On Location: Michael Harding Handmade Artists Colours

Michael Harding oil paints are renowned by artists all over the world. Formulated without fillers, extenders, or driers, their high pigment content makes for vibrant and buttery oil colours that are popular with traditional and contemporary painters alike. The story of Michael Harding oil colours goes back to the 1980s. As a painter, Michael Harding found that the paints he was using could not achieve the qualities that he saw in the paintings of the Old Masters. This inspired him to make his own oil colours, just as the artists of the past did. Now, Michael Harding and his team have been making oil colours at their current site in South Wales for over 10 years, after leaving London when rents became hugely expensive and they did not want to pass on the cost to artists. We paid Michael Harding a visit to see how his paints are made, and we also got the chance to see his upcoming watercolour range in production.

 

What Goes Into Michael Harding Oil Colours?

Oil paints are made of two essential ingredients – dry pigment and linseed oil. Choosing the best raw materials is key to the quality and longevity of the oil colours. Michael Harding oil paints are made with linseed oil that has been cold-pressed which is then further refined (with the exception of Cremnitz White in walnut oil, and Titanium White No.1 which is made using safflower oil).

The Michael Harding oil paint range includes a spectrum of pigments, from modern synthetic pigments like Phthalocyanine Blue Lake and Napthol Red, to Old Master paints like Genuine Lapis Lazuli, Genuine Rose Madder and Genuine Chinese Vermilion. Each pigment is individual, with a particular set of characteristics which need to be taken into account when making oil colours, and which are also important for the artist to know when using the oil paints. On each tube of Michael Harding oil paint, the label states the oil content, opacity, drying time, pigment index number, pigment chemical composition and tint power of the colour. Watch part two of our In Conversation with Michael Harding film to see Michael explain what oil content means for oil painters, and how it relates to the fat over lean principle.

Some ranges of oil colours homogenise the individual properties of pigments by adding fillers, extenders, or driers to even out consistency, level of gloss, and drying time. While some artists find consistency helpful, what this takes away is an authentic experience of the properties of colour – whether it is a slow drying Alizarin Crimson which packs a punch in mixtures, or a gently tinting, fast-drying Italian Green Umber.
 

The Process of Making Oil Colours

In the first step, dry pigment and linseed oil are combined in a mixer. Different pigments require a unique amount of oil, and the proportions must be honed to precise amounts. After mixing, the pigment has been wetted throughout the oil, but the individual pigment particles need to be dispersed evenly throughout the oil paint. This is achieved using a mill.

The mixer used to churn pigment and linseed oil.

Michael Harding have several large mills to grind the pigments, some with stone rollers and some with steel rollers. Which one is used depends on the pigment being worked. The paint could go through the mill several times, depending on the needs of each pigment. The result is rich oil paint with a buttery consistency.

Michael Harding working at the mill.

Michael Harding’s New Watercolour Range

On the day that we visited Michael Harding, we got the chance to see his highly anticipated watercolour paints in production.

Pigment and gum arabic being mixed in preparation for milling.

Michael Harding has been developing his watercolours for over twenty years, and they are due to be released in Autumn 2021. With this new range of 140 colours, he has strived to achieve the same colour intensity and clarity that he looks for in his oil paints.

Every colour in the new watercolour range is made using a stone mill.

At the heart of Michael Harding’s approach is his knowledge about the physical properties of colour, and this shines through in the paints he creates. We’d love to know what your favourite Michael Harding colour is – let us know by leaving a comment below. If you haven’t tried his colours yet, we’re sure that you’ll find them exceptional.

Watch our On Location film to see Michael Harding’s oil paints and watercolours being made:

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Evie Hatch

Evie's interests lie in the history and characteristics of artist colours and materials. This research plays a large part in her art practice; she loves investigating traditional techniques and makes her own watercolour and oil paints. Evie graduated in 2016 from Camberwell College of Art with a degree in Drawing. She is currently studying Art History at the Courtauld Institute, London.

Comments

Judy 28 July 2021 at 12:31 am

Luscious!
But surprised to see workers not wearing ear
protection in that high noise environment.

• 

  Evie Hatch 16 August 2021 at 10:16 am

  Hi Judy, neither we or the staff at Michael Harding wore ear protection while we were there – it wasn’t very noisy

veganminipainter 23 August 2021 at 2:09 pm

I love MH oils and I especially love the fact
he individually marks them as vegan on his
site. I like Cobalt Violet Light a lot even
though it’s not that powerful in small
quantities

• 

  Evie Hatch 24 August 2021 at 7:57 am

  Cobalt Violet Light is one of my favourites too! Thank you for your comment

Dennis Davis 18 January 2022 at 12:06 pm

The MH oils are ideal to me since I paint
using painting knives, & a limited pallett.