E W Dickinson, Carol Cleworth, 20 x 23 in oil on canvas 1959

more information about this painting at http://www.edwindickinson.org/catalogue/entry.php?catNo=559

from typed notes by Carol Cleworth, former student of Edwin Dickinson at the Art Students League

(see pdf of images of the typed original notes from this link )

EDITORS NOTE: these typewritten notes were likely written by Carol Cleworth in the late 50’s or early 60’s. They were given to me by David Kassan) who stated that these notes had been passed on by many of the Art Students League students over the years. This is an incredible treasure-trove of painting wisdom from a true master of painting and I hope these words will be of benefit to painters young and old. I tried to transcribe the original document as closely as possible but in a few places the text was too faded to be able to transcribe with certainty.

Beware of clichés.

It is very important to paint under the best physical conditions possible. The simple physical rules that must be observed are: the perfect illumination of the canvas at an angle of 30° to the window. Bring the canvas slightly forward.

Just as a customer’s face must be right in front and in the middle of a painting so must the artist’s. In this way the glint or shine of the window will not impede your work.

There are five ways to see things big:

1. The intellectual decision to see only the big things and the big values.
2. The squint of the eyes.
3. To converge the eyes on a point before the model or the thing to paint.
4. To converge the eyes on a point behind the model.
5. ?

The brush entangles you with small things, which you don’t need yet in the beginning. The knife is a clumsier tool, which doesn’t give the facilities of putting in little areas of values, and thus allows you to put in the big values.

Two ways of composing:

1. To prepare carefully the whole composition.
2. To start at once without any preparation at one point of the model and go from there, covering the whole surface of the canvas. Here are two possibilities: you can start anywhere in the center of the canvas and develop all over, or you can start at any of the four entrances (sides of the canvas) and go towards the center.

Of the four entrances, the lower one is the most difficult composition-wise, put the canvas on its four entrances to study the composition even on its four corners. Use the mirror.

The most interesting composition of a profile is to put it very close to the picture’s edge, where it is looking at, and have the remaining space in the back of it interestingly filled in and painted.

Carol Cleworth next to E.D. with John Leavey standing behind – 1957 or 1958

Value: the stretch of value has to be planned to be as great as possible. From the darkest dark to the lightest light, the stretch must be as big as possible. According to our appetite to observe, this stretch of value will get bigger and bigger. At first we may be able to put only a relatively small number of values between the darkest dark and the lightest light, or between black and white; but as we go on experimenting, the number will go increasing to an unlimited number, even to infinity. Depending on one’s sensibility and a very individual temperament, one artist may put as many values between a white and a light gray as another artist can put between white and black.

The number of values between white and black will naturally be limited in the beginning. With experience, that number may increase to say about fifty. A very experienced artist may well be able to put as many as 300.

For studying values it is recommended to make a selection of one big area, preferably a very light one (for instance, the belly region or a breast of a model). Try to paint it as well as you can, relating it to one neighboring dark value. Concentrate on the light values and half tones first. Put down three spots of values adjacent to each other and get the feel of their relationship to the best of your abilities before you do anything else. Spend on it a much longer time than you intended to.

Don’t try to cover the canvas. Never put on poor paint for the sake of getting the space covered.

The better the light values and half tones are painted, the better the darks will look.

As for the darks, it is very important to put them down from the very beginning in the true and right dark tone. It is almost impossible to get them right if you carelessly have put there a lighter or any value, without intense observation, and you had better leave the canvas.

To poor variations of light half tones in the light, by dropping some of them will cause a flattening of the painting. The light form will look like a poster. It will have too much white in it. So watch out the halftones in the light, don’t have them all in the same value. Prepare on the palette different (a)mounts of light values each time to approach the light value you intend to obtain.

The general rule is (that it’s better) to start too dark then too light. The color will be purer when you have to lighten it up than if you have to darken a too light spot. Thus one models from dark into light.

One must learn to lower the key so one will be able to paint better and get better color.

Never painted a dark that you cannot paint any darker.

Be highly discriminating in your darks and in your halftones. The half tones are not spread enough.

I would guess that in comparative value of the flesh tone is too high.

The Caucasian fleshtone: resist the habit of misconception of the flesh. The basic color of the white skin is neither yellow ochre nor pink but blue. Remove the yellow ochre from the palette. Right from the beginning start to use cool colors, completely different from the ones you usually use as fleshcolors, for instance a greenish white or lilac white (white, blue, and matter)or a pink white (white and matter) or a blue white, for the light fleshtones. Assure yourself that you would not see a rather cool tone for a warm tone. Start the light parts of the flesh with a high violet.

Choose any big area of the model and think of its 5 values:

1. The highlight
2. The light middle tone
3. The middle tone
4. The low middle tone
5. The shadow

Prepare 5 mounts of values on the palette going from the light value to the dark, and staying into the arbitrary chosen color (greenish, ? ish, or violet, etc.).

A key thing is not to go easy on the local colors such as suntan, places of increased blood circulation, etc. but keep in mind the real

Never begin to paint a white thing with white, but with the and get it wiped by working hard. You will be experimenting, you will be getting busy.

There are lots of luscious darks in the model.

