I've already made the leap to water-miscible oils, but was very curious to see how well the Schmincke Medium W worked, what it's like to use it. Your demo showed that perfectly! For those strongly considering making the leap, I do not recommend the Winsor & Newton line, which is what I started out with. They're too stiff, not usable straight out of the tube. Cobra is, it's buttery, easy to mix with water or any other medium, and feels just like traditional oils. Your painting is beautiful. I'm very familiar with this type of California landscape, the colours, the light. You've captured it so well!
@@christinakentart You're most welcome. I love your work. Didn't mention it because using this medium may be enough for you, but if you decide to switch so you don't have to mix in medium to your traditional oils, you can use them with water miscible! But no more than about 20% or there won't be enough emulsifier in them to be miscible. Can also go the other way and use wm with traditional oils, if you decide you don't want to go that route anymore. Just use from the tube and whatever other way you want to thin them. I'm now sold on them. But it's nice to know if I wanted to buy some colour not available in Cobra, I could buy traditional and use the medium to convert.
@@Catbooks We're big fans of Christina's work, too! It's been great for us to see so many knowledgeable artists sharing their hands-on experience with this remarkable medium!😃
@@Blick_Art Christina is undeniably a very talented artist. It's eye candy with depth for me. Nice to see you/Dick Blick support her. The big controversy about water-misicle oils seems to be whether or not it's okay to thin them with water in under layers, or if water should only be used for clean-up. Any opinion on that? I thin them with water for first layers, personally, and have never had a problem, except for W&N's line gumming up, which is unpleasant, so I'm transitioning out of them. If I add a few drops of the w-m linseed to the mixture, it's okay and doesn't gum up, but I'd rather not go that extra step, so Cobra it is for me.
@@Catbooks We've been so impressed with @christinakentart since her 1st uploads, we get a great "we knew her when" fan feeling! 😉We don't see any reason why water can't be conservatively used with Medium W techniques. Early generation WM oils used alternative stabilizers like castor wax, which we think might have contributed to changes in handling when thinned that some artists disliked. Medium W is a different product, and the inclusion of water-soluble alkyd resins to support drying and film strength is a brilliant idea!
We've really enjoyed watching WM oils expand as a medium and make it possible for so many artists to continue using oils despite restrictions and sensitivities!
I like painting traditionally in oils but I am really open to new things. First of all the painting is so beautiful and you are so beautiful and everything you do is really beautiful. I really like the raw sienna for under painting, it's such a wonderful color with low tinting power! The idea is great but I hope that the painting surface is stable like a normal oil painting...I think the manufacturer has that information.
Our understanding is that there's no reason to anticipate any destructive effect on finished art from using WM products. We have read that conservation scientists anticipate the need to develop treatments for paintings done in this medium, which seems reasonable to us.
Very enjoyable video and informative. I use water mixable oil paints and OMS no problem for me but have often wondered about using water to thin the paint I am also thinking that water trapped under oil paints may present problems. I think you captured the light very well with your palette knife application of the golden colour.
Thank you! Yes, others in the comments have mentioned that water-mixable oils usually require that you thin them with a special medium, not water. However, I used water here, and it seemed to work ok. It's been several weeks now, and the painting still looks good. Perhaps because my studio was warm so the layers were already dry when I went to add the next layer?
I use WN Artisan and love them. I only use water for cleanup. To thin the paint for the first layer, I use WN Artisan Thinner. Works well for me! Just bought some Gamblin 1980 regular oils and i prefer the water mixable. Personal preference. Thanks for this video - very helpful.
For my underpainting in mdf panels I use first white gesso then raw umber acrylic paint, and use water to thin it like an old fashion youhurt mass. Works well too.
