Cadmium free and loving it.

[Linda Brandon]

I had my friend the toxicologist-who-always-wanted-to-be-an-artist over at my studio a few weeks ago and he was of the same opinion as Dr. Gary... but my friend was horrified to discover that I walk around with my brushes stuck in my mouth most of the time. (Not the bristle ends, I'm not that absent-minded.) My use of Maroger probably increases my risk.

At his suggestion, I'm getting a base-level blood test for lead at my next physical. If I come out clean then the rest of you are probably clean, too.

Meanwhile, my parrot that sits on my shoulder while I paint recently did a spectacular belly-flop into my lead white on my hand held palette. I guess I'm using him as an early warning system, sort of a canary-in-the-coal-mine thing.

[Michele Rushworth]

Now, Linda, you HAVE to post a picture of you painting with a parrot on your shoulder. That, I gotta see!

[Linda Brandon]

I'm waiting for somebody to start a new thread under the "Studio" topic, titled "Studio Pets." I have a feeling that there's a lot of them out there.

[Jean Kelly]

Linda- I'll start it, I have a house full.

Jean

[Sharon Knettell]

Originally Posted by Linda Brandon

I had my friend the toxicologist-who-always-wanted-to-be-an-artist over at my studio a few weeks ago and he was of the same opinion as Dr. Gary... but my friend was horrified to discover that I walk around with my brushes stuck in my mouth most of the time. (Not the bristle ends, I'm not that absent-minded.) My use of Maroger probably increases my risk.

At his suggestion, I'm getting a base-level blood test for lead at my next physical. If I come out clean then the rest of you are probably clean, too.

Meanwhile, my parrot that sits on my shoulder while I paint recently did a spectacular belly-flop into my lead white on my hand held palette. I guess I'm using him as an early warning system, sort of a canary-in-the-coal-mine thing.

To say I nearly fell off my chair laughing is an understatement!

[Ken Smith]

I just read through this thread for the first time. Very interesting, and I'm looking forward to trying out the non-cadmium palette on my next piece.

One thing I didn't understand, when Marvin speaks of using neutral grays to reduce the chromatic intensity (rather than complements), what paint color is that exactly? I've seen a line of neutral grays in acrylic, but I don't recall seeing any in oil. Or is he just speaking of mixing black and white to make the various values of gray?

(Taking his workshop is on my list of things to do as soon as possible).

thanks in advance for the info.

[Tom Edgerton]

Ken--

Neutral gray in the generic sense, not a specific brand or color out of the tube. It's a mixing discussion, not a purchasing one.

You can gray down colors essentially two ways--mix them with their complement or mix them with gray. The gray can be mixed with black and white or any of a thousand other combinations of colors. A black and white mix will yield a rather cool gray, black and white being more or less both cool colors. On the other hand, you might want to mix a more warmish neutral gray into whatever color you're trying to gray down. Experimentation yields knowledge.

It's just that mixing a color with its complement will generally gray it down faster, and may yield a more sumptuous result.

I won't speak for Marvin, but when I want to gray down a color, I just look for a neutral gray that's somewhere on the palette already, with a warm or cool cast that I want, and grab some of that. Or I use the complement, as described above. In the case of Marvin's specific palette, he has a row of neutral grays already mixed in each of the ten values on his scale, made from raw umber, black and white. Obviously, I'm a lot sloppier and less disciplined.

If the value of the gray or complement being added is the same value as the color you're trying to neutralize, the value won't shift--an important idea for us tonalists.

Marvin, correct any of this you wish. Good to have seen you the other week.

Best--TE

[Allan Rahbek]

Hi Ken.

I am not Marvin, but here is my perception of the theme.

When painting portraits you work with very limited colors in the flesh tones. Instead of mixing Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Viridian and White, you simply use Venetian Red and Flake White. It is less hazardous, and therefore easier.

The Cadmiums are so strong that you will never need a color that strong. The earth colors are closer to what you actually need. That

[Tom Edgerton]

Also, this for Long John Brandon--

Maybe I could paint with a parrot on my shoulder, but doesn't the eye patch kill your ability to discern perspective?

Just wondering--TE

[Richard Budig]

I use both Tom and Marvin's method.

I premix two or three neutrals using a string of five values using black and white; raw umber and white, and a curious greenish/yellowish gray from raw sienna, black and white. I do this most of the time.

However, as Tom points out, eventually, my palette is full of the most curious puddles of gray and I often fetch some neutral color from one of these.

Sometimes, the random little piles of neutral colors seem to work best because they are already composed of colors I've applied to the portrait somewhere, and it seems to give a sort of unity to the work.

Both the "Tom" and "Marvin" method work well for me.

By the way, Marvin, this whole discussion has led me to use less and less cadmiums, and now, my palette much quieter, and I seem to be doing better. Thanks for kicking me off the cadmium pile.