Don’t let the brush wander  into the pieces done with the palette knife and vice versa. We all know that in one and the same painting the characteristics of each of the knife and the brush can be shown clearly, this regarding the descriptive quality of the thing one paints (its smoothness, etc.) Which people without experience first look for, but which have nothing any more to do with the painting. This is a painting and not the things seen in nature.

One square inch of green is greener then a square foot.

One square inch of charcoal is darker than a square foot.

A violation of the aesthetics of color: keeping a red as red as it appears in nature (as the local color) is a violation of what you have learned by working from representation.

Although representation is not at stake, (it is not our aim) the red kept the same red in the painting, doesn’t feel right.

Do the background (part of it first) and have it a little darker than the middle halftone of the model, but lighter than the dark.

Anybody can see the big contrasts, but it requires the well-trained eye of the artist to notice very slight value changes.

The charcoal drawing:

(from the beginning) Learn to reserve certain areas of the paper pure clean white, which you’ll need for later. Circumscribe them with a boundary. Edible charcoal– Paper Ingres.

To get a deep dark on a grainy charcoal paper, it is necessary after carefully rubbing the finger on a clean rag to take away the grease of the skin, to rub the spot of charcoal with one stroke the edge of the little finger, in order to have the charcoal enter in the interstices of the grain, then cover it with another bold (?) charcoal stroke repeat the rubbing out of the finger for as many times as that charcoal tone can become deeper.

(?)… big interstices.

Join the extremities. Establish the extremities of the directions. Relate any directions of the lines you draw to the world vertical and the world horizontal., for instance, the posture of trees (Cezanne).

The cardinal directions are angles and triangles. The acute angle is easier than the obtuse angle.

I consider the use of a ruler in drawing–well it is well to have it out of reach. The implement gets in the way.

Medium to paint         linseed oil: 4/5 Turpentine 1/5

Be less insistent on linear structure

Be more concerned about planer structure and “color” structure.

Edwin Dickinson with student

E.D. Comments In His Studio   March 1, 1960

One could make a whole painting just of the columna (under the tip of the nose)

You’d think that a person that had all the beautiful bits that go to make up a face would be too conceited to live with.

Use wet paint next too wet. If necessary repaint adjacent areas of day before (save yesterday’s paint). Store mixed paint in tubes especially when working on large canvases.

Artist in Society

The artist is thought of in a high sense but socially considered and inferior

Lecture on the possibility of finding geometric shapes in almost all parts of the body.

Painting far lower cheek– “I never saw that position before.”

Took tube to class to look through and show students that Caucasian flesh is neither pink nor yellow but an unnamable color.

In trying to did to judge disparity between two near values which are separated by something in a painting, put spot of darker on lighter.

Authors, Musicians

Mozart – an angel, a saint

Often quotes Proust

James Joyce, Ulysses – likes fireworks scene

Compares two judges decision in Lady Chatterly’s Lover case and Ulysses. Judge Wooley’s decision superior (Ulysses)

Neither book pornographic

Handel – some must have thought him mad the way he gets carried away by his subject

If you have to choose between getting good color or correct value, choose color.

Varnish finished painting which has dark areas. (Mrs. Keck, restorer says varnish painting after one year, Aquival-good varnish)

Squint to see values in nature.

Large canvases strengthen a student.

Always roll canvas butter side out.

Signature – sign by scratching paint with a sharp instrument before it has hardened.

Paint from tube warm enough in studio to use without medium.

Impasto- proper consistency: when knife passed over twice, weave of canvas doesn’t show

Have your canvas lower than would have thought to be convenient. You can’t add one cubit to your stature

Student question: What is the primary thing in a beautiful painting?

E.D.’s answer: Beautiful spots of color

The only things we are sure of in nature: world vertical, world horizontal.

Tools

Plumb line

Finder (adjustable)

Two Palette knives, deep drop after handle and ordinary common knife

Mahl stick

Scalpel

Penknife

Etching tool

Medium: 4/5 Linseed oil, 1/5 turpentine

Canvas (smooth)

Stretchers and keys

Palette- Masonite- oiled with linseed oil

Additional material on the teachings of Edwin Dickinson
Terrific video lecture by John Leavey on The Teaching Legacy of Edwin Dickinson. See more information on John Leavey’s website

John Leavey – The Perfect Squint: The Teaching Legacy of Edwin Dickinson from justin adkins on Vimeo.

The post Edwin Dickinson’s Teachings, Remembered Comments appeared first on Painting Perceptions.

This is the first article for the new section on materials and technique, “Sounding Technical”. The first thing I need to say is that I’m no expert about the technical aspects of painting. What I hope to offer is a non-partisan centralized source of knowledge and opinion to help in the learning and promotion of sound painting principles.

Naturally there are many resources online to learn about specific technical concerns related to painting, too many resources actually, I’d like to find and share the most useful and informative sites related to the issue focused on. My focus will generally not be to advocate any particular method but rather look at the best arguments from differing opinions about any one subject. Eventually, I’d also like to hold interviews with painters and others about specific technical issues as well as encouraging guest writers to speak on a technical matter when possible.

