Using oil paints on miniatures

K

Khonner

New member
Hello..

I know I'm a bit behind the times regarding this subject, but I have a some questions before I dive into using oils. I understand that oils take a lot longer to dry than acrylics, but if the surface is dry to the touch, can I then apply dull coat so that I can continue to use acrylics on the mini? Has anyone have any experience with the water soluble oils? What type of brush has to be used with oils normally - synths? Thanks!

Khonner
 
Bailey03

Bailey03

Well-known member
Well, I haven't used oils, so I can't answer many of those questions. I do know people speed up the drying time in several ways. One is to use cardboard for a palette. The cardboard absorbs some of the oil from the paint and will help speed up the drying time. A second thing you can do it create a hot box to place the figure in while it drys. These can be as simple as a box placed over an incandescent light bulb. I've seen people use the actual oven, however I wouldn't recommend it. I believe drying it this way will also reduce some of the satin sheen from oils.

Do you have an account over on PlanetFigure.com? I get the feeling there are more oil paint users over there, so you may have better luck getting answers to your questions.
 
Zab

Zab

New member
If you are using the water sol ones stick with a good brand like W&N because the cheaper brands are literally like mixing oil and water. I use cheap craft store brushes from Michael's. +1 for planet figure several of the historical painters in my area are on there and they use oils really well.
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
I've used water based / mix-able Oils (Winsor & Newton) and for somethings they are beyond compare, specifically Skintones.
They blend superbly and can give tonal transitions beautifully. They do take time to get used to their flow characteristics however.

BUT even by using the correct medium (W&N Sansodour) they do take a MINIMUM of 24 hours to be touch dry. Even then that's only the surface, Oils on canvas can take MONTHS to be varnish ready.

As Bailey03 said a home made "Drying cabinet" will help and is easily put together. Think of something like a wine bottle box in shape, but wide enough to get the span of your Thumb to Little Finger across and as easily as tall as your elbow to tip of middle finger. At the top is a simple household light bulb, several ventilation holes and you're good to go.

One critical thing to remember Oils on top of Acrylics, not the other way around unless you want serious crackling of the paint due to the differing drying time ratios.
 
Splurch

Splurch

New member
Lester Bursley recently did a video using some oils, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTeA-yCifJw&feature=youtu.be&t=1450 points to where he starts using the oils. After I saw the vid I tried doing a similar thing on a mini that I've just had sitting around almost finished for over a year. I wasn't really satisfied with the shadows on his duster but had been at a loss as to how to get the effect I was after. Before this, I've only ever used oils for pinwashing a glossed mini. I'm rather satisfied with how he turned out (also looks a lot better in person, the photo isn't that great.) I used Burnt Umber on all the darker areas of the duster. The two brush method Lester shows for applying the oils works very well. The oil was also completely dry by the next day, although that's due to the fact that it's a very thin layer.


View attachment 42988
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back To Top
Top