Watermixable oils question

sonnystrauss

- do watermixable oils have the same richness as traditional oils?
- I'm starting a commissioned portrait and I want to use watermixable (sensitivity to solvents and way easier clean up) but I want it to be as appealing as if I was doing it in traditional oils

Richard_P

W&N Artisans are stiff to use and dry matte. However Cobra and Holbein are very good. They are creamy, have a large range of pigments, and are just like using normal oil paints.

JeffAllen

Yeah.  I sue the W&N ones.  they are stiff.  A lot of time I add medium.

sonnystrauss

I have been using Windsor and newton oil paint for a year and it's hard as hell doing details because the paint puts up a fight.  There is hardly any flow to it.  I bought French ultramarine blue and titanium white from Geneva and it was like using acrylics.  I was stunned at how far the paint went on canvas.  So cobra is what I should go with? (Watermixable cobra?)

Richard_P

WMO Cobra is the most creamy out of all the WMO I have tried. But it won't be as liquid as Geneva, I don't know of any brand that is. If you add a lot of medium to normal paint it will become more fluid but also more transparent than Geneva because Geneva has a very high pigment load.

sonnystrauss

I've been told that WMO dry flat or "sunken" in because they have water in them.  How true is this?

Richard_P

Water acts as a solvent so if you add to much it will thin the paint and cause it to dry flat (as mineral spirits or turpentine would). However it doesn't contain any water from the tube, it's only when you add it..

sonnystrauss

Thank you all for the advise!

JeffAllen

Out of curiosity do any of you using WMO use water to thin the paint specifically for doing a tonal underpainting?  

sonnystrauss

I always use paint straight out of the tube without any medium.

dencal

Jeff

I use WMO with SDM, no water.

Denis

JeffAllen

@dencal:  I was thinking of mixing it with water just to do some tonal underpainting considering the pigment level is not as important for that.

dencal

Jeff

Yep. Works fine this way.

Can add some wm fast dry medium to speed the process.

Here is a great page of tips and facts for wm painting.

http://www.finearttips.com/2009/10/water-soluble-oil-paints-facts-tips-why-i-use-them/

Denis

JeffAllen

@dencal

Thanks for that link.  That pretty much answers any questions I had about this medium plus the water mixed washes for underpainting.  Plus she has some nice work as well.

sonnystrauss

When an oil painting dries (using traditional oils) is it safe to paint over it with another layer using WMOs?

Richard_P

Yes, WMO's can also be mixed with normal oils as well.