Water-Mixable Oils vs Traditional Oil Paint Review & Techniques (HD)

[@kccobbart]

I use water-soluble linseed oil with water-mixable oils. It provides an experience identical to traditional oils. I find mixing with water ends up sticky. Also, with water-soluble linseed oil, the too-quick drying time problem is solved. And I can still wash my brushes with water.

[@sheshe355]

Katherine Cobb i

[@nicolalander6859]

Katherine Cobb .

[@nunziotrybuchowicz8306]

Katherine Cobb

[@jutta3378]

Thank you so much for demonstrating the two types of oil colour. The water mixable type would take the fear out of using oils for someone like me who has to paint in a small space and doesn't want the smell of turp hanging about. Brilliant video!

[@willkempartschool]

Glad it was helpful Jutta, enjoy

[@shereesienkiewicz]

Thank you, Will. You possess a rare blend of artistic skill, patience, and willingness to share. I and so many others appreciate you and what you do!

[@willkempartschool]

You're too kind Sheree, so pleased you found it helpful. Will

[@gimenaguillen7375]

Thank you for giving an objective look at water-soluble oils without a bias judgment. I have recently become interested in oil painting. I was reluctant to make the jump because of the clean-up. I had the wrong perception it would be tedious upkeep. The consistency of Cobra oils has made me change my mind toward the medium as a whole. I think sometimes we get caught up in our preferences, instead of our ultimate goal of painting things that will transcend our time here on earth. Cheers!

[@willkempartschool]

Glad it was helpful Gimena.

[@carlycharlesworth1497]

Thank you for this extremely informative video. I liked how you explained it so clearly and kept explaining what you were actually doing at each point. As a complete novice who has never used oil paints but who has been gifted both types of oil paints for learning with...I am hugely relieved to know the differences. As someone who only has a very small space to work in and who reacts badly to strong chemicals like turps, I can see the benefits of the water oil paints. I am grateful to you for taking the time to make this video for newbies like me. All the best to you.

[@willkempartschool]

My pleasure Carly, really pleased you found it helpful. Will

[@ellesnyder942]

I use water mixable oils but use walnut oil as a medium. That ends the issue of drying time differences for blending. Using water as a medium resulted in dullness. The bonus is the easy clean-up.

[@Jasmine_Shelby_art]

Yes. I agree with you. Watersoluble is mainly good to clean the tools, with water. I want for long to give a try, maybe next year.

[@alanbl99]

Thanks! The best comparative explanation I’ve listened to. Clear, concise, simple and to the point.

[@willkempartschool]

Glad it was helpful Alan.

[@jenniferhankinson1910]

Hey! This was great. I've been using the water soluble oil paints for over two years and find them fantastic. Some brands and colors are better than others. I find the Aqua Duo Holbein to perform the best overall. Simmons has some good ones as well. You simply can't beat the soap and water clean up! Thanks again. - Jennifer

[@willkempartschool]

Pleased you've been enjoying them Jennifer and thanks for the note on the Simmons brand. Cheers, Will

[@misslori66]

I only use water with my Cobra water mixable oils when I want to paint my underpainting. Other than that I always use a medium with my paint.

[@PaulaActeson]

Thanks so much for posting this. I was curious about the water mixable oils, but really wasn't sure they were 'as good' as regular oils. Very much appreciate this and always enjoy how thorough you are in providing information and instruction.

[@willkempartschool]

Thanks Paula, hope it helps with your decision about the differences between the two. Cheers, Will

[@suzannedesylva3805]

This is a wonderful video. Calm, thorough, very suitable music in the background. What a nice change. Thank you

[@willkempartschool]

So pleased you enjoyed it Suzanne, Cheers, Will

[@karenspooner1492]

When you blended the light with dark smudged with traditional oils , my heart sang❤️

[@willkempartschool]

Pleased you enjoyed it Karen. Will

[@selfiopath1982]

Whenever I look up for some painting tips online, I end up with Will Kemp's videos or articles )) That's the reason I bought your Absolute Beginners drawing course. It was very useful, academic, old master's kind of basis... I think I'm not going to stop at that ))) Thank you so much!

