I recently did a little research into some old Bocour Bellini paint I have, and found an interesting history. There is quite a bit of information out there if you are interested to dig, but this is the general story:
Leonard Bocour was a New Yorker who went to art school and (in his words) hung around artists in the 1930’s. He had a mentor named Emil Ganso who suggested he start making paint. In 1933 he started with a little shop in a studio building and hand ground paints under the Bocour name. He was outgoing, and quickly started selling directly to lots of big name artists like Rothko and Frankenthaler etc.
Sometime around 1952 he bought a grinding mill and took the name Bellini. He chose that name because he liked the alliteration. Bellini paints were machine ground, while the Bocour line continued to be produced by hand. He automated because artists were more and more painting large scale. He had been hand grinding paint for 20 years! At this time, he was in business with his nephew Sam Golden, of the Golden paints everybody knows.
There are some Bellini paints I have seen that were manufactured in Illinois. The production seems to have moved there some time after 1978. You are welcome to correct me on that if you know. Before then, they were manufactured in Garnerville NY, which is on the Hudson river a bit north of NYC. In an interview, Leonard lamented moving production away from the city – he had been part of an artistic milieu there. Bocour continued to make paint until the 1990’s, but Leonard passed away in 1993, and the company seems to have ceased at that time. Part of his collection of paintings, made by his famous friends, went to St Mary’s College of Maryland.
On the labels, it tells you that you shouldn’t smoke.
I have used a pretty wide variety of oil paint. I thought it would be useful to share my opinions about the different brands I’ve used comparatively.
First a brief introduction to oil paint manufacturing: Most raw pigments in artists’ paint these days come from commercial suppliers who sell to many different industries. The pigments in most artists’ paint are therefore not particularly special unto themselves, but are chosen for lightfastness, longevity, and compatibility with drying oils. Some pigments that artists use still come from particular places, and there are a few which are very special indeed.
Probably most impactful to the consumer, in terms of the actual paint, are artist oil paint manufacturers. These run the range from tiny companies of (sometime lone) colourmen to industrial scale automated complexes, and the quality and qualities of oil paint can vary widely. It can be confusing! The best artist paint will be made from high quality pigments and milled consistently, without a ton of additives, to the highest pigment load possible. Each brand and/or paint line has its own characteristics (such as oil used, drying time, or paint consistency) based on the manufacturer’s philosophy, priorities, and price point target. Though rare, a paint manufacturer will sometimes also make their own raw pigments – Michael Harding makes Stack Lead White pigment in-house, for example. That’s special.
What quality of paint an artist uses should depend on their preferences, budget, or maybe even what the paint is being used for. For example, when underpainting, or if you are toning a gessoed canvas with really thinned out mars red or earth green or something, it’s all the same to use basic paint. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to buy any of the more economically produced pigments (such as Burnt Umber, for example) in premium brands. However, if you are doing any serious painting, it will probably become important to use good and even very expensive paint where required. The cost may be high, but the rewards are great. For a common example, Cadmium Red hue is worthless to most serious artists – you simply have to spend the money on the real thing. Consequent to this viewpoint, I use paints which sometime have a massive price point difference side by side.
(Note that the term “hue” refers to a mixture approximating the listed colour, using cheaper and/or less toxic pigments. This is primarily done to reach a lower price point, and the paint is just … never quite the real thing. Buyer beware.)
Every paint manufacturer says their paint is amazing. I might toss my cookies if I read “buttery” one more time. What I have to say about each paint is from my own experience, and is not derived from the history/reputation of the manufacturer or just copied off some sales brochure. I like highly pigmented, fairly thick paint milled (primarily) with linseed oil that shows personality from one colour to the next, and no bullshit. It has to have an acceptable balance between quality and price, and be consistently produced over time. Quality can have a tendency to slide, and if I notice, I’ll move on. At the end of each description, I give the paint line a totally subjective rank based on how I feel about it overall. What it comes down to, in the end, is ones own viewpoint – you simply have to try some different paints and find out what’s right for you.
This post will be updated periodically as I try new brands or find information.
