Video - "Crash Course": Oils
Video – Crash Course: Oils
Smalt - Blue-Glass Sludge
by Roger Carmona
I have not tried all the pigments we offer at our shop. This candy store of colors points me in different directions each week. Most of the time, I lean towards the greens. Their instances of natural and synthetic beauty easily overtake my paintings without much effort- a dangerous territory (I know) that can stump my creative progress.
International meetings
Kremer Pigmente takes part in international meetings and trade fairs for art, culture and conservation.
Newsletter January 2013
How can we make the use of pigments more accessible for you?
It is our ambition to educate and establish a conversation with our patrons of our experience with pigments, binders, and of course color.
Crash Course – Three Steps
Making your own paint can be fun and addictive. It is much easier than it seems. I invite you to follow me on the investigation of raw materials and learn how to control them for your purpose.
Welcome!
About this Forum
Discussions are organized in reverse chronological order and are not grouped together by topic. The forum is, however, searchable by keyword for easy reference.
Primary Colors - Pigment Selection
Our broad introduction to color theory explored how red, yellow, and blue prevailed as the foundation of the artist’s paint palette. Here we will discuss the practical challenge artists have faced to interpret these basic colors using pigments. We will see how external factors such as geography, trade, and technology affected the selection of these fundamental materials. This is a long one…
Primary Colors - An Introduction
The storied history of color theory has oft been fueled by an emotional and observational rather than scientific order of our color universe. Did pure colors arise, as thought by ancient Grecians, from the daily struggle observed between darkness and light? Subsequent theories were continually on offer regarding “basic”, “median”, “pure”, and of course, “primary” colors.
While the symbolism of color might assist an artist in the content of her work, it is not directly useful for the painter using pigments. Here we explore the path of the primary palette – how it came to be defined and how artists across the spectrum of time and place have applied it to the practical creation of their work.
Balsams
Balsams are natural emulsions of resins and essential oils (oleoresins) exuded from conifers. Called turpentines, they can be mixed with oils and solvents used in oil painting. They are insoluble and immiscible in water.
Many learning about these materials find the term “turpentine” confusing when applied to both the balsams and the product obtained from the distillation of the oleoresins.
Historical use of Shellac Ink
Is shellac ink a historical product or a new invention? How is this vehicle different from shellac varnish? Here we will explore the history of this unique emulsion.
Poppy Oil
Poppy oil can mitigate the fast drying effect of some pigments to reduce internal tensions in drying times of a paint layer. Excellent to use for wet-in-wet painting…
Linseed Oil
What is the difference between boiled linseed and stand oil? How do different processing methods effect a paint film?
Introduction to Drying Oils
Though linseed oil is the most commonly used drying oil, there are others such as walnut and poppy oil – as well as many others to greater or lesser success – which have been used throughout the history of painting.
Influence of Pigments on Drying of a Paint Film
Most pigments are chemically inert, but others can act as catalysts, promoting the drying reaction. The following groupings are gleaned from information in our artist manuals and experience of fellow artists…
Gum Tragacanth
A watercolorist we know is preparing to make his own pastels for an upcoming trip to South America. He was wondering how he might prepare the traditional binder, gum tragacanth, which is available only as a dry powder. Gum tragacanth makes very soft and velvety pastels when compared to those made with gum arabic.
Iron Gall Ink
We have had several students inquire this week about making their own iron gall ink. Our online recipe does not provide step by step instructions, and so we would like to share our notes on the subject.
Eva Eis, our conservator in Germany, sent us a recipe, and she was right that it made a nice black ink!
What is Plastorite® ?
Plastorite® has been a mysterious product to us in the store – it is actually not a plaster at all! It is a mixture of mica, quatrz, and chlorite.
NEW! Flat-rate shipping!
Announcing New Lower Shipping Rates!
We have adjusted our shipping rates to make it more convenient to shop at Kremer Pigments!
Watercolor Demo
Learn to make your own watercolor paints!
This straightforward demo will demystify the basics of preparing your own watercolor paint. We will review historical and modern pigments for watercolor as well as various binding mediums and their properties. Pigment grinding technique will be demonstrated, as well as pouring pans for storage.
Summer Offer: Old Holland Classic Oil Colors
Kremer Pigments Inc. is proud to offer the entire range of Old Holland Classic Oil Colors!
Egg Tempera Demo with Margaret Krug
Please join us at our New York store for a demonstration by Margaret Krug, Author of An Artist’s Handbook, on Thursday, July 8th at 5:30pm_
Making Oil Colors
Ever wonder how to make your own oil paint ?
Making oil colors by hand is an excellent opportunity to learn about the singular character of each pigment. Every pigment behaves differently when ground in oil.
According to specific surface and weight one needs more or less oil and arrives at a larger or smaller amount of ready ground oil color. Generally one can count on using two parts of pigment to one part of oil. In each case, only trying out will reveal the actual amounts.
For the Love of Watercolor
Since many centuries the manufacturers of watercolors have been trying to improve the quality. For the processing of pigments as a watercolor it is very easy to get an excellent result with Carol’s watercolor medium result in colors with the highest brilliancy.
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