I’m a huge fan of their coarse transparent earths, particularly stil de grain. A great base layer for underpainting or imprimatura since it adds a little tooth, or as a textural glaze, kind of like how some watercolors will have a neat granulation effect.
Thank you so much for the lightfastness update! Also, a specific video on their earth colors would be super helpful, too. The work you're doing on this channel is invaluable, thanks again!
This is very informative and useful research. I've come back a few times to remind myself of some of the properties of Williamsburg before I make a purchase. Would be fantastic if you and your cre kept this going to review some other paint lines. Michael Harding would also be a great line to dive into. I wonder if the combination of Oleogel and Michael Harding paints has a similar consistency to Williamsburg when mixed with Oleogel? The few Harding tubes that I have tried reminded me of Williamsburg's consistency. I have yet to mix them with Oleogel.
Fantastic video! I love these earth tones, I use stil de grain and italian ocher lemon. Their grit is really lets you feel the earth :) also, they tint beautifully.
Williamsburg is great. The neutral grey started as a project between the people on the “rationalpainting” forum which I believe is sadly defunct. It was Graydon Parrish and some others. I believe Richard Murdoch, and other members (myself included). Some of those guys are HARDCORE munsell guys and mixed STRICTLY down value lines. I don’t think we thought it would be a permanent part of their catalog but I’m thrilled that I can still buy them. Side note, Roman Black Earth with white makes an almost perfect neutral. No need to bounce between umbers and blacks.
Ah, hello to a fellow Rational Painter! :D Thanks for chiming in! It is wonderful to hear from someone else who was part of that. I was a lurker there and loved the expertise that was shared. That forum inspired me to pre-tube my own Munsell colors and that was a game-changer. I had to chuckle at the hardcore part- yes that is so true. The Williamsburg grays are tremendous and I'm so glad they make them. Saves so much time. Also yes, I recall they mentioned that about the Black Roman Earth- it is wonderful how much warmer it is (still contains that PBk 6 though). As I recall some members were a touch disappointed the WB blends didn't include lead white, and there may have also been a bit of chagrin over their use of carbon black as well. Still not having to adjust those values bit by bit to just lock in the main steps is so awesome. Thanks for the comment, and so glad you found the channel!
@ that was the best painting forum around. Miss it. I don’t use the munsell system dogmatically like some who mark every single color with the munsell book, but the theories of how it works really help make painting less stressful.
@@ccoppola82 Yep, same here. I miss it, too. I love having certain zones of colors premixed and tubed up (even though it is so much work) just to have them on the palette. It's great to freestyle from there to tilt them and improvise in the moment according to what one is perceiving. I also haven't found a community like it, but just the other day came across Smartermarx which looked interesting.
Thank you this great video!!! So worth the watch!!! A question about Cadmiums. They are banned in most of the courses available in Sweden due to toxicity. Is there something that the Cadmium part brings to the table, so to speak, to warrant its use despite it being toxic? The same with the lead white variants available. I mostly used pigments that mimic the hue but without it being a Cadmium. What am I missing by not using a real Cadmium, if anything?
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video! So, yes, there is quite a bit that cadmiums bring and it does seem wise to use them carefully. Personally I tend to think in terms of specific colors/various cadmium pigments (PR108, PO20, and PY35) rather than grouping cadmiums as a whole. As far as their necessity, it is a subjective question that will depend on each individual painter's painting practice. In brief, it comes down to lightfastness and opacity in those areas of the color wheel. In terms of individual colors, there are some areas where Pyrrole reds (PR254, PR255) can do an ok job of imitating a cadmium red (PR108), but there is a loss of opacity with the Pyrroles. The two pigments (PR108 and PR254) have slightly different mixing behaviors as well. However, it has been extremely difficult to find replacements for Cadmium Orange (PO20)- the high chroma, its mixing behavior, its lightfastness and its opacity are stellar. Cadmium yellows (various PY35s) are valued for opacity, lightfastness, mixing, and high chroma. Several accomplished painters have identified the need for cadmiums in order to reach the highest chroma areas of the gamut in oil paint. As for lead white, that is a bit different. We are not toxicologists so please consult some other sources, but it seems to us that there are different levels of toxicity, and lead white is more serious. However it can form a stronger paint film that can last- George O'Hanlon of Natural Pigments has a lot of resources on this (as well as on cadmiums). Lead white is a more transparent white than Titanium, and it is also warmer. Lead doesn't tend to "spin" the hue of a mix as strongly as Titanium does. Basically none of the white pigments on the market are ideal and all have their benefits and drawbacks.
