Just remember years and years ago.. water pipes were made of lead and we survived, but were a little crazy. Luckily, we don’t have lead pipes anymore…. We can’t buy lead white paint now sadly. So will have to find those lead pipes and make our own.. lol.. Thanks Yapari. Love your work xxx
water pipes were made of lead and we survived, but were a little crazy. Luckily, we don’t have lead pipes anymore but isn't it somehow strange that we are a lot crazier now than when pipes were made of lead.
Another great non-toxic alternative I've been playing with is Rublev's Lithopone. It sits between Titanium and lead in terms of temperature and tinting strength. It's got a nice consistency with more body and transparency than titanium, but seems to be a stronger tinter than lead. The pigment is barium-zinc sulphide coprecipitate, yes it is zinc, but it is zinc SULPHIDE (pw5), not oxide, and doesn't suffer from the embrittlement that's associated with zinc oxide (pw4).
@@richardoakley6560 it's pretty reasonable at 40$ for 150ml, compared to Rublev's other whites which range from 36$-80$ or so at 150ml. Chalk and barium sulfate are good ingredients for adding body and transparency to paints and you can get those as loose grounds or in mediums. In fact, many paint companies already do add these but don't list the extender pigments on the back like rublev does on their formulations.
@@dmxmx8123 Yes rublev mixing white would work! Titanium without any additives can be very fluid (very brushable), but the barite helps with that a bit by adding body. The lithopone is a little stiffer and more stringy.
I am useless at drawing portraits let alone painting them in oils. I learnt in oils for a short time, but was hankering for watercolours so badly that I gave up. I have found some super water colour tutorials which have been my life saver, and just happened to find your video while checking out whites. Thank you Gamblin now I have found a super tutorial, yours. Just subscribed, so I look forward to hearing, seeing and doing some beautiful art. Your explanations are very helpful. Thank you and Blessings from South Africa🤗
the big problems with lead was because it was used for house paint for so many years, also certain situations can cause water supplied by lead pipes to leech the lead, very bad- Flynt Michigan, eg. Use in artist's paint is not a problem with normal studio hygiene. there is some hysteria around anyting with lead, by people who dont know better.
While discussing lead white and toxicity, it might be of interest to also discuss the very important toxic red pigment mercuric sulfide/cinnabar/vermilion which is a very subtle, unique and important red of great historical use and of value for flesh tones. When mixed in with other colors it also gives very subtle atmospheric depth. It is extremely expensive, probably the only current source of oil pigment is as Michael Harding genuine Chinese vermilion. It is also available as a dry pigment from Kremer, but again is quite expensive. It might be mentioned that the use of Titanium white kills any oil painting color depth due to its extreme opacity whereas zinc white does not similarly destroy color depth. One should never lose sight of the fact that all colored pigments and dyes are first and foremost chemicals that do not lose their chemical reactivity properties when used as colors. The historically used classic white pigments are genuine lead carbonate (lead white) and flake white (mix of lead carbonate and zinc oxide) also known as Cremnitz white . .It might be mentioned that until the heavy metal poisonous properties of mercuric sulfide were understood it was almost universally used as a cosmetic rouge, just as pewter was used for kitchen utensils until lead toxicity was properly understood. Lead paint is also an excellent insecticide and fungicide which is why barns were painted red (using lead tetroxide pigment in addition to iron oxide/rust) and early wood panels with lead white primer survived so well. Mercury and lead pigments are heavy metal poisons) and because they are not excreted by the kidneys they are cumulative toxic.
Very informative video! In my landscapes, I use both PW1 and PW6 depending on the value of the light in the differing areas that I'm working. One thing that I try to avoid is over-using PW6 at any time, but especially on the early layers because of the slow drying time. Last layer details of highlights is where PW6 is very useful for my painting style. Though I don't paint portraits, your channel is one of my favorites.
hi Yupari, another fantastic and informative video. I love your painting you are working on too! A short video on use of mediums and also how to clean and care for brushes would be so helpful .thanks again :)
I can't get lead white but weirdly I can get lead tin yellow light in the uk. So I have been mixing the lead tin yellow light into titanium white. You get a bit of the texture and handling properties of the lead white; and a slightly warm opaque bright white (can control the mix to change the properties). Dries quicker than normal titanium white too.
