The Showdown: Water vs. Linseed Oil vs. No Mediums with Water Mixable Oils!
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- čas přidán 7. 02. 2024
- Welcome to the ultimate art showdown! In this thrilling video, we're tackling a question that's been on every painter's mind: what's the best medium for water mixable oils? Is it water, classic linseed oil, or perhaps no medium at all? Join us as we put these three contenders to the test in a battle royale of paint consistency, saturation, and workability.
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Get ready for a showdown reminiscent of the classic western, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," as we dive deep into the pros and cons of each approach. Will water reign supreme with its accessibility and ease of use? Can linseed oil steal the show with its traditional charm and rich texture? Or will the wild card of no mediums prove to be the surprise champion?
Don't miss out on this epic showdown that's sure to leave you on the edge of your seat. 😄
Materials:
- Georgian water mixable oils: amzn.to/3SPHqfx
- Linseed oil: amzn.to/4bwhrkQ
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- Color Wheel: amzn.to/3HPYnzP
- Maimer Paints: amzn.to/3DZgFh1
- Rembrandt Oils: amzn.to/3IhJA2m
- Gamblin Artist Oil Colors Introductory Set: amzn.to/2sLyeQh
- Artists' Grade Gamsol Oil Color Size: 1 Liter: amzn.to/2tsbQve
- Oil & Acrylic Paint Brushes Set. 100% Natural Chungking: amzn.to/2QJPs8F
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- Brush Cleaner: amzn.to/2QoLN0R
- H-Frame Artist's Easel: amzn.to/2Fn2UtK
- Canvas panels for practice: amzn.to/2Fmuuax - Jak na to + styl
I think a more fair comparison is that between using a traditional solvent vs water as a solvent (e.g. for cleaning brushes, thinning for lean layers). The water replacement for turps is what makes the WMOs more attractive.
I use water mixable oils and I love them. I paint in my small apartment so I don't have to worry about the air circulation. I have never used anything else so I don't have a comparison. But I clean my brushes with soap and water. All-in-all I am happy with this medium.
Happy to hear that. More painters enjoying oils is a good thing.
Thank you. I too use linseed oil or mostly straight out of the tubes 99% of the time!
Yes, that is about right for me too.
Interesting video I tend to use water mixable straight from the tube also same for traditional oils unless putting a ground on canvas
Still the best approach for impressionist painting
Thank you for that experiment Malcolm, I agree with you about thinning the paint with water does not give as nice a texture as the linseed oil. When I started with water mixable oils I thought it would be ideal for washing my brushes without having to use turps. But now thanks to you I have discovered Zest It which has quite a pleasant smell and is non toxic, so I use it for cleaning brushes or thinning paint sometimes. I have also discovered that I can clean my brushes quite nicely with just sunflower oil, and a good paint soap once a week. when washing brushes in water with the water mixable oils every day did not make my brushes happy 😅 I also find the w-m oils a bit stiff and prefer regular oil paints. I still use what I have left of the w-m oils, mixed with normal oil paints I now buy and find no problems at all. Thanks so much for your videos! 😘
Yes there is nice variety of safe products these days - and we find our way 😄
Thank you for your practical, easy to follow and simples tips.
Very interesting! I use wmos to keep from annoying my husband with solvent odours in the house. I was thinking of trying oils with some of the odourless solvents but this seems a good intermediate step to try first, I may even have some linseed somewhere. It would be nice to get a better result without having to buy all new paint and solvents. Thanks for the video!
Go for it! You can have a solvent free studio no matter what oil paints you use.
There are some mediums specifically for water-miscible oil paints.
True, but are they value for money and really necessary? Is there one that you have good experiences with? I may be able to test it.
Hello Malcolm, This is what I've found with my water mixable paints. I use Windsor and Newton (WN) paints, WN water mixable linseed oil, and WN water mixable fast drying medium. I ONLY mix water in my paint for the quick sketch or for toning the canvas. The old fat-over-lean adage holds true and any paints that are thinned with water should never go over any paint from the tube or paint with linseed oil in it, even water mixable linseed oil, or the thinned down layer on top will crack. Mostly I use the fast drying water mixable medium in my paint (usually just the white) and go straight from the tube with everything else. I find I rarely need to add oil unless I'm glazing. Is this a value for the money? I'd say YES because my studio is turpentine free and clean up is super-fast. I dispose of the cleaning water in a small plastic tubby filled with sand to filter out any possible cadmium or other heavy metals. I've read that something like 20% of regular oils can be mixed with water mixable oils and they will retain the ability to mix with water. I've yet to try that. The thing I love, really, is the clean-up. Even using Turpenoid Natural (an orange oil based brush cleaner) was a bit more trouble than the water mixable paints. It did smell great, no turpentine smell and no fumes from regular Turpenoid, but thinning my paint with water for toning or sketching, then cleaning up just using water and a good brush soap just can't be beat in my opinion. @@MalcolmDewey
Thanks for sharing you process Sarah. It sounds efficient and that is ultimately what is most important.@@sarahkrank2590
@@MalcolmDewey water-mixable mediums are VERY expensive
@@NicolasConnault Yes agreed, rather buy more paint.
Thank you for the information, Malcolm. I have a dorland wax and some WMO paints mixed for impasto effect. I am currently experimenting on small projects so I am not sure of the outcome just yet in terms of: drying time and amount of wax to paint. At the moment, its all experimenting for me.
Thank you :)
Good subject Malcolm there was a question in the comunnity as well about watemixable oils.
From I what I understand off watermixable oilpaint is that there is an emusifier added to the oilpaint to get an emulsion when mix with water to paint with.
Which means you get less pigment for your money.
