New - Golden High Flow Acrylic airbrush paints

[Melbee]

OK Folks,
I have done a some painting with the black and white Golden High Flow paints and these are my findings;

Basically High Flow paints are not going to work for me on their own. I prefer the Golden Fluid paints which I can also buy at any local art shop, mixed with Airbrush Medium, they are easy to spray and are great T shirt paints. There are no advantages for me to use Golden High Flow over the Golden Fluid paints so I'm not going to swap over.

The High Flow paints are not good for T shirts unless mixed with other mediums like GAC900 which gives off low levels of toxic formaldehyde when ironed/heat set.

The High Flow's are not all matt, some have varying levels of gloss to high gloss finishes and I don't like painting with different finishes. When the light hits the painting I can't see the colours properly so to combat this I had to add Golden Matt Medium. Also the High Flow's use Transparent Extender as their Trans. Base which is also glossy. So I was mixing glossy Transparent Extender with Matt Medium to make a Trans. Base mix that I liked. Because the paints had different finishes I basically have to add My Mixture to all the paints to even the finish to a Matt but that meant all the paints had to be premixed and were diluted in strength. This completely defeats the object which was to have a paint I could spray straight from the bottle like Com-Art.

Golden do have a line of Golden Fluid Matt paints and I have NO idea why they did not base the High Flow paints on the Matt range instead of using the same variation of finishes that the Golden Fluids have. Very, very silly in my opinion. Perhaps I'm wrong but I can't imagine many airbrush artists that will want to spray paints that vary in finish from Matt to Gloss. Not me anyway.

The High Flows dry to a hard finish so are no good for re-wetting and erasing techniques.

They are not hard to clean but not as easy as Com-Art paints.

Now I have discovered the Com-Art Gloss Varnish and Com-Art Medium (Trans. Base) I have everything I need with the Com-Art paints and I will happily use them in future. The main thing I have against the Com-Art is they need a lot of shaking before use and settle in the bottle very quickly. The surface of the painting is vunerable to being marked but the Varnish can also be used as a intercoat and the final varnish can have the Gloss taken off by adding a few layers of Golden Matt or Satin Varnish over the top.

Conclusion: The Golden High Flow paints are not the right paints for me and I will continue to use the Golden Fluid paints instead. I prefer to use Com-Art as my main paints which spray very well straight from the bottle, are easier to clean and are re-wettable and erasable. Now I know I can protect the finished painting with Varnish without damaging the painting in either a gloss or matt finish I am very happy.
Cheers Mel

 

[shadow2462]

Thanks for the indepth review, I have a similar situation with wicked I recently switched to where it is like a transparent and once I put down a very light first layer it dries like a gloss and further layers tend to spider.


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[ko.]

Melbee.. great heads up and well thought out. I always have a big bottle of black for as you said you can just load and shoot..Thank you. Shadow once you put down a layer of paint no matter how light you have sealed whatever you have painted on (i am assuming paper of some sort) soooo it will not soak up the paint and be a little less forgiving as you build up layers making it WAY easier to to get spidering.. Try wiping down your work with a micro fiber cloth between coats.. That also keeps your work less grainy feeling.. If you already know this I apologize just trying to help. Wicked is great paint

 

[shadow2462]

Melbee.. great heads up and well thought out. I always have a big bottle of black for as you said you can just load and shoot..Thank you. Shadow once you put down a layer of paint no matter how light you have sealed whatever you have painted on (i am assuming paper of some sort) soooo it will not soak up the paint and be a little less forgiving as you build up layers making it WAY easier to to get spidering.. Try wiping down your work with a micro fiber cloth between coats.. That also keeps your work less grainy feeling.. If you already know this I apologize just trying to help. Wicked is great paint

Thanks Ko, I've only been airbrushing about 4 months now and using Wicked for about 3 weeks so it's still a learning curve for me. I started with Valejo, and Spectratek (opaques)because it was at local hobby shop. The Wicked Detail is a whole new deal for me although I got a good handle on reducing it pretty quickly. I use a Badger Velocity .21 setup and working well at a 10/15:1 reduction. All the colors work well at this rate however I find the white needs a different ratio. If I go more than a say 7 or 8:1 it takes like 5 or 10 layers before it starts being visible. I don't know if it is the norm or just me but the up side is that it's teaching me to go slower and not too dark at once.

 

[Melbee]

Another thing I thought I'd mention is that the new Golden High Flow paints don't tell you how Glossy or Matt they are except for a sample of paint on the label which I don't find very clear.

On the Golden Fluid bottles they give a clear indication of how Glossy or Matt the paint is with a guide on the back of the label which I find very helpful. If a paint is only slightly glossy I might not add any Matt Medium but for medium to high gloss I would add different amounts of Matt Medium to suit. Also Golden Fluids are reduced with Airbrush Medium which is more Matt compared to Airbrush Transparent Extender for the High Flow's which is high Gloss. This obviously effects the paint when it is mixed in.

