Changed Paint Brand & Line (again)
A while back, in Paint Tests Done -- I Choose..., I wrote about my decision to go with Atelier Interactive paints for my brushed acrylic needs. With many paintings under my belt with those paints, I had to make a decision whether to continue using them regardless of the investment I'd made to this point. I've had two issues with Atelier Interactive, one small and one that just irks me. The small problem is one of the paint quality I receive. While about 75-80% of tubes are fine, most of the rest are thickened...some almost to the point of being irretrievable. They can be revived somewhat, but they are never really like that creamy, fresh-out-of-the-tube texture you'd like. But like I said, that wasn't a deal breaker for me. No brand in my experience escapes either thickening or separating in some percentage of their tubes. My biggest problem is with color shift -- specifically with the appearance of a light bloom [...]
Paint Tests Done – I Choose…
Knowing that I'd need to switch from airbrushing my paints to using a hairy stick, I've been trying out a variety of mediums and whatnot to find one that I could live with. After several months and many orders to Dick Blick, I've finally settled on a medium and a brand that I can live with: Atelier Interactive Acrylics. I live in the high desert. At more than a mile higher than sea level and a very dry climate (we think of 15% relative humidity as being "muggy"), I've found most water-bourne paints to be problematic. Whether acrylics, gouache, or casein, they all dry from palette to support too quickly (even Golden Open). As I was straightening up after a disappointing experiment, I stumbled on a sample I'd received a couple of years ago from Atelier. Two tubes: titanium white and pthalo blue got their turns on a piece of practice canvas and they didn't make me want to go on [...]
