Painting With Water Soluble Oils

I recently started trying to paint with water-soluble oil paints and had lots of questions. This book was perfect for answering them. Regular oil paints give me a really bad headache from the chemicals that evaporate from them as they dry so I wanted to try the water soluble ones since the reviewers said they have no or very little smell. Most of my experience is with water color paints so I thought the transition would be easy. I was a bit discouraged to find I was wrong. After reading this book and re-reading some sections, I was ready to try again. W/S oil paints are just like oil paints but the oil in them has been treated so it will mix with water. Besides environmental concerns of using solvents, it makes clean up a breeze--just use soap and water.The author does a great job of collecting tips and recommendations from several different painters, reviewing the main brands available, and explaining the main characteristics of the different pigments and the bonding agents that hold the paint together. For example, the paint can be thinned with water and/or a special medium made to go with w/s oils. I tried this before I had the book and found that my paint was really sticky and I didn't like the texture of it. I had an "ah ha" moment when I read one of the tips in the book: "use either water or medium to thin the paint, not both or it will get sticky". I tried just water after that and the paint was smooth and creamy and didn't clump up on the brush any more.The book won't tell you how to paint with oil paints. You kind of have to learn that on your own. But it does tell you everything you need to know about using w/s oil paint and how it is different from regular oil paint.

I was hoping this new edition would update the information on brands of paint available. (There are at least 3 more manufacturers offering water soluble oils since the original North Light edition in 2001.) This edition appears to be identical to first edition. Disappointed. Returning.

I just started painting with water soluble oils and thought this book would help familiarize me with them. It's full of helpful hints, and inspirational paintings by professional artists. I've completed two paintings so far and I'm very pleased with them. It's really enjoyable painting without the odors of toxic solvents. I'm using Holbein Duo Aqua Oils with their specially formulated linseed oil. There is little odor, and clean up is easy with soap and water. Another excellent book is "Brushwork Essentials" by Mark Christopher Weber, also available from Amazon. It contains some beautiful paintings, and good information on water soluble oils as well as traditional oils. Both books have helped me a great deal.

This book doesn't go into as much detail as I would have liked. It assumes the reader already has experience painting with conventional oils. I have been painting with acrylics for a number of years, but never used oils (mainly because of the caustic chemicals). A friend told me about water soluble oils and I decided to give it a try. However, I discovered I needed to do a lot of homework. I bought this book expecting a step-by-step guide, especially for using the various oils, thinner, water and mineral spirits. The book, however, gives various artists insight and experience using water soluble oils and which mediums they prefer to add. I found it very confusing and decided to jump in feet first and learn as I go.

I have read it twice and come away with few new or really helpful insights. The author wanders at times into non-useful asides (water color and other media). It is not particularly well written, and is often redundant (easy clean up is on nearly every page.) There were several charts with oil miscible paints by manufacturer and the colors they carried, plus transparency and opacity, which was valuable. Some nice paintings were featured by the author and "guest" artists, who offered tips of widely varying usefulness. But overall it is not a reference needed in my library.

Great book on water based oils.

I wasn't able to find a teacher in our area who did water soluble oils. It has been years since I have painted with oils because of the chemicals. Since I couldn't find out how to use the WSO's, the paints I purchased about a year ago have been sitting on my shelf. I recently purchased this book and have read it. There is many good instructions in it. I feel confident in trying the WSO's as soon as my water color class is over. Happy Painting

I thought the book was helpfull in that it explained the chemical basis of water soluable oils and had a fairly thorough overview of the products on the market. I thought that the book leaned too heavily on the history of oil painting and basic information regarding supports, brushes, knives, etc. I would have liked to have seen more examples of the work of artists with the stature of Kevin McPherson and also more discussion of how these artists overcome the differences between water soluable oils and traditional oils.

What a great book. I am new to oils in class but don't want to use solvents at home. I bought some water mixable oils, but there's not much info out there about how to use them. This book covers all aspects from drying times, to mediums, and everything else between. If you want to know how to work with this medium, buy this book.

Useful text for using water soluble oils.

Living in a small flat - water-soluable oils are a brilliant find - and this book is a very good introduction to this inovative medium.  Learning to Paint and Draw (Practical Handbook)Learning to Paint and Draw (Practical Handbook)

Recommend to all interested in water-soluble oils. Two of us have found it very useful, the different artists, are most helpful.

I had never used water soluble oils and this book covered all the techniques that one needs to become proficient