Customer Reviews

Painting with Water-Soluble Oils

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I have owned this book for quite some time and just recently re-read it. It does a fine job providing an overview of water soluble oils (WSO) and how they differ from regular oils. The write-ups for each include a listing of paints offered by each manufacturer and their light-fastness (i.e., longevity after sustained exposure to light). The information covered is more than enough to help you select one of them to begin painting.

I've used them in the past and am now taking a class where I'm using them and others are using traditional oils. I have to say that cleaning up with soap and water is awesome. I use the Artisan brand and have a couple of the MAX brand too. I'm going to try the other brands to see how they handle.

The write-ups by artists about WSOs, their comparison/contrast with traditional oils and the demonstration "lessons" provide for light reading. The pictures throughout give you a fine overview of what other artists do/did with these paints.

Having said all of this, though, I have to note that this isn't a strict how-to book. You'll need to look elsewhere for that. One person recommended the "Water Soluble Oils" section of a book called "The Oil Painting Book" by Bill Creevy. Another is "No Experience Required! - Water-Soluble Oils" by Mary Deutschman. From the reviews this last book sounds it is more about hands-on technique.

[...]

Overall, I'd say buy this book to help you get a sense about this medium.

About half this book discusses unique properties of water soluble oil paints, but I learned more from reading the paint manufacturers' brochures as I did from this book. The rest of the book discusses and demonstrates various techniques, but it doesn't cover anything different than what you'd find in standard oil painting text, and there are many better ones of those. Don't bother buying this book.

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.

The book had all the information needed on the 4 types of water soluble oils..and anything you needed to know about them...brushes, mediums, whatever you need. Really good to get started and what equipment you will need and how it works...
Very happy I bought it.

"Painting with Water Soluble Oils" supplied me with what I wanted. A text by a an experienced practitioner in the medium, well-credentialed, successful, and wanting to spread the word (along with spreading the oils!) about this relatively new item. When I started painting, I was not so aware of the TOXCICITY of the paint as I was of my desire to USE the paint in a manner I found at least acceptable. Years later, the latest grimly discouraging news on greenhouse gasses, global warming, and newly-found carcinogens appear in the daily papers----and in the courts. I'm not an alarmist, but I thought "water soluble oils, hmmm, can this possibly work?". Thus, Dye's book told me all of what I needed to know. Of course there are pages on the components of the product, its development, and requisite scientific explanations. The science of safety in the home, the studio, the environment and its impact on our kids made this necessary.

Beyond that, I needed to see just how the stuff behaves on a gessoed surface. Dye has what I'd call a painterly style, almost abstract at times, but it's a loose and defiantly colorlful style, with examples chosen to teach. Hey, I'm sure he wants to sell his works, but he is a teacher by trade when he writes.

Anyway, I am delighted with the comparative safety of the new medium, with the courage I gained to try many techniques, brushes, knives, etc. I also continue to maintain respect for the pigments themselves. Heck, I'm not smearing it around with my fingers. My money was well spent, and I'd recommend this book because the main purpose of the text was to "git 'er DONE." Mission accomplished, IMHO. Buy, shop, paint, enjoy, plus you can inhale during fits of creativity and still run for president.

Excellent book full of very helpful information on when, how, and when not to mix with water, how to clean brushes, and generally good tips. Plus several examples from a variety of artists. Well worth my money.

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