In no particular order, I have or have used:
Royal Talens Rembrandt
Royal Talens Van Gogh
Royal Talens Amsterdam
Weber Permalba
Gamblin
Gamblin Fastmatte (this line no longer produced)
Gamblin 1980
Winsor and Newton Artists’ oil colours
Winsor and Newton London (this line no longer produced)
Winsor and Newton Winton
Grumbacher Pre-tested (both new and very old tubes)
Grumbacher Golden Palette (very old tubes)
Grumbacher Academy
Grumbacher Gainsborough
Permanent Pigments (no longer produced – company dissolved)
Holbein
Holbein Vernet
Lefranc and Bourgeois (older tubes)
Williamsburg
Michael Harding
Pebeo Fragonard
Pebeo Studio oil
Ferrario Van Dyck
DeSerres (house brand)
Blick Artists’ (house brand)
Blick Studio (house brand)
Reeves oil colour
Kama
Daler Rowney Georgian
M Graham
Blockx
Old Holland
Schmincke Norma
Schmincke Mussini
Bocour Bellini (no longer produced – company dissolved)
Stevenson (no longer produced – company dissolved)
Sennelier
Sennelier Rive Gauche
Vasari
Royal Talens Rembrandt is one of my “go to” paints. I have quite a bit of it. As an undergrad, I often bought upwards to this line, as it is much better paint than most student lines, but still basically within budget. They are mixed with linseed oil, have a fairly thick consistency that appeals to me, and have a pretty high pigment load across the range. Some people say they are oily, but I don’t mind. Royal Talens isn’t a boutique brand, and I’ve found them almost everywhere I’ve ever shopped. You have to be careful with every brand of paint of course, but they have a pretty solid range without too many nonsense colours. Of their mixed pigment paints, I like their Sap Green (Pthalo Green and Isoindolinone Yellow). This line remains good quality and within my price range. Importantly, they have the easiest caps to open of any manufacturer. Everything considered, I rank them 4 out of 5. One thing to note is that some very expensive pigments, such as Cobalt Violet, are mixed with a great deal of stabilizer and feel a little weak and gelatinous out of the tube.
Royal Talens Van Gogh is a pretty big step below the Rembrandt line in both cost and quality. It’s quite “student grade” across the series and the paint is rather too oily and loose out of the tube in my experience. There are many hues in the line which should probably be avoided unless you are banging out practice paintings like a first year. There is just too much filler/oil in the paint for me to buy it any more. Still, there are some decent one or two pigment colours in the line, and there is good purpose to having some of this paint, especially if you are a novice painter. 3 out of 5.
Royal Talens Amsterdam were economical 200ml tubes that were sold until about the mid-2000’s. There is no discernible difference between these and the Van Gogh line, except how much paint you are buying. Royal Talens didn’t see any difference either, and they folded the (size) range into the Van Gogh. You won’t find these tubes in stores anymore, unless they are old stock. You can cover a lot of real estate with this paint. That’s all I have to say about them besides what I’ve said about Van Gogh above. 3 out of 5.
Weber Permalba is made in Philadelphia PA. The white is a little bit famous for being a wonderful soft consistency and clear over time (non-yellowing). They do this by mixing Titanium White with around 12% Zinc White and around 5% blanc-fixe into safflower oil – so no great alchemical secret here. Some shops only stock the white and black colours, while the rest of the line seems far less popular. I worked in a humongous art store in Philly for a few years, and even we didn’t stock it. The one colour I still have is in a plastic tube (please don’t) and is underwhelming in every respect. They make Bob Ross paint, so maybe that’s saying something. In the colours I’ve tried other than white – MEH. 1.5 out of 5.
Gamblin is a west coast American company that makes excellent mediums, which used to be packaged in nice glass jars. I buy their cold wax and linseed oil regularly. The company is focused on studio safety, has a comprehensive website, and does a lot of research and education, all which is great. Their Gamsol solvent is expensive, but has the lowest evaporation rate of any OMS – it’s worth considering if you are in a studio with other people or aren’t near a window etc. The texture of their Artist Grade Oil Paint is especially uniform across the colour range, and overall it’s just a little too smooth and soft out of tube for my taste. Over-modified in my opinion. They have a good pigment load, and are consistently well ground (in linseed), but I like a bit more muscle and individual personality from my colours. It’s just their philosophy. This is decent paint and definitely worth a try, but 3.5 out of 5 for me.
