There are some wonderful paint brands out there (Michael Harding, Vasari, Williamsburg) but I’ve found the best way to get high pigment oil colour is by making it myself. 

Buying the pigments, oil, muller etc is not cheap, but neither is a tube of Michael Harding, which can set you back up to £65 for a 60ml tube. 

Both options are worth the money! Quality paint has a delicious texture, intensity of colour and it dries better. And it has so much pigment compared to the more widely available brands, so it goes a lot further.

Imagine, though, the intensity of colours you can make when your only ingredients are pigment, lindseed oil, a dash of turps and a dot of beeswax. The Prussian Blue I make is almost toxic… I’ve learned to just use a tiny dot at a time, otherwise it takes over!

This weekend, I made an Ultramarine Blue and an Ultramarine Violet. I was painting some trees and felt they needed something more electric (I’m forever referencing Matisse).

It’s so much fun, but also a great way of staying in touch with the traditional role of the painter. Before tubes, artist assistants would visit the pigment shops and make paint for their ‘masters’ using this very technique!

Ultramarine Violet pigment

Ultramarine Violet pigment, after some grinding with oil

The paint in tubes

Early stages of painting (before handmade paint)

Early stages of painting (after handmade paint)