Practical, sound advice is all well and good but I also relish reading about the controversial, the offbeat, and the contrarian points of view. I’d like to offer topics that incites or inspires discussion. Many times when I’m reading online Op-Ed columns the comments are often more interesting than the article itself. I’m certain that many readers here hold a vast knowledge base as well as strong opinions,if shared, could offer an important resource for painters.

My first article will take a look at some thoughts on varnishing oil paintings both pro and con.

It would be most curious to see the results of a survey showing what percentage of completed contemporary paintings are varnished. My guess is that it would be on the low side. Modernistic oil painting on traditional supports has often sought a less precious, matt, rough or complex surface texture where a shiny varnish could significantly detract from the desired look. Some might even say a glossy varnish makes the painting look too slick or makes the painting difficult to see from the glare. Some painters may fear a varnish might make the painting look too “traditional” or fear the painting won’t been respected enough as a flat surface and the varnish suggests more of a glassy window onto the world rather than the modern notion of a richly textured object covered with colored glue. But all flat object are going to collect dust and face environmental risks that over time will damage the unprotected painting.

On the other hand, many painters prefer the look of the glossy varnish and the way it tends to deepen and saturate the color and appreciate the way it unifies the surface and may not feel the painting looks complete until after varnishing. No doubt there are a wide range of opinion regard the use of varnishing and it is interesting to hear some thoughts both pro and con.

It is commonly written that oil paintings should be varnished anywhere from 6 months to a year after completion, using any number from a wide variety of varnishes in order to protect the paint surface from environmental damage such as smoke, pollution, etc, help even out the surface and eliminating any “sunken-in areas”, restore the “wet” painting look, enhance the vibrancy and unity of the colors and to give “finish” to the painting. (actually varnishing doesn’t really eliminate sunken-in areas or the uneven sheen that results from oil being leeched out of the paint – it will make the sunken-in matt areas more glossy but will also make the glossy areas even more glossy – defeating your purpose. I’ve heard it is better to “oil-out” the sunken in areas long before applying the varnish or better yet to prevent sinking-in by better preparation of the ground. Here is a link to a Winsor-Newton video that discusses dealing with “oiling-out” the “sinking-in” of colors in a painting.

I would venture to guess that most painters today prefer to use the modern synthetic varnishes as they are less apt to yellow or darken, are easier to apply successfully and will allow for relative easy removal with less risk to underlying paint layers. Modern varnishes offer a wide variety of solutions to protect the painting from dust, scratches and other such harm. They also offer a range of finishes from glossy to matt.

Some painters still prefer older varnishes made of organic resins for a number of reasons such as a preference for the look of the aging painting’s patina of an “old master” look such as a fine crackling or they simply prefer materials that have been in use for centuries rather than decades. There are so many sites offering extensive expert information about varnishing so I won’t go into detail with a discussion of specific types, brands and purposes here. I will show a Winsor & Newton and Gamblin you tube video on varnishing that discusses the basics, you may want to avert you gaze from the actual painting he’s varnishing but it does offer some helpful basic information. At the end of the article I’ll also provide a several links to site with specific information related to brands, types of varnishes as well as recipes, etc.

Right now I’m more interested to examine the less discussed case for not varnishing at all and how some important painters since the mid 19th century became adamantly opposed to varnishing, artists such as Cezanne, Monet, Cassatt, Pissarro among many others. Picasso and Braque were oppose to varnishing their paintings for a number of important reasons, primarily aesthetic. Monet and Pissarro abandoned the use of varnish on their work after 1880, but for different reasons: “Pissarro because of his desire for a matte finish; Monet lest it discolor his effects”

The painter and art historian Anthea Callen discusses the politics of varnish at length in a section in her The Art of Impressionism: Painting Technique and the Making of Modernity Sadly this amazing book is out of print but there are still used copies available for a price. Note: If you do buy this book please use this link to Amazon, by doing so will help support this site.

This book is perhaps the most comprehensive study of Impressionist techniques written. Her exhaustive research studies all aspects of Impressionist painting that are of great interest to painters who want to know more about the historical context of painting directly from nature. She also has a smaller but popular and still published book, Techniques of the Impressionists

from the publisher:

“Drawing on scientific studies of pigments and materials, artists’ treatises, colormens’ archives, and contemporary and modern accounts, Anthea Callen demonstrates how raw materials and paintings are profoundly interdependent. She analyzes the material constituents of oil painting and the complex processes of “making” entailed in all aspects of artistic production, discussing in particular oil painting methods for landscapists and the impact of plein air light on figure painting, studio practice, and display. Insisting that the meanings of paintings are constituted by and within the cultural matrices that produced them, Callen argues that the real “modernity” of the Impressionist enterprise lies in the painters’ material practices. Bold brushwork, unpolished, sketchy surfaces, and bright, “primitive” colors were combined with their subject matter—the effects of light, the individual sensation made visible—to establish the modern as visual.”

Here is an embedded version of the free google ebooks version of it, that has significant portions available for reading. Of particular note is the table of contents which is clickable and goes to a partial view of the chapter topic.

