When seeking recommendations from painting practitioners, the aspiring painter is regularly told to buy cheap paints. In a series of posts on a social media site, one person commented that Vermeer didn't come out of the womb and instantly start painting masterpieces. This comment sat snugly alongside and in accordance to the other comments advising new painters to buy cheap paints. Cheap paint may draw Cheap Oil Paintings, but Cheap Oil Paintings not necessarily from cheap paint.
The mix-messaging here is proof the purchase of cheap paints is not necessarily the best advice. It is worth pointing out Vermeer did not use poor quality oil paints nor did he use paint bought from an art shop, ready mixed and supplied in tubes. If you were to set your sights on painting like Vermeer – and why not! - poor quality oil paints will not help you achieve that aim. You might get part of the way there, but to paint quality, you must use quality equipment.
The price of oil paints reflects the quality. Several factors determine the price of oil paints but the main two are: the price of the pigment and the purity of the pigment.
Quality oil ranges are often nothing more than pure pigment ground in oil. The price simply reflects the cost of the pigment the paint is made from. It is worth checking what each company says about the paints they produce to discover how pure their paints are.
Cheap quality paints have fillers and driers added which reduce the strength of the pigments and alters the way the paint handles. I find many cheap oil ranges inadequate for my painting needs and I find the waxiness of them difficult to use or blend. Since quality paints tend to have no additives, you are granted more control and you will know how the paint will behave when mixed with various painting media.
The price of the pigment is the biggest influence on the price of the paint and with cheap oil ranges cheaper pigments are used. Often the expensive pigments found in quality paints are substituted for cheap approximations and are labelled with '(hue)'. Buying quality paints does not mean they will be expensive. Very good oil ranges come in various sized tubes and many popular and versatile colours are often the cheapest pigments.
The mix-messaging here is proof the purchase of cheap paints is not necessarily the best advice. It is worth pointing out Vermeer did not use poor quality oil paints nor did he use paint bought from an art shop, ready mixed and supplied in tubes. If you were to set your sights on painting like Vermeer – and why not! - poor quality oil paints will not help you achieve that aim. You might get part of the way there, but to paint quality, you must use quality equipment.
The price of oil paints reflects the quality. Several factors determine the price of oil paints but the main two are: the price of the pigment and the purity of the pigment.
Quality oil ranges are often nothing more than pure pigment ground in oil. The price simply reflects the cost of the pigment the paint is made from. It is worth checking what each company says about the paints they produce to discover how pure their paints are.
Cheap quality paints have fillers and driers added which reduce the strength of the pigments and alters the way the paint handles. I find many cheap oil ranges inadequate for my painting needs and I find the waxiness of them difficult to use or blend. Since quality paints tend to have no additives, you are granted more control and you will know how the paint will behave when mixed with various painting media.
The price of the pigment is the biggest influence on the price of the paint and with cheap oil ranges cheaper pigments are used. Often the expensive pigments found in quality paints are substituted for cheap approximations and are labelled with '(hue)'. Buying quality paints does not mean they will be expensive. Very good oil ranges come in various sized tubes and many popular and versatile colours are often the cheapest pigments.
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