Testing Different Whites

[@mariehosch156]

Everything about your videos are a pleasure to watch! Can tell a lot of thought and preparation go into them. Thank you so much

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks so much for the nice comment! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@rustyshackleford3278]

Extremely helpful and informative, thank you Jason! I still have the tube of Blockx white that you recommended a while back, it is wonderful to work with and does a great job of desaturating colors in a controlled manor.

[@walcottfineart5088]

I"m so glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watchign Rusty! :)

[@richardoakley6560]

Rusty Shackleford why does your name look familiar to me?

[@rustyshackleford3278]

@@richardoakley6560 Hank Hill's neighbor Dale Gribble used that name because he was paranoid 👍

[@richardoakley6560]

Rusty Shackleford Is paranoia why you just reply by editing your last reply?

[@AmyFlannigan27]

I decided to get the Flake White Hue as you recommend the middle of the road solution since I'm just a beginner. But excited about it. Thank you!

[@walcottfineart5088]

Good choice! Thanks for watching :)

[@agwbcfjc2]

Another excellent video, Jason. It's been so long since we heard from you I was becoming concerned. Thank you for making these informative videos. There is an elegant simplicity to your warm style of communicating; and you communicate useful information. On another note, I have been painting in oils for about fifty years. For at least forty of those years (but probably more) paint manufacturers have assured painters that, a) Titanium/zinc paint was a permanent replacement for lead white, and more recently 2) titanium and titanium/zinc paints could be made to look like lead pigments on the canvas. We now know that the first claim is false and the second claim is a lie. As you rightly point out, if painting is a hobby, use whatever white you want. But if painters are trying to make paintings that have the subtle beauty of old master work, then only lead white will do. Titanium, or titanium/zinc whites, being stark, do not have the same refined beauty of lead white, as you point out so well in this video. But Gamblin et. al. are still trying to claim that titanium can be a lookalike replacement for lead. Titanium is only a replacement for lead if one can not see the difference between the two.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching and for the great comment! I totally agree that Lead White has a beauty to it that can't be imitated.

[@winonawins6932]

Jason you always make videos of very good overlooked topics which are actually must know informations....thank you keep at it u r doing gr8

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for the nice comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. :)

[@sunshinejenny777]

Very interesting!! Thank you for this video.

[@masterpainters1706]

Good to see you back again. Hope you're well. Cheers. Glenn

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed this. :)

[@lumi3726]

I’ve bought Flake white hue , I want to try Utrecht lead white now. Thank you for updating!😄

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching and enjoy your whites! :)

[@neenabidikar]

Never thought it would be different,thankyou

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching!

[@muhlenstedt]

I love your videos . Could you publish them more frequently?

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for the nice comment! I will try to post when I can. :)

[@dannym.7563]

@@walcottfineart5088 Yes please.

[@INeedsMoneys]

Good shit. I sticc to my titanium white for maximum whiteness

[@davelister796]

Love your videos! I'm a beginner folk artist, using oils. I use a glass pallet. I've noticed that when I clean off paint with a razor-blade, my white comes off very crumbly. I typically use Liquin or Gamblin Refined Linseed oil for my medium. I've painted a thin layer of various whites on my glass pallet, let them dry, (for a week) then razor-blade them off. I haven't done this in a while, but I think they were all crumbly. Pretty much my standard white is Rembrandt Series 1, Titanium white, which includes PW6 & PW4 (maybe 75% & 25%) in Linseed oil. I assume it's the PW4 (zinc) that makes it crumbly (brittle). I'll have to try it with Lead white and see if it's less brittle. Thanks for all the great videos.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Interesting about the palette! I don't know if that has anything to do with the zinc or not...it seems very soon. The problems with the zinc cracking usually show up after a few years. Lead helps, but it won't eliminate the problem. Thanks for watching!

[@trondsi]

On zinc white: I have noticed that Philip De Laszlo's paintings still look very good, and he used a lot of zinc white. I think the problem with zinc is using it lean. It gets very brittle if you take it straight from the tube and mix with turpentine (people were used to doing this with lead). However De Laszlo used it oily (he mixed in a lot of poppy oil) and it looks remarkably good. Just my two cents from looking at paintings over a few decades

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for the info! Seems like the jury is still out on the zinc thing. Mainly what I've heard is don't use it for primer/ground, but it's OK to mix it with colors. Thanks for watching!

[@CharleyWang]

I subscribed to your channel and you always introduce us to the fresh painting experience, which is great. I just built a hut in the forest. Follow the painter to travel, let's work hard together.

[@vernonsteinkamp1088]

The lead white definitely has the nicest color. Also why even use canvases if a ridged surface is better? I just did a 40x50 portrait in blacks and whites and painted on a 1/8" masonite sheet, sort of as an experiment. I liked painting in it because if the smoothness.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Yes, canvases do tend to fare a little worse over many, many years than panels do, but I don't think the differences is drastic. Canvas has a pleasing texture that some people like so an archival canvas panel is the best of both worlds.