Medium W gently speeds drying because it includes a water-soluble alkyd resin. We don't see any reason why traditional oils couldn;t be used on top of a touch-dry layer of paint modified with Medium W. 😃
I checked the painting a week later and it was already touch-dry, so I do think it sped up the drying time a bit (although sometimes my paintings do dry quickly anyway). I'll defer to blick on the linseed oil question. Regarding brush cleaning, when you mix the paint with the medium it becomes water-soluble, so I think you should be able to clean the brushes with water. However in my case, I wasn't using the medium for the later part of the painting, so I cleaned my brushes with solvent.
Great question! I checked the painting about a week later, and it was already touch-dry, which is pretty normal for my paintings here in California. It’s possible it was dry even sooner, but I can’t say for sure.
@@Blick_Art Does it make it tackier? I noticed when I used WMO my painting seemed tackier and I even used Artisan thinner instead of water. Also, can I used artisan mediums with traditional oil paints that are mixed Medium W?
@@lisalisa8486 Each company uses a different formulation, but since Medium W uses a water-soluble alkyd medium to support drying, tackiness shouldn't be a factor. As we can see in this excellent presentation, Medium W imparts a very nice workability with great brushability and flow, and the day's work should be dry to the touch in just a day or two.
I noticed adding water made the mixtures look a bit lighter in value when mixing them on my palette, but the colors looked normal when I began painting. I also read from Blick that it can lighten the value of the mixture when it is wet, but it goes back to the original value when dry.
@@christinakentart That's right, like other water-thinned paints, there is a light scattering effect which temporarily shifts colors lighter in value, but corrects when dry.
Hi Christina, I have used WMO for years (W&N and Cobra) I found adding water to thin paint makes the paint tacky, the only way I use water only in my cleaning process, brushes. To thin paint I use painting mediums made by the paint I use eg Cobra paint Cobra medium. No more tacky paint, I use Schmincke W when i'm mixing say old Holland non WMO paint with WMO
Hi! I don't think odorless mineral spirits should be considered completely non-toxic. The type of research needed to determine scientifically whether that's true typically involves a lot of animals - I don't like those toxicology studies, don't like hurting animals, and I'd rather listen to anecdotal reports from humans who have sensitive bodies. Some report symptoms even when using Gamsol and other mediums, which abated when they discontinued the use of Gamsol. I have years of experience behind me in the furniture finishing profession, in which I feel utterly dependent on heavily toxic chemicals - fortunately I have a VERY strong constitution, but when I started oil painting I vowed to never even try anything remotely toxic not even Gamsol. I won't even bring it into my studio. I don't want to find out that I like using Gamsol and must make an excuse to continue. I'm like a former junkie :) and I've found my own way with oils. That said I truly appreciate your suggestions on this new medium, BUUUT (knowing what I know) I would suggest never trapping water underneath oils... I think we should dry our water-modified underpaintings very thoroughly before going over with true oil paint. Plus, what a lovely scene you're painting and I SO enjoy watching you paint!
Thank you! I agree, I think some people confuse the term “odorless” with “non-toxic,” but this is not true. OMS still release toxic vapors and should be used in a well-ventilated area. And personally, I can still smell an odor, so I don’t know why they call them odorless! Regarding painting over the layer with water in it, that’s a great point, I’ll share more if I notice issues with the painting as it dries.
The safety data sheet for these "safer" solvents says it all. The local workers health and safety advise us to avoid odorless solvents or to add a bad smell to them to act as a warning.
Good insights! We feel extremely fortunate for products like Medium W and other water-miscible oils which allow artists to continue oil painting despite health issues or classroom and studio restrictions. Artist-grade, low-odor mineral spirits is not associated with allergy-like sensitivity produced by long-term exposure to turpentine, so for some artists it is a useful replacement with lower combustibility. Artists definitely need to pay attention to the required package indications for safe use and storage.
Solvents aren't essential for oil painting. Some painters don't use any or mediums either, simply painting directly with the paint from the tube..(eg Scott Waddell also on RUclips), or maybe just a little linseed oil. Brushes can also be cleaned with linseed oil and soap. You could also produce a thin lay in using diluted acrylic paint or alternatively you could thin oil paint with an emulsion such as the one Louis Velasquez has suggested in his book"Oil painting lessons with Rembrandt and Calcite sun oil" . It would appear that Van Eyck and Rembrandt used some sort of emulsion that involved egg in their paintings.
