Page 8 - George O'Hanlon

Concerns about the toxicity of artists' materials have renewed interest in natural materials for painting. Oil painting has long been associated with health hazards due to using solvents in painting and cleaning. Much attention lately is given to lavender or spike oil as a healthier alternative to solvents. However, many are confused by the names and even more by the non-toxic claims made...

Dramatic changes in the techniques and materials used by artists began to occur in the latter half of the eighteenth century as the binding media was given much more attention than in previous centuries. This is related to the rising professional status of artists and the formation of academies for training artists, especially in Britain. Rather than using well-tested and reliable methods and materials based on studio practice and apprenticeship, artists began trying out new processes. This, in turn, is related to the vain search for the ‘lost secrets of the masters that led to even more experimentation and scandals, such as that experienced by the Royal Academy of Arts and its president, Benjamin West, at the turn of the nineteenth century...

Painting Best Practices Workout is the latest technical workshop on artists' materials and best painting practices. This six-day course provides hands-on learning on preparing supports for painting, making and applying grounds, paint making, pigments, and selecting and applying varnishes. All materials for the Workout are provided with the tuition...

Making stack process flake white (or lead white made according to the "old Dutch method") is time-consuming and prone to variations in the resulting pigment. These variations are not surprising and were well known from literature and historical documents of the process by manufacturers of lead white. It was a major issue of the process that manufacturers dealt with in various ways. This article describes the reasons for the variations and how these may be useful to artists...

Natural iron oxide pigments, or iron oxide earth pigments collectively referred to as iron oxides, comprise both oxides and oxide hydroxides of iron. Hematite (α-Fe2O₃) is the most common iron oxide in red earth pigments, and the iron oxide hydroxide goethite (α-FeOOH) is the most frequently found iron compound in yellow earth pigments. Umbers are brown earth pigments containing both oxides of iron and manganese...

Oil paint is a slow-drying paint consisting of pigment particles suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by adding a solvent, such as turpentine or mineral spirits (white spirits), and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried film. In this article, you will find complete descriptions of oil painting mediums or additives (or, as we prefer to call them, "amendments") made by Natural Pigments. These amendments are designed to alter the consistency of oil paint in novel ways, different from the varnishes introduced into everyday use during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries...

Studies of the reaction of painting supports, oils, and pigments to changes in the environment during the past hundred years make it possible to understand the behavior of paintings. Modern commercial oil paints present new issues to conservators as they observe defects in paint films caused by new pigments and additives used in their formulations...

Fluorescence is a phenomenon where a substance absorbs light at a specific wavelength and then re-emits the light at a longer wavelength. This re-emitted light is known as fluorescence. Fluorescent pigments are substances that can fluoresce and are widely used in various applications, such as in art, science, and industry.

Fluorescence occurs when a molecule, called a fluorophore, absorbs a photon of light at a specific wavelength and then re-emits the light at a longer wavelength. This process is known as fluorescence and is caused by the movement of electrons within the fluorophore.

Fluorescent pigments are made up of a variety of different compounds, such as fluorescent dyes, fluorescent inks, and fluorescent plastics. These pigments are used in many applications, including art, science, and industry.

There are several types of fluorescent pigments, each with its unique properties. One type of fluorescent pigment is called a “dayglow” pigment, which...

Lead sulfate (British spelling, sulphate) formed the basis of several white pigments that were made on a large scale in the 19th and 20th centuries and sold under a variety of names, such as "Patent White Lead," "Non-poisonous White Lead," "Sublimed White Lead," etc. Some of these pigments did not consist entirely of lead sulfate but contained other minerals, such as zinc oxide, barite (barium sulfate), magnesia (magnesium carbonate), etc., in varying quantities...

Support Induced Discoloration (SID) occurs when paint changes color due to pulling up water-soluble substances from the substrate. As the paint dries, these particles remain in the paint, discoloring it. Read how to avoid the discoloration of paint on wood supports...