If anyone from Golden reads this, I would suggest they make the High Flow paints Matt, make the Transparent Extender Matt and give people the option of adding Fluid Gloss Medium if they want gloss in the paint. If you can do it with the Golden Fluid Matt range you must be able to do it with the High Flow range. Airbrushing with Matt paints gives a stable indication to form and colour where as Gloss can get distorted by light, glare, reflections and tricks to the eye.
Cheers Mel

 

[AndreZA]

Com-art transparents are also gloss and opaques are matt. I just give it a matt varnish afterwards.

 

[st.bede]

I just want to thank you. I have been using Golden Fluid (which I like a lot) with the airbrush medium and I also do really like the information on the side of the bottle. It can be useful if I am going to grab a new color to try. So far Golden Fluid is the best paint (for me) that I can pick up from my local (and seriously limited) art supple store.

 

[Melbee]

Com-art transparents are also gloss and opaques are matt. I just give it a matt varnish afterwards.

Thanks for the heads up on that AndreZA, I've been using Com-Art Opaque's mostly so I hadn't noticed. I'll do some tests and see how the Com-Art opaque and transparent paints work together in a painting.

I did some test spraying yesterday with Transparent Black and Smoke and they don't look glossy to me, hummm interesting

I just want to thank you. I have been using Golden Fluid (which I like a lot) with the airbrush medium and I also do really like the information on the side of the bottle. It can be useful if I am going to grab a new color to try. So far Golden Fluid is the best paint (for me) that I can pick up from my local (and seriously limited) art supple store.

Hi St.bede, yes it's very handy information for exactly the reason you mention. I discovered the Golden Fluid Carbon Black is Gloss and the Bone Black is Matt so I can choose which I want in the shop. The High Flow has only Carbon Black in Gloss but the H.F. Titanium White is Matt where as in the Fluid range it's Gloss!! I don't know what they are doing at Golden but if you are happy with the Golden Fluids then stick with them. They have a much larger colour range and it is a fantastic paint for T shirts/fabric which is what I use it for.
Cheers Mel

 

[AndreZA]

A line or thin coat of transparent Com-art does not show the gloss. If you lay it thick it is definitely glossy. Well mine is anyway.

 

[Melbee]

A line or thin coat of transparent Com-art does not show the gloss. If you lay it thick it is definitely glossy. Well mine is anyway.

AndreZA, I was thinking that is what might happen, I'll do some tests and check it out.

 

[japper]

hi all my first post on here ! tried the golden high flow and not so impressed with them! seemed to have to much sheen to them that made them hard to layer with out spidering, even when i tried to reduce them with medium or water (making them worse). i'd normally work on none porous surfaces ie helmets - bike tanks. So unless any one can give me some tips i'll keep with my AA for now sorry for my bad grammar just a fik tattooist

 

[Talla]

Mel ... that was a brilliant review!

I have never used any of the Golden range but have noticed they have a plethora of mediums and additives to experiment with so I may have to try some of this High Flow stuff out (along with the other Golden paints).

All the info that can be percieved as negatives for you were in some respect positives for me!

--Hard surface finish - check (I dont really re-wet or use erasers)
--surface finish glossy or matt - Check (Doesn't matter didly squat to me ... It all gets a deep glossy clearcoat!)

All in all I may try some of the Golden High flow and compair it against my usual Autoair and Wicked.

Keep up the good work Mel ... I like following your stuff!

Andy

 

[japper]

hi all again sorry if i sounded negative in my post for the Golden High Flow i just couldn't seem to get them to work how i liked for me:apologetic: but any help/tips with then would be cool for me

..... and yes mel like always on here or you-tube a top review :tears_of_joy: thank you

 

[jgny1]

I went to a local store here in NY and I noticed the Golden High flow I just ordered E-Tac so I won't be trying them out just yet. But the store owner said that Golden will be discontinuing their regular Golden line. So anyone that uses and likes it may want to stock up. The art store had them I think it was 30% off just to get rid of them.

 

[Melbee]

Mel ... that was a brilliant review!

I have never used any of the Golden range but have noticed they have a plethora of mediums and additives to experiment with so I may have to try some of this High Flow stuff out (along with the other Golden paints).

All the info that can be percieved as negatives for you were in some respect positives for me!

--Hard surface finish - check (I dont really re-wet or use erasers)
--surface finish glossy or matt - Check (Doesn't matter didly squat to me ... It all gets a deep glossy clearcoat!)

All in all I may try some of the Golden High flow and compair it against my usual Autoair and Wicked.

Keep up the good work Mel ... I like following your stuff!

