Matisse Flow - 75ml

Arrived very quickly. This is a deeply staining colour that can be mixed with white for a lovely soft pink. Matisse flow is highly pigmented and a pleasure to use.

I’m doing a course in intuitive art and the teacher recommends Matisse which I was already using but didn’t quite understand. I discovered that some were transparent and some were opaque which helped with glazing. They are very good quality paints.

I am a long time Matisse Structure user and shorter time Flow user. Decades of use makes recognising why to use one or the other.

Both are same paint tint. Difference is in the pigment density. Use and you will see a result. I mix both medium together in some processes because their properties give a result is seek and whilst a medium can be used, the result is different.

I use a lot of gel medium and spreader instead of water. It begs to ask why gel is overlooked for water. In structure and Flow gel makes a viscous mixture which makes blends very reliable.

In context of how I use paint, I still think Structure is a bit better as the pigments are more useful in transparent overwork a lot closer to painting with oils but there is a difference there as I still finish in oils as acrylic is quite harsh compared to getting warmth from oil finishes. This is because acrylic is very thin layers. Oil has some depth to it which cannot be imitated with acrylic impastos. The reason is that an impasto things the pigment density an oil retains as it's density is far more finite and it is layers of this which builds body of reflective value you cannot imitate in any other way.

Flow is more adept in opaque work. It is very good at covering up the underlayer. It is also good in graphic and illustrative art making because artists can make reliable formula and build a very specific color wheel from Flow.

You can also mix Flow with Matisse and Golden Inks reliably to get very high chromatic transitions on canvas or board as long as the ground is properly prepared so you don't get bleed or blotting effects. You cannot use Inks directly with structure.

One key thing with Flow is if you have trouble mixing paint or are new to mixing a reliable colour wheel or blends, Flow is easier to use versus any other painting medium viscosity even when using an open palette system where you draw pigments to mixing mostly on one surface in transitions with white or a dark hue like indigo. Pthalo or vandyke. It teaches you how to mix because it's harder to make muddy values in this method. Flow reduces some aspects of mixing problems artist face with layering but it can be challenging to recognise the right values when balancing tones. Flow tens to dry slightly lighter than the mixture but when overlaying transparent Flow mixes it can be too opaque and block out the blend you want, hence that is reason why I use structure as well as other manufacturers. You learn about the result. The important thing is to understand your use of mediums and tools of application. Not everything is equal or good. Imitation materials and tools are not giving you reliability. It matters little what cost is when you cheat your ability with inferior product.

I love Matisse Flow acrylic paint, they have a beautiful range of colours, the pigment is great and their made in Australia by a family company that is continually investing in pigment and environmental sustainability.

I only picked it up today, but am really looking forward to using this beautiful colour!!