Art Spectrum ART PRISM Oil 150ml

Zinc White is the white to reach for when a tint needs to stay luminous rather than chalky. This Art Spectrum oil colour is semi-transparent and low in tinting strength, so it suits soft highlights, thin veils and pale tints.

Features

• Pigment: single-pigment PW4, zinc oxide.
• Transparency: semi-transparent, so thin layers soften the colour beneath.
• Tinting strength: low, so you can add more white before a mix turns pale.
• Lightfastness: ASTM I, the highest rating available.
• Consistency: triple-milled in refined linseed oil, buttery and easy to glaze with.
• Colour reference: approximately #F8F8F6, and screen calibration may vary.
• Compatibility: works alongside every Art Spectrum oil medium and varnish.
• Palette: one of 26 colours.
• Origin: made in Epping, Victoria, since 1966.
• Mixing: Yellow Ochre with Cadmium Red Hue for soft, luminous skin highlights; French Ultramarine or Phthalo Blue for hazy sky; Paynes Grey for cool grey whites in overcast light or fog; Raw Sienna for warm, pale stone tones.
• Care: skip sanding dried paint, and keep dust from the dry film out of the air.

Staff tip

Painters often overuse Titanium White in tints, and the result is pale colour that looks flat and chalky. When a tint should keep its warmth or saturation, switch to Zinc White. Its weaker tinting power lightens the mix without draining the hue, which helps skin highlights avoid turning into a stark white patch. Two whites on the palette is a sensible setup, so lean on Zinc White whenever tints start to look chalky.

Formerly sold as Art Prism, the range changed its packaging and artwork but kept the same formula. Titanium White suits the sharpest highlights, while Zinc White covers broader lit areas, because the two whites do different jobs.