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    Traditional Oil Painting: The Revival of Historical Artists' Materials 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on March 1, 2012 05:00 PM  Number of Views: 2102 
    1. Categories:
    2. Oil,
    3. Historical Pigments
    Article Preview

    In recent years, we have witnessed the trend towards the use of traditional artists’ materials—painting materials used prior to the twentieth century. This is evident from the growth of small artists’ color companies and in the increased interest among artists about historical painting techniques and materials. Why this trend is occurring is subject to much speculation, but some may say it is due to the revival in figurative art, especially since the 1970s. I would prefer to say that interest in figurative art never really died out, but rather it has survived abstract art.

    If this is the case, that the trend towards traditional artists’ materials is related to the renewed interest in figurative art, than Bill Creevy, author and contributing writer to American Artist magazine, may have identified the motivation for this trend. He said, “The advantage to being a figurative artist is that you don’t have to really worry about being in or out of fashion. ...
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    Featured Artist: Lala Ragimov 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on December 14, 2011 11:05 AM
    1. Categories:
    2. Oil,
    3. Color Palettes,
    4. Historical Pigments
    Article Preview

    We feature works by contemporary masters who use colors supplied by Natural Pigments in their work.

    The art of Lala Ragimov is inspired by the beauty and sensuality ...
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    Paint Glossary 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on December 13, 2011 09:52 AM     Number of Views: 890 
    1. Categories:
    2. Tips and Hints

    agglomerate
    Pigment particles collected into groups forming larger units.

    binder
    Solid ingredients in paint that hold the pigment particles in suspension and adhere them to the substrate, consisting of hydrocolloids (polysaccharides or gums), proteins, vegetable oils, and natural and synthetic resins (e.g., alkyd, damar, mastic, copal, etc.).

    bodied oil
    A drying oil that has been partially polymerized by heating at elevated temperatures
    ...
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    Caravaggio and the Baroque Palette 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on December 12, 2011 09:33 AM  Number of Views: 1566 
    1. Categories:
    2. Oil,
    3. Color Palettes,
    4. Historical Pigments
    Article Preview

    Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (born 1571, Milan or Caravaggio; died 18 July 1610, Porto Ercole) was the most radical painter in post-Tridentine Italy. In his religious and mythological ...
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    Painting with the Earth Color Palette 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on September 26, 2011 03:25 PM  Number of Views: 3490 
    1. Categories:
    2. Oil,
    3. Acrylic,
    4. Casein,
    5. Encaustic,
    6. Fresco,
    7. Tempera,
    8. Watercolor,
    9. Tips and Hints,
    10. Color Palettes,
    11. Historical Pigments
    Article Preview

    An earth color palette, which is the core palette used by old masters, provides both important limitations and advantages. The most significant limitation is the number of hues available in very light and dark values at high intensity (chromatic purity). ...
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    A Rational Approach to Color Palettes 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on September 25, 2011 09:49 PM  Number of Views: 1053 
    1. Categories:
    2. Oil,
    3. Color Palettes,
    4. Historical Pigments
    Article Preview

    The palette is one of the most important tools in the history of oil painting and its affect is one of the least studied aspects in art history. The method of setting the palette has an important history and its development is relatively easy to trace in pictures of artists at work. The use of a set, limited palette, a portable surface upon which colors are arranged according to their tonal value, and its implications in painting is the ...
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    Working in Rubens' Painting Technique 

    Published on September 21, 2011 09:50 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Oil,
    3. Tutorials,
    4. Color Palettes,
    5. Historical Pigments
    Article Preview

    As a painter who began working about 43 years ago, I have been fascinated by the techniques of the great masters of painting. In the last 20 years, I have spent much of my time trying to understand their approach to painting, materials and specific practice. I have spent much of my time in a relatively narrow area of study, although I have picked up little bits from the early Flemish painters all the way to nineteenth century Academy painting. However, my real concentration has been on those painters that moved me the most in face-to-face ...
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    Color for the Artist 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on September 20, 2011 02:00 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Color Perception

    Our paintings reflect our love of color, and they contain an infinite variety of hues and shades, but this variety also condemns us to be forever vigilant to its appearance in different conditions.

