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rofgilead · 11-12-2005, 08:58 AM

Oil paints are simply made up of pigments and an oil like linseed oil. A set of 12 paints in small tubes sold in your average art store might cost $20-30. This not the cost of the raw materials nowadays! The pigments such as zinc white (zinc oxide is the chemical) cost only a few cents per gram or less, and the oil is dirt cheap also. So - the art company makes a huge profit off of these paints.

I think the situation is similar for all manner of art supplies (the stores might not make big profits, but the producers of the materials are). Brushes shouldn't cost $10 each. That's absurd! They probably are made in China or Singapore for almost no cost. Usually they are plastic, with a piece of metal holding in either synthetic bristles or camel hair or something, that should not = $10.

And, I think canvas in art stores is seriously over-rated. Why not just buy a canvas tarp for covering a boat and chop it up into paint-able pieces? Or, maybe even cheaper, a synthetic tarp could be used (and would probably age better).

I think artists in renaissance times would be quite smart about these things. They wouldn't buy canvas from some art store (there weren't even probably art stores really then, just merchants and traders selling paints and such), they'd buy sail-cloth canvas used for ships, and if they could make their own paints, I'm sure they probably did.

Well, this has turned into a rant. I just get so upset when companies overcharge costumers - I think it says that the company thinks their costumers are stupid.
It happens a lot from vendors that sell to research labs.

11-12-2005, 08:58 AM	#6 (permalink)
rofgilead Crazy Location: Nowhere	Well - here's an example for paints.. Oil paints are simply made up of pigments and an oil like linseed oil. A set of 12 paints in small tubes sold in your average art store might cost $20-30. This not the cost of the raw materials nowadays! The pigments such as zinc white (zinc oxide is the chemical) cost only a few cents per gram or less, and the oil is dirt cheap also. So - the art company makes a huge profit off of these paints. I think the situation is similar for all manner of art supplies (the stores might not make big profits, but the producers of the materials are). Brushes shouldn't cost $10 each. That's absurd! They probably are made in China or Singapore for almost no cost. Usually they are plastic, with a piece of metal holding in either synthetic bristles or camel hair or something, that should not = $10. And, I think canvas in art stores is seriously over-rated. Why not just buy a canvas tarp for covering a boat and chop it up into paint-able pieces? Or, maybe even cheaper, a synthetic tarp could be used (and would probably age better). I think artists in renaissance times would be quite smart about these things. They wouldn't buy canvas from some art store (there weren't even probably art stores really then, just merchants and traders selling paints and such), they'd buy sail-cloth canvas used for ships, and if they could make their own paints, I'm sure they probably did. Well, this has turned into a rant. I just get so upset when companies overcharge costumers - I think it says that the company thinks their costumers are stupid. It happens a lot from vendors that sell to research labs.