Thank you so very much for your video and amazing channel. I am currently using Winsor and Newton Cadmium Orange. How does Williamsburg differ in your opinion?
Hi, and thanks for your kind words. The Williamsburg Cadmium Orange is a little yellower in hue than W&N Artist Cadmium Orange and looks a bit brighter in lightness as well. The Williamsburg has a little bit different feel with the palette knife as well. Both are good tinters.
@@thepaintlist Thank you so much for your prompt reply, Melissa. Your answer was perfect because I am looking for something that is a true orange (as on the color wheel). Is there a brand that you love the most for that? I am not happy with the consistency of the W and N.
@@TimothyJohnLukeSmithPSA Ooh, that is a good question. It depends on whether red-oranges or yellow-oranges are what you're looking for. We found that the hues of the cadmium oranges sort themselves into clusters or groups-- some red orange ones and some yellow-orange ones. I actually love cadmium orange so much I paint with at least four of them. With the cadmiums I like a broad range of high chromas and a wide range of consistencies. (For example in the red-oranges, I use both Old Holland for a very stiff paint or Rublev for an almost liquid paint- they are similar red-oranges but they vary in their viscosity). Also I've read that our eyes are really sensitive to differences in those wavelengths, and I find myself very picky about getting the rainbow balanced through the progression of oranges (the progression from red to yellow has to have the right series of notes, which is hard to get, sort of like a musical arpeggio). Pictures are so imperfect on a screen but perhaps one can get a sense of some of the hue differences from this review on Cadmium Oranges: www.paintlist.com/review/6.
@@thepaintlist Thank you so much for sharing your experience and expertise with me. I am going to read that wonderful article you sent me! I am a portrait painter and Cadmium Orange is an important color on my palette. I am so happy you created this channel and I share your videos on my Facebook page (4.8K Followers). What you are doing is so important.
Could you recommend williamsburg primary? I was thinking that bithmus vanadate might be a good choice for their yellow, but I would like to here any recommendations Tank you for all you do.
That is a great yellow and one we enjoy. We always recommend a split primary palette (two yellows instead of one). Bismuth (www.paintlist.com/paint/oil/3203) PY184 is a good cool yellow. Depending on what you're painting, sometimes it can be nice to have a warm yellow as well. We also love their range of cadmiums. It's hard to choose just one or two but Lemon, Light, Medium, Deep or Extra Deep are all interesting ones to try. If I had to chose just two it would be Light (www.paintlist.com/paint/oil/3224) and Deep (www.paintlist.com/paint/oil/3222), but I love these so much I paint with them all.
Hi, Gary, at this time we are affiliated with Blick, Amazon, Ebay, and Jackson's Art Supplies US. So if a person purchases something (regardless of brand) at those retailers through our links we may make a commission at no extra cost to the purchaser. Stay tuned, as we've only just begun with our brand reviews.
Thanks, this comment made me curious-- and so I got mine out to try with smoothness in mind. I can be a little less sensitive to grit (for example, I like the French and Italian earths for different things). So, I would say they do have a gritty grey-- the French Ardoise Gray, which has grit to it, but the N8, N6, N4, N2 set struck me as pretty smooth. So that is fascinating to hear they were grittier than what you would use. Also I noticed these grays aren't on Williamsburg's chart of textures, so I would be curious how they classify them as well. Though they feel much smoother than the French and Italian earths-- that we can say! :D I would be interested to hear your recommendations for your favorite smooth earth tones because we do have people asking for the least gritty earths from time to time. Thank you for the comment!
Be sure to check out our article over on Paint List for more resources: www.paintlist.com/review/18. Have you tried Williamsburg?
I immediately knew paint list was created by a woman the first time I stumbled across the website. You go girl ✨👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I’m a huge fan of their coarse transparent earths, particularly stil de grain. A great base layer for underpainting or imprimatura since it adds a little tooth, or as a textural glaze, kind of like how some watercolors will have a neat granulation effect.
That's a great idea especially if painting on smooth surfaces.
