver Jennes of Wonderstreet, where comments on several paint brands were gathered. I agree with almost all of what they say in this article. (I admittedly have not tried a few of the brands listed.)
And HERE is a link to a blog post written several years ago by the talented Jonathan Linton, where he tested which white oil paints hold up best and yellow the least over time.
Now, drumroll please....
My favorite acrylic paint brand: Chroma Atelier Interactive Artist's Acrylic Paints
I love them because:
- They don't dry as quickly as other brands of acrylic paint
- They are a high flow paint, meaning they don't clump and are perfect for thin layers of paint applied precisely with pointy brushes
- These paints have a high pigment content. I can mix them with umbers or tints and they stay more saturated than other acrylic brands
- I rarely use their rewetting properties, but it's nice to know I can
- They are reasonably priced
My favorite oil paint brand: Michael Harding Artist Oil Colours
I love them because:
- They play nice with Gamblin Solvent Free Gel, a non yellowing safflower based alkyd medium I use
- They retain their color and dry evenly
- They are a high flow paint, meaning they don't clump and are perfect for thin layers of paint applied precisely with pointy brushes
- These paints have a high pigment content. I can mix them with umbers or tints and they stay more saturated than other natural (meaning without fillers) oil brands
- They are consistent in the way they handle. As with other brands, the yellows and reds and oranges tend to separate a bit more than other colors, but for the most part their viscosity and "temperament" is consistent across the brand
- New colors are being added all the time, but I am very happy with the 10 or so that I use on a daily basis. I feel there is a large enough variety of colors. Also, the colors I ordered a few years ago look and behave the same as new tubes of paint.
- They are reasonably priced
