Making Paint Or Trying To - Leaves and Flowers

Attempt #1 - Making paint with leaves and flowers.

The other day, I decided to grind up fallen flowers and leaves. Neither of these attempts went well. The flowers were still alive and wet, while the leaves were dead and crunchy. I will let the mashed flowers dry on paper for a few days. As for the leaves, I may have to take them to a science lab for some grinding with liquid nitrogen... Or maybe I could get a pepper grinder to do some of the work... Feel free to share your ideas with me.

Photo Documentation

Making Paint with Flowers

Making Paint with Dried Leaves

I will have to do some more thinking on how to use leaves and flowers in paint making....

Making Paint II - Old Holland Pigment

This is my second attempt at making paint. This time,  I used Old Holland Parijs (Pruisisch) Blau Extra a.k.a. Prussian Blue Pigment pigment and Lagridge Refined Linseed Oil. This pigment was drastically different than the Langridge Raw Umber Green. The granules were much bigger and the pigment was much more like salt crystals. The Umber, on the other hand, had the consistency of flour. It made for some interesting mixing and was a lot messier. The clean up was also much more difficult, I think my glass plate will be permanently tinted blue.

Materials

Old Holland Prussian Blue Pigment - 1Tbsp and 1tsp
Langridge Refined Linseed Oil - 2 1/4 tsp
2 Palette Knives
Small Measuring Spoons
Muller and Glass Plate
37mL empty Paint Tube
~28 paper towels

Photo Documentation

 

Interesting - the oil soaked right into the pigment. The Umber trial left the pigment floating on top until I mixed the oil and pigment together.

These materials were purchased at Parkers Art Supply in Sydney. Old Holland paint is fabulous. There is nothing better than the outstanding color and texture that Old Holland Paints provide.... That is if you can afford them. They tend to be a bit pricey but are worth every cent. The Prussian Blue pigment was very grainy and retained some of that character after being mixed. If you are looking for pigment/paint in which every color is uniform in consistency, Old Holland may not be for you. Their website has some wonderful photos of their manufacturing process. I would not choose to solely use Old Holland paint if funds were out of the question, but would definitely keep some colors on hand.

Once again, I have a chart going to catalog how the paint ages after being tubed.

Maybe tomorrow I will try making paint from a rock I collected while climbing in the Blue Mountains....

Making Paint I - Langridge Pigment

This is my first attempt at making paint. I used Langridge pigment and linseed oil for this trial. I have my own samples of rock that I would like to use in the future. For now, though, I thought I would stick to commercial pigment.

Materials

Langridge Raw Umber Green Pigment - 2 tsp
Langridge Refined Linseed Oil - 1 1/4 tsp
2 Palette Knives
Small Measuring Spoons
Muller and Glass Plate
37mL empty Paint Tube

Photo Documentation

The materials were purchased at Parkers Art Supply in Sydney. They have two locations now, the one at The Rocks has a larger selection and carries raw pigments. Langridge paint is new to me as it was not available in Boston or Chicago. I have only used it once, today, but it seems to be similar in quality to that of Gamblin Artist Colors, although I don't yet have research to support this. Overall, it was wonderful to make my own paint. I have begun a chart in which I will paint daily swatches of this paint to see how it ages.

This is the beginning.

Hi Everyone or No one,
I have given in to the blog universe. As an avid reader of blogs, I have decided that I have something to share. More importantly, I have a lot to learn. This blog is a journal of sorts for my 1st semester research while I pursue my Master's in Fine Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

The process I am engaged in while working is directly tied to the transient qualities of memory in the individual. This research will hopefully begin to help me clarify what I mean by that. In addition, I am interested in pursuing a material analysis as a means to relate my history and interests with my chosen tools and their origin in relation to their social, political, and ecological impacts. This journal will focus on my findings concerning the background of any given material in my studio. Examples include but are not limited to Williamsburg paint, Gamblin paint, Old Holland paint, Gamsol, Mineral Spirits, paint brushes and canvas.

My main reason for have a public journal is because I may be wrong. There are misleading studies in any subject. As a result, I encourage you, the reader, to challenge me and if inclined to do so, give me resources that will aid me in my pursuit.

And with that. Here I go.