February 2021^51
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to paint a landscape after Corot (above).
They handled the scene really well.
All I added to the new greens and azo
brown was Winton’s cadmium yellow.
I liked the selection of greens and, while
I usually mix my own, the ones I tried
were a useful addition to the palette and
I’d have no reservations in using them
for plein-air studies.
Power colours
I was interested to find out how the
other ‘power’ colours, such as cadmium
scarlet, dioxazine blue and quinacridone
deep pink, performed on their own.
I remembered painting vibrant still lifes
some years ago with Artists’ quality paints
so I decided to make a comparison study.
Although my Winton study was nowhere
near the finish of the original, I wanted
to see if I could, at least, get close to the
colours I used, and I was more than
happy with the result (below right).
The quality of the paint is determined
by the amount of pigment in the binder –
the less pigment, the weaker the paint. The
colours I tested were rich, punchy and easy
to work with. In fact, Winsor & Newton
says that the only difference between its
After Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Winton oil on paper, 8x11in. (20.5x28cm). Colours used: quinacridone deep pink, phthalo deep green,
dark verdigris, phthalo yellow green, azo yellow green, azo brown, ultramarine blue and white.
Red and Green, Winton oil on paper,
4 x4in. (10x10cm). Copying a painting of mine
that used Artists’ quality oils (far right) was
no real problem for the Winton paints (right),
as they gave me a decent duplication of the
original colours. Colours used: cadmium
scarlet hue, quinacridone deep pink,
dioxazine blue, phthalo yellow green, azo
brown, cadmium yellow and white.
First experiment
When trying out any new
paints I’d recommend running
off a few test sheets to see
how they perform for you.
Try mixing them and using
thin transparent glazes or
lushly applied strokes with
a brush or knife. I can’t stress
enough the importance of this
unconscious play-research.Experiment with the
paints before you commit
to a finished painting. Use a
brush and a knife, and work
thick and thin to find how
your new paints perform.