[@willkempartschool]

That's great to hear, so pleased you enjoyed the beginners drawing course. Cheers, Will

[@user-yp7vf5lo8h]

This is so pack full of information!I have been wanting to try walnut alkyd and water mixable oil for a while. Thank you so much for showing the comparison. I have subscribed!

[@willkempartschool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gypsysnickerdoodle4354]

I imagine the smoking into the surface would be improved by using water mixable thinner, rather than just water. The nice thing about water mixable is that you GAIN the water-based watercolour effects, while retaining oil blending or impasto effects with water-mixable media

[@willkempartschool]

Yes, the W&N thinner is great

[@sheilatrunzo4423]

I have returned to oils after total immersion in acrylics, and am using Holbein's Duo Oils, which you use in your demo. Your video was helpful to me as I learn the subtleties and effects of the mediums. Your video is helpful to my learning curve. Thank you.

[@willkempartschool]

So pleased it helped Sheila, i've just posted a new article on the blog about water-mixable oils vs acrylics you might find of interest: willkempartschool.com/peonies-in-watermixable-oils/

[@kevingeaney7741]

Yes this did really help and cleared up lots of questions. Thank you.

[@willkempartschool]

So pleased it helped Kevin. Will

[@dorothyradley9391]

Thanks so much for this comparison video, Will. I have been thinking about going over to water based oils simply for the cleaning up of the brushes etc.. However, after watching this video, I have decided to stick with traditional oils. They might be messier to clean up but the results on canvas are better in my opinion. I am also using odourless thinner and Zest-It. I am grateful to you for doing this excellent comparison video.

[@willkempartschool]

Glad it helped Dorothy, zest-it can work really well. Will

[@conaughtgreen]

I have been dabbling with this medium for a short while now and have to say what a joy it was to see a DVD with proper details to many artists write books just to show their works with very little if any details of how to do it I was told that you can mix ordinary oil with water based but whats the point you still have to use turps or a solvent cleaner for brushes Thank you very much

[@willkempartschool]

Really pleased it helped. Will

[@vickicarol1733]

As always, your tutorial was very informative and your slow understandable voice makes is so pleasant to listen too. I have used the water cleanables oils a few times but wasn't sure what medium worked best. I will try yours and the linseed oil also.

[@willkempartschool]

Pleased it helped Vicki, Will

[@gadjoemi0722]

The best comparison video between water soluble abd traditional oil!!! I am finally about to start using oil paints after considering for a several years and it's always great to gain knowledge about it. I have a question about acrylic gesso on the canvas and how the traditional oil paints can actually adhere on "plastic" surface, you know what I mean? Thank you!

[@willkempartschool]

That's very kind of you to say so Emiko, if you're using traditional oils on top of an acrylic ground you just need to make sure you dilute the acrylics slightly with water so the oil will adhere on, but yes, if the paint underneath is too thick is won't adhere to the surface as well. Cheers, Will

[@gadjoemi0722]

willkempartschool Your answer is the most comprehensive one!! Thank you! You are an amazing teacher as well as an amazing artist!!!

[@janinacooper4199]

Great to see a direct comparison. Very helpful video. Also the use of medium is great to see. I would really prefer getting into traditional oils, but I’m outrageously sensitive to chemicals, so I ordered a few tubes of the Daniel Smith water mixable oils for now. But I do prefer the looks of the traditional vs. water mixable.

[@willkempartschool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AntoDezigns]

Great tutorial. I will give my water based artisan paints a go.

