Advice for oil paints

[Pup7309]

Does anybody have a recommendation for oil paints. Brands, dilutants, retarders etc. 

Do they need to be sealed before painting over? etc.

 

Thanks!

[Landrotten Highlander]

I have been using oil paints for figure-painting for a long time an there are a number of things to consider.

 

First: oils tend to need a  relatively long period to dry completely - this is heavily dependant on layer thickness (the thicker the layer, the longer the drying time) and colour (some colours are more 'oily' than others).  Many of my figures are dry to the touch after one or two days of drying (I am using a drying chamber and paint in very thin layers - as in paint a layer, then using a dry brush remove as much of the paint as possible) so I can paint another layer on top, but that does not mean that the oil is completely dry - which means It may not be wise to 'seal' it in by means of varnish as the oil cannot evaporate anymore and stays within the paint layer.

 

Second: the student version of any brand usually has fewer pigments (that which provides the colour) and a much higher percentage of carrier (in this case natural oil as in plant oil).  It is possible to remove as much of the oil as possible by letting it 'leak out' as follows: place a small amount of oil on a piece of cardboard (any cardboard will do, I use pizza boxes - the ones that are frozen, not the ones that come from a pizza delivery company such as Pizza Hut - but cereal boxes will do just as well).  Leaving the paint on that surface for at least 15 minutes before using it. - but the longer you leave it, the less oil will be in the paint, the more difficult it will be to paint surfaces as the paint will not 'flow' from your brush.

 

I have used mostly Winsor and Thalens as brands, and have found that colours such as lamp black, titanium white, raw umber, raw sienna, burnt umber and burnt sienna have a low percentage of oil compared with for instance 'Prussian Blue' (very oily stuff, dries with a sheen if not used with care).  To use as a wash on plastic kits (non-figures) I mix the oil paint with turpentine substitute (cheaper than the real artist turpentine, which I use for my figures).  I do not think this is a major issue with the washes, but for historical subjects in my figure painting I try not to dilute my oils at all, as they tend to show some erratic behaviour - mostly altering the exact colour shade I am after, or drying with a sheen where without thinner I have a completely matt finish.

 

Hope this helps.

[Pup7309]

Thankyou so much for your reply Highlander!

When you say turpentine substitute do you mean just plain old turps rather than the real artist turpentine ?

I mainly want to use oils for washes- engines, interiors and blended weathering on WW1 a/c canvas and metal.

Thanks again:D

[Greif8]

3 hours ago, Pup7309 said:

Thankyou so much for your reply Highlander!

When you say turpentine substitute do you mean just plain old turps rather than the real artist turpentine ?

I mainly want to use oils for washes- engines, interiors and blended weathering on WW1 a/c canvas and metal.

Thanks again:D

 

Hi Pup, a turpentine substitute would be mineral spirits, called white spirits in Europe.  Another would be terpenoid.   Like Highlander I use oils to paint figures and as he noted in his post oils should be thinned - in the rare cases thinning is required - using a good artist's turpentine to avoid potential issues with the oil paint.  As you only want to use oils for washes and some blending, you can use the above thinners with no worries.  I use AK Interactive's oil thinner, it is pricy compared to a mass produced white spirit but a bottle lasts a very long time and I have never had any issues using it; and I do occasionally use oils for washes.  

I use Winsor and Newton oils; again a bit pricier than other choices but a tube will last a lifetime and the pigments are extremely fine.  They thin very well for making washes as a result.

 

Ernest