Great question! According to Blick, there isn’t any evidence of a negative impact on the archival durability, however this medium and water-mixable oils in general are still relatively new, so the science is still developing.
@@christinakentart Our understanding is that there is no reason to anticipate any destructive effect on the paint from modifying it for water miscibility. We've read that conservation scientists anticipate there may be a need for them to develop treatments specific to artwork made in this medium, but that's been true of every new material as it reaches antique age.
I paint with water mixable oil paints, it is best NOT to use water in the painting process, or at least only a tiny bit for a thin first layer/under drawing. Cobra and Holbein Aqua Duo are very good brand choices, Winsor & Newton less so, but the thinner that Winsor & Newton make specifically for use with water mixable oils is very good, and much better than using water. I only use water for clean up with soap. There are many mediums now available for use with water mixable oils, eg. faster drying mediums, and water mixable linseed oils, and more.
I also use them. W&N, Cobra (which I love the most), and a few Aqua Duos. There has been a lot of confusion on whether you can use water to thin the paint, or if you should only use it for clean-up. Royal Talens has several videos about Cobra, showing how to thin and paint with them using water. As long as you've got thicker layers over the thin, there's no problem with adhesion. I use W&N's water miscible linseed in later layers, and it does work well but I'm not a fan of their wm paint either.
@@Catbooks Yes, I have watched the Royal Talen's videos where he uses water to thin the Cobra paints, and I experimented but didn't like the results or the way that the paint behaved following his method. So I looked into the various mediums made for wmo, and get much better results with them.
@@Honey_Badger_xx That's curious. For me they work the same way as in this video. Easy to thin, feel like traditional oils thinned with OMS. I wonder if the water makes a difference. Hard water over here. I do use a few other wm mediums, depending on what I want to do. Usually just water to start, then water and wm linseed, and so on.
I hope that this medium is the real deal! How long have painters been working with it? Cleaning brushes will be easier and there won't be toxic rags or paper towels to dispose of. Ok, time to watch.
My new favorite Christina Kent painting! Beautiful colors and textures! Very informative video too. Your narration is very helpful and interesting. I have one question about solvent-free painting. I see that most of the rendering in your piece is pretty much done with the knife. Why not just use only the knife for the entire painting? Then you can use your oils with the Schmincke medium or any kind of solvents. The knife cleans with just a wipe with a rag.
Thank you, I’m so glad you like it! Regarding the painting technique, I like to use brushes to soften some of the sharp texture of the palette knife. And the solvent-free part for me is less about brush cleaning (it is possible to clean brushes without solvent) and more about the underpainting and first layer of color, which I usually apply with paint that has been thinned with solvent.
Really like this painting. As for the underpainting........why not just do the underpainting in acrylic paint. I would think the affect would be the same. And painting over acrylic paint is not an issue, since we already do that when we use acrylic gesso, which is white acrylic paint with a dust added.
@@christinakentart I bought a couple tubes......red oxide and white for under $20 at Michaels for laying in values. Part of the thought process, besides solvents, was why used my good oils when I am just laying in values, and they are going to be covered over by real color.
It depends on how you like to paint. Sometimes I do underpainting in acrylic, but they dry so you can't blend or mix anything with them, which you can do using this medium and oils, or other water miscible oils.
I have used water mixable oils and they are great...But its not a good idea to thin them with water, they go a tad weird. you can get mediums for these paints the same as oil oils... The only thing I found is the brushes are easier to clean under a tap with soap. Its a bit of a misleading term.
I use Cobra and find they thin easily with water. Also have W&N, and they go weird and gummy unless you add some of the w-m linseed oil in. Because the linseed is adding more of the emulsion.
One of the only reasons I use Acrylics is because of the drying time. If it didn't take so long for Oils to dry I'd switch to Oils no problem. I paint and don't have a Studio where I can let paintings dry for 6 months.