The rules are so weird and kind of frustrating. I’m waiting for them to ban cadmium 😭 You actually CAN legally buy lead white, but only in industrial-type packaging. Michael Harding do lead white (cremnitz white) in ‘cartridges’ - you need one of those devices you use to get sealant out of a tube in order to get the paint out. I decant mine into empty paint tubes I buy from Jackson’s. Old Holland also sell it (in cans) as well as Rublev. I love using lead tin yellow! It’s a beautiful paint to work with. If you’re in the market for some more toxic paints then I recommend trying Michael Harding’s genuine vermillion too… super with the lead tin yellow for flesh tones!
Thanks for the info! I’ve never really liked using lead, but consider it a sacrifice for the sake of “old master style” art. These days (2024) I’m not even using cadmium ( that much lol )
Great video.! How do you clean up the lead and keep lead soaked rags and paper towels, etc., out of the trash, which would go into landfills? I’d be interesting in trying lead, but I want to do it responsibly. Maybe you could make a video on responsible cleanup? Thanks again!
it should be noted that lead white is a warm white whereas zinc white is a cool white and these fundamental differences should be adhered to when mixing colors.Lead white does not work when trying for crisp cool colors. As far as I am concerned, although lead white may be toxic to careless artists but titanium white is even more toxic to oil paintings that depend on subtle translucency of colors. although titanium white works well for acrylics which are inherently opaque anyway.
lead white is awesome And so is titanium white. You also have flake white number one and number 2 One is made but walnut oil the other pale linseed oil
Would love to see an extensive video on all the different mediums. It’s hard to find good extensive videos on gambling mediums. I see Al lot of videos with linseed oil but not enough with people having extensive knowledgeable through use on the other mediums especially resins. Great video by the way on whites.
I live in the netherlands and its very hard to dutch process lead white even here. Found just one guy who made it on an online marketplace,its a lot of grinding an muling but the paint is awesome, the base ingredients aren't hard to find so best thing is just to make it yourself. There are tutorial videos.
Very helpful discussion of "foundation white." I've just introduced flake white into my palette after using titanium white. It looks like I'll be mixing my own foundation white and, later, let Holbein or Michael Harding do my mixing for me... I'm assuming they have a bit more research and history informing that combo ;-)
Hi Yupari, thank you for the great informational video however, I wanted to let you know about a serious issue I found with the Gamblin flake white hue, it yellows substantially and very quickly, almost to a Naples yellow. Therefore I have found the W&N to be better as an alternative despite its handling not being as good for those who cannot obtain, or do not want to use, flake white. Thanks again for the great videos
There's a couple things to note, were you keeping your medium at 1 part to 3 parts paint? If you get too fatty in your mixture it can lead to yellowing. The other factor to consider is sunlight: oil paintings tend to yellow when kept in darkness, but will revert back to the original color when allowed to sit in sunlight for a couple days. Linseed oil makes the most durable paint film, but walnut oil is a decent alternative that yellows less. If you don't mind the quick dry time for liquin, that's a non yellowing medium that makes very flexible and durable paint films. Andrew Tischler has done a slew of liquin tests over the past decade and it is reliably non-yellowing.
@@SnkobArts I tested it against other white paints on a primed panel all straight from the tube, no mediums. Some whites contained safflower but all others were linseed.The Gamblin was the only one to have that severe of an issue with yellowing despite all being on the same panel in the same conditions. I did look online after seeing this issue and it appears other artists have had the same experience unless it has been recently reformulated but I am not aware if it has.
Please note I am not intending to bash anyone's preferred brand or paints just to make potential buyers aware of my experiences. Even Blick describes the Flake white replacement as "It is less prone to cracking and yellowing than Lead White, but it still yellows easily." On thier website. Happy painting to all
@@adamlessard08 No worries! Always good know, and sending respect your way for taking the time to do those tests. I would be interested to see your final results if you have it posted anywhere.
