The yellows
Posted: December 2, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: paint tubes, watercolour, yellows 38 CommentsI have way too many tubes of paint. If you paint, you probably do too. The oldest ones are left over from my university days. The next oldest ones made their way to me from my mother’s collection, after she stopped painting. Some have come from sponsors at various events, and of course there are many that I have purchased. Colours that I have wanted to try because I’ve seen them used successfully by other artists or colours that have simply called out to me from a shelf at the art supply store.
There are very few that I don’t like. In this bin, there’s a Jaune Brilliant that I bought for an online course. It’s the only one that was a real mistake, at least for me. This bin of yellows lives in a drawer with bins of the reds, the blues, the greens, the purples/blacks, and two bins of earth tones, separated into raw and burnt pigments. I may have a paint addiction, but at least I’m organized.
I don’t care for June brilliant either: never found a use for it.
I keep my tubes of paint on small plastic bins, which have been overflowing for some time. Finally broke down and bought more bins
Laura, I had to do that too, at some point. I had bins but they weren’t sorted. The sorting process helps a lot.
I agree I have way too many tubes of paint. Lately I have limited my palette
I will say I have Juane Brilliant no2 and Shell Pink. Love both of them in my Gouache set. Use them often. They are definitely more opaque. They are fun to use when I do Gouache on Kraft Paper.
You’re a brilliant hoarder! I envy your organization, and wonder which–if Jaune Brilliant is your dud, which is your star?
I’m partial to Naples myself!
Great question Ashley. Hansa Yellow Medium is my workhorse, but yes, Naples Yellow is my star also! And always the Winsor & Newton version!
That’s so funny. I’m just starting this journey as an artist so I only have six yellows! LOL!!!!
Don’t worry Maureen. You will no doubt collect more soon : )
I find jaune brillant great for portraits and in gouache it’s great for sunsets. JB#1 is the lighter of the two and I can’t remember the red in the mix. JB#2 is my favorite for sunsets and is very potent as it contains a cad red. I would just add some other tints to it and see if you can get it to perform better…it also has white in it like a lot of yellows. The only exception I can think of to that is Sennelier brand yellow. Even if they don’t have wet in then, they tend to be milky or hazy, so hard to use for glazing.
Woah that’s a lot of paint! Beautiful painting as always
Keeping supplies at a minimum is a constant battle… and a lost cause.🤣
Love this. And I’m sure NONE of your followers can relate!
Here’s to all the paints I’ve loved before……………..they’ve mostly traveled in my door.
Wonderfully organized! The OCD in me is smiling. 😂
I knew I’d have a fan of this method.
I’m not sure if I should be glad or unhappy that I have far fewer paint tubes around my office/studio than you do. Of course, I’ve only been painting for somewhat over two years, so there’s that. But your post reminds me of my true dilemma. How many colors should I have on my palette? I love colors and I think I’m collecting them rather than using them! On that topic, an instructor asked me recently why I had so many when I only needed eight. With fewer colors, I’d learn to mix what I need or just paint with what’s essential. I can’t disagree, although having 3x that many is a cognitive convenience for me — I can concentrate on laying down the paint rather than mixing. And I think I just feel better seeing all those colors.
Hi Shari..
I too have a LOT of paint. The problem is that some of these paints harden over time, so that when I finally decide to add one of them, it’s useless. Such a waste. I have a mix of brands. Can’t say there is one I prefer over the others, but I saw a Charles Reid comment that he liked Holbein paints because they stayed creamier than most others. So I’m giving them a try as I need to replace the ones I use most often.
Rita, it seems that we all have this problem. And I certainly have some dried up tubes as well. I just watched an old Charles Reid video that I have. Every single paint he used was Holbein. I am a fan of them as well. They are creamy, as you say, and a little cheaper than other brands.
Shari, Your just great, the Yellows painting puts a smile on my face 😊
Thanks Donna!
I read somewhere that purchasing art supplies and using them are two entirely unrelated hobbies. True for me.
Haha, true for me too.
As if a paint addiction is a bad thing!
That’s true. Could be worse for sure. A lot cheaper than bags or jewelery!!
Ditto
It is an addiction. Last Christmas I collected 6 William Sonoma Peppermint Bark tins from friends and keep my colors separated in them. They stack beautifully and are the perfect size.
Alex, I bet your paint tubes smell great!
I love a good organized chaos! And I love the comments – we are ALL art tool junkies🙂. But what impresses me most is how you are able to keep track of the lines/shapes in your sketch so you can paint them to reveal the individual tubes. Wow!
Thanks Jaci. I did try to depict each brand a bit so you could sort of tell what they were. As you can see, I use many brands.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one with a paint addiction:)
Seems like everyone who has written can relate to this!!
Enjoyed your comments on Yellow!
As for jaune brillante, did you know Gary Tucker uses it quite a bit in accents in his watercolors? Thanks, Susie
Susie, I did know that Gary Tucker used it because I think it was his demo I was watching before I bought it. But he used it so nicely on camera. When I tried it, it seemed like an awful peachy colour. Maybe I bought the wrong one.
Cute Shari:)
I totally relate to this for yellows and in particular blues in my case.
sticking to the primary colours when one starts off is a very good lesson and then add gradually over time with your own choices.
Going to an art store is like going to a candy or ice cream store…really hard to resist trying new flavours!
What bothers me most, is not only the drying aspect over time but the oozing out of the tube when opened and so much potential lost…..ugh!
I agree with you there, Jane. Some brands are better than other in terms of tubes. I think that when they are very creamy they ooze out, especially when you are in a warm climate. Or after you get off a plane!
Love this! I just this morning posted about my penchant for collecting pens, pencils, etc. We artists do have a bit of hoarding in us I think.
We are hoarders for sure!! We need someone to analyze this!
Haha! I can justify anything, as long as I can organize it! And this means more than paint!!
That sounds bad!
greet