Knowledge List of Oil Painting

Painting With Water Soluble or Water Mixable Oils

from:portraityourlife

oil protrail purists may shudder at the thought, but water soluble oils are here to stay, not least because it enables people allergic to solvents to use oils. But what are water soluble oils like to use compared with traditional oils? What are water soluble oils like to use? Find out with these first-hand accounts from various artists who use water soluble oils.
Reasons for Using Water Soluble Oils
I have been working with water-based painting from the photo for a few years now. Because my studio is within my house, I wanted to find something that didn't smell of turps. I have worked with acrylics also, but on certain pictures I do not like that flat look they sometimes give a painting. -- Pauline Dickerson
What’s the Difference Between Water Soluble Oils and Arylics?
Water soluble oils are water mixable, not water based. Big difference. They are real oils with two ways (that I know of) of making them. One is to add detergent to oils to allow the water and oils to get along with one another, the other way involves using different ingredients. -- Michael9
The main difference is drying time; acrylics dry very rapidly and give relatively little working time, whereas water soluble oils dry more slowly, like traditional oils, giving you more working time. – Agatha210
The Protect pet portrait of the water soluble photos into painting is very similar to oil based paints. They seem to give you excellent depth of copy point. You can use the same medium as you would with oils. Or you can use water, each can give you a variety of looks. The spread ability and colours remain the same.-- Pauline Dickerson
Cleaning Up Water Soluble Oils
Water soluble oils are a lot easier to clean up after. – Starrpoint
I especially enjoy the ease of cleaning the brushes when using water soluble oils, no more of that stubborn colour on your hands, brushes or clothes, soap and water does the trick. -- Pauline Dickerson
You can clean your brushes with emulsion stuff, which removes the paint,then follow up with soap,and water. I have been doing that for a long time now,and it really works great. -- Robert Sadler
Drying Time of Water Soluble Oils
The drying time is similar to oils so you have time to work the image to your satisfaction. -- Pauline Dickerson
Drying time depends on what you use. I find if you use the water it dries a lot faster, if you use the oil it takes a little time and stays sticky until totally dry. -- Tootsiecat
The drying time of water soluble oils is not significantly faster then with traditional oils, but it is faster. Since I tend to work a long time on my painting, the long drying time of oils is not a problem for me. -- Starrpoint
I use Windsor and Newton, plus a few others as additions. Mine dry in about two to three days or a week. The most it's taken is two weeks. Thicker takes longer. With the fast drying medium available from Windsor and Newton I have had them dry in a shorter time. -- Michael9
Working With Water Soluble Oils
From what I remember from using standard oils there really is not that much of a difference between them and waterbased except the odour is much lower using water instead of turps. There is a slight odour from the paint but not as bad and clean up is a breeze, soap and water! They also have water soluble creation tone(linseed) which can be mixed with your oils. I like working with it and its much better for your health. Buy a small tube and try it you have nothing to lose. -- Tootsiecat
Water soluble oils do blend a little faster, which can be a problem when you are shading from light to dark. It take a little work to keep your shading distinct and gradual. I had a little trouble getting the depth of my paintings right, but I think it is more a matter of getting experience with these paints and then a problem with the media. Water soluble oils do seem a little thinner. I use sponges and rags sometimes, and the water soluble oils lend themselves to this very well. -- Starrpoint
You can get by with adding other paints and additives, but it's best to try it out first before you put it on a painting. The "allowable" ratio is about 25 per cent. Better to go under. I have mixed stuff for oil, acrylic, and watercolor with them with no ill affects. Classico Acqua states in their brochures that you can mix any thing with theirs. If you mix regular oils or their additives with them and go beyond the 25 per cent you lose the water-mixable qualities and they are then regular oils. -- Michael9
Colours available in Water Soluble Oils
I have noticed that some of the deeper colors, such as viridian green and colbalt blue seem a little more transparent then their oil-based counterparts. -- Starrpoint

Painting Self Portraits

from:portraityourlife

A photographer friend of mine had asked me: "Why is it that artists always seem to try self creation tone? I mean what's up with that? I have never tried to emulsion stuff myself in portrait ... largely because I know the results will be all to shockingly real! Maybe that’s why artists who paint are so keen to do themselves ... I suppose you can paint what you hope others see, and not what they actually do. Do you think that’s what you look like or is that what you hope others see? Excuse my art-philosophy for a second, but I've always copy point wondered about these things."
I told him that I painted self portraits because it meant I always had a classicality??available. And one who didn’t complain about the results when a painting session was over. Then I posted the question on the Painting Forum to find out what other artists thought. Here are some of the replies:
“If you cannot capture the essence of your own self, how are you to capture the essence of someone else?” -- Bridgetbrow
”You're always available to pose for yourself, and it's one way of keeping busy if you're not doing anything else. It's also a way of charting your progress in a way, to see how far you’ve come, if you have at all, from the last time you did one.” -- Taffetta
”I believe that in doing so you show the world how you perceive yourself. Some of the masters have actually been quite shocked at their finished work and have shocked the art world as well.” -- Annasteph
“Personally, I think I'm too darned ugly (hehe) to put on canvas. I'd rather paint oil protrail??beautiful. Just joking....but speaking of ugly....a lot of self-portraits are just that. It's a window to the soul. A perception, not necessarily a likeness, unless you're doing it to practice your skills.” -- Ruthie
“Self portraits are notoriously hard to sell. That being said, finding a (free) model is always difficult, unless you have very good or very narcissic friends! I always find that working from a mirror gives you a 'staring quality', so a closeup photo is a good reference to help with self portraiture when combined with mirrors” -- Moondoggy
“I really like to look at the self-portraits the great artists have done. I think, to paint oneself, is one of the harder painting from the photo??to do, especially if the painter is honest. I also think it should turn out to be the best piece one does, even if others do not agree with you. You know yourself best, after all. I suspect the hard part is in being honest, not dolling yourself up, nor dulling yourself down. If you can do it for yourself, you can do it for others.
I've done one self-portrait and everyone says it isn't me. I'm neither that old or that ugly... they could be right but I was down at the time feeling both old and ugly and it sure came out.” -- Tema
“I did [a self portrait] about six months ago and actually liked it. And it did look like me. … I think when I do the next one, I will try a different medium. … I want to try something different and push myself -- both in technique and perception of the subject matter. Make the next one a little edgier than the last.” -- Terry
”Where else can you get someone to look at for a long enough time so that you can figure out the basics of the eyes, nose, mouth, hair, etc. You can simply throw them away when you want and not feel bad about it. I got much better at portraits after doing this. Don't just do it once, though that would be better than none!” -- Mseunell
”For someone who really want to learn it's the best exercise, because when you draw someone that you know well it's often more difficult than draw a person that you don’t know at all. I recommend using a mirror and place a little spot of color to help you to look at the same direction after you look at your piece of paper.” -- Johanne Duchaine
”The most important reason is because the creative process is one of self discovery and realization and not just technical know-how. This makes painting a very introspective art form since one of the requirement for great art should be individuality and uniqueness of style, and although these are not the only strengths required, any serious artist who has held a paint brush in their hands will tell you they wish to paint their subject matter as no one else ever has before them.
There is a unique psychological thing that takes place when you look into your own eyes and face and paint your own portrait. Your own face suddenly becomes a mirror to your soul, the real you, and strange things happen as you paint. I would recommend it to anyone in pursuit of the prize, ‘know thyself’. Do it often, you will be amazed at what you discover about yourself.
The other obvious reason is that not every artist has access to or can afford good models, and any face is better than no face if you want to paint portraits.