Great video. Love the people at golden and the williamsburg oils.❤
Thank you so much for the lightfastness update! Also, a specific video on their earth colors would be super helpful, too. The work you're doing on this channel is invaluable, thanks again!
Brilliant content, really enjoying these!! Well done 👏🏻
Thank you so much!
Great video! Love your website!
They are the only oils with interference colors so those are my favorites. I hope to get their metallic set for Christmas!
Loved this, keep them coming !
Would love to see a breakdown of those medium and coarse colors. I have a couple of them and they're so much fun to paint with.
This is very informative and useful research. I've come back a few times to remind myself of some of the properties of Williamsburg before I make a purchase. Would be fantastic if you and your cre kept this going to review some other paint lines. Michael Harding would also be a great line to dive into. I wonder if the combination of Oleogel and Michael Harding paints has a similar consistency to Williamsburg when mixed with Oleogel? The few Harding tubes that I have tried reminded me of Williamsburg's consistency. I have yet to mix them with Oleogel.
Awesome review!!! 🙌🏻 Would you consider a review of Winsor & Newton artist grade oils?
How does this channel not have 10k followers?
Great video !
Fantastic video! I love these earth tones, I use stil de grain and italian ocher lemon. Their grit is really lets you feel the earth :) also, they tint beautifully.
Can you make one for natural pigments (rublev) brand. It's great American brand they use no fillers in their paints.
Rublev is one of our favorites as well!
Williamsburg is great. The neutral grey started as a project between the people on the “rationalpainting” forum which I believe is sadly defunct. It was Graydon Parrish and some others. I believe Richard Murdoch, and other members (myself included). Some of those guys are HARDCORE munsell guys and mixed STRICTLY down value lines. I don’t think we thought it would be a permanent part of their catalog but I’m thrilled that I can still buy them.
Side note, Roman Black Earth with white makes an almost perfect neutral. No need to bounce between umbers and blacks.
Ah, hello to a fellow Rational Painter! :D Thanks for chiming in! It is wonderful to hear from someone else who was part of that. I was a lurker there and loved the expertise that was shared. That forum inspired me to pre-tube my own Munsell colors and that was a game-changer. I had to chuckle at the hardcore part- yes that is so true. The Williamsburg grays are tremendous and I'm so glad they make them. Saves so much time. Also yes, I recall they mentioned that about the Black Roman Earth- it is wonderful how much warmer it is (still contains that PBk 6 though). As I recall some members were a touch disappointed the WB blends didn't include lead white, and there may have also been a bit of chagrin over their use of carbon black as well. Still not having to adjust those values bit by bit to just lock in the main steps is so awesome. Thanks for the comment, and so glad you found the channel!
@ that was the best painting forum around. Miss it. I don’t use the munsell system dogmatically like some who mark every single color with the munsell book, but the theories of how it works really help make painting less stressful.
@@ccoppola82 Yep, same here. I miss it, too. I love having certain zones of colors premixed and tubed up (even though it is so much work) just to have them on the palette. It's great to freestyle from there to tilt them and improvise in the moment according to what one is perceiving. I also haven't found a community like it, but just the other day came across Smartermarx which looked interesting.
Thank you this great video!!! So worth the watch!!!
A question about Cadmiums. They are banned in most of the courses available in Sweden due to toxicity. Is there something that the Cadmium part brings to the table, so to speak, to warrant its use despite it being toxic? The same with the lead white variants available.
I mostly used pigments that mimic the hue but without it being a Cadmium. What am I missing by not using a real Cadmium, if anything?
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video!
So, yes, there is quite a bit that cadmiums bring and it does seem wise to use them carefully. Personally I tend to think in terms of specific colors/various cadmium pigments (PR108, PO20, and PY35) rather than grouping cadmiums as a whole. As far as their necessity, it is a subjective question that will depend on each individual painter's painting practice. In brief, it comes down to lightfastness and opacity in those areas of the color wheel. In terms of individual colors, there are some areas where Pyrrole reds (PR254, PR255) can do an ok job of imitating a cadmium red (PR108), but there is a loss of opacity with the Pyrroles. The two pigments (PR108 and PR254) have slightly different mixing behaviors as well.
However, it has been extremely difficult to find replacements for Cadmium Orange (PO20)- the high chroma, its mixing behavior, its lightfastness and its opacity are stellar. Cadmium yellows (various PY35s) are valued for opacity, lightfastness, mixing, and high chroma. Several accomplished painters have identified the need for cadmiums in order to reach the highest chroma areas of the gamut in oil paint.