[@MariaRevArt]

Thanks for this Jason. Been considering switching to a Lead White for both the lower tinting strength and to avoid the Zinc white issue. Fortunately I mainly paint on canvas panels at this point in time, but it's good to think about it and really weigh my options. I really like that Flake White Hue though. 🤔🤔🤔

[@walcottfineart5088]

Be sure to check the Lead White before you buy as some Lead White do contain Zinc as well. A pure lead white will be labeled as PW1, with nothing else. Under normal circumstances a painting on canvas or wood panel should be fine if it's cared for properly.

[@MariaRevArt]

@@walcottfineart5088 Thanks very much for the advice. I usually check might pigment info before buying paints as standard practice anyway, so I'll be sure to check out for any zinc added. 😊

[@redangrybird7564]

Jason, thanks for your videos, I've learnt a lot from you, ✌😉👍

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching and for the nice comment!

[@lucianotradus]

Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@jorey4565]

Great video Jason,lead 's colors are forbidden in France unfortunately..but i have reach to buy some Blockx lead white called "blanc d'argent"for me and a artist friend,not try yet ,but my friend told me he was very impressed with it,you can add to your lead white 15% of zinc white to avoid any yellowing in the time..

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Yes, I liked the Blockx paint. Rublev is great too is you can find a way to get it.

[@esquecimento]

love your videos!

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks so much for watching and for the nice comment! :)

[@hassanwaqar1445]

i mean w&n flake white hue vs rembrandt mixing white for color mixing

[@KaustavMukherjeeFineArt]

Could you please do a video on some of the brands that are producing low priced premium quality products? Blue ridge, RGH etc.?

[@walcottfineart5088]

I like that idea! Thanks for the suggestion and for watching! :)

[@KaustavMukherjeeFineArt]

@@walcottfineart5088 Hi, I was searching for slightly cheaper end pure titanium white paints available in India. Grumbacher and Gamblin are very expensive due to perhaps high import duty (Rs. 3000-6000 range). I saw Daniel Smith original (Rs 800) and Pebeo Studio XL (Rs 300) have pure titanium white (PW6). Do you think they are ok to use? I'm sure most of the manufacturer's aren't using linseed oil in whites but at least these are pure titanium :)

[@walcottfineart5088]

@@KaustavMukherjeeFineArt Yes, the pure titanium is fine to use, but it's very opaque so it may need a little oil added to it.

[@KaustavMukherjeeFineArt]

@@walcottfineart5088 thanks very much!

[@master.y8129]

~Is it possible to start with the original flake white?

[@Vermiliontea]

Back in the days, when I was young, painted in oil and briefly (2y) made a living as an artist (switched to engineer for economical reasons) I mixed 4 to 6 parts of Zink white with one part of Lead White. That was my white that I mixed my colors with. (I also used Stand oil and a pinch of Damar) (I never used Titanium because I didn't like it). I have some, more than 40 years old paintings from that time. The paint film is still flexible and tough. Not a hint of brittleness. To my mind, the Lead white (flexible paint film) is more of a factor than Zinc white (brittle paint film). I plan to start painting oils again in a few months (if I regain a little health, which I think I will), and I intend to add a pinch of Lead white to whatever white I'll be using. If I have to smuggle Lead White due to some silly legislation, then so be it. All three whites can have detrimental effects on some other pigments. It's a bit hard to keep track and awareness of, since evidence is hearsay, scattered and inconclusive. But there is one crystal form of Titanium white that bleaches Phtalo blue, so only use well reputed artist manufacturers' Titanium white. "Any" Titanium white pigment won't do. Must be artist quality. Lead white bleaches Azo pigments and Zinc white can bleach Phtalo green and even Cadmium red. The problems seem to be small in oil medium though, so there seem to be many factors.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Yes you are correct that you have to weigh the options and sort of choose the "best" one but nothing will be perfect. There are lots of paintings done with zinc that have been just fine and show no signs of deterioration. There are many other factors involved that may exacerbate it. The main key is keep the zinc to a minimum. Also painting on a rigid support helps a lot.

[@paulnatanghe]

Hi Jason....great video!

[@ShotDownInFlames2]

I had always heard that mixing in about 15% zinc into titanium was acceptable. Thanks fot the comparison.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! The most recent research shows that even in smaller amounts zinc white can create problems, but there are many factors involved. Zinc White has been around since the 1800s and there are plenty of paintings that have used zinc white that are fine, so it's not a one to one causality. Under normal conditions a painting with zinc should hold up OK.