Andy

Thanks Andy, I've never tried AA or Wicked so I would find it very interesting to hear your comparison. I paint illustrations onto card or canvas so re-wettable and erasable techniques are really useful, not just for effects but also to correct things when I mess up!! But I can see why they could be good for your work. I don't intend to paint onto hard surfaces but that could change down the line and I love learning new things so please keep me/us posted

I could spray the High Flows straight from the bottle with my Eclipse 0.35mm no problem and if the different levels of matt to gloss don't bother you then no worries. You can of coarse use the Golden Fluid Matt or Gloss Medium if you did want to even up the paint while working so there are ways around that issue. Making them all Glossy would be easier especially if you use the Transparent Extender to reduce the paint to make it more transparent or for spraying through smaller nozzles (0.2mm) as the Trans. Ex. is glossy.
Cheers Mel

 

[Melbee]

hi all again sorry if i sounded negative in my post for the Golden High Flow i just couldn't seem to get them to work how i liked for me:apologetic: but any help/tips with then would be cool for me

..... and yes mel like always on here or you-tube a top review :tears_of_joy: thank you

Hi japper, it would depend on what style you are painting, the surface and what exactly the problems you have with H.F. before we could help. Let us know and maybe me or someone else can help you out.
Thanks for your positive comments too
Cheers Mel

 

[Melbee]

I went to a local store here in NY and I noticed the Golden High flow I just ordered E-Tac so I won't be trying them out just yet. But the store owner said that Golden will be discontinuing their regular Golden line. So anyone that uses and likes it may want to stock up. The art store had them I think it was 30% off just to get rid of them.

Heads Up! I'm not entirely sure about this of coarse but I was told by an Art Shop Manager that the Golden Rep. had told him that the new High Flow paints are basically the same as the old Airbrush Colours except they are discontinuing some of the old colours and bringing in some new ones.

So yes, if you like the Airbrush Colour paints and you can get them on Offer I would agree with jgny1, stock up! because you will only be paying for a new label on the new paints and they will cost a lot more If I was going to carry on using H.F. paint I would definitely have done this because I can get some of the same colours in the Airbrush Colour range for about HALF the price of the High Flow.
Cheers Mel

 

[Christopher at Golden]

Christopher I would like to contact you as I would love to carry your paint I tried multiple times to contact goldens by email with no response

Hey John, sorry to have abandoned this forum (it is not one I frequent - again, apologies - also for the typos in my initial post) - if you're in West Sand Lake, you're not that terribly far from the factory. Please feel free to visit some time! I am sorry you did not get a response to your e-mails. Our product support team is normally very responsive, if you send an e-mail to: help@goldenpaints.com you should have a response fairly quickly. You may also call the factory directly at 607-847-6154 and ask for product support, customer service or whomever you think would be most helpful to you.

 

[Christopher at Golden]

Heads Up! I'm not entirely sure about this of coarse but I was told by an Art Shop Manager that the Golden Rep. had told him that the new High Flow paints are basically the same as the old Airbrush Colours except they are discontinuing some of the old colours and bringing in some new ones.

So yes, if you like the Airbrush Colour paints and you can get them on Offer I would agree with jgny1, stock up! because you will only be paying for a new label on the new paints and they will cost a lot more If I was going to carry on using H.F. paint I would definitely have done this because I can get some of the same colours in the Airbrush Colour range for about HALF the price of the High Flow.
Cheers Mel

Hello Mel,
what you heard is mostly accurate, and we absolutely encourage you to stock up on Airbrush if you find them at a good price. High Flow is different however, there are two major differences - first the palette is changed, more single pigment colors that align with the other acrylic paint lines we produce. The Airbrush Colors palette had more mixtures for the convenience of airbrush artists, and fewer colors. High Flow includes fluorescent colors as well as iridescent colors. Also, with the pigment changes there are some changes in consistency - SOME (not all) colors require a heavier or larger pigment, they'll feel a little different out of the bottle than most of the colors, Airbrush Colors were more consistently thin which is why they did not have iridescent and other colors that would have seemed a little thicker. The shift to single-pigments forced the change to series pricing similar to our other acrylic paint lines - pigment drives the cost.

The other big change is the polymer - the actual type of acrylic emulsion used has changed. The new acrylic is more durable, and it is particularly less susceptible to bleed through from successive coats of color, or discoloration from water after drying. There is still a window of working time for airbrush artists who like to blend wet-into-wet, but once High Flow cures it won't reactivate as easily as Airbrush used to.

I hope this is helpful, even if it is so very late in the thread.

 

[Melbee]

@Christopher at Golden Thanks for the information Chris, it's always good to hear from the horses mouth

As an illustrator the H.Flows don't suit my airbrushing needs which is a shame because I can buy them from my local art shop and I was looking forward to being able to buy paints as needed instead of ordering over the internet all the time and I loved the colour range.

I still have some H.Flows and Golden Fluids. I've just bought some Open Thinner to try out with the Golden Fluids as I'm thinking of combining some Brush and Airbrush techniques to see what effects can be achieved. I won't be airbrushing the Open Thinner + Golden Fluids by the way thats for the Brushes when making some backgrounds.