Painting wet into dry

[andymania]

Sorry, I know I spoke about this before. I am currently working in oils on wood panel and greys. I am using Liquin as my medium

Now, I discovered scumbling/drybrushing looks crappy on wood panel and that it is inferior to the wet into wet look. After the intial block-in dries, I want to still have the wet into wet look. I tried wet into dry but like I said, it looks like crap and "amateurish" on wood panel. How would I go about this? Cover the dry area with medium and paint into it? Is that the only thing I can do? Usually I end up over painting my dried work and its really slowing me down.

[DavePalumbo]

Something some people would do while I was in school was "oil out" between layers. They would put linseed oil onto a rag and wipe the surface down with it until it was a nice thin even coat. It brought the color up and gave the surface more of a wet feel.

maybe what you're after?

[andymania]

Dave,

Sounds smart. Does it have to be linseed oil? Can I use Liquin? Also the paint I apply to the oiled surface, it should be at straight-out-of-tube consistency right? Since there is medium already on the surface......

Do you use this method at all?

-Andy

[Blue]

Liquin works opposite of what you are needing to achieve, as it is a form of thinner/dryer. The oil does extend the dry time, but it is responsible for the gloss. If you thin it up, it won't gloss.

[DavePalumbo]

the paint I apply to the oiled surface, it should be at straight-out-of-tube consistency right? Since there is medium already on the surface......

That's something you'll need to experiment with for yourself and find the right feel. I'd probably still use medium (I use half turp half linseed myself) but I don't really often work in multiple layers. Maybe the oil on the board would be enough :shrug: do whatever gets the results you're after.

I haven't experimented with Liquin, but from what I've been told, I'd agree with Blue on it maybe not being the most suitable choice. I'm just throwing suggestions out here, so if anyone can elaborate feel free, but perhaps Galkyd would be a good compromise? It dries quickly but also gives a nice high gloss finish.

[Chris Bennett]

DavePalumbo is right, the only way of doing this is to wipe a mix of half turps half linseed onto the whole surface. However, if your painting sessions are under an hour then a liquin wipe is a sort of solution but it means that you cannot go for much longer than half an hour or so because it starts to get tacky as it dries.

[andymania]

Thanks You Brothas!!!

50/50 Linseed/Turp it is!!!!!!!!

Is this method fairly common among painters? I never saw it mentioned in books,etc.

Also, what is the purpose of mixing turp with Linseed? To increase drying time (turp) and to have gloss as well (linseed)?

-Andy

[Flake]

50/50 Linseed/Turp it is!!!!!!!!

Is this method fairly common among painters?
-Andy

Very common.

[Elwell]

Another, related way of "painting into the soup" is to lay a thin, semi-transparent midtone over the dry area and redevelop the darks and lights wet-in-wet.

[andymania]

Cool!

Thanks E-Dog!

Just a few more questions:

Any Linseed oil in particular? Stand? Refined? Regular?

Turpentine: I did some research on the web and read that Turpenoid is the cheapest/lowest quality and that gum spirits of turpentine is better.

Can anyone elaborate on the different types of turpentine??

Blue: Arent all mediums thinners essentially?

[Chris Bennett]

The reason you use turps with the linseed in the wipe over is so that it doesn't make too thick a coat of linseed - the turps evaporate leaving a fine coat of linseed. If you keep piling on the linseed between each coat you are going to have something resembling a toffee apple when you are done.

Regular linseed is fine - you can use white spirit (not turps substitute!), but be carefull because it is a more powerful solvent than turps.
Stand oil is much thicker (viscous) and the sun will have become a red giant before it dries.

The difference between a medium and a thinner is that a medium is essentially added binder to the paint - Linseed is a medium for this reason and so is something like liquin. A thinner is a solvent and will evaporate from the paint - it plays no role in holding the particles of pigment together when dry (mediums, like linseed do not 'dry' but 'set' by oxidation). Its function is to enable you to spread the paint more easily and thinly but not increase the amount of binder (medium) to the paint.

[andymania]

Thanks Chris!...lol red giant. Nice analogy