As mentioned in previous posts I’ve been buying paint in bulk from RGH Artists Oils. With my last order I ordered all pigments in pint jars (473 ml). I like the jars because it is easy to use a spatula to scrape the paint out. Using the spatula I can keep the surface of the remaining paint flat which dries slower. If I’m still worried about drying I can add a few drops of walnut oil to seal the top layer.
Fellow artist Steve Ladd suggested buying in bulk or making your own paint from dried pigments and tubing your own paint. He places paint onto a piece of aluminum foil which he then rolls into a tube. The foil tube is then placed within the empty paint tube. A roller is then used to squeeze the paint from the foil into the tube (I use a brayer used in block printing). The slanted board helps the paint fill the tubes without bubbles but is not absolutely essential. I include some photos Steve made to illustrate his methods. (Click here for cheap tubes: Jack Richeson 150-Ml Empty Paint Tubes, Case of 144
).
Photos of tubing process courtesy of and copyright by Steve Ladd © 2013
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Updated: 4th March 2025
