Painting with Water-Soluble Oils [Hardcover]

Sean Dye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2001

Water-soluble oil paints have hit the market by storm. First came odor-free turpentine, which is mild but not exactly odor-free for more sensitive artists. Then some creative chemist figured out how to mix oil and water. Don't ask how, but it works. This has begun to open up the oil painting field to painters who like the results of oil painting but don't like the chemicals. Some faithful watercolor artists are also sure to give these new paints a try. Sean Dye explains everything the painter needs to know to paint successfully with these new paints. Painters eager to venture into the world of odor free oil painting are introduced to the physical characteristics of the paint itself and how it differs from other mediums. Mini-demos, with step-by-step instruction, show format methods and techniques for using this medium with various tools and surfaces. Paint mixing with traditional oils and other water-based mediums is also covered. A variety of artists demonstrate how these exciting new paints can be used to create handsome paintings in a variety of styles.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Dye is an artist, an instructor at the University of Vermont, and a technical consultant for manufacturers of art paints. In his opinion, the advent of water-soluble oil paint is as revolutionary as the emergence of acrylics was in 1950. The jury is still out. In the meantime, Dye has written the most comprehensive exploration of the medium, which retains the traditional characteristics of oil paint but is mixed and thinned (not to mention cleaned up) with water. By the 1980s, most schools and universities had banned the use of solvents in art departments, effectively banning the use of oil paints. With water-soluble oils, the toxic solvents associated with working in oils can be eliminated, making it safe to reintroduce oil painting to the classroom. Water-soluble oils and traditional oils don't behave identically on the canvas, however. (The latter holds a brush stroke more firmly than the former, for example.) Dye clearly lays out differences in pigments, light-fastness, opacity, texture, and application. Eleven artists add demonstrations and personal opinions to this important addition to the field.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Sean Dye, a full-time artist and an expert in this new medium, and is the Materials Specialist and Technical Consultant for Holbein and Strathmore for water-soluble oil paints and pastels. This means that he tests and demonstrates the products not as a scientist but as an artist. He is also an instructor in the fine art department at The University of Vermont and has taught a variety of art classes and workshops.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books (June 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581800339
• ISBN-13: 978-1581800333
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Oil Painting

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well researched, but lacking, September 7, 2005

By 

SNK (New York State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting with Water-Soluble Oils (Hardcover)

I feel a lot of the book was redundant, too much repetiton was used -- I believe it was to fluff up the page count. I'm new to oil painting all together and was looking for a book that would teach me to paint with this medium - for example, help me understand when I would thin with water, or when with watersoluable linseed oil. I thought that the promised "step by step demonstrations" would do that. Contained in only one chapter of the book, they seem almost an afterthought, and do not go into enough depth.

There is an entire chapter devoted to "what is watersoluable oil color?" There are 20 pages -- which is far too much information -- about the properties of every watersoluable oil paint by color and manufacturer, though there are some useful demos of the various marks different brushes and knives make.

The book contains more than I want or need to know about the processes by which watersoluable oils are created.

By far the lengthiest chapter is the one which showcases 14 different artists who try out this medium and provide some tips, which may be useful. But I believe its primary purpose is as a showcase for the various artists. There are some useful tips here, but much of what is said is repetition from one artist to another - and that gets boring! In some ways I am more confused than ever, having learned that some of the artists shown aren't painting soley with watersoluable oil paint - they are using the oils in combination with watercolor or acrylics or sometimes using all three together!

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete information and disappointing artwork, May 30, 2003

By 

Kate from Boston (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting with Water-Soluble Oils (Hardcover)

The book begins with an introduction to water-soluble oils and a section on methods and materials. Four brands of paint are compared and a list of available colors given. This section unfortunately gives short shrift to the original water-soluble oil brand, Grumbacher's Max, the only brand for which the pigments in each color are not listed . The section on "Supports, Grounds, and Mediums" is just half a page long, and never discusses mediums at all (although there is a photograph of some bottles). One more useful section compares the behavior of traditional and water-soluble oils applied in various ways (thin washes, undiluted, mixed with alkyd medium).

The remainder of the book consists of pictures painted by many artists (including the author) using water-soluble oils and comparing them with similar paintings using traditional oils, followed by a number of step-by-step demonstrations. For the most part, I did not like the author's painting style (which I found embarrasingly amateurish) or his choice of artwork, although there were a few things I did find attractive. There are a few useful bits of information in the comments of the contributing artists, but they are repeated over and over.

I would suggest you read the chapter on water-soluble oils in Bill Creevy's excellent book "The Oil Painting Book" instead of buying this.

41 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new kid on the block., August 28, 2001

By 

The Artist "The Artist" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting with Water-Soluble Oils (Hardcover)

This book is a rather comprehensive exploration of water-soluble oil paint, which supposedly retains the characteristics of traditional oil paint but using water as medium. Consisting of demos from 15 professional artists, the book provides a handful of beautiful paintings, as well as valuable tricks and tips of handling and using this new medium. Artists at any levels can make good use of these tips on brushes and brushwork at different stages of the painting process, such as underpainting, blending, etc. Traditional oil paint has earned an undisputable reputation in art history. However, the use of hazardous solvents as paint thinner has become a major drawback. For artists who are interested in an alternative medium for easier clean-up (with only soap and water), less toxic, yet rendering comparable effects as those of traditional paints, water-soluble oil seems worth a try. Targeting this group of readers (or perhaps any group of other 'non-believers'), the author also presents discussions on differences in pigments, light-fastness, opacity, texture, and application.