Lead, Titanium or Zinc White; Which is Best?

Continuing the discussion of white paint available to the oil painter, I will go a little more deeply into the characteristics of individual white pigments. When determining the 'best' white to use, there is no single way to decide this. A white is chosen based on the needs of the artist in that moment. Lead white, titanium white and zinc white vary greatly in their properties: opacity, toxicity, drying time, etc. With such differing properties, I believe it is so essential to determine the actual pigments contained in the white being used regardless of the name of the paint.


Toxicity:
Toxicity varies to extremes. If a strict non-toxic palette is desired, titanium white is the choice.

Titanium white is considered to be non-toxic unless inhaled. Caution with dry pigment or sanding.  ²
Zinc white may have traces of lead. Moderately toxic by ingestion. Less toxic by inhalation.  ¹
Lead white is toxic and should not be ingested, or inhaled (when sanding, scraping or spraying). I believe it wise to keep lead white off of one’s skin: wear gloves and other barriers when painting. Keep out of reach of children.

Drying Time:
Drying times vary greatly. A fast drier will hasten the drying time of any paint it is mixed with. A slow drier will lengthen the drying time of any paint it is mixed with.

Lead White: Fast (a few days) ^{2, 3}
Titanium White: slower ²
Zinc White: slowest ²

Opacity:
Because the most opaque oil color of all is white, ³ it has excellent covering capacity and tinting strength. The opacity varies among the whites, however.

Lead White: Opaque
Titanium White: Opaque
Zinc White: Semi-transparent

Permanence and Lightfastness
All three whites have excellent permanence and excellent lightfastness.
However, the tendency to yellow over time varies.

Titanium White: Tendency to yellow less than zincs…but still yellows easily. ²
Lead White: “May become discolored over long periods of time.” ¹ May “blacken when exposed to sulphur in the air.” ¹
Zinc White: Tends to yellow. ²

White Paint Ingredients- What's in the Tube?
Earlier I stated, I believe it is so essential to determine the actual pigments contained in the white being used regardless of the name of the paint. Below is an example to illustrate this point.

Let us suppose I want a fast drying white paint with high covering capacity. I may choose lead white. Many know that the terms 'lead white' and 'flake white' are used interchangeably. A tube of white paint with the label, "Flake White" would lead me to believe that the only pigment in the tube was lead carbonate. I would be wrong to believe something so (seemingly) obvious!

Blockx "Flake White" and Williamsburg "Flake White" do contain only the pigment lead carbonate. However, Sennelier "Flake White" contains both lead carbonate and zinc oxide. The Sennelier "Flake White" has the same pigments as  Blockx "Mixed White," Old Holland "Flake White 1," and Michael Harding "Flake White no. 2."

If I want pure lead carbonate in the Old Holland or the Michael Harding lines, I need to buy the "Cremnitz White." ⁴ If I want it in the Sennelier line, I'm out of luck.  And Gamblin "Flake White Replacement?" No lead carbonate at all, just titanium and zinc. In a later post I will list white paints by brand and content.

In the next post about white pigments, however,  I will address specific uses of the white paints.
 
1. Blick, Dick  http://www.dickblick.com/items/01529-1115/#colorpigments 4/03/10
2. Blick, Dick  http://www.dickblick.com/items/01571-1023/#colorpigments 3/03/10
3. Creevy, Bill The Oil Painting Book, Materials and techniques for today’s artist, 1994, Watson-Guptill, New York
4. Harding, Michael  http://michaelharding.co.uk/colour-info.php?cID=77 3/15/10


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White Oil Paint Pigments; A White Is A White Is A White...What's The Difference?

Are all white oil paints basically the same?

Nope! There are even variations between brands of whites with the same name as well as similarities between whites of differing names! Over the next few weeks it is my goal to research, pick apart and reassemble this subject. I intend to distill this down to something clear and understandable.

White Oil Painting Pigments
There are essentially three main white pigments that are widely available: Lead White, Titanium White, and Zinc White. Either an individual pigment or a mixture of more than one pigment is combined with a vehicle, such as linseed oil, to make paint. Some companies may add fillers, extenders or dryers as well.

