Titanium White
Williamsburg’s Titanium White in Linseed Oil is one of our go-to linseed-based Titanium Whites when we want a moderately bodied white oil paint. We love the smooth consistency of this white. With white colors it is interesting to see how they age as well, as there can be tradeoffs, and tiny differences in formulation of a given white will affect how it ages. While pure titanium without zinc may have some issues across all brands, we are grateful that Williamsburg is committed to testing. In terms of appearance in the short term, when dried (about 1 month after application), Williamsburg’s Titanium White was ever so slightly brighter than Michael Harding’s linseed version of white, Titanium White No. 2. However the true test will be how these weather over time. For a flowing almost dripping white, another option is Rublev’s Titanium White, which is also PW6 without zinc. For a single-pigment titanium white, this is an excellent moderately-bodied white paint with a creamy consistency.
This color is included with many (but not all) of the Williamsburg sets, as this color is ubiquitous. Titanium white is part of their Basic Color series, recommended as, “A great set for someone just starting to paint in oils or as an introduction to our line of paints.” (Basic Colors 1). In 2023, Golden published a vital series of tests on their colors and how they performed in mixes with various white paints. More information can be found at https://justpaint.org/astm-lightfastness-testing-for-oil-paints/.