Happy New Year!!!!!

[Faisal Tariq]

Hello All,

I have been painting in Water Soluble Oil (WSO) for a while.  However I have started experimenting with Traditional Oil (TO) and it is a lot easier to use than the WSO.  The TO does not fall apart when thinning with Turps/spirits.  WSO tends to loose it's sticking power to the canvas if you over use the water so you have to learn to throttle it better.  Also, the type of surface seems to matter less with TO (it may just be me).  If you use the cheaper kind of WSO, it becomes very gummy with water.  Therefore anyone new to the wet medium should stay away from WSO and use the TO for a while and then switch to WSO.  The painting below was done using both WSO and TO, mixed and matched but used Gamsol as the solvent for both (no water).  

(I am still learning to take a good photograph of painting.  Still experimenting).

[Faisal Tariq]

Thanks Silvana... for the suggestion.  I did not know this... :)

[Silvana M Albano]

Hi Faisal! I have just seen this pic! And mind you, I am quite a lot around , trying to learn whenever I can. I cannot help you, as I am just a beginner, but I think that you should upload you paintings where +add is written... in that way, more people will see it! Not everybody looks at the discussions, and if you add it as a photo, everybody will!

[Faisal Tariq]

Thanks Linda for the comment.  It is truly appreciated.  I love how you pointed out the darkening of the center.  I agree 100%.  I wish more people would comment, just a blurb.  I want to grow and the only way to do that is to have comment like yours.  Once again thanks… :)

Faisal

[Linda Hearn]

This is a lovely painting, Faisal; there is good eye movement.  The only comment would be to have a somewhat darker spot at the heart of the rose so that it becomes the focal point. ( You might experiment -- cover with clear food wrap and put a small spot where the center of the rose is to see what happens-- if the painting is dry)  The red vase is beautiful.  I use traditional oils and clean brushes with Dawn dish soap.  I've read where some artists use straight tube color with no medium, or if the tube is too thick they add oil to make it creamy.  Is there a reason you use WSO?  I think Richard has a post about photographing your art.  Keep up the good work.

[Faisal Tariq]

Thanks Lisa,  I have used medium exclusively before, but the problem is that if I need something really diluted then I can't get that with medium as it gets very very oily and the paint separates from the oil?  Don't you see that happening to you?

Thanks Faisal

[Lisa]

Love your rose painting, BTW.

[Lisa]

I have been using M Graham oil paints as well as Cobra oil paints with no problems. However, I do not tend to thin out my paint ever with water. Try just using safflower oil or M Graham walnut oil as a thinner. It is better that way, and I also use other brands of oil paints from Old Holland to Michael Harding paints all crossed over with no problems. I find that the Windsor & Newton WSO does not have a great buttery consistency, either.