Great point! The drying time can be a big issue. There are mediums that speed up the drying time, but many of these are quit toxic and not suitable for home studios IMO. I do want to note that while the full drying process can take months, most of my oil paintings are touch-dry in 1-2 weeks.
Lovely painting and thanks again for the free art lesson!!
Thank you, I’m so glad you liked it!
Most everything has been said here. 😊 I am happy to see someone who really knows how to use the knife. Super work! Thanks for sharing 🎉
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you liked it.
Great narrative of your experience with the material, and a gorgeous painting! ❤
Thank you Blick! :)
Your art is unique 💕
Thank you!
I've already made the leap to water-miscible oils, but was very curious to see how well the Schmincke Medium W worked, what it's like to use it. Your demo showed that perfectly! For those strongly considering making the leap, I do not recommend the Winsor & Newton line, which is what I started out with. They're too stiff, not usable straight out of the tube. Cobra is, it's buttery, easy to mix with water or any other medium, and feels just like traditional oils.
Your painting is beautiful. I'm very familiar with this type of California landscape, the colours, the light. You've captured it so well!
Thanks for the kind words, and for sharing your experience and tips on switching to water-miscible oils!
@@christinakentart You're most welcome. I love your work.
Didn't mention it because using this medium may be enough for you, but if you decide to switch so you don't have to mix in medium to your traditional oils, you can use them with water miscible! But no more than about 20% or there won't be enough emulsifier in them to be miscible. Can also go the other way and use wm with traditional oils, if you decide you don't want to go that route anymore. Just use from the tube and whatever other way you want to thin them.
I'm now sold on them. But it's nice to know if I wanted to buy some colour not available in Cobra, I could buy traditional and use the medium to convert.
@@Catbooks We're big fans of Christina's work, too! It's been great for us to see so many knowledgeable artists sharing their hands-on experience with this remarkable medium!😃
@@Blick_Art Christina is undeniably a very talented artist. It's eye candy with depth for me.
Nice to see you/Dick Blick support her.
The big controversy about water-misicle oils seems to be whether or not it's okay to thin them with water in under layers, or if water should only be used for clean-up. Any opinion on that?
I thin them with water for first layers, personally, and have never had a problem, except for W&N's line gumming up, which is unpleasant, so I'm transitioning out of them. If I add a few drops of the w-m linseed to the mixture, it's okay and doesn't gum up, but I'd rather not go that extra step, so Cobra it is for me.
@@Catbooks We've been so impressed with @christinakentart since her 1st uploads, we get a great "we knew her when" fan feeling! 😉We don't see any reason why water can't be conservatively used with Medium W techniques. Early generation WM oils used alternative stabilizers like castor wax, which we think might have contributed to changes in handling when thinned that some artists disliked. Medium W is a different product, and the inclusion of water-soluble alkyd resins to support drying and film strength is a brilliant idea!
Really enjoyed the tutorial and demo - thanks for sharing it!
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
Thank you!! This is so great to know!! I want to paint with oils, but am super sensitive to chemicals. I look forward to painting. 😊
I'm so glad to hear that! Happy painting! 😊
We've really enjoyed watching WM oils expand as a medium and make it possible for so many artists to continue using oils despite restrictions and sensitivities!
I like painting traditionally in oils but I am really open to new things. First of all the painting is so beautiful and you are so beautiful and everything you do is really beautiful.
I really like the raw sienna for under painting, it's such a wonderful color with low tinting power!
The idea is great but I hope that the painting surface is stable like a normal oil painting...I think the manufacturer has that information.
Our understanding is that there's no reason to anticipate any destructive effect on finished art from using WM products. We have read that conservation scientists anticipate the need to develop treatments for paintings done in this medium, which seems reasonable to us.
Thanks for the kind words! Yes, raw sienna is my favorite for underpaintings :)
Great video and beautiful painting! I sometimes use water mixable oils, and I really enjoy them. Thanks again for sharing your process!
