by C Song

Created on: May 29, 2010

                Countless generations of artists have prized oil paints for their unique slow-drying properties, spreadability, and depth of color. But there are significant, even dangerous, drawbacks to working with oil paints; Turpentine, mineral spirits, and other oil paint solvents not only smell unpleasant, but can also cause headaches, allergic reactions, and other health issues. For these reasons, more and more artists have eschewed the traditional oil paint for water soluble oil paint, which (as its name suggests) uses water as a solvent instead. In addition to safety benefits, water soluble paint is also more convenenient to use, as they clean up with just soap and water, and they still retain the same aesthetic properties as traditional oil paint.

Most of the major art supply companies such as Grumbacher and Windsor Newton make artist and student quality water soluble oils. Decide on your price range. Artist quality lines are more expensive and better quality, but for the amateur painter, the cheaper student quality paints should suffice. You can also opt to buy a set of paints at once, or purchase the colors you will need by the tube. As far as which brand is the “best”, it really depends on your personal preference. Each brand varies in the paint body (thickness) and colors available. In order to find the brand that suits you best, you’ll have to try them for yourself.

Artists go about painting with water soluble paints just about the same as they would with traditional oil paints. To get started with the oil painting process, first prepare your surface, whether it’s masonite, canvas, or something else. A few coats of acrylic gesso provides a good base for your oil paints. Then you can let your creative juices flow and begin creating. You could do a quick underpainting with light washes or a charcoal preliminary sketch on the painting surface, just a guide for your work in progress. Toning your canvas by blocking in light and dark areas with one or two colors is also a good starting step. the color you should use depends on whatever mood you intend for the work. For example, if you desire a warmer toned painting, use washes of yellow ochre, reds, and browns.

After the preliminary steps, begin painting! There are many styles you could try. Experiment with using different amounts of solvent to produce different effects. Little to no solvent gives you a

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