    Color is an experience enjoyed by almost all the human race from a very early age. As we grow we learn to recognize and often name specific colors such as sky blue and grass green and yet we can never be sure that all persons derive precisely the same sensation from a given stimulus. ...
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    Black Ink Recipes 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on September 12, 2011 09:28 AM
    1. Categories:
    2. Formulas

    Here are recipes that we have tried and used:

    Iron-Gall Ink
    Gallnuts, 5 grams
    Ferrous Sulfate, 1 gram
    Gum Arabic, 1 gram
    Water, 200 grams

    Grind the gallnuts to a fine powder ...
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    Roger de Piles on Oil Painting—Flesh Tones 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on September 8, 2011 03:04 PM
    1. Categories:
    2. Oil,
    3. Color Palettes,
    4. Historical Pigments

    Roger de Piles (October 7, 1635–April 5, 1709) was an art critic, theorist and collector whose important contribution to aesthetic theory rests on his Dialogue sur le coloris ("Dialogue on colours"), in which he initiated his famous defense of Rubens in an argument started in 1671 by Philippe de Champaigne on the relative merits of drawing and color in the work of Titian. In 1668, he published an annotated tranlsation of Charles-Alphonse Dufresnoy's De Arte Graphica that ...
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    Old Masters Palette: The Palette of Goya 

    by
    George O'Hanlon
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    Published on September 7, 2011 08:24 PM  Number of Views: 771 
    1. Categories:
    2. Color Palettes
    Article Preview

    Besides an artist's personal notes or treatises on painting of the period, the systematic arrangement of separate colors and mixtures on the palette, which the painter prepared before he began his work, can be used to study the artist's painting procedures. Such palettes can be found in portraits or self-portraits ...
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    Page 1 of 2 12 Next LastLast
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  • Recent Articles

    George O'Hanlon-1

    Traditional Oil Painting: The Revival of Historical Artists' Materials

    In recent years, we have witnessed the trend towards the use of traditional artists’ materials—painting materials used prior to the twentieth century. This is evident from the growth of small artists’ color companies and in the increased interest among artists about historical painting techniques and materials. Why this trend is occurring is subject to much speculation, but some may say it is due to the revival in figurative art, especially since the 1970s. I would prefer to say that interest in figurative art never really died out, but rather it has survived abstract art.

    If this is the case, that the trend towards traditional artists’ materials is related to the renewed interest in figurative art, than Bill Creevy, author and contributing writer to American Artist magazine, may have identified the motivation for this trend. He said, “The advantage to being a figurative artist is that you don’t have to really worry about being in or out of fashion.

    Categories: Oil  Historical Pigments 
    George O'Hanlon March 1, 2012 07:00 PM Go to last post
    George O'Hanlon-1

    Sizing Paper and Gelatin Sizing

    Unsized paper is called “waterleaf” paper. It is usually composed of cellulose fibers that are hydrophilic, meaning they ‘love water.’ This is an advantageous quality while paper is being made, but can lead to unfortunate consequences once the paper is made. The extreme porosity of

    Categories: Tutorials  Formulas  Tips and Hints 
    George O'Hanlon March 1, 2012 07:00 PM Go to last post
    George O'Hanlon-1

    Casein or Milk Paint

    Casein paint or milk paint is unlike any other natural water-based paint as it dries water-proof. However, it must cure for a certain time, usually about a week to a month. Despite this, it dries to the touch

    Categories: Casein  Formulas  Tips and Hints 
    George O'Hanlon February 29, 2012 07:00 PM Go to last post
    George O'Hanlon-1

    How to Make Oil Paint

    Paint basically consists of two components: pigment and vehicle. Pigment particles do not dissolve in the paint vehicle, but are suspended in the liquid. Making paint simply means mixing a solid and liquid component together into a smooth paste.

    Making paint is easier than you may think. With basic supplies, such as pigment, linseed oil, a spatula and a clean, flat surface, you can start making small batches of oil paint.

    If you want to make enough paint that you can store, however, you will need a muller to grind the paint. Why grind pigment into paint? Although a powdered pigment may appear very

    Categories: Oil  Tutorials  Formulas  Tips and Hints 
    George O'Hanlon February 28, 2012 07:00 PM Go to last post
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