After painting a portrait of President Carter, which now resides in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., I thought I could help some of the beginning artists with what paints to buy. Trust me, if the more expensive paint would help me, I would spare no expense in my art and art gear, including camera gear.
Understanding Paint Quality
Some companies offer as many as four different levels or quality of paint. What decides the price of a specific pigment is how much filler is in the tube of paint.
Choosing Between Student Grade and Professional Grade
If you believe art is something that you love, and you know you will do this for the rest of your life, I recommend skipping the student grade paints and going to the professional level. The student grade tube of paint has more filler in it, it mixes differently with other colors and therefore, once you make the jump from student to professional grade, not only were the colors different but your touch and how strong - we call the tinting strength or weakness of a specific color will change drastically from student grade to professional grades. If you’re not sure art is what you want to do, then I would probably use this student grade paint.
Recognizing the Difference Between Grades
How do I know the difference between professional grades and student grades? By the price, all joking aside. Windsor and Newton is a very high-end paint company. They offer a student grade paint, which they call Winton and Newton - it has a giant number on the front of it. That same color/pigment could also come in their Artist grade which is a step up and it has on the label - Windsor and Newton - which is an artist grade pigment.
The Price Difference
So it’s up to you to know the word Winton is student grade. You could also look at the price. For example, Cadmium Red might be eight dollars in a student grade, it would be $24 in an artist grade. Windsor Newton does not offer a professional grade, I feel they do not need it, their colors are outstanding in tinting strength and beautiful saturation.
My Personal Preference
Personally, I don’t think the professional grade companies are worth it. I use only a couple of specific colors. To give you an example of the price difference of that same color that’s in Artist Grade $20 and the Professional Grade could be $40-$80 and it has more paint and less filler. Companies that offer the professional grade are Williamsburg, Old Holland, Michael Harding, and Mussinni. Each company might have one or two colors that I prefer or like but I’m buying the color that I’m after based on need.
The Choice of the Old Masters
In the 19th century, many of the great old masters of the past used Windsor and Newton and Sennelier, and I’m sure a few other companies were around at that time. If Windsor and Newton was good enough for John S Sergeant, it’s good enough for me.
I personally haven’t noticed a difference and I would have to say I have loyalties toward Windsor and Newton because I like the specific color. I bought all the companies colors. When I placed them next to each other, for example, cobalt blue, I saw which companies are the most beautiful. Winsor Newton Cadmium Red is the only red which does not have orange in it or blue in it. Therefore I can mix into my other warm reds with my cool reds and keep those mixes beautiful. It is perfect for how I use my warm and cool color system that I built around Monet.
The price of the pigment does not get me to purchase paint. The beauty of the color and where it fits in my temperature changes go. That is why I buy a company’s paint.