Replies

1. 
   Alan | May 28, 2002 09:01am | #1

   Matt,

   Artists' paint can certainly be used to color wood (the Mona Lisa is painted on wood).  First, I would use oil paints, not the acrylic, water based paints.

   Artists' oil paints can be thinned with turpentine (what artists usually use) mineral spirits, paint thinner, naptha and who knows what else.

   You can thin the paint to any degree you want.  Out of the tube, or thinned just a bit, the paint will be opaque.  The more thinner you use the less opaque the paint will become.  You can thin it to the point where it becomes sort of a glaze--so it just adds a bit of tone.  So you can go from completely opaque to almost transparent.

   But remember that it is paint!  It is made to be opaque.  So applying it to wood will not bring out the grain; it will simply color the wood evenly, and almost certainly will obscure the grain.  It will not produce a look similar to that you would obtain with stain or dye that tend to emphasize the grain.  That could be good or bad:  if the wood doesn't have an interesting, or has downright homely grain it might be a good thing to cover it up; but if the wood is nicely figured it might not produce a look as handsome as would a stain or dye.  But, of course, it all depends on the look you want.

   It's hard for me to think of any advantages of using artists' oils on wood.  The only thing I can think of is that they would give you a wide choice of colors.  You could mix up any color you want.  The disadvantages, it seems to me, would be legion.  The cost, for one thing, would be prohibitive on anything but a very small project (unless you're made of money, or have gotten a truck load of the stuff).  There would also be the problem of applying a consistent, even "coat" if you thin it down quite a bit.

   I have used artists' oil paints on wood, but never as a way to finish the wood itself.  I used the wood as a sort of "canvas" on which I painted something else.

   May I ask what you're trying to accomplish?  What sort of project are you thinking about?  I might be able to be more helpful if I knew more about what you're planning to do.

   Alan

2. 
   Lilshaver | May 29, 2002 12:13am | #2

   I have used artists oils on wood and they have produced great results for me. First off you must understand that there are two seperate catagories -- those that are transparent and those that are not. The transparent colors are the only ones I've used and they don't obscure the grain, rather the results are not unlike the use of analine dye. I have only used these oils in conjuction with oil type finishes such as Watco. I mix the colors to the intensity that I want and wipe it on. You can increase the intensity by using more paint. Of course if you use too much, the grain will be obscured. I mix with the oil finish to get the paints to dry. Artists oils are inherently very slow drying. I suggest you do some research on these before attempting any project that will be hard to reverse. My own research comes from having done a fair amount of oil painting as an artist.

1. 
   Alan | May 29, 2002 01:37am | #3

   Jeff,

   My experience, too, comes from painting pictures (I even have a degree in fine art).  But I've never heard of a translucent oil paint; and I've never seen it for sale in any of the several art supply stores I frequent.  What is it called?  Who makes it?  I'd really like to try it out.

   Alan

1. 
   Lilshaver | May 29, 2002 02:08am | #4

   For example, compare: ultra-marine blue or alazarine crimson (translucents) to cobalt blue or cadmium red (opaques).

   I don't know the reasons why some are more transparent than others, but they are. Of course if white is mixed with any, the mixture becomes opaque.