Why Use Bill’s Paint?

When I decided to retire, I resolved to pursue painting, something I had wanted to do for a long time. Like many beginners, I suppose, I found myself on the “other guy’s” website. I thought I might become certified and, perhaps, teach, since I had been in education for the last 16 years. I stocked up on every imaginable art supply I thought I needed including a lot of the other guy’s paint. I figured, since I was a beginner, I would waste a lot of paint. I didn’t think there was any reason for buying anything but the cheapest paint I could find.

My first attempt at a painting was a disaster. I refused to show it to anyone – even my closest friends. I was ready to give up!

A month or so later I read a blog post by Austin Kleon. In the article, Kleon wrote that Bill Alexander was the guy’s teacher. I started googling Bill’s name and ended up on the Alexander Art website.

I have to tell you that when I first saw Bill’s artwork I knew I was looking at the work of a genius! A day or two after that I found one of Bill’s YouTube videos, “Fall River”. I thought to myself, now I am truly watching a master. “Why,” I thought, “should I study from the student when I can learn from the master?”

Why should you study from the student when you can learn from the master? [Tweet This].

“Fall River” was the first painting of Bill’s that I attempted. As a beginner, who had only painted two horrific paintings before that, I was, now, a ‘happy camper’. Bill was a terrific teacher! Then it gets even more interesting.

It was almost a year later that I found another master artist, Tom Anderson.  Tom insisted I use Alexander Art oil paints. When I laid my first brush strokes on the canvas I knew something was different. Everything I thought I knew about paint was wrong. The Alexander paint was so rich and so vibrant that I needed to use only a fraction of the paint I had been using. I saw immediately what a quality paint looks like on canvas.

I fully realized the importance of a quality paint after we finished filming the first two parts of our “You Can Paint” Master Class. The picture below shows the tubes of paint we used during the filming of the first ten paintings. Look at how much paint remained after we finished!

I read a post a while back on the Wet Canvas forum. A member wanted to know how folks rated paints from worst to best because he wanted to use up his worst paints ‘practicing‘. My experience now tells me that is a bad idea. There is a difference between painting with a cheap paint and a quality paint. Fine Artists know this. Why do you suppose they buy expensive paint? Why do you suppose many of them make their own paint?

…if you’re going to paint like Bill, you should use Bill’s paint. [Tweet This].

Beginners don’t know the difference. Some artists who should know better don’t know the difference either. Don’t make the mistake of buying cheap paint because you think you’ll move to a better quality paint later. In all probability, you will have to learn, like I did, how to paint all over again. Only now, you’ll be wasting the good stuff!

I learned that if you’re going to paint like Bill,  you should use Bill’s paint.