From Anthea Callen, The Art of Impressionism: Painting Technique and the Making of Modernity

“For the Impressionists, varnish was not applied automatically or arbitrarily to a painting. The physical and optical effects of varnish on the oil paint layer are immediate and irreversible. Not only is mattness replaced by an even, glossy skin but colours are enriched, appearing more saturated, and the paint layer is made more transparent. It also produces a darkening in tone, exaggerating light-dark contrasts, which is exacerbated with age as the varnish yellows, darkens and further distorts the paint layer colours. Varnish was intimately associated with the Academy, with academic practice and fini, and with the false ‘chic’ of the Paris Salons. Rejecting varnish was not just technically sensible, it actively subverted the reactionary ethos of the Academy. In addition to changing a painting’s physical appearance, varnish, and therefore the lack of it, carried an ideological message: the decision not to varnish signaled not only the work’s modernity, but that of the artist, too. A history of the debates around picture varnishing forms the context in which a more detailed analysis of Impressionist paintings can be located. Examining contemporary art criticism, treatises on technique, the opinions of dealers and artists, and the paintings themselves, a pattern of views emerges that gives new significance to the problem of varnish.” …

“The art of Italian painters before Raphael provided an exemplar at once practical and aesthetic to modern painters: newly discovered, the luminosity, chalky bright colour and shallow pictorial space of early Italian painting offered an alternative to the rich, patinated surfaces characteristic of official clair-obscur oil painting. There was, therefore, a politics of varnishing, of gloss versus matt effects – art practice, aesthetics and ideology are intimately linked.”

Vernissage,(Paris), 1866.

Interesting Wiki link on Vernissage

In marking the completion of paintings for display in the official Salon, vernissage was the rite of passage from private to public, from studio to gallery. The glazing of paintings was forbidden at the Salon; varnish, like the regulation gilt frames, was compulsory until the I880s, when the impact of avant-garde methods provoked a change in official practices. In the Academy’s view, varnishing imposed uniformity on the exhibition while simultaneously linking it to a tradition of ‘great art’ of the past – varnished paintings embodied the notion of dignity and nobility in grand art; the picture was set in aspic, embalmed. Varnish on painting, then, carries layers of meaning beyond the pragmatically physical. On both the literal and metaphoric levels, varnish imbues painting with a heightened clarity, unity and coherence. The varnish film seals in the matière of painting, unifies the surface, slicks over its rough edges, its visual inconsistencies, even intentional contradictions; glossing it over, varnish subdues the coarseness of matter and the animated, scattering luminosity characteristic of a rugged, matt surface. Varnish had a normative function: it made vanguard art look more like academic art. Sameness and uniformity were reassuring.

E. H. Gombrich, Dark Varnishes: Variations on a Theme from Pliny, The
Burlington Magazine, Feb., Vol. 104, No. 707, 1962, pp.51-55 [Trapp
no.1962G.1]

From E. H. Gombrich’s essay:

In 1638, Junius made the story available to English readers in his book on The Painting of the
Ancients:

Apelles … who was wont to be very moderate in all things that concerned the Art, because he would not offend the eyes of the spectators with too much cheerefulnesse of gay and flourishing colours, did by an inimitable invention anoint his finished workes with such a thinne kinde of inke or vernish, that it did not onely breake and darken the clearnesse of the glaring colours, but it did likewise preserve them from dust and filth … [p.285]

In 1691, Filippo Baldinucci gave a lecture in the Accademia della Crusca on the subject of ancient and modern painting within the context of the quarrel between the Ancients and Moderns. One of the points in favour of the moderns was, for him, the invention of oil painting, and one of his arguments to
prove that the ancients lacked this technique was precisely Pliny’s story. His point is that this technique of toning down excessively luxuriant colours was precisely the one used by Italian Trecento painters who worked in tempera:

… they spread a varnish over their panels which was a certain mixture that gave their pallid paintings a certain effect of greater depth and greater strength and, toning down the bright surface a little, brought it closer to natural appearance.. .

It might be argued that modern painters also use such varnish on their oil paintings, but I would reply that this usage, which only few adopt, does not serve to counteract any shortcomings of oil paintings as such, that is, to give depth to the darks and to tone down the lights more delicately, for oil painting does not stand in need of such aids. It is used rather to remedy some accidental mishap that sometimes occurs because of the priming, mastic or other, which is applied to the canvas, or that originates in the panel or canvas itself, that is, when it attracts the liquid of the oil so strongly that it almost draws it out of the colours and dries them up in some places to such an extent that this accident alters their appearance on the surface. It is then that by use of another fatty substance, that is, by means of the varnish applied where there is too little oil on the surface, one is able to bring out (and this is the salient point) what is already in the oil painting rather than something that is not there at all—which was precisely the effect that the varnish of Apelles achieved to some very small extent.[10] There is nothing in this description of the oil painters’ practice of bringing out a passage that had `sunk in’, which would refute Mr Ruhemann’s contentions. It merely shows how difficult it is to make a hard and fast division between paint and varnish

From a MOMA conservation article about varnishing and Pablo Picasso’s painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907)

“Paintings that have been varnished are also cleaned, or more accurately, devarnished, when the varnish discolors over time and thus distorts the original colors of the painting. Finally, some paintings should not have been varnished at all, and a varnish can compromise the essential aesthetic.” In this case, a painting that may be de-varnished, not to be re-varnished once the cleaning is finished, what steps do you take to help conserve the painting without using varnish?

