I haven't used oil paint long enough to have experimented with lots of different brands, but I thought I'd do a quick post to share with you what I have used and what works for me so far.
When I first started using oils I used Winsor & Newton's range of fast drying oil paint called Griffin Alkyd, and I continue to use them today for many of my paintings, either alone or in combination with other brands. The Griffin paints dry fast - usually by the next day unless you're painting very thickly - which is a great help when you're working to tight deadlines or have a lot of work to get through. They have a fairly low odour and are not expensive, but their downside is a weaker pigment loading and covering power compared to more expensive brands.
In my paintbox I also have colours by Daler Rowney and Lefrance & Bourgeois, both of which I can heartily recommend. I often mix these colours with the Griffin ones so that I get the best of bost worlds - stronger pigments but also faster drying paint. Sometimes the only Griffin colour I have on the palette is Titanium white, of which I'll add just enough to my mixes to get that 'next day' drying time I need.
All in all, it's a gradual process of experimentation and discovery for me, not least because of the expense involved in buying oil paint! There are lots of brands I've heard great things about and would love to try - e.g. Michael Harding, Sennelier, Schmincke, Rembrandt to name just a few. Buying one or two new tubes of untried paint is always an exciting prospect, but it's always good to hear what other people recommend before taking the plunge. If anyone cares to make their own suggestions on good oil paints to try, then I'd love to hear them.
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