Learn About Paint Binders | BLICK Art Materials (2024)

Binders

Binders are film-forming mediums that, when combined with pigments, allow paints to be applied to substrates for artistic applications.

Binders by Paint Type

Acrylic Paints – Acrylic paints are formulated with acrylic polymer emulsion binders. Highly durable, acrylic binders dry to a clear, flexible, water-resistant film.

Oil Paints – Oil paints are typically formulated with linseed, poppy, safflower or walnut oil binders. The type of oil binder used can impact drying time, film strength, and whether or not a color will yellow with time. Water-mixable oil paints are genuine oil paints, but the oil base has been modified so that it can be mixed with water.

Watercolor and Gouache – Watercolor and gouache paints are formulated with gum arabic or other water-soluble binders, such as aquazol. They are not waterresistant when dry.

Encaustic Paints – Encaustic paints use a beeswax and a damar resin binder, designed to be heated and cooled during the painting process.

Tempera Paints – Tempera and craft paints developed for use in scholastic settings can be formulated with either an acrylic polymer binder or plant-based starch binder, which isnot usually water-resistant when dry.

Transparent vs. Opaque – Both the pigments and binders used to make paints can affect the transparency or opacity of your work. Transparent paints are formulated so that pigments settle on the substrate in a way that allows light to pass between them, creating a luminous effect and keeping underlayers visible. Opaque paints are formulated to prevent light from passing through the top layer. Underlayers and the substrate remain hidden, giving colors a flat, matte effect.

Single Pigment vs. Hues – Color names on a paint label may or may not reflect the actual pigments to create the paint. Take the example of Naples Yellow, a standard color in student and artist-grade paint lines.

Originally made from lead antimonate, its use is documented in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and it later became an important color for the Old Masters. Since the original pigment is long out of use due to toxicity, every version of Naples Yellow on the market today is an approximation, made by mixing Chromium Titanate with Titanium White.

Colors made this way, by blending pigments as an alternative to traditional colors made from a single pigment, are known as hues. While the naming convention is not always followed for colors whose pigments are obsolete, hues are typically offered as less-expensive substitutes for available but costly single-pigment colors. Examples include Cobalt Red and cadmium colors.

Single-pigment colors tend to offer a brilliance, intensity, and coverage that hues cannot replicate. For this reason, they are more common in high-quality, artist grade paint lines. They are also preferred by those working with a limited palette, as hues can ‘muddy’ color mixtures with an overabundance of pigments. Some (but not all) single-pigment colors are made from heavy metals, which impacts handling and disposal. Hue colors are usually non-toxic, making them more appropriate for scholastic settings.

Utrecht Cadmium-Free Artists’ Colors offer a high-performance, non-toxic alternative to Cadmium colors for artists who prefer not to work with the original pigments. Unlike many hue colors, their mixing, opacity, and appearance is nearly identical to true cadmiums.

Health and Safety – Art supplies sold within the United States must include a declaration that they conform to ASTM standards, meaning that any potential health or safety hazards must be clearly labeled on the packaging. For more information about health and safety icons on paint labels and other art supplies packaging here.

Lightfastness – Lightfastness describes a color’s resistance to fading caused by exposure to UV light. Lightfastness ratings that conform to standards set by ASTM measure exposure to natural daylight and light from indoor sources. Some manufacturers use a revised three-category scale, provide information about ‘permanence’ rather than lightfastness, or use a propriety reference scale. Scholastic and craft paints may not be rated.

The ASTM Lightfastness ScaleI – Excellent LightfastnessII – Very Good LightfastnessIII – Fair LightfastnessIV – Poor LightfastnessV – Very Poor Lightfastness