Mixing water soluble oil paints and acrylic paints can create an optimal drying time.
Water soluble oil paints have many advantages. They can be cleaned off brushes with water and mixed with a number of different mediums, including water and other acrylic paints. Acrylic paints dry very quickly, and oil paints tend to dry very slowly. Mixing the two types of paints together can often balance out their drying time and create a smooth painting texture. With some experimentation and patience, mixing water soluble oils and acrylics can be a wonderful way to create the texture and drying time you are after.
Instructions
1. Before you purchase your water soluble oil paints, check the labels. Most clearly state that they can be mixed with acrylics. But, some brands recommend that you do not mix them with acrylic paints because the texture will be distorted. Holbein Duo is one brand of water soluble oil paint that suggests mixing its colors with acrylics.
2. Place a teaspoon-sized amount of the water soluble oil paint on your palette. Squeeze a small, pea-sized dab of the acrylic paint next to it.
3. Use a paintbrush to slowly mix the two paints together in a circular motion on the palette. Be sure to thoroughly and evenly mix the two mediums so that the texture of the mixture will dry evenly.
4. Test the mixture on a piece of scrap canvas or heavy-fiber paper. Observe if the paint flows evenly on the canvas, or if it feels sticky and too thick. Allow the mixture to dry completely, and observe how the two paints dry together. Take note of how long it takes for the mixture to dry.
5. Add slightly more acrylic if the mixture flows nicely on the canvas and dries evenly. Add slightly less acrylic if the mixture tends to freeze up as you paint. Stop adding acrylic to the water soluble oil paint if the texture becomes too thick and coagulated.