Gamblin Fastmatte (as the name suggests) has additives which make it dry totally matte and pretty much over night. I don’t use it with other paints much, but find it really useful for underpainting. It’s kind of a limited palette “system” which you either use or don’t. I can see how a basic colour set for sketching might be worthwhile. This paint is a bit thicker out of the tube than regular Gamblin and, important to note, the additives seem make it a bit more opaque than others. Fairly limited colour selection. All in all, quite good paint (for specific purpose). 4 out of 5.
I can see on their website that they no longer make this paint. I looked into it and found that the line (save Titanium White) was discontinued effective February 2021. Perhaps it was just too specific a product to sell well.
Gamblin 1980 is a fairly recent addition to Gamblin’s oil paint lineup. Somewhat of a replacement for Fastmatte perhaps, but more typical in usage. This paint achieves a lower price point than their Artist Grade by inclusion of marble dust as an extender. This is fine. I applaud them for stating this plainly, and not slapping “huile professionnel” smoke and mirrors on the label of a $5 tube I just found in a sale bin. In use they seem to me to have good body out of the tube, and be pigmented well enough. It is worth noting that many of the colours are mixes of the label colour and something else. For example, Cadmium Yellow medium is Py37 and Py74 – the Py37 being Cadmium and the Py74 being Azo Monoarylide. These paints are aimed squarely at students and more price-conscious painters. Nothing wrong with that. 3.5 out of 5.
Besides extending the pigment in order to reach a lower price point, as is the reason here, calcium carbonate (marble dust) has long been added to oil paint to make impastos. It has been found in Velasquez and Rembrandt paintings, for example.
Winsor and Newton Artists’ Oil Colours have been a mainstay for many painters through the years. They are broadly available and are known to be good quality at a not extreme price point, so consequently I have quite a few tubes of it. The company is quite old (among the first to put paint into tubes) and rests on an excellent reputation – therefore expectations are, and should be, quite high for this paint. There are some things to watch for however. Always check the pigments listed on the tube with this brand, as they are not particularly open as to what is a hue, and use proprietary names that are not meaningful. Winsor blue? Just call it Pthalo for fucks sake. Interestingly, they were/are one of the few manufacturers of genuine rose madder (besides Kremer). This is a really neat colour. I once took a tour of the original manufacturing facility in Harrow UK, which was a warehouse filled with vats in which absolutely everything was dyed rose pink. Very cool. Winsor and Newton are now owned by a very large company called Colart, and these paints are made in Le Mans France at an industrial scale alongside Lefranc and Bourgeois (information on that here). Apparently they make five million litres of paint each year. It is important to note that they are now made with safflower oil, and there have also been quite a few changes to the colours in the line. The new paint is different than the old paint, and a friend of mine reports that it has lost some muscle/personality. They remain quite good, but the quality of these paints should be monitored very closely, now and in the future. 4 out of 5 for the old tubes. 3 out of 5 for the new ones.
Winsor and Newton London is a long discontinued line which encompassed regular oil paints, alkyds, and watercolours. The company restructured the line into Winton (student grade oil paints), Griffin (alkyds), and Cotman (watercolours). Much more organized? The paint I have is obviously quite old. Though it was the company’s more economical offering, the paint I have used in this line is quite a bit better than today’s Winton. Isn’t that the way of things. 4 out of 5.
Winton paints are Winsor and Newton’s current economical/student level offering. I have some, but the paint, across the range, has never inspired me. The tubes I have seem a little plastic like, the tops are kind of annoying, and there are better and more interesting paints at near the same price point. Even as a novice I gravitated elsewhere – slightly upward to Royal Talens Rembrandt if I could afford to. I had a Titanium White (ground in safflower) that I liked well enough, but the rest of the colours I own have languished since the early days, and really only get used when I run out of better paint. Colart seems to have improved their packaging quite a bit, but still 2 out of 5 from me.
Grumbacher Pre-tested almost deserve two different entries, because I literally have two different paints in my box. The contemporary paints are decent, well priced paints which are good but not overflowing with attributes. I rank them a bit below Rembrandt. I have however some very old colours in lead tubes which are perhaps the best paints I’ve ever used. I’m not exactly sure of the reason why. The tube material? Quality differences in the pigments used? Changed processes or priorities at the company? For whatever reason, these old paints are fantastic. I’ve read other people say the same. If only it was possible to get more. Cherished. 5 out of 5 (for the old ones).
