Like most frugality measures, it takes strategy and effort for artists on tight budgets (and plain old cheapskates) to use lower quality paints for serious art.
The old expression, “you get what you pay for” definitely applies to artist’s colors, especially in the mid-range quality tier, often called “Artist Grade”. That’s where manufacturers include premium pigments in concentrations ranging from acceptable to surprisingly good. But, sometimes certain colors disappoint in key attributes like covering power and tint strength. When you trade down to lower tier, economy assortments, or “student grade” paints, the selection and concentration of pigments ranges from unimpressive to positively depressing.
Select from a number of brands:
Don’t economize on white: Money is well spent on a good, basic mixing white. Titanium white is one of the least expensive pigments, so this color is affordable in any mid-tier assortment, and it’s not too pricey even in top-tier brands. For oil paint, look for white that does not contain any zinc pigment, as zinc is now known to have a destructive effect on oil paintings as they age. Read our guide to white paint for more information.
Read the labels
Benchmarking
Modification