@@SnkobArts thank you. Unfortunately I do not have it documented but I have linked Walcott Fine Arts video of a similar test with the same results. Hope this is helpful ua-cam.com/video/nW6k-w4Jh24/v-deo.html
I use zinc white. I haven’t had any cracking yet, maybe because I mix it with linseed or walnut oil? I have a tube of titanium white, but whenever I mix a color with it and put it on the canvas, it just looks ugly and pasty, and I have to wipe it off. There is something about a transparent white that allows the painting to take on a sweet, delicate texture, and the opaque paint seems to just kill that, at least when I use it.
I just got my first tube of lead white for a grisaille underpainting of a portrait and have a few questions. 1) is it ideal to just paint right from the tube or does it need to be mixed with medium/linseed oil? 2) if painting right from the tube for an underpainting, once it’s dry does it work well with indirect glazing technique over the lead white? My previous experience has been with tempera grisaille and transparent oils using indirect method. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
"Don't eat your paints and it won't be a big deal." AND wear disposable gloves, dump your "after sludge" or unused/dried paints safely, don't sand without massive air filtering, watch paint creep up your ferrule and don't put your brushes in your mouth (duh) and consider using isolation layers. For what it's worth, Titanium White is used as a food coloring.
Hi Yupari, Your big painting is impressive by its size, level of complexity and beauty. I have been following you for a few years, how many years have you been painting? You are very inspiring!
I recently discovered flake white hue from winsor Newton after using titanium white for years... its like a rebirth lol. I can't believe I haven't used it before, I want to re paint every commission I ever did using flake white now 🥺🤣
Hi Yupari great video about lead White. I'm planning to buy lead White because I want to improve. But I learned that lead White is highly toxic, I wonder how you clean your brushes with a lead on it, because it you can't just clean it on sink - I think about how care for the invironment. I hope you will answer me
Yupari! The painting behind you! It takes my breath away! It is beautiful! I would like very much to know, understand, learn the WHOLE process that went into its concept! I have wanted to do, what I call a narrative painting. Is it possible to get together and receive help from you to do one with your guidance? Email me please and let me know. Love your visions! P.S. I notice the beard you are growing out! Love the whole look! :) I had wondered if you would. :)
I have a tube of Williamsburg lead white, but haven't used it much because when I paint, it always ends up in places I didn't expect it to be; on my hand, under my eye, etc. I love how heavy the tube is; it feels like gold is inside. I would like you to talk about what kind of background should you put for your portrait. Usually, I choose various shades of blue, but sometimes the blue seems to lack "color harmony" with the peaches and brown colors in the face.
"Don't eat your paints and you'll be fine" 😀 I love that sensible advice
this was awesome. will be going Lead White. forever.
Just remember years and years ago.. water pipes were made of lead and we survived, but were a little crazy. Luckily, we don’t have lead pipes anymore…. We can’t buy lead white paint now sadly. So will have to find those lead pipes and make our own.. lol.. Thanks Yapari. Love your work xxx
water pipes were made of lead and we survived, but were a little crazy. Luckily, we don’t have lead pipes anymore but isn't it somehow strange that we are a lot crazier now than when pipes were made of lead.
Another great non-toxic alternative I've been playing with is Rublev's Lithopone. It sits between Titanium and lead in terms of temperature and tinting strength. It's got a nice consistency with more body and transparency than titanium, but seems to be a stronger tinter than lead. The pigment is barium-zinc sulphide coprecipitate, yes it is zinc, but it is zinc SULPHIDE (pw5), not oxide, and doesn't suffer from the embrittlement that's associated with zinc oxide (pw4).
What’s the price? I’ve tried adding different dust to add body and transparency to titanium white.
@@richardoakley6560 it's pretty reasonable at 40$ for 150ml, compared to Rublev's other whites which range from 36$-80$ or so at 150ml. Chalk and barium sulfate are good ingredients for adding body and transparency to paints and you can get those as loose grounds or in mediums. In fact, many paint companies already do add these but don't list the extender pigments on the back like rublev does on their formulations.
hello and the rublev mixing white could not be a good alternative too?
