As spring approaches, I am busy preparing oil painting surfaces.  I've written many posts about stretching canvas and oil grounds, but I am again reminded of the importance of the painting surface.  The painting surface dictates the brush control and how the paint moves, so different surfaces can yield a range of results.  If you're like me, the surface and technique can be just as interesting as the subject matter of the painting.  When I'm in museums, I often get close and stand to the side of the painting to look at an oblique angle to see the surface quality, shine and texture.
  Remember that painting is a craft and it can be studied scientifically to find the materials that best suit the individual and provide longevity.  I've tested out dozens of surfaces, but I always want to use the best materials that I can.  As with anything, there is always personal preference so it's important to test out different surfaces to see what you favor and what works.
   Let me add some info about the beauty of oil grounds.  Oil grounds are the traditional surface for oil painting and they come in a wide variety of textures and absorbencies and are usually single-primed or double-primed (more coats means a smoother surface).  If you look at a painting in a museum before about 1950, it was painted on an oil ground.  The glue sizing has changed over the years, but the Old Masters, 19th century painters, post impressionists and abstract expressionists all painted on oil grounds.  And it's my personal mission to get oil painters to switch back to oil grounds instead of the acrylic "gesso" grounds which are prevalent nowadays.
  I like certain commercially prepared linen rolls, but lately, I've been going back to applying my own oil grounds by hand.  You may ask why would you apply your own grounds?  For me, I feel more invested and a part of the process when I do it myself.  I also prefer oil grounds that have been applied with a palette knife instead of a brush--A lot of commercially prepared oil grounds are brush applied, which creates a more even surface and doesn't leave much tooth (not my cup of tea!).  I've had good results on a range of surfaces, but I want a certain feeling and degree of quality to them (I feel this way about watercolor paper also).
  Another thing that I like to do is to tone my canvases.  This is a pretty common practice, but it's good to test out a variety of tones.  I prefer a light neutral gray, made of ivory black which I apply with a rag and a little OMS.  I tone it beforehand and let it dry so it doesn't mix in with my colors.
  If you are wondering why painters tone canvases--it's to take away the white surface; if you have a white canvas, you can't go lighter in value so it can be tricky to gauge your values.  Working off of a light or middle value makes it easier to key your color values.  I also find that it seems less daunting to work on a tone instead of the stark white surface.  However, as oil paint ages it becomes more translucent so some artists prefer to keep the white canvas to help keep the painting bright as it ages.
  One last thought: don't be intimidated by using high quality materials.  I know that sometimes it feels like you should preserve them and that it's a waste to use them, but remember that high quality materials will help make the painting process easier.

  I've just concluded my experiment and I have some interesting results.
  I made 6 swatches for each manufacturing country.  I used completely clean water and a clean brush for each swatch.  And I tried to use the same portion of paint for each.    I also photographed the swatches in natural light.
  With this experiment, I am purely looking at color, but I did notice some differences in the handling of the paints.  The "made in England" colors seemed to have more pigment and to respond better to my brush.  But keep in mind that I haven't painted an actual painting or mixed colors with these yet so I can't give my full opinion.

Here is my opinion and the swatch photos are below:
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Made in England: the cerulean blue seems more greenish and the cobalt blue seems more chromatic.  The Prussian blue was more intense and seems like it has a higher pigment load--however, I did a separate swatch for the Prussian blue and they seemed very similar.

Made in France: The cobalt seems a little less intense and a little more gray.  I think that I prefer this cobalt violet, but that's a strange color and doesn't respond well as a watercolor.  
*viridian and cadmium orange seem the same for both manufacturers.

  Color is very subjective and paint handling is personal also, but I think there is a slight difference between the two manufacturers.  I think that I prefer the made in "made in England" colors and I also prefer the "made in England" tubes compared to the made in France tubes.  I only tested 6 colors, but they are pretty similar--it's not like one is way better than the other.  And comparing paint colors on a computer screen isn't great either since cameras and screens depict colors different than pigments.
  This was a fun little project and I encourage everyone out there to test out your materials, but don't get too hung up on subtle differences.  It's best to use high quality materials and Winsor & Newton is still a high quality brand!

  BIG thanks to Katrin at ArtToolsPrinted4U for sending me this awesome watercolor package!  I love art tools and it's an honor to try them out!
  I love the design of the watercolor sketch board with the little, collapsible water cup (yellow is my favorite color btw); and I like that it fits in my lap with a watercolor sketchbook.  The clip-on magnet is there to hold a small metal watercolor palette and the holes are for brushes.
   And I can't wait to try the swatch templates when I test out my new, old-stock,  Winsor & Newton watercolors (made in England).  I'll be testing those colors out in the next few days and I'm eager to see how they compare!

Here's a quick video painting tip about capturing light and color en plein air!  Reserve your spot now for this beautiful plein air painting tour in the south of France!
​https://www.instagram.com/paintawaytours/reel/DCE_20_tj01/

For more info about this tour and to book, Visit:
https://www.paintawaytours.com/event/oil-painting-in-southern-france-w-eric-santoli-14/register
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📅 May 21-28, 2025 |​ ​🌏 Pezenas, France