[@justdefacts]

So using Flake White when mixing all but very pale tints is more economical as it requires less of the colour paint to get the correct tint? I should keep the Titanium White for when my goal is pure white or pale tints.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Yes you can definitely do that, but it doesn't necessarily save money! Lead whites can be very expensive so it might offset the cost of saving the colors. The Winsor & Newton Flake White Hue is the best alternative to lead white I've used. It is a titanium-zinc white, but under normal circumstances the paintings should be OK. The problem mainly shows itself when canvases are bent sharply or rolled too tightly.

[@hassanwaqar1445]

have you compared w&n flake with rembrandt mixing white,if yes which is better for mixing colors

[@walcottfineart5088]

I have never compared those directly, but I really like the W&N Flake White Hue, so I do recommend that one. Thanks for watching!

[@advocatesp7559]

I really get worried when I dont hear from you for a long time. I start to wonder what went wrong. Please sir make more frequent videos.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for thinking of me! All is well. :) I am trying to get back onto a more regular upload schedule.

[@elinbirgis]

You should have included buff titanium 😄 I think that is a nice white for warm colors

[@justdefacts]

Is it any better than just adding a touch of raw umber to titanium white before proceeding to mix tints?

[@walcottfineart5088]

I have never used Buff Titanium but i've heard arists like it. It does seem like it would be easy to mix if you needed it. I wouldn't really consider it a white. Thanks for watching! :)

[@gildejesus3714]

Would ask about zinc white on gouaches. What ur advices about? Chinese watercolors used lead white. Never knew if any of them darkened or blackened at this time. Thank u.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Zinc White in gouache/watercolor is perfectly fine. It's a non-issue. The problems with zinc in oil paint arises specifically from the way the zinc crystals interact with the oil film. I don't know of any examples of watercolor Chinese White on today's market that would be made with lead. I don't think that's done anymore. Lead White is only used in oils as far as I know.

[@gildejesus3714]

@@walcottfineart5088 have you tried oils with encaustic? ( Some things i've read about it make so sense. Recently i did an experiment solving wax with water and amomnia. It's a true permanent masking. I would suppose if i had melted dammar resin with this! Good experiments must sometimes accomplish professional chemistry recommendations once ammonia fumes may harm our entire Sistem immunological from somes instances. Your videos are great!

[@walcottfineart5088]

@@gildejesus3714 Thanks for the compliment on my videos! I'm glad you enjoy them. :) I have never tried encaustics, so I don't know much about using them. I would be careful with those harmful chemicals.

[@the0tanr]

Great video as always! Btw, I heard some time ago from an artist that Winton Titanium White has the same pigment load as the professional grade from Winsor & Newton. Do you think thats true? Because it would be way cheaper like that 🙈🙈

[@FanPhys]

I know this is an old comment but I'd very much doubt any Winton colours are of the same quality as professional grade paints. There are artists who use Winton TW purely because it's cheaper to buy in large quantities and does a very good job for what it is (I'd probably be inclined to include myself in this camp), although it won't be for everyone because of the zinc in it (and who knows how much).

[@briancarpenter3040]

Cremnitz White is my fav👌

[@walcottfineart5088]

Yes! Lead White is the best all around. Thanks for watching!

[@artaddict2313]

If you want to waste money.....use Zinc White; it takes a whole tube to lighten a color, lol!

[@walcottfineart5088]

Yes, it's best to avoid zinc white all around. Especially now that we know it turns brittle in oils. Thanks for watching! :)

[@ashlyrz252]

Does the flake white hue from winsor and newton contain any zinc?

[@KaustavMukherjeeFineArt]

It does...here is the description: Pigment(s) PW6, PW4.

[@ashlyrz252]

@@KaustavMukherjeeFineArtvery interesting! It sounds unavoidable when you begin to think of lighter convenience colors that almost certainly contain it, as well as most whites. I'm primarily a watercolor artist so permanence and lightfastness rank very high on my list of importance. Oil is a completely different beast though I guess. I'll just stay away from the pure tubes of zinc and keep my fingers crossed. 😂 Thank you!

[@KaustavMukherjeeFineArt]

@@ashlyrz252 you know, zinc isn't a big problem for watermedia. Chinese white works very well. But it doesn't gel well with oil. It provides amazing effects during painting but over the years starts ruining the painting.

[@ashlyrz252]

@@KaustavMukherjeeFineArt I didn't know that either. I'm very traditional when it comes to white in my watercolor so I don't use it much at all, but I'm no elitist so I do very much enjoy seeing how others use it.

[@MystycCheez]

what about lead white? :P

[@MystycCheez]

oh you actually used lead white, I didnt know it was sold

[@walcottfineart5088]

@@MystycCheez Yes! Lead White, if you can get it is the best one in terms of longevity. It is more transparent than Titanium.

[@MiguelBaptista1981]

Hello, thanks for your videos. How about setting up a patreon for yourself ? I think this channel already deserves that. Cheers.

[@walcottfineart5088]

That might be a good idea! I'll have to give it some thought... Thanks for watching! :)