@@dmxmx8123 Yes rublev mixing white would work! Titanium without any additives can be very fluid (very brushable), but the barite helps with that a bit by adding body. The lithopone is a little stiffer and more stringy.
@@SnkobArts Thank you very much for the help!!!👌
I appreciate your emphasis on midtones. Very key
forgot to mention , best how to paint video by far , so far . thankyou
I am useless at drawing portraits let alone painting them in oils. I learnt in oils for a short time, but was hankering for watercolours so badly that I gave up. I have found some super water colour tutorials which have been my life saver, and just happened to find your video while checking out whites. Thank you Gamblin now I have found a super tutorial, yours. Just subscribed, so I look forward to hearing, seeing and doing some beautiful art. Your explanations are very helpful. Thank you and Blessings from South Africa🤗
the big problems with lead was because it was used for house paint for so many years, also certain situations can cause water supplied by lead pipes to leech the lead, very bad- Flynt Michigan, eg.
Use in artist's paint is not a problem with normal studio hygiene. there is some hysteria around anyting with lead, by people who dont know better.
While discussing lead white and toxicity, it might be of interest to also discuss the very important toxic red pigment mercuric sulfide/cinnabar/vermilion which is a very subtle, unique and important red of great historical use and of value for flesh tones. When mixed in with other colors it also gives very subtle atmospheric depth. It is extremely expensive, probably the only current source of oil pigment is as Michael Harding genuine Chinese vermilion. It is also available as a dry pigment from Kremer, but again is quite expensive. It might be mentioned that the use of Titanium white kills any oil painting color depth due to its extreme opacity whereas zinc white does not similarly destroy color depth. One should never lose sight of the fact that all colored pigments and dyes are first and foremost chemicals that do not lose their chemical reactivity properties when used as colors. The historically used classic white pigments are genuine lead carbonate (lead white) and flake white (mix of lead carbonate and zinc oxide) also known as Cremnitz white . .It might be mentioned that until the heavy metal poisonous properties of mercuric sulfide were understood it was almost universally used as a cosmetic rouge, just as pewter was used for kitchen utensils until lead toxicity was properly understood. Lead paint is also an excellent insecticide and fungicide which is why barns were painted red (using lead tetroxide pigment in addition to iron oxide/rust) and early wood panels with lead white primer survived so well. Mercury and lead pigments are heavy metal poisons) and because they are not excreted by the kidneys they are cumulative toxic.
Excellent discussion! I love flake white!!
Very informative video! In my landscapes, I use both PW1 and PW6 depending on the value of the light in the differing areas that I'm working. One thing that I try to avoid is over-using PW6 at any time, but especially on the early layers because of the slow drying time. Last layer details of highlights is where PW6 is very useful for my painting style. Though I don't paint portraits, your channel is one of my favorites.
hi Yupari, another fantastic and informative video. I love your painting you are working on too! A short video on use of mediums and also how to clean and care for brushes would be so helpful .thanks again :)
I can't get lead white but weirdly I can get lead tin yellow light in the uk. So I have been mixing the lead tin yellow light into titanium white. You get a bit of the texture and handling properties of the lead white; and a slightly warm opaque bright white (can control the mix to change the properties). Dries quicker than normal titanium white too.
The rules are so weird and kind of frustrating. I’m waiting for them to ban cadmium 😭
You actually CAN legally buy lead white, but only in industrial-type packaging.
Michael Harding do lead white (cremnitz white) in ‘cartridges’ - you need one of those devices you use to get sealant out of a tube in order to get the paint out. I decant mine into empty paint tubes I buy from Jackson’s.
Old Holland also sell it (in cans) as well as Rublev.
I love using lead tin yellow! It’s a beautiful paint to work with. If you’re in the market for some more toxic paints then I recommend trying Michael Harding’s genuine vermillion too… super with the lead tin yellow for flesh tones!