[@lyntoncox7880]

Can something like Ox gall be used with the wm oils to help mixing? Second question- how opaque are the wm oils compared with acrylics? I find at least compared to oils that some usually opaque colours (in oils) turn out to be rather more transparent. Im just coming back to painting after quite some time. Back in the 60s and early seventies they were still using some now not recommended cadmium and lead based pigments. These tended to be nicely opaque. Nowadays replaced by “hurs” they seem more transparent. Back then of course there were some pigments like alizarin crimson, and a violet that were transparent and unless used very thickly were not much use except for mixing with opaque colours or as a glacis. Any comments you might have would be useful. A look at labels would be good too since they do have information on transparency etc- however that is only really a guide and using is the only way to find out.I suppose.

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Lynton, I personally haven't tried ox gall with water-mixable oils, its more commonly used as a wetting agent for watercolour painting. The colours aren't as opaque as acrylics, you will need more white to shift the colours hue. The transparency of the paint will often depend on the transparency of the pigment used. This would be the same in student or artist grade paints. Cheers, Will

[@mona2242]

Love your clear, no nonsense pedagogy. Now will water mixable oils adhere to an acrylic ground? Thank you

[@willkempartschool]

Yes, water-mixable oils will adhere to an acrylic ground.

[@dextraze13]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful video. I’ve learned a lot today. Blessings to you. Peace, b.Mark

[@willkempartschool]

Good one Mark, glad you found it helpful, i've just posted an article on watermixable oils willkempartschool.com/peonies-in-watermixable-oils/ you might find it of interest. Cheers, Will

[@AnaCornejoArt]

Thank you so much! This was so helpful :)

[@willkempartschool]

I'm so glad!

[@vpearson]

If I use a wood panel instead - would you do the same technique for the toned ground? I have some Ampersand Gessobord I'd like to use.

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Vanessa, nice to hear from you, the Ampersand GessoBord is pretty shiny, but can suit a smooth style of painting if you paint it on quite thick with the ground you can still use the same approach although it doesn't really suit the thin washes (I think they make an aquaboard? that would handle this better) as they tend to slide off the surface. You can try it best with a thicker paint application. Hope this helps, Will

[@Sapphire55gem]

Very interesting. Thank you for the valuable tips on water soluble oil paint! Would you please tell me what brushes you used in this tutorial

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Janice, if you click the 'show more' under the video there is a link to a full material list from the lesson

[@BeogradskiPlatan]

Great video, water-soluble linseed oil is my way with water-mixable Oils after background was covered with oil mixed with water only. I am using W&N Oils (W-mix) and experimenting with rather new product "100% Cotton ARCHES paper" (UK made). This paper wont bulge, absorbs water and smooth surface allows you to add fine details to your art. Does not need Gesso-priming before using it, portability and easy framing are there as well for traveling artists. Cotton paper does not "sink" and dull colour, so you don't need oiling to restore colours back to normal appearance. My next thing to try is Mont Marte Water Mixable Oil, that can be mixed with water, acrylics, gouache, traditional oil paints, linseed-based mediums and water mixable mediums. Reviewers are claiming that this brand has ticker body than oils, will see.

[@karlitosespldn9685]

Thank you Will! This helps a lot because i work with oils😁 P.S. IM FROM THE PHILIPPINES P.S.S. IM 10 YEARS OLD

[@willkempartschool]

That's great to hear Karlitos! Will

[@StephenAndrew777]

This answers a lot of questions. I like.

[@willkempartschool]

Thanks Stephen, pleased it helped Will

[@mona2242]

Hi, I am putting my traditional oils aside because I ‘ve been reacting badly to the fumes . As for priming my canvas for water mixable oils, it ‘s not clear to me whether or not I have to add water to my gesso . Can anyone here help out? Thanks!,

[@Tess-he3qg]

I just bought water mixable oil paints and tried them for the first time today. They seem to be very thick. What is the best thing to use to thin them out and do you have to let them dry completely before painting another color on top of them. Like painting flowers in grass. I’ve always only used acrylic paints. Thank you.