As for lead white, that is a bit different. We are not toxicologists so please consult some other sources, but it seems to us that there are different levels of toxicity, and lead white is more serious. However it can form a stronger paint film that can last- George O'Hanlon of Natural Pigments has a lot of resources on this (as well as on cadmiums). Lead white is a more transparent white than Titanium, and it is also warmer. Lead doesn't tend to "spin" the hue of a mix as strongly as Titanium does. Basically none of the white pigments on the market are ideal and all have their benefits and drawbacks.
Thank you so very much for your video and amazing channel. I am currently using Winsor and Newton Cadmium Orange. How does Williamsburg differ in your opinion?
Hi, and thanks for your kind words. The Williamsburg Cadmium Orange is a little yellower in hue than W&N Artist Cadmium Orange and looks a bit brighter in lightness as well. The Williamsburg has a little bit different feel with the palette knife as well. Both are good tinters.
@@thepaintlist Thank you so much for your prompt reply, Melissa. Your answer was perfect because I am looking for something that is a true orange (as on the color wheel). Is there a brand that you love the most for that? I am not happy with the consistency of the W and N.
@@TimothyJohnLukeSmithPSA Ooh, that is a good question. It depends on whether red-oranges or yellow-oranges are what you're looking for. We found that the hues of the cadmium oranges sort themselves into clusters or groups-- some red orange ones and some yellow-orange ones. I actually love cadmium orange so much I paint with at least four of them. With the cadmiums I like a broad range of high chromas and a wide range of consistencies. (For example in the red-oranges, I use both Old Holland for a very stiff paint or Rublev for an almost liquid paint- they are similar red-oranges but they vary in their viscosity). Also I've read that our eyes are really sensitive to differences in those wavelengths, and I find myself very picky about getting the rainbow balanced through the progression of oranges (the progression from red to yellow has to have the right series of notes, which is hard to get, sort of like a musical arpeggio). Pictures are so imperfect on a screen but perhaps one can get a sense of some of the hue differences from this review on Cadmium Oranges: www.paintlist.com/review/6.
@@thepaintlist Thank you so much for sharing your experience and expertise with me. I am going to read that wonderful article you sent me! I am a portrait painter and Cadmium Orange is an important color on my palette. I am so happy you created this channel and I share your videos on my Facebook page (4.8K Followers). What you are doing is so important.
Could you recommend williamsburg primary?
I was thinking that bithmus vanadate might be a good choice for their yellow, but I would like to here any recommendations
Tank you for all you do.
That is a great yellow and one we enjoy. We always recommend a split primary palette (two yellows instead of one). Bismuth (www.paintlist.com/paint/oil/3203) PY184 is a good cool yellow. Depending on what you're painting, sometimes it can be nice to have a warm yellow as well. We also love their range of cadmiums. It's hard to choose just one or two but Lemon, Light, Medium, Deep or Extra Deep are all interesting ones to try. If I had to chose just two it would be Light (www.paintlist.com/paint/oil/3224) and Deep (www.paintlist.com/paint/oil/3222), but I love these so much I paint with them all.
Who are the affiliates you say you work with? Thanks
Hi, Gary, at this time we are affiliated with Blick, Amazon, Ebay, and Jackson's Art Supplies US. So if a person purchases something (regardless of brand) at those retailers through our links we may make a commission at no extra cost to the purchaser. Stay tuned, as we've only just begun with our brand reviews.
i used the neutral grey set once....hated the grittiness ....now they sit in the closet.
Thanks, this comment made me curious-- and so I got mine out to try with smoothness in mind. I can be a little less sensitive to grit (for example, I like the French and Italian earths for different things). So, I would say they do have a gritty grey-- the French Ardoise Gray, which has grit to it, but the N8, N6, N4, N2 set struck me as pretty smooth. So that is fascinating to hear they were grittier than what you would use. Also I noticed these grays aren't on Williamsburg's chart of textures, so I would be curious how they classify them as well. Though they feel much smoother than the French and Italian earths-- that we can say! :D I would be interested to hear your recommendations for your favorite smooth earth tones because we do have people asking for the least gritty earths from time to time. Thank you for the comment!