The presence of the varnish on a painting, which the artist did not intend to be varnished, does not preserve the painting. Indeed it can do much to diminish the essential quality of the painting. To protect the surface of an unvarnished painting from dirt and grime there are, if necessary, a number of things we do. In some cases the paintings are framed with glass or Plexiglas to protect the surface. This not only provides a physical barrier from airborne grime but also provides a buffer against any climactic changes and (in the case of Plexiglas) protection from damaging UV light. In the case of a painting the size of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon we might decide to place a barrier in front of the work to prevent visitors from approaching too closely. Under these circumstances the only treatment necessary would be a routine dusting with a soft brush once a month or so.

Of course 19th and early 20th Century artist who avoided varnishing to preserve the matt appearance didn’t have the variety of modern synthetic varnishes that we have today. Unless the paintings is protected with a varnish layer or some other means it will collect dirt in the interstices, which can rarely if ever be removed without damaging the paint layer. Dusty, dirty paintings are likely to be particularly problematic in direct painting where impastoed brush marks makes for an uneven, irregular surface where cleaning would be more difficult.

Some painters in order to avoid using a varnish to preserve the matt surface and other reasons have opted for framing their oil paintings behind glass. I’ve read this practice has been particularly prevalent in Great Britain. With new picture glasses on the market such as Museum Glass and it’s anti-glare properties perhaps make this solution even more appealing if not for the high-cost. Especially for larger paintings where the weight of the glass also becomes a major factor.

In our post post-modern era, for better or worse, there no longer seem to be any hard and fast rules about techniques such as varnishing. Both abstract and representational painters may have many valid reasons for varnishing or not varnishing. My suggestion in this regard is to make sure your decision is based on the best solution for preserving the look of your work, not varnishing shouldn’t just be a rationalization to avoid the hassle or conversely you varnish just because you heard that is a rule you’re “supposed” to follow.

If you feel strongly about not having a varnish applied for aesthetic reasons then it’s suggested to write on the back of the painting – Do not varnish. Or if you do varnish you can also write when you last varnished and with what type – which will be helpful to anyone in the future wishing to remove and reapply varnish.

Ultimately it is imperative to remember the obvious, but often overlooked, concern that will protect the painting and enhance longevity more than any varnish might offer, is that you make your painting strong enough visually so that people will want to care for it long after you’re gone and to avoid the painting’s death by dumpster.

Comprehensive resource on all things related to varnishing oil paintings from Amien (The Art Materials Information and Education Network) Varnish Forum topics from Amien

Basic info on varnishing from Winsor & Newton

fairly good video from Dick Blick about varnishing but the soundtrack is a little grating!

Video from Gamblin discussing the application of Gamvar and cold-wax medium. (I prefer to use Gamvar when varnishing and I also like the use of the cold-wax medium for a more matt sheen.)

Conservation Wiki article on varnishing

Good article at Spaces Between the Gaps article on Varnishing

The post Thoughts on Varnishing appeared first on Painting Perceptions.

Who took the lead out?

Painters who use some form of lead white are now noticing significant problems with finding Flake White, Cremnitz or other forms of lead white from most of the major art supply websites. Dick Blick and others state that various brands of lead white are on back order and should be shipping in March but I’m not convinced this is accurate, as of this writing it’s increasingly unclear when lead white will be available again and at what cost. I asked a spokesperson from Old Holland on their facebook page about this concern and they told me:

The pigment we use to make this product is very scarce. Therefore, we are not able to produce large amounts. Eventually we will not be able to make the product anymore as the pigment runs out. Also, it is a lead white (poisonous), so a dangerous product, which is a reason for some shops to stop selling it. Some shops may still have it in stock, however not always ‘on the shelves’.

Some painters who use lead white are worried we could soon come to a point where – perhaps for the first time since the Pyramids where built – painters will be unable to obtain lead white in an affordable manner.

If you are able to find any lead white at all it is likely to be priced at a level no mere human could afford. Old Holland Cremnitz White, the preferred brand of lead white for many painters, has had production discontinued – The Italian art store used to be one of the cheapest places to buy OH Cremnitz around 45 dollars for the 225 ml tube, it is now priced at $276.00 if you can get it at all. Some painters were lucky to have stocked up with enough lead white to last for some time but for many of us are now faced with what to do now. There are a few smaller paint manufacturers and boutique-type dealers who still sell some form of lead white but tend to be expensive and in smaller quantities. Vasari, for instance, has flake white available but is now $105.30 for a 175 ml tube and $34.75 for the 40 ml tube.

With the limited amount of information available on this subject it is only natural that painters assume that the reason for the shortage and price increases are due to new rules and regulations regarding the sale of lead paint to artists. There have been restrictions placed on artist’s lead paint in the UK and EU which require the paint to be sold in child-proof containers, such as with “chalk gun type tubes” but other than that it is completely legal to sell artist grade lead white and to my knowledge no new legislation is pending in the US.

Lead paint in the EU is now being sold in paint cartridges instead of tubes.