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Theresa, you can use a watermixable thinner, watermixable linseed oil, walnut oil etc You can work on them wet on wet, or wet on dry, depending on the style and effect you're trying to achieve. Cheers, Will

[@Tess-he3qg]

willkempartschool Thank you!!

[@kasiegomez5127]

Amazing!! And very helpful!!

[@willkempartschool]

My pleasure Kasie, really pleased you found it helpful. Will

[@Akha42]

hi willkemp, thnx for the great vidos, do u recommend using water-mix oil for someone new to oil ? or it will be diff experience ?

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Abdullah, it will be a slightly different experience but much easier in terms of clean up and studio space so can be a great way to get the feel of oils in comparison to the quick drying of acrylics. Will

[@Akha42]

thnx alot will. would u please make a video about beginner tools in oil both usual and water-mix ?

[@marylouniebrugge9174]

What are some mediums that I can use with water mixable oil paints? walnut alkyd medium and anything else you would recommend?

[@willkempartschool]

Winsor and newton watermixable thinner is handy to have

[@askialuna7717]

I bought some water-miscible oil paints when I started with oil paint and I had a small set of 12×12ml oil paints from Maries. I thought that I do not have to wash water-soluble oil paints with solvent from the brushes. Always I use soap and water in acrylic and watercolour, it works faster. I did not want to leave the other oil colours lying around unused and used them additionally. I used different brushes not to contaminate the paints with the other. At the end I did not know which brushes which colour was on and I washed all with water and soap and from all the brushes the colour went out very well. I felt cheated somehow. It is always written in the books and often on the internet that normal oil paints can only be obtained with solvents from the paintbrushes and that is a great advantage of water-mixable oil paints. Since then, I have no more water-mixable oil paint bought, they are much more expensive than normal oil paint in the same quality level. I use them after that only very diluted, as between layer, they must not be unused.

[@chaitanya41292]

How do water mixable oil paints differ from acrylics?

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Chaltanya, you might find this article of interest: willkempartschool.com/what-is-the-difference-between-oils-vs-acrylic-paints/ as the paints are very close in handling properties to traditional oils, the main differences in swapping solvents for water. Cheers, Will

[@AntoDezigns]

The water based oil colors dry slower than the acrylic but faster than oils

[@bddybdz]

Hi, where are you based and do you give any workshops?

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Buddy, I'm based in the UK, I don't currently run any live workshops but have a number of video courses on the blog www.willkempartschool.com Cheers, Will

[@bddybdz]

willkempartschool Thank you for your answer! I'm from the Netherlands but travel often to the UK will have a look! ;)

[@marylouniebrugge9174]

Can you use water mixable oils with real oil paints on the same painting?

[@willkempartschool]

Yes, you can mix in traditional oil paints

[@lisafelines4517]

Very good and informative, thank you very much!

[@willkempartschool]

Pleased you found it helpful Lisa. Cheers, Will

[@earthtraveler313]

extremely helpful..thank you

[@willkempartschool]

Thanks very much Earttraveler, glad you found it of interest. Cheers, Will

[@Idellle]

Can I use normal linseed oil with watermixable oils? Or do it need to be specific?

[@willkempartschool]

You can use a tiny amount and they will still remain water-mixable but using a specific water-mixable linseed oil will give the best results. Will

[@tai-wukao1465]

Hello, Will. This is my first comment on your web site although I have been learning from it for more than a year. I also bought your acrylic floral painting class and the venice painting classes - I have learned a lot from them. I have found that my style is tending towards the thick impasto type painting, impressionistic or Van Gogh style. It's been difficult to paint like this with acrylics, but I have been reluctant to use traditional oils due to my sensitivity to solvents. Do you know if the impasto/impressionistic style works well using water miscible oils? Or is there a way to do it with acrylics that I'm not aware of?

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Tai-wu, really pleased you've been enjoying the courses. When you've been working thickly with the acrylics, what are the main issues you're having? Will

[@Tekken438]

I never realized how much I needed this. Thank you, Will!

