Oil Painting Links

by Scott Burdick

What you want to look for in getting florescent studio lighting is something between 5000 - 5500 Kelvin. Degrees Kelvin is the temperature of the light and determines it’s color. 3200 Kelvin is tungsten light and 5000 — 5500 is equivalent to north light. I use Sylvania 5000 myself and have also used Vita Light, though those are about twice the price. You can even shoot with daylight film under such lights since they are the same as daylight. In our studios, we have north light windows as well as the daylight balanced florescent lights so the light is consistent under all weather conditions as well as at night.

Works of art, whether we are aware of it or not, are almost always long term investments – if they can withstand the rigors of being on display in your apartment, office building or anywhere else. Paintings – oil, water color, acrylic, or any other medium –are composed of various other elements such as varnish, glue, canvas, wood, metal, plaster and other materials. Any painting is a composite and complex structure that can easily be damaged. The various elements that make up an art work are sensitive and are affected by the environment – light, humidity, heat, smoke, and microscopic dirt.

How well your prized painting survives depends on:

• Keeping it in a friendly environment
• Proper handling, and display

Choose the best place to hang your painting. Make sure you put your painting in a place that is well ventilated, away from direct sunlight or heat source. The materials that make up a painting respond to changes in humidity and temperature by expanding or contracting. If changes in relative humidity vary within a short period of time where you hang your painting, it will be subjected to undue stress resulting in canvas tears, paint flaking off or cracking.

How to deal with problems

If you wake up one morning and discover tears, punctures, holes, bulges, torn canvas edges, warps and cracks in the wood frame, loose or flaking paint, mould or mildew on painting, don’t panic. Here’s what you should do :

• Save any pieces that have fallen off, however small and keep them in a zip-lock bag (they can nearly always be put back on).
• Never attempt to repair or clean the painting yourself, you may do more damage. Call the place from where you bought the painting, tell them the situation and ask for professional help.

What to do if you need to move a painting

Plan your relocation ahead of time to avoid unnecessary damages. Moving your painting from one place to another makes it susceptible to damage but if you do have to relocate it take note of the following:

• Make sure your hands are very clean and dry.
• Check that the painting is securely fitted into frame.
• Carry your painting facing towards your body; if it is heavy always have somebody to assist you.
• After you take it down from the wall, put it down on the floor and rest it facing the wall away from human or pet traffic.

You paid well-earned money for your painting, it is only proper that you exercise utmost care when it is in your possession already.

There is nothing more enjoyable than to lose yourself in a beautiful oil painting that you are creating as you allow it to take you into another time or expresses emotions that hide deep within you. But, if you are allergic to or can’t stand the smell of the oil paint your experience won’t be that pleasant.
There is now another alternative for the smell and the clean-up that is inherent when painting with oil paints. Water-soluble oil paints don’t have the irritating odor and they clean up with soap and water. The concept is similar to the egg and oil tempera paint but the molecular structure has been altered so that the oil can be mixed with water (who says oil and water don’t mix).
Some artists are skeptical and still prefer the traditional oil paint. Many say that the water-soluble oil paints aren’t as good and misses the mark when the artist wants the traditional oil painting look. Others say there is no difference except in the clean up and can produce a painting that is just as beautiful with either medium.

Definition

So what exactly are water-soluble oil paints? They are made from the same pigments and linseed oil as regular oil paint but they are water-miscible and they dry faster than traditional oil paint.

Uses

Water-soluble oil paint can be used just like oil paints. It can be thickly applied as when using the impasto technique with the brushstrokes being retained just as with regular oil or thinly applied as when using watercolors and it doesn’t bleed into the other colors when applied. When thinning water-soluble oils with water mix up the color you want first then add the water rather than adding the water to the pigment until the color you want appears. The color will get darker as it dries so it’s important to be aware of this (Willard, 1998).

Some brands can be mixed with oil up to a 70:30 ratio to retain it’s water soluble value, but other manufacturers warn the artist not to mix the water-soluble oil with traditional oil paints. Therefore, it is very important to check with the manufacturers’ directions to determine if the water-soluble paint you are using is the type that can be mixed with the tradition oil. There are certain formulas that can be used for each method.

Water-soluble oil paint dries faster than oil; usually within 24 hours at which time, if the artists chooses, it can also be applied on top of the layer that is already dried. Thick layers typically dry about four times faster than standard oil paints. Varnish can be applied usually after 6 months.

Longevity

Because water-soluble oils have not been around too long it’s difficult to determine from experience how long the finished product will last with this medium. Whether the paintings will last as long as the Old Masters paintings is yet to be seen. But even those have to be restored periodically.

Reference:

Willard, C. (May, 1998). Water-soluble oils. American Artist, v62 n670 p16(4).