Further Information

This section gives you some additional information and useful facts about Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colour.  

Oil Painting Rules with Artisan

Oil painting with Artisan requires attention to the same oil painting rules as conventional oil colour:

• Fat over lean (flexible over less flexible). When oil painting in layers, each successive layer must be more flexible than the one underneath. This rule is maintained by adding more medium to each successive layer.
• Thick over thin. Thick layers of oil colour are best applied over thin under layers. Thin layers on impasto paintings are likely to crack.
• Slow drying colours should not form continuous under layers as any faster drying layers on top may crack.

Using water as a solvent

As with any oil colour, the addition of too much solvent can result in an underbound paint film. The same is true when using water with the Artisan range. For this reason we strongly recommend that the working characteristics of the colour be adjusted through the use of the appropriate medium in addition to water. When adding water, do so gradually, a little bit at a time, while mixing continuously with a brush or palette knife. Doing so will allow the water and oil emulsion to form evenly.

The use of water will also alter the refractive quality of the colour - resulting in a slight shift to a lighter tint as the water is added. As water evaporates from the mix, there is a subsequent reversion back to the original colour. Alternatively, you can use Artisan Thinner instead and the colour shift will be avoided.

Which Whites to Use

White is the most popular colour.  Adding white to any other colour produces ‘tints'.  The two whites in the Artisan range offer different working characteristics.  Titanium White is the most popular modern white.  It is the whitest, most opaque white and gives excellent covering power.  Zinc White (Mixing White) is the most transparent white, making it ideal for stronger tints and glazing.  Artisan whites are ground in modified safflower oil to produce the whitest whites.

The use of Artisan over oil

This is possible as long as the painting is completely dry.  It is then possible to use Artisan colour straight from the tube or if thinning is required a minimum amount of Artisan Thinners can be used.  It is not recommended that water be used as this may de-wet or cause cissing on the original oil colour and poor adhesion. The Artisan mediums may also be used to thin Artisan colours over dried oil colour.

Artisan Durability

Artisan Water Mixable Oil colour is a relatively new medium in terms of art materials, however, colours containing oil and water are not new and have in fact existed since prehistoric times. For example, egg tempera is an oil in water emulsion, which has been used by artists for over 600 years.

During the development process, Artisan colours were tested for many properties that would be indicative of its durability such as adhesion, flexibility, drying, film hardness, and water resistance, as well as application properties such as mixability with water, flow, texture retention and wetting. In addition, the full range of colours were painted out on canvas directly from the tube and with mediums and/or water at different thicknesses and have been observed and tested at regular intervals since.

All results from this development stage have confirmed that Artisan does indeed act in the same way as a conventional oil colour.

To ensure the long term durability of Artisan, Winsor & Newton have and will continue to study Artisan under various conditions using paint films that have been allowed to dry naturally for longer periods of time (test samples that have been aged artificially) and also by use of specialised equipment. The key areas to consider when assessing long term durability are:-

• The evaporation of water from the paint film
• Film hardness and future resistance to water & solvent
• Adhesion and flexibility

In combination with the work carried out to date and the ongoing studies, there is further analysis taking place in various conservation departments across the world.

Modern Paints Uncovered

In May 2006, Winsor & Newton were invited to present a white paper at the Modern Paints Uncovered Symposium co-organized by the Tate and the Getty Conservation Institute, held at Tate Modern, London. Alun Foster, Chief Chemist at Winsor & Newton presented "The Performance and Properties of Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colour  compared  to other oil-based paints by Winsor & Newton" . To see a summary of the findings from the white paper please click here.

The Getty will publish all the symposium papers later this year.

For further information on the Modern Paints Uncovered Symposium and to read the white papers presented in full, please visit: www.getty.edu/conservation/science/modpaints/mpu.html

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