Thank you! Glad to hear you’ve had a good experience with water-mixable oils :)
Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoyed it!
Very enjoyable video and informative. I use water mixable oil paints and OMS no problem for me but have often wondered about using water to thin the paint I am also thinking that water trapped under oil paints may present problems. I think you captured the light very well with your palette knife application of the golden colour.
Thank you! Yes, others in the comments have mentioned that water-mixable oils usually require that you thin them with a special medium, not water. However, I used water here, and it seemed to work ok. It's been several weeks now, and the painting still looks good. Perhaps because my studio was warm so the layers were already dry when I went to add the next layer?
A very useful información, thank you for sharing.
Glad you found it helpful! :)
I use WN Artisan and love them. I only use water for cleanup. To thin the paint for the first layer, I use WN Artisan Thinner. Works well for me! Just bought some Gamblin 1980 regular oils and i prefer the water mixable. Personal preference. Thanks for this video - very helpful.
Thanks for sharing your experience, I’m glad to hear you have had such a positive experience with the water mixable oils :)
For my underpainting in mdf panels I use first white gesso then raw umber acrylic paint, and use water to thin it like an old fashion youhurt mass. Works well too.
That’s another great solution!
oh this gives me an idea maybe that schmincke medium + water can be used for the imprimatura instead of solvent
Exactly! Happy painting :)
We think that's a great idea. There's a long history of using oil emulsions for underpaintings for oils, starting with tempera grassa!
I am using Zest It. This is also solvent free and works exactly like terpentine.😊
That’s great, I’ll have to give it a try!
Zest it is actually a solvent, which is why it works like turpentine
@@JamaHansonbrook it is made of orange zest and its totally non-toxic.
Thank you very much for the audio track in Brazilian Portuguese
It's cool right? It's not me though, it's actually a new feature that youtube is rolling out to all new videos.
I have so many questions. How does it affect drying time? Can you still use linseed oil in later layers? How does it affect brush cleaning?
Medium W gently speeds drying because it includes a water-soluble alkyd resin. We don't see any reason why traditional oils couldn;t be used on top of a touch-dry layer of paint modified with Medium W. 😃
I checked the painting a week later and it was already touch-dry, so I do think it sped up the drying time a bit (although sometimes my paintings do dry quickly anyway). I'll defer to blick on the linseed oil question. Regarding brush cleaning, when you mix the paint with the medium it becomes water-soluble, so I think you should be able to clean the brushes with water. However in my case, I wasn't using the medium for the later part of the painting, so I cleaned my brushes with solvent.
@christinakentart thank you! That's super helpful. Love your videos BTW. Keep up the awesomeness 👌
@@alexiacerwinskipierce8114 We agree, we always look forward to new @christinakentart videos!
I switched several years ago because of my wife. Im not a great painter but I don't see a lot of difference. And clean up is incredible
Thanks for sharing your experience, I’m glad to hear the switch worked well for you!
Hello! I am wondering if the medium w affected the drying time of your oil paint. Thank you for a great video.
Medium W typically does speed drying of oils, gently, because it includes a water-soluble alkyd resin.
Great question! I checked the painting about a week later, and it was already touch-dry, which is pretty normal for my paintings here in California. It’s possible it was dry even sooner, but I can’t say for sure.
@@Blick_Art Does it make it tackier? I noticed when I used WMO my painting seemed tackier and I even used Artisan thinner instead of water.
Also, can I used artisan mediums with traditional oil paints that are mixed Medium W?
@@lisalisa8486 Each company uses a different formulation, but since Medium W uses a water-soluble alkyd medium to support drying, tackiness shouldn't be a factor. As we can see in this excellent presentation, Medium W imparts a very nice workability with great brushability and flow, and the day's work should be dry to the touch in just a day or two.
Does the water affect the value of the mixture before and after it dries?
I noticed adding water made the mixtures look a bit lighter in value when mixing them on my palette, but the colors looked normal when I began painting.
I also read from Blick that it can lighten the value of the mixture when it is wet, but it goes back to the original value when dry.