As an added note, the tubes came to me in a pretty thrashed state. The lead, being so soft, has torn on a number of tubes, and are creating a mess. Chalk one up to aluminum tubes! Also, there are a couple of colours that have gone “mealy”. The oil and the pigment and the fillers have separated from each other somewhat. I’ve experienced this with old tubes in other brands also.
Grumbacher Golden Palette. I also have some old tubes (1980’s) of this economical paint line from Grumbacher, which they no longer offer. These old paints I have are much better than their insanely low price suggests. Unfortunately however, among them is a “Cadmium Red”, which doesn’t have the pigments listed on the tube but is plainly the most pasty, notably disappointing hue I’ve come across. It’s so bad it’s funny. The price tags are still stuck to some of the tubes and none of them were over two dollars. It isn’t good paint, but that’s amazing. 4 out of 5 (for the price).
Grumbacher Academy. I have used a few older tubes in this line. Like Winsor and Newton London, they are better than their contemporary counterparts. Academy is Grumbacher’s student quality line, which has the same colour range as the Pre-tested paints, but uses more filler, more oil, and hues to reach a lower price point. The same as with all brands, you reward yourself when you step up in quality to professional grade paints. For the old tubes, 3 out of 5.
Grumbacher Gainsborough are an old line of particularly small tubes which seemed to be only sold in sets. Aimed at beginners, they used to come in rather charming wood boxes with paint medium included. The little lead tubes I have are terribly smashed, but the paint inside remains fresh and half-decent. One would be so lucky to find a student line with paint this good nowadays. Chartpak (Grumbacher’s parent company) does not seem to sell this line any more. Any tubes you come across are surely vintage. 3 out of 5.
Permanent Pigments was founded in 1933 by Henry Levinson in Cincinnati OH. He developed Liquitex acrylic paint in 1955/56, but it seems like the company continued to produced oil paint under the Permanent Pigments name until some point in the 1970’s. Liquitex was sold to Binney and Smith in 1964, so maybe it was them who discontinued the line – it isn’t mentioned in any of the history I’ve read, so it doesn’t look to have been a priority there. The tubes look so much like old Grumbacher I thought at first they might be the same company. The paint I have is quite good and the tube lists both pigment and amount of filler. Very honest. These paints are the last individuals of a very good species of dinosaur. If you find some in your grandmother’s attic you should definitely take them. 4 out of 5.
Holbein is made in Japan and feels very technically produced. There are advantages and disadvantages to that I suppose. The paint attributes are extremely consistent across a wide spectrum of colours (167 apparently) but also they produce a lot of mixes that an artist should be wary of. Verditer blue? I rank these a little bit along the lines of Gamblin, and as such don’t use them a lot. The two paints have pretty similar personalities overall, but Holbein is a bit stiffer out of the tube. It’s good paint, but 3.5 out of 5 for me.
One thing to note is that Holbein paint seems to stand the test of time. I have some tubes which have been around for quite a while (10 years?) and the paint is still coming out of the tubes smoothly. They also have good caps. I’m warming up to them…
Holbein Vernét is Holbein’s (very) high-end paint. It’s interesting stuff. They are milled ten times longer than regular paint, which results in intense colour, extremely smooth paint, and a sky-high price tag. They come in small 20ml tubes, each in it’s own fancy little box. Really, because it is so fine and highly pigmented, the colour goes quite a bit farther than than it does with other paints. The mechanical differences between this paint and others means that it’s something you have to consciously think about while mixing brands however. Holbein recognizes this, and explains how to use this paint with others in it’s literature. I’m using a Vermilion right now and the colour is simply mind-bending. So was the price! 4.5 out of 5 – but be conscious of the paint’s unique mechanics.
