Brilliant.Loved it. I like your ability to talk fluently to camera snd your evident passion about the whole thing. I'm exploring the roads that lead away from watercolour into more opacity, particularly for portraits and figures. Having learnt of the existence of casein from James Gurney's channel, I came here via the usual route. You've certainly made a very informed call on casein. I'll look for others of your product dissections and explanations that might help me on my way. Since I have already ordered some of the casein that bears a connection to to J. Gurney, and I know what great things he can conjure up 'en plein air', I'll give it a go... when Ive plucked up the courage to open them. I'll certainly remember your brush warning as and when I do!
You can add a finish to casein that will give you a look similar to oils. You can go glossy, semi-glossy, or even keep it matte. Also, you may not have been getting good darks because pthalo is transparent (it’s also a staining pigment). Ultramarine blue vibes me great darks.😊
My recommendation is to buy a separate set of brushes for the casein paint. I do a similar thing within my own Studio of not mixing brushes between media for the most part. My watercolor oil and acrylic brushes are all separate
I was looking at picking them up for Fractur and primitive folk art. It has a lovely soft sheen when buffed and the paint is rather durable. It does tear up your brushes so I took to using boar hair bristle chip brushes that I can toss once done with a project. Being inexpensive, I'm not worried about the cost of the brush and buy in bulk. Once the pigment dries, say goodbye to the brush as the bristles break rendering the brush useless.
You can add a finish to casein that will give you a look similar to oils. Also, you may not have been getting good darks because pthalo is transparent (it’s also a staining pigment). Ultramarine blue vibes me great darks.
It’s true, some of the colors have a significant separation issue - that was a big initial surprise to me, as the smell got all over my hands and work surface, … though not in my paper. I, too, noticed the issue with staining brushes, but I’ve been experimenting with less expensive synthetic brushes so I didn’t ruin any of my watercolor brushes. That being said, highly absorbent, water-retaining brushes aren’t what I’d want to use with this paint anyway. I found that a sta-wet palette and mister spray was great for casein and I could leave the painting and come back later to pick up where I left off. Some of the pigments are really powerful. So that is a learning challenge there. But, I like this paint in my collection of watercolor and gouache. I’ve liked the results: It was effective as an underpainting. The opaque quality comes in very handy, as does the drying time. I sometimes use transparent washes and block-ins with watercolor and finish a painting with casein. The look is very attractive to me. It’s like using an oil paint without those chemicals and it’s like acrylics without the plastic look. I understand that it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I’m sticking with it - really fun to work with when you accept the “issues” you’ve noted. Using it means that it’s a bit of a novel look in a sea of artists using other mediums. I just hope they keep making it. I have a hankering for experimenting more with it.
I too bought them to try after watching Gurney, I thought I got a bad batch because they separated so much & the burnt sienna was like water. I was just looking into places to donate unused art supplies to like local art/ school studios or such.
I bought them because James Gurney uses them. They all separated badly in the tubes and made a mess when I shook them. Off to the hazardous waste pile!
Brilliant.Loved it. I like your ability to talk fluently to camera snd your evident passion about the whole thing. I'm exploring the roads that lead away from watercolour into more opacity, particularly for portraits and figures. Having learnt of the existence of casein from James Gurney's channel, I came here via the usual route. You've certainly made a very informed call on casein. I'll look for others of your product dissections and explanations that might help me on my way. Since I have already ordered some of the casein that bears a connection to to J. Gurney, and I know what great things he can conjure up 'en plein air', I'll give it a go... when Ive plucked up the courage to open them. I'll certainly remember your brush warning as and when I do!
@@charlesmarling8132 I'd say if you're coming from watercolor the logical step in opacity should be gouache
You can add a finish to casein that will give you a look similar to oils. You can go glossy, semi-glossy, or even keep it matte.
Also, you may not have been getting good darks because pthalo is transparent (it’s also a staining pigment). Ultramarine blue vibes me great darks.😊
Good to know! Staining aside on the blue, the paint is still too hard on brushes to make them worth buying imo
@ I understand. I really want to use them for plein air painting, but I’m concerned about wear and tear on the brushes.
My recommendation is to buy a separate set of brushes for the casein paint. I do a similar thing within my own Studio of not mixing brushes between media for the most part. My watercolor oil and acrylic brushes are all separate
I was looking at picking them up for Fractur and primitive folk art. It has a lovely soft sheen when buffed and the paint is rather durable. It does tear up your brushes so I took to using boar hair bristle chip brushes that I can toss once done with a project. Being inexpensive, I'm not worried about the cost of the brush and buy in bulk. Once the pigment dries, say goodbye to the brush as the bristles break rendering the brush useless.
You can add a finish to casein that will give you a look similar to oils. Also, you may not have been getting good darks because pthalo is transparent (it’s also a staining pigment). Ultramarine blue vibes me great darks.
It’s true, some of the colors have a significant separation issue - that was a big initial surprise to me, as the smell got all over my hands and work surface, … though not in my paper. I, too, noticed the issue with staining brushes, but I’ve been experimenting with less expensive synthetic brushes so I didn’t ruin any of my watercolor brushes. That being said, highly absorbent, water-retaining brushes aren’t what I’d want to use with this paint anyway.
I found that a sta-wet palette and mister spray was great for casein and I could leave the painting and come back later to pick up where I left off. Some of the pigments are really powerful. So that is a learning challenge there.
But, I like this paint in my collection of watercolor and gouache. I’ve liked the results: It was effective as an underpainting. The opaque quality comes in very handy, as does the drying time. I sometimes use transparent washes and block-ins with watercolor and finish a painting with casein. The look is very attractive to me. It’s like using an oil paint without those chemicals and it’s like acrylics without the plastic look.
I understand that it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I’m sticking with it - really fun to work with when you accept the “issues” you’ve noted. Using it means that it’s a bit of a novel look in a sea of artists using other mediums. I just hope they keep making it. I have a hankering for experimenting more with it.
I too bought them to try after watching Gurney, I thought I got a bad batch because they separated so much & the burnt sienna was like water. I was just looking into places to donate unused art supplies to like local art/ school studios or such.
I have used these colours, I agree with everything you say about them
I bought them because James Gurney uses them. They all separated badly in the tubes and made a mess when I shook them. Off to the hazardous waste pile!
Always important to buy things you'd find useful, not just because an artist you admire uses them. Different paints work for different artists
Exactly...they aren't match to any newer paints...they are horrible for me. James gurney uses them but doesn't mean we all should use. BIG NO!!