@@christinakentart That's right, like other water-thinned paints, there is a light scattering effect which temporarily shifts colors lighter in value, but corrects when dry.
Hi Christina, I have used WMO for years (W&N and Cobra) I found adding water to thin paint makes the paint tacky, the only way I use water only in my cleaning process, brushes. To thin paint I use painting mediums made by the paint I use eg Cobra paint Cobra medium. No more tacky paint, I use Schmincke W when i'm mixing say old Holland non WMO paint with WMO
Awesome, thanks for the tips!
👏🖤
Hi! I don't think odorless mineral spirits should be considered completely non-toxic. The type of research needed to determine scientifically whether that's true typically involves a lot of animals - I don't like those toxicology studies, don't like hurting animals, and I'd rather listen to anecdotal reports from humans who have sensitive bodies. Some report symptoms even when using Gamsol and other mediums, which abated when they discontinued the use of Gamsol. I have years of experience behind me in the furniture finishing profession, in which I feel utterly dependent on heavily toxic chemicals - fortunately I have a VERY strong constitution, but when I started oil painting I vowed to never even try anything remotely toxic not even Gamsol. I won't even bring it into my studio. I don't want to find out that I like using Gamsol and must make an excuse to continue. I'm like a former junkie :) and I've found my own way with oils. That said I truly appreciate your suggestions on this new medium, BUUUT (knowing what I know) I would suggest never trapping water underneath oils... I think we should dry our water-modified underpaintings very thoroughly before going over with true oil paint. Plus, what a lovely scene you're painting and I SO enjoy watching you paint!
Thank you! I agree, I think some people confuse the term “odorless” with “non-toxic,” but this is not true. OMS still release toxic vapors and should be used in a well-ventilated area. And personally, I can still smell an odor, so I don’t know why they call them odorless!
Regarding painting over the layer with water in it, that’s a great point, I’ll share more if I notice issues with the painting as it dries.
The safety data sheet for these "safer" solvents says it all.
The local workers health and safety advise us to avoid odorless solvents or to add a bad smell to them to act as a warning.
Ps, thanks for the video. Beautiful painting.
Good insights! We feel extremely fortunate for products like Medium W and other water-miscible oils which allow artists to continue oil painting despite health issues or classroom and studio restrictions. Artist-grade, low-odor mineral spirits is not associated with allergy-like sensitivity produced by long-term exposure to turpentine, so for some artists it is a useful replacement with lower combustibility. Artists definitely need to pay attention to the required package indications for safe use and storage.
❤
Sorry, may I use this product also with waterbased oil paintings?
Yes, if you mix traditional oils with this medium, they will be compatible with water-mixable oils.
Solvents aren't essential for oil painting. Some painters don't use any or mediums either, simply painting directly with the paint from the tube..(eg Scott Waddell also on RUclips), or maybe just a little linseed oil. Brushes can also be cleaned with linseed oil and soap. You could also produce a thin lay in using diluted acrylic paint or alternatively you could thin oil paint with an emulsion such as the one Louis Velasquez has suggested in his book"Oil painting lessons with Rembrandt and Calcite sun oil" . It would appear that Van Eyck and Rembrandt used some sort of emulsion that involved egg in their paintings.
So true! These are great alternatives, thanks for sharing!
Sounds wonderful! Hope it can't affect the archival durability of the painting in any negative way?
Great question! According to Blick, there isn’t any evidence of a negative impact on the archival durability, however this medium and water-mixable oils in general are still relatively new, so the science is still developing.
@@christinakentart Our understanding is that there is no reason to anticipate any destructive effect on the paint from modifying it for water miscibility. We've read that conservation scientists anticipate there may be a need for them to develop treatments specific to artwork made in this medium, but that's been true of every new material as it reaches antique age.