Lefranc and Bourgeois are a very old French paint manufacturer. The history is worth reading. Their oil paint is now reorganized and separated between two lines – Lefranc, and Lefranc & Bourgeois Fine. I have read they are now produced in the same (French) plant as Winsor & Newton, and that the quality seems to have dropped somewhat. I haven’t used these “new” lines, so I can’t comment on them specifically. I do however have a ton of older tubes of this paint, because a store I frequented was clearing them out. I bought as much as I could afford. The 250ml tubes came in fantastic stackable plastic boxes which have kept my unused tubes in impeccable condition – classy. These are great feeling paints which I would class above Winsor and Newton Artists’ paints. They are richly pigmented and have nice body out of the tube. Single pigment paints from this brand (Cadmium Red for example) are knockouts. 4.5 out of 5.
As an added note, I had a couple of colours which hardened in the tube on their own accord. Total bummer. Maybe they could have put a little more oil or stabilizer in those ones! Rating remains the same though.
Williamsburg makes fantastic paint. They were bought by Golden a few years ago and production moved away from New York City, but the quality has not changed as far as I can tell. Golden does a lot of research on pigment attributes and longevity. This research has lead to the recent removal of Zinc White from it’s lines, due to rather troubling ever increasing brittleness of the pigment over time (information here). So don’t look for Zinc White here! Williamsburg paints have a different consistency from tube to tube, depending on the basic characteristics of each pigment. I really like this. Also, each tube has a painted strip of the colour at the top which I find helpful and classy. It should be done by more manufacturers – some other brands have printed labels that are nowhere close to the colour of paint inside, and I’ve sometimes had to smear paint on the outside of the tube so I can actually see what’s in there. That kinda sucks. Williamsburg paints are pretty expensive, so I use this brand for more important colours. They’re also pretty hard to find in Canada, depending on where you live. I would use a LOT more of it if it were available here in Montréal. As it is, I order it from Delta Art Supplies in Edmonton. The hex-nut cap design they use can become impossible to unscrew without pliers. This can be frustrating, but they still get a 5 out of 5. Highly recommended.
Michael Harding is a UK brand of paint. I cheerfully classify him a craftsman, and any of the paint I’ve used in this brand is truly the highest quality. I use his Cremitz White like a religion. It’s a level above Flake White or Lead White, made by anyone, in my opinion. There is a proper paint sample at the top of each tube. So nice! Here in Canada, the price of a tube of paint is about the same as a Gucci handbag, but it’s like your tools are jewels. A joy. 5 out of 5. Highly recommended.
PebeoFragonard paints are labeled extra fine, but they were usually cheaper than other brands and often on sale on top of that. The low price point is for a reason – these are basic quality paints no matter what the label says. That’s fine. I buy Burnt Umber when I see it in a clearance bin. These paints have changed a lot over the years in place of manufacture, packaging, and quality, and Pebeo don’t seem to even make the Fragonard line any more, so any that you find are surely old stock. I have a really old tube of this paint (searching revealed early 1950’s) which is of superior quality and labelled made in Paris by Armand Drouant. Well, certainly not any more! Pebeo is a big company and it seems you can buy their paint everywhere. No matter where you look, there it is. 3 out of 5 (but I used them because cheap).
Pebeo Studio oil (now called Studio XL) are basic paints often sold in sets aimed at beginners and students. The cost is kept as low as possible through the use of hues across the range, and filler. That all said, these are half-decent, consistent paints. Nobody expects these to compete with Old Holland, but judged on their own merits, they are perfectly serviceable. 3.5 out of 5.
Ferrario Van Dyck is an Italian paint that isn’t distributed in Canada that I know of. I came across some tubes of this paint randomly and it’s the one and only time I’ve ever seen them. I’ve found little information on this paint. Apparently the company had financial troubles years back, so maybe that has something to do with its rarity here. It’s a pretty saturated market in North America anyway… This is decent enough paint I suppose, but the ones I have stink like solvent. Also, the caps on my tubes are painfully scalloped and were totally impossible to open without pliers right from the start. It’s pretty frustrating, so I’m taking marks off for paint I can’t even get out of the tube. 3.5 out of 5. Also, the labels on the tubes seem to change a lot. Strange.
DeSerres (house brand) is run of the mill paint. I’m pretty sure it’s made by Pebeo but I can’t even be bothered to check. The tubes say “huile fine” on them but that’s taking some liberties I think. Maybe they’ve stepped up a lot in the last few years but I’d never know. Even as a first year student I looked elsewhere. MEH. 2 out of 5 (1 point for actually being paint).
