"The Paint Trap" written by Dale Kalinowski.
The Paint Trap written by Ale Kalinowskie,
A comment on my "Comparing Cheap verses Expensive paints" youtube video..beautifully written
I have experimented with many paints , being an acrylic landscape artist myself. I fell into what I call
" The Paint Trap" a few years ago , when I only bought expensive top brand paints. But one day I began questioning the value of the paints I was using and began experimenting and discovered a few shocking truths
.
1) The amount of pigmentation between artists level and basic paints may vary randomly..it was never varied to the point of unreliability.
Placing blotches of color on the board does not really lend itself to an accurate analysis . It is all in the blending and final outcome.
I created some small art using everything from expensive professional colors from Golden , Atelier, Windsor Newton ,Graham , Liquitex, Da Vinci, and Gamblin. I then created a few paintings using cheap , and some surprisingly cheap paints and ....guess what ....Other than a few minor differences that I could easily overcome by using different mixing techniques, or mediums The differences were NOT astronomical.
In fact, with a few of the above mentioned technique adjustments ..I saw practically NO difference in the outcome . So I then got brave and bought a bunch of Crafter's brand "Folkart" acrylics at a few bucks a bottle , and proceeded to paint a little scene with an old man fishing in a small stream in the woods. It came out wonderfully.
I was amazed that the cheapest of cheap paints when handled with some finesse and care were just as brilliant, colorful , saturated and usable as the expensive heavy body colors.
I have now settled on my favorites which are Golden light body , and Golden fluid.. which I love ..But I do not hesitate to break out the Folkart paints when In a pinch because they perform just as well.
I think as far as the cheaper brands are concerned, the only thing that may be the (tell all) is their longevity...or "How long will they hold up on the canvas) I suppose only time will tell..but I make sure I seal all my art with an acrylic semi gloss varnish when finished which will help seal the vividness of the colors hopefully for years to come .
My conclusion ...don't get caught up in the "Paint Trap" It is not all about what brand or how expensive, it is with how you paint , your technique , your level of blending and color knowledge.
Knowledge is everything.
https://youtu.be/GQ4lQ98HIug Allison Prior's Video
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