Just use less titanium white and add a little yellow to it. Lead white has a slight yellow hue to it which makes it appear warmer.
Lead can be absorbed through the skin, but the body has a hard time excreting it from the body. So it tends to accumulate over the years. FYI.
Thanks for the info! I’ve never really liked using lead, but consider it a sacrifice for the sake of “old master style” art. These days (2024) I’m not even using cadmium ( that much lol )
Great info thank you. I didn't know people were still using lead white.
Great video.! How do you clean up the lead and keep lead soaked rags and paper towels, etc., out of the trash, which would go into landfills? I’d be interesting in trying lead, but I want to do it responsibly. Maybe you could make a video on responsible cleanup? Thanks again!
it should be noted that lead white is a warm white whereas zinc white is a cool white and these fundamental differences should be adhered to when mixing colors.Lead white does not work when trying for crisp cool colors.
As far as I am concerned, although lead white may be toxic to careless artists but titanium white is even more toxic to oil paintings that depend on subtle translucency of colors. although titanium white works well for acrylics which are inherently opaque anyway.
lead white is awesome And so is titanium white. You also have flake white number one and number 2 One is made but walnut oil the other pale linseed oil
Would love to see an extensive video on all the different mediums. It’s hard to find good extensive videos on gambling mediums. I see Al lot of videos with linseed oil but not enough with people having extensive knowledgeable through use on the other mediums especially resins. Great video by the way on whites.
I live in the netherlands and its very hard to dutch process lead white even here. Found just one guy who made it on an online marketplace,its a lot of grinding an muling but the paint is awesome, the base ingredients aren't hard to find so best thing is just to make it yourself. There are tutorial videos.
Very helpful discussion of "foundation white." I've just introduced flake white into my palette after using titanium white. It looks like I'll be mixing my own foundation white and, later, let Holbein or Michael Harding do my mixing for me... I'm assuming they have a bit more research and history informing that combo ;-)
you forgot to mention titanium white is a cool white and lead white is a warm white. I use both.
Very informative and helpful. Your take on mediums would be appreciated, too.
I hate titanium white
Ps. I find cremnitz white to be a longer paint with more elasticity in its working properties
depends on the brand tho ive had a few different cremnitz whites some stiff some stringy
Hi Yupari, thank you for the great informational video however, I wanted to let you know about a serious issue I found with the Gamblin flake white hue, it yellows substantially and very quickly, almost to a Naples yellow. Therefore I have found the W&N to be better as an alternative despite its handling not being as good for those who cannot obtain, or do not want to use, flake white. Thanks again for the great videos
There's a couple things to note, were you keeping your medium at 1 part to 3 parts paint? If you get too fatty in your mixture it can lead to yellowing. The other factor to consider is sunlight: oil paintings tend to yellow when kept in darkness, but will revert back to the original color when allowed to sit in sunlight for a couple days. Linseed oil makes the most durable paint film, but walnut oil is a decent alternative that yellows less. If you don't mind the quick dry time for liquin, that's a non yellowing medium that makes very flexible and durable paint films. Andrew Tischler has done a slew of liquin tests over the past decade and it is reliably non-yellowing.
@@SnkobArts I tested it against other white paints on a primed panel all straight from the tube, no mediums. Some whites contained safflower but all others were linseed.The Gamblin was the only one to have that severe of an issue with yellowing despite all being on the same panel in the same conditions. I did look online after seeing this issue and it appears other artists have had the same experience unless it has been recently reformulated but I am not aware if it has.
Please note I am not intending to bash anyone's preferred brand or paints just to make potential buyers aware of my experiences. Even Blick describes the Flake white replacement as "It is less prone to cracking and yellowing than Lead White, but it still yellows easily." On thier website. Happy painting to all
@@adamlessard08 No worries! Always good know, and sending respect your way for taking the time to do those tests. I would be interested to see your final results if you have it posted anywhere.