I paint with water mixable oil paints, it is best NOT to use water in the painting process, or at least only a tiny bit for a thin first layer/under drawing. Cobra and Holbein Aqua Duo are very good brand choices, Winsor & Newton less so, but the thinner that Winsor & Newton make specifically for use with water mixable oils is very good, and much better than using water. I only use water for clean up with soap. There are many mediums now available for use with water mixable oils, eg. faster drying mediums, and water mixable linseed oils, and more.
I also use them. W&N, Cobra (which I love the most), and a few Aqua Duos. There has been a lot of confusion on whether you can use water to thin the paint, or if you should only use it for clean-up. Royal Talens has several videos about Cobra, showing how to thin and paint with them using water. As long as you've got thicker layers over the thin, there's no problem with adhesion. I use W&N's water miscible linseed in later layers, and it does work well but I'm not a fan of their wm paint either.
Awesome, thanks for all the tips!
@@Catbooks Yes, I have watched the Royal Talen's videos where he uses water to thin the Cobra paints, and I experimented but didn't like the results or the way that the paint behaved following his method. So I looked into the various mediums made for wmo, and get much better results with them.
@@Honey_Badger_xx That's curious. For me they work the same way as in this video. Easy to thin, feel like traditional oils thinned with OMS. I wonder if the water makes a difference. Hard water over here.
I do use a few other wm mediums, depending on what I want to do. Usually just water to start, then water and wm linseed, and so on.
@@Catbooks Glad to hear they are working out for you. I love them.
I hope that this medium is the real deal! How long have painters been working with it? Cleaning brushes will be easier and there won't be toxic rags or paper towels to dispose of. Ok, time to watch.
I think it is pretty new, but I'm not sure when it first came out. Water-mixable oils themselves have only been around since the 1990's.
My new favorite Christina Kent painting! Beautiful colors and textures! Very informative video too. Your narration is very helpful and interesting.
I have one question about solvent-free painting. I see that most of the rendering in your piece is pretty much done with the knife. Why not just use only the knife for the entire painting? Then you can use your oils with the Schmincke medium or any kind of solvents. The knife cleans with just a wipe with a rag.
Thank you, I’m so glad you like it!
Regarding the painting technique, I like to use brushes to soften some of the sharp texture of the palette knife. And the solvent-free part for me is less about brush cleaning (it is possible to clean brushes without solvent) and more about the underpainting and first layer of color, which I usually apply with paint that has been thinned with solvent.
Really like this painting. As for the underpainting........why not just do the underpainting in acrylic paint. I would think the affect would be the same. And painting over acrylic paint is not an issue, since we already do that when we use acrylic gesso, which is white acrylic paint with a dust added.
So true! I just have oil paint, but if you have acrylic paint, that is a great solution as well.
@@christinakentart I bought a couple tubes......red oxide and white for under $20 at Michaels for laying in values. Part of the thought process, besides solvents, was why used my good oils when I am just laying in values, and they are going to be covered over by real color.
It depends on how you like to paint. Sometimes I do underpainting in acrylic, but they dry so you can't blend or mix anything with them, which you can do using this medium and oils, or other water miscible oils.
I have used water mixable oils and they are great...But its not a good idea to thin them with water, they go a tad weird. you can get mediums for these paints the same as oil oils... The only thing I found is the brushes are easier to clean under a tap with soap. Its a bit of a misleading term.
Oh, I didn’t realize that, how interesting! Thanks for the tips.
@christinakentart but then this was a couple of year back using the Cobra brand. Things do change rapidly in the art produce world..
I use Cobra and find they thin easily with water. Also have W&N, and they go weird and gummy unless you add some of the w-m linseed oil in. Because the linseed is adding more of the emulsion.
One of the only reasons I use Acrylics is because of the drying time. If it didn't take so long for Oils to dry I'd switch to Oils no problem. I paint and don't have a Studio where I can let paintings dry for 6 months.
Great point! The drying time can be a big issue. There are mediums that speed up the drying time, but many of these are quit toxic and not suitable for home studios IMO.
I do want to note that while the full drying process can take months, most of my oil paintings are touch-dry in 1-2 weeks.