Traditional oils used with WSOs

I understand that if you mix the two, the WSOs will lose their water solubility. However, I also read that traditional oil paints can be cleaned with walnut oil, followed by soap and water. If so, I don't see why I need to start using WSOs at all - unless they don't give off unhealthy fumes the way that traditional oils do ... (??)

Rsue wrote:

If so, I don't see why I need to start using WSOs at all - unless they don't give off unhealthy fumes the way that traditional oils do ... (??)

That is exactly the point, although, depending on your sensitivities, some of the hues and/or manufacturers still have some sensitive ingredients. For me it is linseed oil even though it has been modified for WSO's.

Thanks again for your reply to my question about using traditional oils vs. WSOs. I know I already read about it somewhere but I've been gathering so much new information I couldn't quite remember. I do have some sensitivities but even if I don't, my body will be absorbing things from the traditional oils whether I am aware of it or not, so it's best to stay with the WSOs I believe! Thank you.

I hope you adapt to the WSOs. I really enjoyed them much more than acrylics, but I still had a lot of sensitivities, so now I do all of my painting digitally using all my traditional techniques and more with Corel Painter. I travel between Southern AZ and Northern NY twice a years, so taking a computer with me instead of all my painting supplies makes it so much easier and there is no cleanup.

Wow, that is impressive - what you do! I am pretty computer savvy but know nothing about Corel Painter. Maybe I should look into it just to know a different way to produce art. Should I just Google it? Thanks again, Judy.

Corel Painter has a lot of tutorials and also has a 30 day free trial of Corel Painter 16 if you would want to play with it a bit. Here  is the latest painting I did using digital watercolor and liquid inks.

I'll check it out! Your painting is really beautiful! Soothing, gentle flowing movement of colors. I love it.

Judy, that's gorgeous!

Rsue, I'm another Corel Painter fan as we lived in a single wide mobile home before we built our house and digital painting was all I had room to do. I have to say that by the time I was ready to transition back to traditional media, Painter had helped me tremendously because it allowed me to 'practice' various brushstrokes and use various media.

Judy had some real problems with traditional oils and mediums and Painter has been a real blessing to her in many ways.

However, it's not cheap initially to go the digital route as you really need a graphics tablet and the Painter software is pretty expensive (there are some low-cost alternatives though that work almost as well). Plus, traditional painting has some pluses over digital as there's always an original, you can really use texture to your advantage and the cost of printing a digital can be very expensive, especially one of a large size.

Hope you find what medium you really enjoy whether it be traditional or digital. Thank God, Judy had welcomed all here even though the focus is with the WSO's.

Thanks for the tip, Jan! Although I would like to try the Corel Painter I will probably pass on it, then, if it is costly. I'd rather spend my money on the WSOs since I've always loved painting.

Rsue

Jan, thanks for your input. I meant to mention the tablet aspect, but forgot to until after I posted.

Rsue, If you happen to have a tablet such as Surface, or Apple's version, there are some inexpensive painting programs that work on them that you can play with. Sometime when I was still doing WSO, I would do a version on the tablet to work out the kinks, and then do the actual physical painting.

Thanks, Judy! I don't have or use a tablet, just my laptop. But I'll keep what you told me in mind.

Re: absorbing oils from the paints: my wife and I generally wear medical gloves when painting, to avoid touching the pigments with our fingers. Okay, sometimes I cheat, ha ha, but we are aware of the issue of skin irritation (or worse) from handling the chemicals in the paint.