Painting advice required

[Tanya]

So, I need advice. I find it hard to blend when painting. The paint dries too fast for me to really do what I want to (especially when working on a larger scale). Now, what I want to know is:

Is there a medium I can get to mix in to my acrylics that slows drying, which will help?

Failing that, should I try my hand at oils?

Discuss. If you're able to answer the question, please try to elaborate on what you have to say rather than just saying "do this". The more information you can give, the better it will be.

Thanks.
_________________

[Jedi_Amara]

This page has a bunch of details on how you might be able to slow the drying without needing to add anything (mostly environment and stuff). But you can get retardants to mix into the paints that slow the drying, art stores should have them - try Riot or Lincraft maybe?
_________________

Games I'm after | Play-Asia link
MY PSP IS NOT PINK! - now with added blog

[Tanya]

Are you well versed in this, Amara? If so, are there any pros and cons you have personally come across for either retardants or oils?
_________________

[Jedi_Amara]

I'm not a painter myself, but I could ask around my friends if you like! That said, perhaps it'd be worth getting some of each and try them out to see which you like better? I do that a lot with pencils.
_________________

Games I'm after | Play-Asia link
MY PSP IS NOT PINK! - now with added blog

[Tanya]

If you could ask your friends if they have any pros/cons over each, that would be awesome!

I would like to try both out, but oils are pretty expensive, and I don't want to sink a bunch of money only to end up hating it.
_________________

[Jedi_Amara]

Are there any short courses or community art centres near you or something, where you might be able to try oils (more) cheaply? I'll definitely ask my friends for you
_________________

Games I'm after | Play-Asia link
MY PSP IS NOT PINK! - now with added blog

[Mick Saige]

Ahoy there, are you talking about the paints on the palette or paints on the canvas?

I more or less ONLY paint in acrylics… I am also not a very delicate painter so I tend just to splash and dash when I’m at work.

That being said acrylic paint responds really well to water, not so much that it dilutes; that being said if you dip your paintbrush in water before you dip it in the dollop of paint, the moisture stops it drying out so quick, as an added bonus it also gives a smoother stroke.

If your blending on the canvas your somewhat in trouble as acrylic paint more or less begins the drying process on contact. The secret is more or less to load your brush up with a lot of moisture and to work somewhat quickly in spaces you want to blend on canvas.

Also if your painting using different colors, it can help to have a few different palette’s around. I just use plastic lids and etc, granted say you keep all your red’s, oranges, browns on one… whilst say you are painting a sky, put glad wrap over the top of the palette your not using… If you can stop acrylic paint from being able to dehydrate you more or less stop it from setting. Spraying a fine mist of water over it to keep it damp is also a great way to prolong paint life.

Which is good if you have mixed up some shades you need to keep constant.

If your looking at having more control with your paints, oil is probably the best place to go. Granted its more expensive and a little less user friendly than acrylics but its something really worth it once you get a handle on it.

So yeah, in short, I find the best way to handle acrylic paint is with water. The longer you can keep it wet, the longer you have the ability play with it.

Much like a women.

[döppelgangbang]

A transparent medium can work wonders with acrylics. Not only can it extend your paint, but with the right mix it can make it semi-opaque without it becoming too watery. This way you can overlay colours even if your undercoat has dried.

Just to be different, may I suggest you try using guache. You get the vibrancy of acrylics, but the paint is re-activated with water, even after drying on the canvas. Its a really forgiving medium and isn't as expensive as oils.

[Benza]

I only really paint in water colours and even if the paint is dried, the moisture on your brush wetens it up again and lets you blend.
_________________

[3mt]

I used to be an acrylic painter until I tried oils. Oils are a bit tricky to get used to at first, especially with all the blending and mixing, but you eventually get the hang of it. The thing about oils is that you get a lot of blending happening, so you can get a wide range of colours. Also, you can mix it a lot with linseed oil or methylated spirits to get a diluted or more runny substance that is perfect for painting the details in the painting that can be hard to do with just undiluted paints.
Another thing with oils is that since its made from oil, it takes months to dry. This lets you add or subtract detail from a painting long after you've painted it. But it also means that you have to be careful not to touch any part of the painting or else it'll smudge. Its not like acrylics or watercolours which will dry in one night.
I like oils because I feel that there is a special glow to oil paints. The oils add a transparency to the painting, and its mixing properties are unparalleled. I feel that I can do more with oil paints.
I feel that painting with oils requires a bit of dedication. Its not really a one-off thing because you have to wait months for the painting to dry. This also makes it a bit more special when I paint with it.

So if you want to paint with oils, make sure you have three things handy: Oil paints, linseed oil and methylated spirits. With these three things, you're set to take on the canvas.
_________________

[Tanya]

Is there any way to speed up the drying process with oils? I really have no idea about them, hey.

Thanks for all your help, guys!
_________________

[3mt]

I've heard that there are drying mediums that you can mix with the oil paints, but I haven't used them before. I would also think that mixing oils with methylated spirits would dry it faster.
_________________

[Tanya]

So the image in my head of me holding a hair dryer up to the painting isn't realistic?
_________________

[3mt]

Well, thats what I used to do, but you'd have to be careful you don't burn the painting. I don't suppose this would be best for the painting though. Thinning the paints with methylated spirits will make the paints more watery, while thinning them with oils will retain the colour, but lets you mix it better.
_________________

[Jedi_Amara]

Oils don't dry by evaporation, so a hairdryer wouldn't help much (it might speed up the reaction a bit, but it would still be slow). It's a chemical reaction with the oxygen in the air. If you want them to dry more quickly, you'd probably have to stick with painting in very thin layers.
_________________

Games I'm after | Play-Asia link
MY PSP IS NOT PINK! - now with added blog