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Michelle,
For a brush that is not quite as soft nor as expensive as most sables are, but still very good for "finishing" work, you might want to try Winsor & Newton's Monarch brushes. If you aren't familiar with them, they are meant to act somewhat as mongoose brushes, which I prefer above nearly all else (but they are increasingly hard to find and they are expensive). The Monarchs do, more or less, emulate many of the fine characteristics of mongoose: springiness; hold lots of paint; release their paint load readily, and; clean up very well. Their upside is that they are more perfectly formed than are mongooses, generally, and they are more widely available. However, their downside is they fall prey to the durability issues that Marvin brought up if you use mineral spirits to clean them. I try to avoid that whenever possible and find that the Monarchs hold up better than most soft-ish brushes.
The other thing to keep in mind is that most of the old masters mulled their own paint (or, more accurately, had minions do it for them) and it would thus have been "longer" than most of today's tube paint is. Properly mulled paint tends to be "long" and a good, long paint tends to be self-leveling. By Sargent's time most artists bought tubed paint just as we do, but I'd bet that it, too, was "longer" out of the tube than today's. My understanding of the "long" or "short" quality of a paint is that it isn't only a function of how much oil it's ground in although that is a factor. It has to do with the precise time and periodicity of mulling and grinding.
I realise that may not be a big help unless you're interested in hand-mulling (which I am not). But, it helps to know and it helps to look for the longer paints. Many of today's manufacturers seek the "short" paint quality but I think that is because the majority of buyers have a sort of post-Impressionist aesthetic and the short paint does help facilitate that "look". However, just adding a little bit more medium (just oil even) can make the paint a sight longer I find. Of course, the different pigments react differently to differing amounts and kinds of mediums. So, maybe forget everthing I said.
Marvin,
How do you mix your stand oil in to your medium? I've only just started trying it in a mixed medium. On the few occasions previously where I have used such a viscous medium, it has been straight and in minute quantities. I tried recently to mix up a medium using turps (OMS), walnut oil, and stand oil. Also, I've tried this with turps, dammar, stand oil, but no straight linseed. In both cases I got the nagging feeling that the stand oil was sitting on the bottom of my medium cup -- like honey or something -- and that it really wasn't mixing in at all (very anti-social, don't you think?). My "method" is just putting the mixture into a medium cup and stirring it around a lot. Any suggestions to ensure a good mix? Should I use real turpentine perhaps?
Thanks.
Juan
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