Blick artists’ oil colour (house brand) is much better than DeSerre. Blick has huge sales for back to school and that type of thing, so we used to sell a ton of it. Great for students and Christmas gifts for amateur painters. Ground with safflower, this paint is otherwise pretty straightforward. It’s made in France by Sennelier, so the characteristics of the two paints are much the same. It’s a bit liquid-y and dries a touch too slowly for me. Blick’s second tier Studio Oil Colour line is pretty underwhelming and should probably be bypassed by serious painters in my opinion. For the artists’ oil colour, it’s about a 3 out of 5.
Reeves oil colour paints are tiny tubes packaged in economical sets aimed at the absolute beginner. It looks like you can still buy this stuff at places like Michael’s craft store or Walmart. The ones I have are probably the most economically produced tubes of oil paint of all time. They are made in China and have almost no information on the tubes as to what is inside. Linseed oil? Paint? If you have zero expectations, these paints will happily surprise you by actually being paint. If you aspire to do anything beyond a dabble, look elsewhere. Hilariously bad. 1 out of 5.
Kama Pigments is a Montréal based pigment supplier and paint maker. They have only one level of paint, which is excellent. Because it is made where I live, it is often a little bit cheaper than other paints at the same quality. Some people swear by it and use it almost exclusively – it is certainly very common among local painters anyway. I buy many of my raw pigments there and have a number of their tubed paints also. They perform admirably. Most of my colours are a bit older and are mixed with both walnut and linseed oil. It seems to be a good balance, as the colours remain clear, but drying time is not too frustratingly long. In the last few years, they have moved toward using just walnut oil (with dryers), so that is something to be aware of. The Cobalt Green Light is gorgeous. I can recommend this paint across the range. Winsor and Newton level for sure. 4.5 out of 5.
As an added note, my partner experienced a few adhesion issues from some Kama colours lately, where she really shouldn’t have. It made us curious as to what and how much dryer and/or fillers are in the paint she was using. We keep an eye out.
Daler Rowney Georgian. What is there to say about this paint? A mainstay of an undergrad’s paint box, they seem filled to maximum with oil and filler. Generally weak in tinting strength, they make up for that by being oily, loose out of the tube, and easily blown out when mixed. Even the most potent pigments (like pthalo blue) are let down by the unsatisfactory consistency of the paint. Don’t let the blah-blah on the website fool you. They fill a purpose, but these paints will disappoint unless you are a total novice or your practice is simply about covering lots of real estate. I recommend sticking to the most straightforward colours if buying this paint (Mars Black for example). None of the more expensive pigments in the line whatsoever. But hey, they’re cheap! 1.5 out of 5.
Update: It’s always good to revisit things like this, if just to see if anything has changed, so recently I bought some Sap Green. It was on sale. This line of paint continues to only have one price point no matter what pigment is in the tube, and Daler Rowney endeavours to have these paints all dry at the same rate – two attributes which are great for the beginner or periodic painter. With those things in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the packaging, the pigment load, colour and consistency of the paint I just bought. It’s still squarely aimed at students, but it’s a big bump up from the paint I used to have in this line.
M Graham is an interesting paint. They use walnut oil across the line, which dries clearer (less yellow) than linseed but also slower. They promote a system in which you add alkyd medium to the paint mixture to speed the drying time. None of that bothers me, but I find their paints ground a little like Gamblin – soft and smooth almost to a fault. A few years ago I acquired quite a bit of this paint, and while it’s decent and has a good pigment load, I don’t use it that much. It’s really just a taste issue. 2.5 out of 5.
Blockx is a Belgian paint manufacturer that is going on five generations of paint-makers – they’ve gotta be doing something right! Their paint is ground in poppyseed oil on old-school style stone rollers. For a Canadian that equates to Gucci level prices, but the quality is within the very top tier. I suppose some artists can swallow the price on the regular, but it’s a special treat for me. This paint should appeal most to a painter with a patient style, as opposed to someone using vast amounts of paint and making a big mess. I Google-mapped their manufacturing facility and it’s adorably Belgian. Love it. 5 out of 5 (if you can afford it, and also don’t mind the rather slow drying time of poppyseed).
