If I was to get into oil painting, I knew there would be some "issues" to deal with. I've heard about mediums or thinners that have strong odors and could potentially be a fire hazard (e.g. using rags for clean up). My designated studio area is part of the living area in our house and it would be hard to ventilate/open windows in the middle of winter.
I did some research over the Internet and came up with a solution...Water Miscible Oils or WMOs. Also known as Water Mixable Oils. I won't be going into details about the chemical makeup of these oils, but I do want to mention that these oils are great to paint with and also easy to clean up. WMOs are made from modified binders and with the resulting formula there is no need to use turpentine or mineral spirits. They say you can mix water with these oil paints, but I prefer not to. Instead I use the modified Linseed oil or Thinner from the same manufacturer for the WMOs. No harmful fumes to deal with. The WMOs handles and paints just like traditional oil paints.
I am currently using Winsor and Newton's Artisan WMOs. Some artists say these are student grade paints while others consider them to be close to artist grade. I've seen reference to being economically priced...which they are. I bought a set of these at Michael's to try out. Thank goodness for coupons. The set came with basic colors. I've learned to use the three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and then mix them to create the other colors. I also purchased the Artisan Thinner. I'm glad I did. I have found certain colors to be quite stiff right out of the tubes. Mixing the stiff paint with a bit of thinner creates a creamier mixture.
The Artisan paint colors that are stiff out of the tubes are: Titanium white, Zinc white, and Lemon Yellow. Typically when I mix another color that is creamy with the stiff paint, the mixture becomes creamy as well.
They dry to the touch within 2 to 12 days depending on the colors used.
As I mentioned before, clean up is really easy. I use Palmolive Clear dishwashing soap to clean my brushes and my acrylic palette and rinse with warm water.
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| My well used W&N Artisan WMOs come in 40 colors (England) |
Another brand of WMO is Cobra by Royal Talens, recently introduced in 2010. I purchased a set on sale. I've heard these are artist grade paints and are consistently creamy out of the tubes. They are probably in the mid-range as far as price.
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| Cobra by Royal Talens in 70 colors (Dutch) |
Here is the most expensive WMOs...Holbien Duo Aqua Oils. To my surprise, I found these at my local art shop. I first saw them online and have found many artists love using the Holbiens. They are considered artist/professional grade paints with high pigment content. Out of the tube, I've read they are buttery and consistent. They dry in about 24 hours. I really believe that depends on the colors used and if mixed with modified linseed oil. I think it would dry a bit longer than advertised. I couldn't resist picking up a few tubes to try. It doesn't hurt to try, right?
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| Holbien Duo Aqua Oils available in 80 colors (Japan) |
Now, for the not so expensive paints, I present Lukas Berlin. Dries to touch in 2 to 4 days. I've heard mixed reviews as to whether they are student or artist grade paints. They have a buttery texture consistently out of the tube. For the price, I have to give them a try. As far as availability, I've found these at Jerry's Artarama.
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| Lukas Berlin WMOs available in 30 colors (Germany) |
I will be updating this post from time to time as I start to use these brands of WMOs and provide comments, likes, dislikes, and recommendations.
