When I am doing studies after old masters, I like to think about which oil colors and pigments would have been available in the time they were working. To that end, I find myself drawn to Rublev Oil Paints, which I believe is a the paint production arm of a company called Natural Pigments. As I understand it, Natural Pigments/Rublev look at the history of the materials they use and try to recreate historically accurate pigments and paints .

Some of my favorites Rublev paints are Lead-Tin Yellow, Transparent Mummy, Minium (Red Lead), and Italian Green Umber. I also use their Lead White (which I've recently introduced into the brightest highlights of some my Bob Ross mountains).

Has anyone else used Rublev paints? What do you think of them? Do you have any favorites? They are pretty expensive so I try to choose carefully before buying and would love to hear about other people's experiences.

    I have not heard about that brand of paint before, but I think trying to use a type of paint that is as close to the historic version available at the time when doing studies is a fantastic idea.

    Did you notice any strong differences in the behavior of the paint compared to "modern" oil paint? Or maybe certain effects or techniques that are easier when using this type of paint?

      The pigment load in the Rublev paints seems pretty strong, so the colors deposit in a more "confident" way than some of the lower grade paints I have. Relatedly, presumably in staying true to the historicity of the paints, there aren't as many fillers and emulsifiers in the paint. Being primarily pigment and linseed oil, there is usually a bit of separation in the tube with a good deal of oil coming out ahead of the paint. I typically blot the Rublev paints on a cloth before putting the paint on my palette to avoid getting oil running all over the place.

      I find that the heavy, sticky quality of traditional lead-based paints are very good for building textures, not unlike making paint "break" in the Bob Ross sense of the word.

        2 months later
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