[@willkempartschool]

My pleasure Flip. Will

[@lajo_jose]

Very useful tutorial

[@willkempartschool]

Thanks Lajo, pleased you found it helpful. Will

[@yasmineali9862]

amazingly informative. thankyou

[@willkempartschool]

Cheers Farha, glad you enjoyed it. Will

[@BabciCathy]

Can I mix water-soluble oils with traditional oils? I realize I lose the water clean up advantage but is there any other reason not to include both kinds of paint in a single painting?

[@willkempartschool]

Hi BabciCathy, yes, you can add 20-30% of traditional oil to the water-mixable oils and they will still remain water-soluble. You can also add more traditional oils and then swap to solvent, or dilute with a medium. Cheers, Will

[@KatMa664]

Good tip to use a very soft brush if you want to go over the mix able oil painting a second time. Or else you will wipe off the previous paint. I consider mixable oils to be a third medium. Something between oil and acrylic. I have struggled to get used to it. But I am still at it.

[@willkempartschool]

Cheers Kathy. Will

[@MrsPatJones]

Thanks for this Will. I was wondering whether or not to try the water mixable oils (WMOs). One reason I don't use ordinary oils is the pervading smell - do you still get this with the WMOs?

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Pat, you would still have the smell of the linseed oil or safflower oil that is mixed in with the paints. M Graham makes traditional oils bound in walnut oil. Cheers, Will

[@MrsPatJones]

Thanks Will. Think I'll stick with the acrylics then

[@adriaanvanpijkeren9770]

MrsPatJones I dont really smell anything if I use my cobra water mixable oils

[@JanisGagliardi]

What kind of brushes are you using

[@willkempartschool]

A round synthetic and a synthetic filbert brush (the filbert is an Ivory filbert from Rosemary & Co)

[@Kyomiibrown]

Hi Will, the alkyd oil you used for both I presume was not water mixable? Which do you prefer, standard oils or WM oils?

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Kyomii, you can still use the alkyd walnut oil without using any solvents and as it's such a small amount in the paint mixture I find it washes from the brush in water very easily. You can see more details on the blog article:willkempartschool.com/water-mixable-oils-vs-traditional-oils-for-solvent-free-oil-painting/ Cheers, Will

[@Kyomiibrown]

willkempartschool Thanks Will, I will check out your blog shortly. 🙂

[@artistdream3800]

It’s very helpful 🌹👏🏼

[@tonsfocus]

Since the last comment on this was nearly 3/4s of a year ago, I'm not expecting a reply. BUT - isn't it risky to use a lot of water as a medium, as once the water evaporates, there's nothing really binding the oil any longer (therefore it will just come off as a kind of pigment powder)? That said, I have noticed several demos basically using a lot of water to create washes with these special oil paints. Cheers - if anyone ever answers this!

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Tonsfocus, yes the higher the volume of water the more risk there is to not having a stable paint film, but if you're working on an absorbent surface the first layers of paint will grab onto the support. Cheers, Will

[@Cre8tive_Always]

Very helpful 👏👏

[@willkempartschool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kathleen7849]

I prefer the colours of the traditional oils going by this video.

[@jadajohnson7957]

What is trups

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Jada. 'Turps' is short for Turpentine, used for diluting oil paint.

[@123agidee_2]

I use water soluble oils as they are easier for cleaning and the difference isn’t too noticeable

[@laserlithuanian]

nice video

[@willkempartschool]

Cheers Tom

[@maggs131]

Wonderful demonstration as always Will. This reaffirms my opinion that if you want water-soluble oils, why not use acrylic and keep oil painting seperate

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Maggs, pleased you found it helpful. Will

[@Dakkanunu]

Huge colour difference water mix look better tone

[@SamiaKaram]

Hahahaha, hello, Will

[@willkempartschool]

Hi Samia