The reason for the shortage is more due to manufacturers stopping production due to there no longer being enough demand to make production profitable. This is due to lead paint being restricted or banned for anything other than artist’s paints. Sadly there just aren’t enough painters buying lead white to make full production worthwhile for these manufacturers. Apparently all but one manufacturer in the US has stopped production. I had a long talk with George O’Hanlon from Natural Pigments who explains what is happening in more detail later in this article.

What is so special about lead white?

If you don’t use some form of lead white yourself you may wonder what all the fuss is about but for the painters whose use of lead white is essential to their painting this will be a difficult hurdle to overcome. Lead White in some form has been used by painters since antiquity prepared from metallic lead and vinegar. Lead white was the only white used in European easel paintings all the way until the 19th century when Titanium White was introduced. All the great masters used lead white and for such painters as Rembrandt, his brushwork and paint surface could only have been made with his particular manner of using of his recipe of white lead.

There are many reasons why the use of lead white is desired by many painters, most frequently people report it is because they prefer the way the paint handles and the resulting superior paint surface and texture. You can smoothly drag longer brush strokes on your canvas that will better retain the look of the paint as it was first laid down without the leveling or flattening out of the paint i.e. retains the topography of the brush stroke. Which some painters prefer in order to accentuate the animated, expressive quality of the paint surface.

Some feel lead whites are better able to work with close valued colors where there are many subtle color gradations and color interactions. Occasionally you will hear people say that you are less apt to get a chalkiness to your color compared to when using Titanium. I suspect this may have more to do with the skill of the artist in getting the right color tone but the weaker tinting strength of lead white may help make this less of a problem as you are able to more easily obtain very subtle value changes unlike titanium which can easily over-power if you aren’t careful.

Lead white is a warmer white that mixes well in high keyed paintings commonly seen with many figure paintings. Sometimes the artist paint manufacturers will add Zinc or Titanium to cool or brighten the naturally warmer tones of the lead white. I can’t imagine Lucien Freud’s figure paintings could be made with anything other than the Cremnitz white I understand he used. It also has a slight transparency that is preferred in some situations. I’ve personally found that due to lead whites lower tinting strength (compared to Titanium) I wind up using far less expensive pigments in tints than if I were using titanium white. Thus making the increased cost of using lead white less of a concern. Additionally lead whites offer a stronger paint layer and dries faster than other whites.

Isn’t lead extremely poisonous?

You might ask if lead white is so superior why don’t more painters use it? Obviously, the widely known toxicity of lead scares away many painters. Painters working in small home studios, who have children, pets or similar concerns about keeping loved ones safe of course have legitimate concerns. Truthfully, I’ve known many professional painters as well as part-time hobbyist painters who aren’t careful or serious enough about their use of art materials and these people are better off staying away from paints with toxic pigments.

However, when used in a rational manner with careful and routine safety precautions it is safe. After all painters have been using lead white for hundreds of years, many such as Lucien Freud, Monet, Titian and Rembrandt lived long, full lives.

Lead is most easily transferred to the human body through inhalation, so best to stay away from any lead dust or particles unless it is in a highly controlled situation where you know exactly what you are doing and use a NIOSH respirator. Lead dust could be formed from small particles scraped from palette or the canvas. Large amounts of dried paint on clothing is another potentially overlooked trouble spot.

Some important considerations for safety with lead paint will be obvious such as wearing Nitrile, Neoprene or latex gloves while you paint. Lead is not readily absorbed through the skin, but has been documented for this to be possible. Don’t smoke, eat or drink while painting, don’t sand the paint surface, use care when scraping dried paint off the canvas so that the scrapings don’t then become ground to dust underneath or otherwise get tracked or airborne. Wet mop and or Vacuum regularly around where you paint to prevent a build up of paint dust. Care with disposal of paint rags with lead paint, and paint residue from solvent jars. It isn’t just lead paint as Cadmium pigments, cobalt, etc. This all should be considered hazardous waste and treated accordingly as part of standard studio practice. Much of this is true for many pigments, not just lead paint.

Lead manufacturing isn’t what it used to be

In a long facebook discussion thread started by Israel Hershberg about this subject, George O’Hanlon from Natural Pigments stated “The manufacturing of basic lead carbonate pigment is gradually disappearing since most industrial countries began prohibiting its use in paint since the 1970s. Although artists materials manufacturers were exempt from this prohibition, the pigment manufacturers responded to the decreased demand by producing less. Some manufacturers stopped producing it altogether, such as Chemson in the UK did last year. This means it is becoming more difficult to obtain and more expensive.”

“Another problem is that some manufacturers may be purchasing normal lead carbonate instead of basic lead carbonate. Normal lead carbonate was rarely used in painting, because it does not react to vegetable drying oils, such as linseed oil, as does basic lead carbonate. This is a very important point and one that the artist must be aware of, if she or he purchases the pigment to make their own paint, or buys an oil color from a small manufacturer who has not tested their pigment source.” (note: George also told me in phone conversation that most lead paint being manufactured in China and India is likely to be the normal lead carbonate that is unsuitable for artist grade paint)

“Also keep in mind that the names “Flake White” and “Cremnitz White” are fanciful names used by artists’ materials manufacturers to designate differences in their product lines in how they make their lead white oil paints. However, these names used to designate differences in the pigment sources in previous centuries, specifically the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, all manufacturers grind make their lead white oil colors using basic lead carbonate pigment made according to one of the modern processes that in the early 20th century replaced the old methods used since antiquity. This old method, known as the “stack process” or “old Dutch method,” results in a much different particle morphology (size and shape) than the modern process. The result of this difference can be readily experienced in how the paint handles. Yo can read more about this method in an article on the Natural Pigments web site This is a fascinating article that has many photos to illustrate the process.

