Let me tell you a story.

A young girl of about 14 was excited one night. She had just been told that, for christmas, she would get to make the 45 minute trek to Iowa City, where Blick's is located. She goes, and aside from the usual canvas, acrylics, pencils, and sculpey - she gets oil paints. Now, this girl has never used oils before. She figured it was time to learn now the she could finally afford them. At home, sitting with her paint, linseed oil, and solvent, she is stumped. How much oil does she use? How much solvent? Is she doing it right? The brushes aren't cleaning out! Oh, no - it's smudging!

Please, please help. I used a 5X7 of canvas board and did a little painting of a sunset with a tree... last week. And it's still not all the way dry. I need tips - how much oil/solvent? I tried cleaning out the brushes with solvent but I don't want to waste it and it's not working well. What are the risks of not priming (watercolor) paper if I decide to use it instead of canvas? I looked these things up on google but I couldn't find a lot and I'd really rather hear it from one of you guys.

I think it would be a lovely idea to include lessons on working with certain mediums. I'm an acrylic girl but I'd really like to start using oils.

I think I can offer advice to two of your questions.

To the problem of the slovent not getting your brushes clean. I realize it is a lot of truble but if you have a limited selection of brushes I suggest washing the brush with warm water and Ivory soap before using it to mix another color. If you have more than one brush that the same size use different brushes for different colors. This will cut down on how many times you will have to clean your brushes.

To the question of how much solvent to use. I recomend that you do not use pure solvent to thin oil paint. I use a medium. I mix my own. I use 1/2 mineral spirits and 1/2 boiled lindseed oil. I use this as a medium to thing my paint. I use just enough to create the desired texture. If if want a smooth surface, like in a clear sky i use more. It i want a rough texture, like rocks or leaves, i do not use medium.

I'm not sure I understood what you was asking about the water color paper but i wouldn't recommend using water color paper with oil paints.

I hope this helps. If not feel free to ask more questions.

BRB.

Thank you, that helped a lot.

By the watercolor paper - I mean that I have limited canvas boards and I was just wondering about paper.

=)

Oil paints need to be on stretched canvas or some type of hard board. They are flexible for many years but they will begin to crack if bent. Also, the surface needs to be primed. That is why a canvas is primed. If you use masonite or paneling they need to be primed also with Gesso or an acylic primer. Oils will dull quickly if the surface is not primed.

You can paint with oils over acrylic paint, but never put acrilic over oil paints.

BRB.

As to the question of the paper, you will notice that the oils dry very fast, and they will be somewhat powdery. I have used some odd things out of sheer laziness, and I would guess that the watercolor paper is going to react about like the unprimed illustration board that I have used in the past.

If cost is an issue and you want to work more with the sketchbook idea, I would suggest getting some cheap primer for painting inside walls and priming some cardboard. If you have a Sams Club, or Costco where you live you can get some good free 3 foot square cardboard to use, you only need to cut it and prime it. I suggest cutting it first so that it won't warp so much when you prime it. (I use primed cardboard for my students and although it isn't perfect, if cost is an issue it works wonders!)

Otherwise I would suggest going to the local hardware store and getting some masonite. A 4'X5' sheet will cost about $12, I would still suggest preparing the surface with gesso or primer still however.

Canvas boards are okay, but nothing beats a stretched canvas (you can pick those up at your local art store fairly cheap.) Oils dry very slow, especially compared to Acrylics. Especially certain colors, such as red from my experience. I began in Acyrlics and switched to oils for the reason of them drying more slowly - it gives you more control over blending I feel anyway. Bob Ross mastered the whole wet on wet blending type of theory for his sceneries - his books are very helpful I think, especially for beginners in oil painting!!!