@@SnkobArts thank you. Unfortunately I do not have it documented but I have linked Walcott Fine Arts video of a similar test with the same results. Hope this is helpful ua-cam.com/video/nW6k-w4Jh24/v-deo.html
I use zinc white. I haven’t had any cracking yet, maybe because I mix it with linseed or walnut oil? I have a tube of titanium white, but whenever I mix a color with it and put it on the canvas, it just looks ugly and pasty, and I have to wipe it off. There is something about a transparent white that allows the painting to take on a sweet, delicate texture, and the opaque paint seems to just kill that, at least when I use it.
I want good pigment but I am not sure if it makes a difference. You got a nice painting there, I knew it wasn't just hype.
I just got my first tube of lead white for a grisaille underpainting of a portrait and have a few questions. 1) is it ideal to just paint right from the tube or does it need to be mixed with medium/linseed oil? 2) if painting right from the tube for an underpainting, once it’s dry does it work well with indirect glazing technique over the lead white? My previous experience has been with tempera grisaille and transparent oils using indirect method. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
interesting and informative. Good work.
Could you talk about Neo Melip? I know that it prolongs drying time, but how does it fit into the fat over lean rule?
"Don't eat your paints and it won't be a big deal." AND wear disposable gloves, dump your "after sludge" or unused/dried paints safely, don't sand without massive air filtering, watch paint creep up your ferrule and don't put your brushes in your mouth (duh) and consider using isolation layers. For what it's worth,
Titanium White is used as a food coloring.
Love your video. I just started using Rublev oil paint. What name brands oil paint you like to use?
Awesome! Thanks so much for all the information.
Hi Yupari,
Your big painting is impressive by its size, level of complexity and beauty.
I have been following you for a few years, how many years have you been painting?
You are very inspiring!
Hi Yupari, how do you dispose of lead paint after it has been washed off the brushes?
does lavender spike oil evaporate like mineral spirits and thus not count when adding with fat over lean?
You are right . I agree with you 😘
We shouldn't eat the paint? Oh! Great vid, lots of info. Thanks.
like that painting btw
You may be eating a lot of titanium dioxide as it is used in processed foods. It was banned in EU in 2022.
first layers are better with pw6 titanium or no because pw1 lead is a stronger film?
to paint black and white seascapes which white do you suggest?
Do you recommend zinc titanium white rather than regular titanium white for portraits?
So do you recommend zinc titanium white more than titanium white for portraits?
I recently discovered flake white hue from winsor Newton after using titanium white for years... its like a rebirth lol. I can't believe I haven't used it before, I want to re paint every commission I ever did using flake white now 🥺🤣
Winsor White hue is another name for titanium white! Don't be fooled?!
Thank you!!
Hi Yupari great video about lead White. I'm planning to buy lead White because I want to improve. But I learned that lead White is highly toxic, I wonder how you clean your brushes with a lead on it, because it you can't just clean it on sink - I think about how care for the invironment. I hope you will answer me
lead white also dries faster .
Yupari! The painting behind you! It takes my breath away! It is beautiful! I would like very much to know, understand, learn the WHOLE process that went into its concept! I have wanted to do, what I call a narrative painting. Is it possible to get together and receive help from you to do one with your guidance? Email me please and let me know. Love your visions! P.S. I notice the beard you are growing out! Love the whole look! :) I had wondered if you would. :)
Ok so I ate my tube of titanium white, what do?
Was it tastey? Back in the day, lots of lead tubes were used for creams and toothpaste, etc. finally, why did you eat the paint?
Thank you so much Yupari! I love your demo's and works! What a wonderful gift of learning from a modern Master! Bravo
I have a tube of Williamsburg lead white, but haven't used it much because when I paint, it always ends up in places I didn't expect it to be; on my hand, under my eye, etc. I love how heavy the tube is; it feels like gold is inside. I would like you to talk about what kind of background should you put for your portrait. Usually, I choose various shades of blue, but sometimes the blue seems to lack "color harmony" with the peaches and brown colors in the face.
I didn't know that Williamsburg made a flake white!
But titanium white is not a durable paint
I don't think any of these paints are as toxic as ciggerrets, and certainly not as toxic as meth amphetamine.
Thank you!