Oil Paint Ingredients
Knowing the properties of these pigments can help determine which white to choose for a specific task. It is important to know which pigment is contained in a tube of white before purchasing it. Believe it or not, a paint called “titanium white” may contain more than the pigment titanium dioxide!  This can be a problem when one wants the most opaque non-toxic white.  If zinc oxide is the additional pigment, this "titanium white" will not only be less opaque, but will also dry more slowly. 

In subsequent posts I will dissect the whites further to clear up the muddle within brands and between brands.

"Untitled"

This is the first painting that was completed in the current series:

Untitled

Oil on Canvas

48x42x1.5"

Untitled (detail)

 

Work in Progress 3

Work in Progress 2

 

Work in Progress 1 (detail)

 

 Work in Progress 1

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My Painting Process, New Work 1

The painting below is a work in progress with the working title "Jump." Although I began the painting nearly a year ago, I am just getting back to completing it in the last month.

(A Work in Progress)

Oil On Canvas

30x24x3/4"

Click Image For Larger View

This photo above was taken after a painting session nearly 2 weeks ago.

Below are a few shots of the progression from more recent to least recent.

With notes to myself about value range.

How it has been sitting for most of the past year.

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"A Night to Remember"

This is a painting from the current series:

"A Night to Remember"

Oil on Canvas
8x32x1"

Click Image For Larger View

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Lesson of the Century: Am I Being True to My Self? Part 2

Continued from Part 1: Am I Being True to My Self?

All of these qualifiers or adjectives that we use to describe ourselves or allow ourselves to be described by are just ideas. They are extremely relative and can change from moment to moment and person to person. One person may consider my art to be brilliant and another may consider it to be horrid and not to even be considered 'art.' If I can accept that my art is all the adjectives imaginable, both all at once and never, I can be open to any reaction. In this way I could find benefit in considering a point of view different than my own. If, on the other hand, I am attached to the idea that all my art is great, I will not be able to learn and grow from the work that is not-so-great. A valid criticism that could help me would undoubtedly go unheeded.

Through my practice of detaching from ‘being’ a painter and all of the judgments about the work, I actually become freer. If I am less caught up in what others might think, it is more likely I will take more risks in the work and discover more than I ever imagined possible. Both in my art and in myself. In this example, being true to myself is painting authentically. For me that means I might not ever paint a vase of flowers. I love flowers. They are exquisitely beautiful, but I just don’t see myself painting them. 

If the person who created this, um, outdoor installation (see photos) was self- conscious about this piece, they may not have created it and I would not have smiled as I passed by today.  Some may call it art, others may call it hideous,
I just kinda like it...

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Lesson of the Century

As I learn and grow, I realize there is yet more to grow and learn.  Certain life lessons re-emerge and come around again and again until they are finally transcended. I have many, but one that is under all of them is, "Am I being true to my Self?"   For me it truly is the lesson of the century.  One thing I am learning is that being true to ones Self is not selfish it is Self-full.  It is moving beyond the limitations that the mind, the ego, or the small self puts on us and discovering our true nature or true Self.

After a lesson with my spiritual teacher  I wrote this question on my hand with indelible ink as a friendly reminder.   In this way I can remember and remember and remember.  The art in the photo is detail from a large work in progress which has the general theme of letting go of things that no longer serve us.   These 'things" are in many forms:  such as physical stuff,  ideas,  emotions,  personality,  roles,  habits....   It seems that the problem is not really with these things,  it is with our relationship to them.  For example, when we actually believe we are our personality traits,  we can be devastated when something comes up in our lives that questions that view!  Therefore letting go is recognizing that all these things are tools that are appropriate some of the time but not all of the time.  This letting go is what some call being detached or non-attached.

In my personal story, if I believe the sentence "I am a good painter," then I am attached and this does not serve me well.  There is no room for anything else.  The minute someone criticizes my work, I will be crushed.  I may question my choice to paint and may even fall prey to artist's block or some other destructive activity.  If I practice detaching and recognizing that painting is something I do this is a start.  Then I can look at the judgments or qualifiers like 'great,' good,' 'mediocre,'  'lousy,'  and  'horrid.'

 To be continued in part 2 on Thursday...

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