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Old 12-26-2005, 01:11 AM   #4
David Carroll David Carroll is offline
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Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Sedona, AZ
Posts: 61
Merry Christmas!

I'm certainly not a paint expert but I have used a few brands and W&N is one that I like. I also like M Graham and have only used one color of Gamblin. I started with Grumbacher and I tried one color of Rembrandt to see how I liked it. I like W&N, M Graham and Gamblin because I like their consistency out of the tube. They are very smooth and buttery, not sticky or stiff or too loose. I still use some of the Grumbacher colors but only the ones that have similar working properties as the brands I prefer.

There are so many different brands to try it may take some time to find your perfect fit for the colors you want to use but I don't think I would chuck my W&N paints because of a comparison of pigment load in Raw Umber, there are other issues to consider. For me a top priority along with permanence is workability out of the tube. I don't need to add medium to tweak the paint to my desired consistency, it comes the way I like it out of the tube. Personally with a color like raw umber I don't mind that it is not packed with pigment because I usually only use it to knock a color back, and only rarely as a full strength color on it's own. For that same reason I like a few of Grumbachers colors for tining ( they don't overpower).

I do more out of studio painting than in studio so my preferences are about simplicity and speed. I'm not the type that wants to fiddle with my materials every time I put paint on my palette. But I know some would rather have a stiff highly pigmented paint that they can manipulate to their desired working properties and I'm sure you will hear from them as to what paints they prefer.

In the end, if a paint has permanence and the working properties I prefer and is also well pigmented, I don't really need to replace it. In my opinion W&N is a good brand of paint, there are more highly pigmented brands out there but I like the way it handles and also the color choices. I've also built a palette of M Graham paints and I like them as well but prefer some of the W&N colors, I have also added one Gamblin color to my palette.

I'm sure someone here will be able to help you find what you are looking for. Have fun trying as many different paints as you wish and let us know what you find.

Peace and Blessings in the New Year,

Dave
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