Artist grade vs.Student grade for weathering

MurphysLaw;

      I have used the Windsor and Newton Student and artist sets for years in weathering wood models and contract work. When dry they can be oversprayed with " Craft" clear in Gloss, Semi-Gloss or Flat without messing everything up.

Murphy's Law

 

 

plasticjunkie

I bought a set of 24 Reeve's  .4 oz tube oils from HL about 9 years ago. The tubes are small but there's enough for a lifetime's use. I think I paid like $15 with a 40% discount coupon but don't know if they still carry them.  I tend to use just a few of them but they work just fine.

By the way Murphy I see you are from the upstate so I got my oils at HL in Greenville on Woodruff Rd. when we were living near Simpsonville. I miss living there, it's just beautiful out there specially during Fall.

 

 

 

 

 Small world indeed...I live just below Spartanburg and they have a HL as well. There is also small mom and pop store in Spartanburg that I try and throw buisness to when I can. I've lived here my whole life and really enjoy the area although it's getting more congested towards the Greenville area more than I like (I despise traffic).

 

Yes indeed, my friend who lives in Greenville says things have really changed since we left and traffic is getting somewhat congested in some areas. There was a real nice hobby shop on Laurens Rd but I was told that one went out of business not long ago.

plasticjunkie

I bought a set of 24 Reeve's  .4 oz tube oils from HL about 9 years ago. The tubes are small but there's enough for a lifetime's use. I think I paid like $15 with a 40% discount coupon but don't know if they still carry them.  I tend to use just a few of them but they work just fine.

By the way Murphy I see you are from the upstate so I got my oils at HL in Greenville on Woodruff Rd. when we were living near Simpsonville. I miss living there, it's just beautiful out there specially during Fall.

 

 Small world indeed...I live just below Spartanburg and they have a HL as well. There is also small mom and pop store in Spartanburg that I try and throw buisness to when I can. I've lived here my whole life and really enjoy the area although it's getting more congested towards the Greenville area more than I like (I despise traffic).

I bought a set of 24 Reeve's  .4 oz tube oils from HL about 9 years ago. The tubes are small but there's enough for a lifetime's use. I think I paid like $15 with a 40% discount coupon but don't know if they still carry them.  I tend to use just a few of them but they work just fine.

By the way Murphy I see you are from the upstate so I got my oils at HL in Greenville on Woodruff Rd. when we were living near Simpsonville. I miss living there, it's just beautiful out there specially during Fall.

I bought a set of 24 Reeve's  .4 oz tube oils from HL about 9 years ago. The tubes are small but there's enough for a lifetime's use. I think I paid like $15 with a 40% discount coupon but don't know if they still carry them.  I tend to use just a few of them but they work just fine.

I like the thinner "Turpenoid". It's a largely odorless spirit based "turpentine". It comes in a can or bottle with a blue label and can be found at Michael's.

My wash mix is about a rice grain sized blob of paint in a tablespoon of thinner.

Over acrylic clear coat.

My two cents worth is to agree with Greg & GM; a good quality "student" set from Winsor Newton or other known brand is a good starting point. As Greg points out, having more colors enables you to try dot filters, washes, and other effects wihout commiting to $100+ worth of materials.

I would suggest using a brand name artist quality thinner as opposed to hardware store or home center products, and yes, an extra tube of white for tinting. A good way to shop is to use the discount coupons from Michael's or Hobby Lobby, or go online to dickblick.com for an incredible selection of art supplies.

Have fun!

Mike

gregbale

While fully acknowledging that the more expensive 'artist grade' oils will have finer-ground pigments and such...if you're starting out, I'd recommend picking up a decent 'student' set.

While fully acknowledging that the more expensive 'artist grade' oils will have finer-ground pigments and such...if you're starting out, I'd recommend picking up a decent 'student' set.

First...while you may eventually settle on three or four colors for your 'standard' weathering technique, having the full palette gives you versatility. Having a couple different greens, yellows or even blues to experiment with will give you a better 'hands on' feel for color theory...and encourage experimentation. (Plus...if you find yourself wanting to have a go at painting some custom nose-art or such, you'll be all set.)

Second...and this is just my opinion...unless you're getting some kind of 'dollar store' set, a decent student set of oils should be more than sufficient quality for weathering, filters and basic needs. If you want to 'splurge' on better quality, spend a bit extra for separate tubes of good-quality white and black. Those will make a big difference.

Good luck.

The smaller tubes will last years, I think they are around 20ml or so and cost 7-8 bucks.

As mentioned you don't need a lot of colors if you learn how to mix them. You can do a lot starting with umber or burnt umber, sienna or burnt sienna. And those work well to muddy up/change up/tint other colors and vise versa.

I have only ever used W&N Winton and Abteilung 502. My understanding is that the better the quality of oils, the finer the pigments and the better quality the paint.

Oils do last a long time, i have had most of mine for years. You realy don't need a lot of colours, i tend to use the same 4 or 5.