I asked George what difference was there between the various brands of what they call Cremnitz white and he said that the lead pigment is the same basic lead carbonate the only difference is in the type and amount of oil the company adds for a binder resulting in differences in stiffness and handling. Additionally some companies will add Zinc White, Titanium White and other mixtures to the lead but the lead pigment is all pretty much the same. Also there has been concern voiced by some conservators and artists about the wisdom of adding various percentages of Zinc white into the paint. Studies have suggested (although not yet proved) that Zinc white in certain amounts and situations could result in paint embrittlement and crack and/or have problems with delimitation, especially with paintings done on a flexible support such as canvas. George O’Hanlon also has a comprehensive article about the potential problems and the caution you should take with using Zinc white. It was interesting to note in his article how often manufacturers add zinc white to their paint.

Natural Pigments offer a lead white both made with with the modern method as well as the traditional stack process method, which they sell in small cakes that you then need to grind and add your preferred oil to bind it with. I’ve yet to try this but I’ve read reports from painters who state this is a superior, exceptional white that is very different in handling.

A recipe to make your very own lead white, cheaply

Luis Martinez Borrero, a painter from Puerto Rico, was also writing on Israel Hershberg’s facebook thread shared how he makes his own Lead White and kindly agreed to let me share with us his recipe for making lead paint…

Ingredients you’ll need to get:

Good quality scrap lead sheets usually sell at a scrap yard for very cheap.
Store bought apple vinegar
Fresh Horse manure (any stable around) if you’re in NY. Brooklyn prospect park stables. They will pay you to take the stuff.
3 plastic containers of large enough to place the lead in. I found an old refrigerator the most useful. A perfect sealed chamber with shelves.

Process
1.Degrease the lead sheets with acetone.
2.Twist the lead sheets into coils.
3.Place the fresh manure into the first pot.
4.Place the second smaller pot inside the manure contained within the first pot. Now fill it with vinegar. You will need a smaller third pot to sit on top of the manure to place the lead coil in. The lead coil cannot touch the vinegar!!
5. Seal the largest container with a plastic lid.
Let it stand for 8-12 weeks. (Outside temperature makes a difference)
6.Remove the coils with good rubber gloves and a good quality noish respirator. Place them immediately under water in a shallow container. Use a plastic spatula to scrape off the sheets. I have found the corrosive reaction to be so strong that the coils dissolve right into the water. Sometimes there is a little lead metal left over. This metal has to be picked out. After you have all your powder settled, you will have to wash the lead acetate out of the basic lead carbonate. This is done as described by Francisco Pacheco in his Arte de la Pintura. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pacheco) Pacheco apparently was getting a venetian lead white powder that had to be washed. He describes the method in detail. Take the powder and dissolve it with your fingers (use gloves) and empty the milky water into a another container. Do this 8 to 12 times. Get a ph meter (Talasonline.com) take a reading. It should be near 7. Now grind with water on a glass or stone slab. This makes your lead white powder very fine or textured. 1/2 hour for rough grind or 4 hours for German painting. Finally, place the slurry in a small plastic cup and dry it in the sun. If you make 100 grams cups that will be enough for a small tube. If you do not care for all this mess you can purchase it from naturalpigments.com.

They make it very excellent. However my last stack yielded 40 pounds of white lead. Plenty for two lifetimes. My total cost was 88.00 dollars. Three total days of labor. My wife still insists on using Old Holland because she likes the stiffness.

Here are some new photos that Luis Martinez Borrero was kind to send me today showing his process in making the lead white. Pretty amazing and the based on what I can see from the photos, the quality of the paint looks quite good. Note the last three images can be enlarged.

Cleaning the lead strips

Preparing the scrap lead

stack wooden boxes

corroded lead

Washing the pigment

Mulling lead-white on porphyry stone

Finished paint

Brush strokes

(note: see the end of this article for updated information from Luis about his white lead)

Making your own lead paint seems like the best way to save money and perhaps get the greatest satisfaction when it’s all done. However, I can barely follow Ikea furniture instructions and I wouldn’t trust my dog around any horse manure… That said I would be happy to pay someone who was able to safely go through this process and was willing to part with some.

My biggest problem with most of the current commercial offering with lead whites is the increased expense, if and when lead white does become available again. I often use huge amounts of white paint when I work and I can’t afford boutique prices for the “primo” quality flake whites sold in small tube – no matter how reasonable the price may seem from the seller’s point of view.

I had been using the more affordable Winsor & Newton’s Cremnitz over the past year which had been around 50% cheaper than most of the other brands. (price increased to around $30 for the 225ml tube) at Dick Blick – on extended back order – and not available now) So if Winsor & Newton don’t make their lead whites available again around the same price and when my stockpile finally runs out I will have to start looking into the Titanium based alternatives.

