CHRISTOPHER VIDAL
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Artist Christopher Vidal  - Blog

Welcome to my blog. The aim of this blog is to share with you some of my experiences related to my artworks, what inspires me and also how it is done. As an artist I am also constantly learning as this is an ongoing process. I also learn from my students when I am teaching in the class. Sharing what I know with others is also very satisfying. This is how we grow and improve. 
I've been teaching art for a while now, and I must say that from this I learned a lot. This helps me to identify what each individual needs in order to become a better painter. Painting is not an easy task especially landscape painting. One needs to have the inspiration to paint a tree or a mountain and it is not a question of just wanting to paint something. I choose to paint something because there was an element that motivated me to do so ...that inspired me. It could be the game of light and shadows or simply the warm colors of a late afternoon. It is sometimes very difficult to translate the colors that nature shows us using paint on a canvas. This challenge could be also a way to motivate you to paint a scenery. 
Most important is that you do not expect that every painting that you paint is going to be a masterpiece. You shouldn't be afraid that your final product is not what you expected in the first place. An unsuccessful painting should be the teaching ground for a better one that follows. This is how we learn. We learn from our own mistakes and from things that didn't work out as we wanted them but with an effort we try to make them better the next time. 
So if you want to become a better painter then you have to practice and paint regularly. This is the only way how you can improve your techniques, discover ones of your own, learn your colors etc. It is all about brush mileage. The tutor is there to help you find your way, shows you the basics and how to use your tools in order for you to be able to develop yourself. 
Looking forward to share with you my knowledge.

Comparing paints - tinting strength

30/3/2018

2 Comments

 
Picture
Today I wanted to share with you some comparison tests that I did on various paints I have in my collection. One of the most important characteristics of paints that reflects the quality of that particular paint is its tinting strength or else the ability of that paint to retain its colour after the addition of white to increase the value of that colour.

In the first set of 12 squares at the top I tested four kinds of white paints I use in my paintings mixed with Ultramarine blue from Gamblin.
Column 1        zinc/titanium (Gamblin)
Column 2  titanium / lead (Michael Harding)
Column 3       Zinc / lead (Old Holland)
Column 4      Flake white replacement as titanium white (Gamblin)

The first row shows each white directly from the tube. As expected Zinc/titanium in Row 1 column 1 is the coolest white compared to the ones containing lead.

Row 2 is 75% white and row 3 is 25% white.
Important to note that I mixed equal amounts of paint from each tube.

 Ultramarine Blue retained its best vibrancy when mixed with zinc/lead mixture in column 3 even when mixed with 75% white. Second best was Flake white replacement. Worst was with zinc/titanium mix in column 1.

In the second set of 12 boxes at the bottom I used zinc/lead white from Old Holland and mixed it with 3 ultramarine Blue from three different brands, Gamblin, Old Holland and Michael Harding.  Best tinting strength was observed with Michael Harding and worst for Gamblin.

Going back to the whites I used in the first testing my approach when painting is to use a fast drying but more flexible white (especially on stretched canvas) for the lower layers of a painting and for this the best choice is lead white/titanium mix from Michael Harding with linseed oil as vehicle. Then I usually switch to flake white replacement (Gamblin) for most of the rest of the painting. This kind of white is also manufactured in linseed oil, it is very thick in texture and retains the vibrancy of the colours mixed with it. It also dries very slowly. If in some cases I need to push a colour to a very high value without loosing its vibrancy and making it look chalky (very common when using titanium white) I will then switch to a mix of zinc / lead by Old Holland. However, since lead dries very quickly I delay its drying time by adding walnut oil into the paint.

2 Comments
Paul Craddock
31/3/2018 05:50:41 pm

Thank you Christopher for kindly showing your research to us; and I agree with everything you have written regarding your blog, you are truly gifted.

Reply
Chris Vidal
3/4/2018 08:53:37 pm

Thanks Paul.

Reply



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    As an artist I want to share with you my experiences and what is behind my artwork. Every artwork is an expression of the inner self. It is driven by experience. 

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  • Home
  • The Artist
    • About my work
    • Media/Publications
  • PAINTINGS
    • Paintings for Sale >
      • Landscapes
      • Plein Air
      • Still Life
    • Commissions
    • SOLD Paintings
  • Tuition
    • Online Art Coaching
    • Workshops & Demos
    • Student Works
  • Products
  • Blog
  • Contact