Old Holland Classic Oil Colours, like Blockx, exists outside my price range for general use. Back when I worked at an art store, some customers would absolutely swear by it. Certainly they make some colours other brands don’t, which is interesting but maybe not always necessary (you have been forewarned). This is rich, thick, excellent quality paint without doubt, but unlike other comparable paints at equal or sometimes price points, this stuff has never really inspired me to shell out. Maybe if I was rich? For a while it was the only stock our shop had of Lead White, and the price for a tiny tube was simply astronomical. It remains so. I recently price checked Cremnitz White, and it’s an eye watering $67.80cad for a 40ml tube – more than twice the price of the equivalent from Michael Harding. Old Holland likes to tell you they started making paint in 1664. That’s amazing and everything, but they use totally modern pigments and processes, so it’s actually not all that relevant. They use cold-pressed linseed oil, and for sure the paint is highly pigmented (both great things) but the stuff isn’t simply beyond other brands the way they might have you believe. Beware that they use fancy names that can be misleading if you don’t know your stuff. Scheveningen Violet may sound magical, but it’s straight up Pv19 (Quinacridone). Also be aware that they use the word “extra” rather than hue – their Naples Yellow Extra is simply Zinc White, Titanium White, and Py42 (Synthetic Yellow Iron Oxide). There is little reason to manufacture this colour, and even less reason to buy it. It’s a bit of a fancy scam to call it Naples Yellow in fact, and should stand as a reminder to ALWAYS check the pigments on the label, and purchase accordingly. If you are interested in Old Holland paint, I would first do some research online for favoured colours, because there are some in the range for sure – there are some lovely greens for example. Overall, they get 3.5 out of 5 for me. This is really excellent paint, but I don’t use them because there are other brands which are just as good, cheaper, and/or I like just as much. It all seems a bit Wizard of Oz to me.
Schminke Norma paints are German. The Mercedes of the oil paint world! They are great quality paints which can be hard to find in Canada, depending on where you live. I don’t use them much as a result, but surely would if a local shop carried them as one of their (premium) brands. If you see them, they are definitely worth trying. Recently I read that they put solvent into their paint, and also that quality has dropped somewhat in recent years, but I cannot verify either of these things personally. For the tubes I had, 4.5 out of 5.
Schminke Mussini paints have resin in them. It’s a really interesting (yet old) approach to formulating oil paint. Without doubt these are great paints with solid properties in terms of binding, cohesion, and evenness across the surface of the painting. They also dry glossy. I think fine portraitists appreciate these qualities. It is kind of a “system” though, and one that doesn’t suit my practice. Fantastic paint I don’t use. Also expensive. 4 out of 5.
Bocour Bellini doesn’t exist any more. They were packaged in tin tubes, made in New York, and, in the colours I have, excellent. I have a tube of lamp black (PBk 6) that smells like no other paint I’ve ever owned. It seems strange to be excited about such a basic pigment, but it’s wonderful paint and I’ll be sorry when it’s gone. 5 out of 5 (I’m in love).
Stevenson was a Canadian brand familiar to many art students here. They made excellent painting mediums. Their gesso in particular was an excellent balance of price, quality and availability, and I used it almost exclusively. I bought some cheap-assed gesso once and it separated and went rancid almost immediately. You learn the most from your mistakes! Stevenson oil paints were a different story than their mediums however. I had a 500ml can of titanium white that was very nice in terms of thickness, smoothness and strength, but smaller amounts in other colours were packaged in plastic tubes, and I was never thrilled with them. Whether the quality of the paint or just trying to get it all out of the tube, they always felt just slightly off the mark. As a student I immediately gravitated toward more robust paints in aluminum tubes, like Rembrandt etc. The white notwithstanding, these get a 3 out of 5.
Sadly, Stevenson closed all production in August of 2018. They will be sorely missed by Canadian painters, especially students.
Sennelier makes good paint which is ground in safflower oil. It is pretty liquid-y out of the tube. I love the fact that this huge manufacturer still maintains their little original store across the river from the Louvre. Super cool. All weight of history aside though, I don’t rank these paints (called simply “Sennelier oil colours”) above other paints which are easier for me to find in here in Canada. There are 144 colours in the line and they seem just a little “mass produced” to me. They dry faster than expected, despite the safflower oil, which probably means they put dryers in the paint. I have some. I’m happy with it. I tend toward other brands. 3.5 out of 5.
