Utrecht

[Bongo]

I'm about to purchase a lot of paint and looking for an alternative to Golden Paints only for colors that I think are likely to be similar across brands - earth colors, zinc white, utramarine blue and some others. Utrecht offers considerable savings for those colors - so I'm asking if anyone has experience with that brand - and If my supposition that ult.blue, zinc white, earth colors - are likely to vary less across brands?

 

[musket]

Earth colors are highly variable across brands. If you want uniformity, stick to yellow oxide instead of yellow ochre and so on. Personally I would never use anything but Golden. The pigment load in their paint is very high. A little goes a long ways.

 

[Artyczar]

I use a company called Nova Color. They are local, but they have good stuff. Not the greatest website.

 

[Trier]

I'm about to purchase a lot of paint and looking for an alternative to Golden Paints only for colors that I think are likely to be similar across brands - earth colors, zinc white, utramarine blue and some others. Utrecht offers considerable savings for those colors - so I'm asking if anyone has experience with that brand - and If my supposition that ult.blue, zinc white, earth colors - are likely to vary less across brands?

Hey Bongo
I have used Utrecht for years, oils, but mostly acrylic and I have a big supply that is from the time before they were aquired by Blick. I started out when I shifted to acrylics from oils early on after I began painting and did not have much experience in comparing them with others. After a while I tried some other brands if they were a bargain or on sale. The quality of Utrect seemed better to me than most any others I tried, and at least tied with Golden for most colors. BUT since they were bought out by Blick I am not so sure.

Musket is right about the variability of the colors and especially yellow ochre. The FUB , Ti white and thalos are good and strong in Utrecht as far as I'm concerned.

Arty is also right about Nova, but the shipping is a killer.

Regards,
Trier

 

[Bongo]

Thanks for the responses. My concern also is how it will mix with Golden paints. Despite all acrylics paints claim to be compatible, some brands do not mix well. I know from my experience Daniel Smith and Golden did not work out well. I've read (on one site) that Utrecht tends not to mix well with others. But wonder what others have experienced.

 

[musket]

Too bad Blick bought them out. I didn't know.

To be honest I don't understand why you don't just go with Golden for these colors. I could see it if you were after really expensive pigments like the quinacridones, but Golden is not so outrageous for earths and ultramarine.

 

[Trier]

I never noticed any problems when I mixed them with Golden (of which I have a lot also), but I am not so sure I would recognize a problem that others more qualified would find.

At least Golden puts out a lot of useful and interesting test results as well as advice.

Regards,
Trier

 

[Artyczar]

What about Liquitex? Is it any good? Have you tried it, or is that the cheap stuff?

 

[Trier]

What about Liquitex? Is it any good? Have you tried it, or is that the cheap stuff?

Liqitex is generally good IMHO and reasonably priced. I like their mediums. A consideration for me is that they are not USA anymore.

I find that the problem in choosing paint is that there are no rigorous, comprehensive comparison tests as between the brands; at least there were none that I could find. There is probably little money to be made by doing one, and I would guess that it would be lengthy and expensive to do: besides, it would need constant updating as the brands change their manufacturing processes or raw materials.

Some good comparisons I found were on the Color Theory and Mixing Forum on WC done by some of the knowlegeable members there, but they necessarily had to be limited.

 

[musket]

Liquitex is fine, or used to be anyway.

OH is making acrylics now. I expect they're very good, but expensive.

 

[Bongo]

Thanks all for the input. I've used Golden Paints (except for gesso) exclusively for 15+ years. But facing a $300. tab for paint... if I bought all Utrecht or something similar I would save around $50. A significant amount of money, but I went ahead and ordered Golden Paints - better the devil you know than the devil you don't.