I very seldom use solvents maybe a thiny drop of linseed oli when the olipaint is very old and dry out of the tube.
I use a 100% organic liquid soap to clean my brushes.
Thank you for your demo!
Thats the word, "emulsified" oil. So many choices these days but costs are becoming a big factor especially if the products are imported. Simplicity is welcome 😊
Good info! Can you please elaborate on the liquid soap you use for your brushes? Thanks in advance.
@@babycakes9337 It's only available in the Netherlands. It's called Driehoek, Groene Zeep in a bottle. Malcolm has also a video on this subject, check it out! There must be more organic products out there like organic soap bars for instance in your country.
Thank you Malcolm to share your experience with us!Your demonstrations and your comments along are really helpful !
Sometimes I mix watermixable and normal oil paints with each other.Hope that there is nothing wrong?
They are both compatible especially working wet into wet.
Thank-you for this insight Malcolm, it is my favourite medium, I agree, no medium required except ofcourse when laying a coloured ground., I don't find them as luminous as ordinary oils but they are extremely versatile . Looking forward to the demo 😊
Absolutely, they are still good though. Not sure which brand will be my go-to though. Perhaps Cobra?
Ha, have been looking around for deals on Cobra. The range is greater than W &N. I believe quality is good too. I feel the mediums available for these paints is just marketing on a roll. ! @MalcolmDewey
Agreed on all points. Will keep a look out for sales too 😄@@user-ib7mp3vp6h
I really enjoy using Gamblin solvent-free gel with my water-mixable oils (I mostly paint with Royal Talens Cobra and Schmincke Norma Blue). Although it is not water-mixable itself, it does not affect the paint as you don’t need to mix too much in. There is also a similar gel from Sennelier (Green for Oil Gel Medium) which seems more available in German shops, I got a tube of it but didn’t find time to try it out. The biggest advantage for me that it’s not liquid, but it still makes the paint flow better, like linseed oil - while easier to transport and you can squeeze it on the palette next to the colors.
Schmincke also has a water mixable thinner medium in the Norma Blue line which I prefer over water for sketching and the thinner layers. I was a bit skeptical after trying the W&N Artisan solvent (that one is like smelly water, I didn’t see much difference) but it thins the paint very nicely without making it too runny. It is a bit pricey, of course, but as people like to say, a little goes a long way, and for large areas you can just use water to keep the cost down. :-)
Thanks for the info - is the Cobra paint soft out the tube like Rembrandt for example?
@@MalcolmDewey I can’t tell as I never used traditional oils but they are much softer than the other brands I tried (Norma Blue, WN Artisan, Daniel Smith water-mixable oils) - with Cobra you don’t really need any medium, I mostly use it to stretch out more expensive colors :-) The Norma Blue and Daniel Smith are much thicker but you don’t necessarily need any medium, I use it by preference rather than need. From WN Artisan I only have a tube of burnt umber, but for me it is too sticky to use it out of the tube
Sounds good, thank you@
Hi,I too use Cobra water mixable oils but never thought the Gambling gel would work with it. How much of the gel do you use and when exactly? Thx
Thanks Malcolm for this , I see the difference when using water. Thx
Do you use the water like turpentine for scrubbing in a thin first layer? I’ve switched from oils to entirely water based media and this might send me back to oils again.
No not in this case. I would still dilute with a little oil, but that is my habit. You could use water to get the scrub in done though. Yes I can reccommend water mixables if you are on the fence about oils. The end result is worth it.
Thank you for the information. One question with linseed oil how long does it dry?
Drying times vary according to climatic conditions and thickness of paint. Having said that the little amount of linseed oil added does not make any significant change to drying time.
👍👍👍
What is the best way to clean my synthetic brushes, when using water mixable oils with refined linseed oil? Thanks! Becky Russell
Just a little dishwashing liquid, massage that into the bristles and rinse in warm water. Wipe off excess water and let them dry upright.
The only major problem I had with WMOs was a sort of matte finish (even without using water as a 'solvent'), did you find this? I wonder would varnishing a WMO painting give similar results to standard oils?
Yes a coat of retouch varnish will solve this.
Jeg har malt en stund med vannbasert oljemaling. Bruker vann bare med første strøk om mulig tre tilsammen. Senere bare med olje.. Det går fint å vaske penslene i vann og såpe etterpå..Siden jeg bare maler i stua er vannbasert maling supert for ,og er luktefritt..
That sounds like a good approach
Can you still clean up with water after adding the amount of oil shown in your demo? Thanks!
You would need a little soap with the water. I first work into the bristles with some soap, like dishwashing liquid, and then rinse well with water.
@@MalcolmDewey Thanks! I didn't know I could add a little oil and still be able to do that! :) I'm very happy to know that!
Nah just looking at it... Water mixables are a downgrade.
Thanks for the video Malcolm. I'm new to painting and I don't want to use toxic solvents.
I've been using oils straight from the tube but they were a little stiff to work with. Adding some linseed oil helped. I was wondering if it would make sense to use WMOs thinned with some water for a first layer - laying down a wash / toning the surface while respecting fat over lean?
I was also curious how a mix of blue and yellow without any medium would have compared to your mixes with linseed oil and water.
I think I heard somewhere that water initially changes the colour of WMOs but once dried, this effect disappears.
I'm looking forward to your next video.
Yes you can use a little water for the thin scrub in stage.
Good question - I did try that later when painting and there is no noticeable difference to the oil mix. It seems you have to be quite careful with the water until you get your bearings (if you are used to linseed that is)
I'm not sure about the color depth changing when dry - I must monitor that.
Thanks for your comments ✅
@@MalcolmDewey Thanks Malcolm ... will be careful using water.