Last week I finally got round to ordering a copy of Micheal Wilcox's "Artists guide to selecting colours". Micheal Wilcox also has a website you can order from http://www.schoolofcolour.com/
I have to say I wished this book had been available when I first started painting. it would have saved so much time trail and error not to mention money. Let me brief you on the contents. This book covers the all the named paints that you have all heard of, it delves into the making of them and whats in them then and now!
Ready for a shock? some of the colours that I use most frequently and which can be found in all my palettes across all the different media's I use are in fact worthless. I nearly had a fit when I read this, as with many of you I suspect I/we trusted the labels that say we tested these paints to the highest degree. Hands up all those who have Alizarin Crimson,sap green, Prussian blue, hooker green and anything Madder Oh and not forgetting one of my favourites indigo, There's more on the list but these are probably in most peoples palettes, in the past I've used alizarin crimson for all manner of subjects even portraits. I have even rendered complete paintings in monochrome using nothing but indigo. And unless i put all those that I still own in dark drawer they wont be there in the future due to the fading and mis-colouring.
it's worthwhile buying this book so you know what your buying in the future -it also gives alternative to each colour and/or mixing tips. So it looks like all these paints are now resigned to sketching purposes only.
After that bombshell I'm going to go and paint fish to console myself
xxxxx kat
