Oil Painting Q&A: Tips, Tricks, and More with Gamblin Artists Colors

You’ve heard that old phrase, “Jack of all trades and master of none,” right? Instead of being a jack of all trades, Robert Gamblin and his team at Gamblin Artists Colors have decided to focus on being a master of one: oil paint products. Their narrow focus has paid off as they display an amazing passion for detail and improvement in their product line and offer jam-packed information you can use in your studio every day. 

In this episode of The Savvy Painter podcast, you’ll learn helpful insights and get some of your biggest questions about oil painting and other topics answered by Robert, product specialist Mary Weisenburger, and company president Pete Cole. You’ll hear their response to questions about pigments, oil separation, toxicity, and much more!

2:25 - Robert introduces himself and shares how he started Gamblin Artists Colors

6:05 - Robert reveals why Gamblin only provides oil paint and shares some interesting pigment formulations

15:59 - How dreams have inspired color combinations and examples of custom colors made for well-known artists

23:08 - The value of white in the painting process (and the difference between radiant and titanium white)

29:09 - The story of how flake white replacement came into existence

33:21 - Advice and recommendations for artists who are using oils for the first time

39:41 - Warm and cool-colored objects and clearing confusion around kit vs. ready-made Gamvar

45:56 - Why the oil separates from the pigment inside tubes (and what to do if you want an oilier viscosity to the paint)

49:11 - Why Gamblin doesn’t plan to introduce water-soluble oil paints and one of the biggest misconceptions about oil paintings

54:46 - The three eras of pigment history and two big drivers of misinformation about pigment toxicity

1:03:20 - Tips for artists who work in small, enclosed spaces or with a baby nearby

1:10:33 - What you can do instead of a retouch varnish and why varnish at all in the first place

1:16:18 - The trouble with finding good cadmium color alternatives that are opaque

1:19:12 - Working with cold wax mediums and what you should look out for when using them

1:22:12 - A rundown on the range of solvent-free mediums available at Gamblin Artists Colors

1:26:33 - The shelf life of oil paint in tubes and whether Gamblin is considering changing the size of their caps

1:31:28 - What FastMatte is, what inspired it, and three helpful ways to use it

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