Why do so few miniature painters use oil paints?

[JohnLobster]

I would turn this around

What could you achieve with oils that you could not with acrylics ?

If this is worthwhile to you, then try them out. They are definitely harder to use. I don't know that I would recommend student quality. One of the issues with oils is that paints from different manufacturers will have slightly different colours and behave differently (although the pigments are the same, the preparation can be different), so best to stick with one line.

If you paint with them like you do acrylics then they will be a waste of time and money.

If you are trying to win a competition, then looking different from the others by using a different paint is going to help.

Things I know of that you can do
- pin washes of vehicles
- super smooth blending by painting layers before they are completely dry and letting them blend on the miniature
- horses (probably a tabletop rather than a display miniature technique)

It's not necessarily the same as painting on canvas, as a canvas is usually intended to be viewed at a distance, so it is easier to mix paints on the canvas and blend there.

John

 

[shaun5603]

What would be best way to start out with oils for skin tones? I have seen the effects and when done correctly even on 28mm scale are awesome,

I have use oils for painting rocks, secret weapon mintures has a great how to video.

But for skins tone don't know where to start, just pick up flesh tones and use them straight or go with traditional oil mixs making different shades of flesh tones.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Oils take too long to dry and also can be hell on a brush

Water Soluble Oils can be dried overnight which in terms of Competition level painting isn't long when you consider that the top level Historical and Bust painters can take 100+ Hours on a single figure.
As to the brushes, good brush maintenance should be "de rigueur" for all painter regardless of the medium.

What would be best way to start out with oils for skin tones? I have seen the effects and when done correctly even on 28mm scale are awesome,
1
I have use oils for painting rocks, secret weapon mintures has a great how to video.

But for skins tone don't know where to start, just pick up flesh tones and use them straight or go with traditional oil mixs making different shades of flesh tones.

1 Best advice I can give you on this is look to You Tube for portrait painters in Oils and decide for yourself which to go for.

From experience using Oils over an acrylic base coat means that you need less colours initially as the effects are easiest to obtain with very thin glazes.
Now when I originally painted miniatures back in the early 1970's Acrylic paint such as we have now was almost non existent and I used oils on 54 MM. figures, blending was "easier" but not as smooth as modern techniques show us now.
Using Oils as an adjunct to acrylics shouldn't be a problem but it's making sure that you have the acrylic techniques of glazing and toning down first before transferring over to oils as glazes.

If you intend to got "Full Steam" into Oils as the primary paint medium then you need to have lots of practise at smooth blending of the paint. Don't choose to get the cheapest student paint, look at the light fastness/permanence and granularity of "Professional" quality paints, the amounts we use in model painting mean that a tube of paint last YEARS so it is money invested in the best quality.
Drying/thinning meduims are worth investigating as is the consideration of building a "Drying box" to speed up overnight drying processes. (Not always neccesary but worth investigating.)

 

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

Some great advice from DR there. Especially regarding type of oil to use, and understanding the importance of mastering blending.

Regarding painting skin tones (and anything, really) with oils, you must understand that painting with oils is a very indirect method compared to traditional painting of any medium. You aren't just going to dip your brush in oil and paint. When DR refers to glazes, AFAIK he does not mean to simply dilute your oil paint and put down a thin layer. Yo are going to put down a thin layer, yes, but NOT through dilution. Most use one of two methods:

1. Apply the smallest amount of paint on figure, spreading it out as thinly as possible with your brush. Next, take a new clean and dry brush and use it to pick up excess paint.

2. Apply small dots of oil paint in the general area you are going to want to paint. Now use a bristle type brush (some use an old, messed up brush where the bristles are splayed out) and coax the paint out until it is thin enough.

Mathis is nothing like traditional oil painting. I paint portraits in oils and it's a whole other ball game. In the case of minis, is like spreading butter on toast.

 

[shaun5603]

Thanks for advice, checked out some oil painter work on youtube and tried to google how to for min painting. Yeah spreading out the oil works best when doing terrain bases and vehicles, didn't even think about to use a flesh base, I was thinking more a long the lines of a "wet blend" of oils together on the model. Good thing i haven't tried it out, time to hunt eBay for some cheap model and give it shot with oils i have on hand.