Sennelier Rive Gauche. I recently purchased some Sennelier Rive Gauche paint. It was on liquidation. These are very interesting paints, but perhaps not for the right reasons. They are ground in safflower, but are advertised as drying twice as fast as regular (linseed) oil paints. Sennelier doesn’t list the additives they use to achieve this little miracle on their website or on the paint tubes, which I think is pretty sneaky. If you are bothered to read the MSDS however, calcium isononanoate and silicon dioxide, along with petroleum solvents, are listed as additives to the paint. What a mouthful. To start, the calcium keeps the film matrix open, allowing more oxygen into the film and more solvent to escape early in the drying process, speeding up drying time. Calcium also assists in pigment dispersion and reduces loss of dry when added in the pigment grinding stage, which speeds up manufacturing time. Isononanoate is a synthetic acid which is lower in odour than natural (naphthenic) acids. It has been added to speed up the drying time. Silicon dioxide has a bunch of appealing properties (increasing durability of the paint film, thickness, etc.) but the main reason it is used in artist’s oil paint is to lower manufacturing costs. It extends the paint, and is also the reason why this paint exhibits a satin sheen when dry. By using all these additives, Sennelier has sped up the manufacturing process, cranked up the acidic (drying) reaction of the paint, and stretched it out to what appears it’s limit. They’ve then also dumped solvent straight into the paint. Yeowch. As for using the actual stuff, I’m pretty happy with it. I have a titanium white which can’t be too critical of. Other colours suffer their transparency, purity, subtlety or everything, but if you want it to dry fast, here ya go. Watch out for the many, many hues in this line. Fast drying properties aside, this is student paint full stop. 2 out of 5.
Vasariare among the bling-est of the bling. They are a very small company that makes only oil paint in small batches. They only sell online and out of a small, wonderful demonstration showroom in Chelsea. If you are not living in the USA, you may end up paying duties on online purchases of paint, so be careful. It’s either that possibility or a trip to New York. The shop is right in the gallery district, so at least you can hit a few exhibitions while you’re there. This paint is made with linseed oil and no fillers, and has a solid reputation as being highly pigmented and excellent feeling out of the tube. It is. They are proprietary about their mixed colours, so don’t bother asking about what’s in their sap green – they flat out refused me on that. That might bother you (the not listing the pigments on all their tubes) but their attitude is that it’s the best and they don’t want their formulas copied. In practice, their paint is excellently ground, very highly pigmented, and has a smooth lovely feel. Gorgeous. They are also some of the oiliest paints I’ve ever used… 4.5 out of 5.
I make my own paint sometimes (link goes to short how-to). Like everyone else, I rely on manufacturers to provide quality raw pigments, but I can modulate the consistency of each tube of paint and can assure purity of the mix/materials. That can be important. It’s worth doing if you are interested in the process and are willing to commit the time and effort. I have also pre-mixed colours and tubed them for special projects that I know are going to take a while. I can guarantee colour consistency this way. No filler! No bullshit! Always 5 out of 5.
While we were wandering up the Seine we went to the Sennelier store across from the Louvre. This is the same store that many of the impressionists patronized, and I think it probably still looks much the same inside as it did then. It’s an old shop packed up with a large range of quality supplies. Real deal. Shelves full of powdered pigments and tins and jars of stuff. It was cool to find some Kama Pigments products in there. Go Montréal!
Gustave Sennelier was a chemist, and opened the art store in 1887. He started making his own paint for artists not long after. All this was not too long after paint had begun to be stored in metal tubes – the patent taken out in 1841 by John Goffe Rand. This technical innovation, as well as all the new and readily available colours of the industrial age, spurred the impressionist to make their wildly coloured plein air paintings. Gustave was in the right place at the right time.
Gustave’s son Henri created the first oil pastel made for fine art use in the mid 1900’s, and today Sennelier manufactures all kinds of high end pigment based artist materials. I doubt this little shop is where they make all the money, but it sure is nice to see a manufacturer hang on to their history by keeping their original store operating. The service was good too. It was fun to buy a wafer thin slice of art history.
Ben Williamson | on art 