Alternative to lead

In researching this issue I ran across a posting made by the Oregon painter Thomas Jefferson Kitts on the AMIEN forum ( The Art Materials Information and Education Network) where he is an an official moderator on AMIEN.
I emailed him to ask his permission to use his excellent piece on how to make a “mock-lead white” using titanium white. He runs a blog, Thomaskitts.blogspot.com that has many interesting articles related to landscape painting and more. He agreed to letting me use part of his article that he just rewrote and posted today on his blog, you can read the full text of the article here.

For Those Who Refuse to Paint with Lead
but Wish They Could. by Thomas Jefferson Kitts

You can create your own “Mock Lead White” with the following:

First, mix a tiny amount of ochre paint into a generous amount of titanium white. This will shift the cool bias titanium pigment has towards the warmer cast of lead. Just a tiny amount of ochre will do. Mix it in thoroughly using a clean palette knife on a clean surface. The slightest addition of a second color will send the white in the wrong direction. (You are just trying to shift the white from cool to warm. Compare your mix against unmodified titanium white. You’ll see how little ochre is required.)

Next, you need to reduce the tinting strength of the titanium in your titanium/ochre white. To accomplish this, you start by mixing some linseed oil into a pile of finely-ground marble dust. (aka, calcium carbonate). Use a hand muller on glass if you have them, or a substantial palette knife on a clean surface if you don’t. Exert a fair amount of pressure as you mix everything together because it must all be well incorporated before the next step. (BTW, marble dust is inexpensive and available at most art stores. Or it can be ordered online.) The consistency of your final oil and calcite blend should equate the consistency of your titanium/ochre white. Now, begin mixing a little of the oil and calcite blend into your titanium/ochre white. As you increase the amount of calcite you are lowering the opacity of the titanium. (As a point of historical fact, Velazquez often worked calcium carbonate into a number earth colors to affect their opacity. Much of the transparent beauty found in his limited palette comes from this trick. You can use you oil and calcite mixture for the same purpose).

And finally, to emulate the impasto effect lead white imparts to a brush stroke, try incorporating a small amount of artist-grade beeswax. (You will find that very little wax is needed to mimic the peaking effect of lead white.) The wax creates a shorter pull to your paint mixture and thus your mock lead white will sustain sharper peaks and striations. Good enough for impasto work. I recommend you add the wax on your palette as you need it and not incorporate it into a tubed mixture. That way you will always have the option of working with a short or long mock lead white.

You will likely want to experiment with different proportions of these additives to find your preferred mock lead, but once you find it take note for future reference. You can then make a large batch and tube it up for later convenience. Sealed properly, your mock lead white should last as long as any other oil paint.

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Note: Modifying a titanium white paint as described above may be considered within the bounds of sound painting practices so long as the resulting paint doesn’t become oil-starved by the addition of too much calcite. Or, that the integrity of the dried paint film is not compromised by the addition of too much beeswax. But those caveats hold true for any kind of oil paint, not just your blend. The usual and customary cautions regarding the thickness and application of impasto work still apply.

I know that Fairfield Porter experimented at length with a variety of whites and was known to use and be fond of Permalba white and apparently thought it was a good alternative to Lead White. I know quite a few painters express satisfaction with using Permalba. However it does have a high percentage of Zinc white in it (50% I think) so I might be nervous about the issue with embrittleness. There is a Gamblin’s Flake White Replacement that some people say is quite good but I don’t have any experience with it. I believe it also is a titanium and zinc white blend. I’ve read it is much cooler and glossier than lead white and may dry quicker than other titanium blends.

I wish I could end on a more hopeful note but it seems there will be some difficult days ahead getting your lead paint fix.

Addendum to the article – updated information from Luis with more details about the his lead white (from an email I got today)

As for your question asked in the last email. I believe it to be basic lead carbonate. The paint in the photo was bound with just 8 grams of water washed organic cold pressed linseed oil per 100 grams of pigment. It is a highly reactive powder meaning that the mulling action causes the pigment to incorporate perfectly with the oil. The handling properties of my paint are superb and compared with other whites like Old Holland or Natural Pigments the opacity of the paint and other characteristics are practically the same. I have made many stacks and many experiments including different exposure times and the magic number for exposure seems to be 8 weeks. However cold climates can be longer. I have made powders that are too transparent and not very reactive yielding a white that has poor handling qualities and opacity. Recently, I have been in contact with a scientist in the Philadelphia museum who has agreed to analyze my stack pigments. I have done some extensive research about the neutral vs the basic lead carbonate and to my surprise the modern industry standard for lead white seems to be 27% lead hydroxide 73% neutral lead carbonate. However, in the old whites they have found these numbers to be in the range of 50/50 or 40/60. These numbers make sense when many factors affect the outcome of your stack. I have no scientific conclusive proof as of yet that I have a basic lead carbonate in my hands. However I am manufacturing these pigments based on my training in pigment making with Peter Trubig in New York. He had supplied many painters with materials and was by all standards an expert in his craft. I will be sure to follow up with the scientific results of my white. In the meanwhile I hope this email has been helpful.

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