Paper for oils?

Aren't Artisan paints water based? They are fairly quick drying I think and you can also use them with trad oils. Paper for acrylic and paper for oils does cockle but it's OK for trying out techniques etc. I wouldn't use it for serious work. Why not have some pieces of MDF cut( they vary in thickness, I use quite thin ones ) , seal it with ordinary emulsion (or gesso) and off you go - with Artisan, trad oils or acrylic. The main thing is get started. You'll soon get the knack. Don't read too many do's and don'ts or you'll scare yourself off. After you've experimented a bit and lost your fear ( we all have it because there's a "mystique" about oils) , then you can read a few good books. All the best!

Hi Michelle – like you I haven't done much painting in oils, and I started a couple of years ago using the Artisan paints., so perhaps my experiences may be useful. Whilst canvas and panels/boards are the traditional surfaces for oils, I find that you certainly can paint successfully on paper, in fact almost all of my efforts so far have been on paper. Whilst you can buy paper that is specially made for oils (Arches is one brand), all I've ever used is cheap watercolour paper. I coat this with acrylic “gesso” (quick drying and water-based) so that the paper surface is sealed – it then takes oil paint in the same way as a gessoed panel would. You can use several coats, and sand the gesso lightly to smooth the surface if you wish. The snag (there has to be one of course!) is that the water-based gesso itself will make the paper cockle. I get around this by wetting and pre-stretching the paper, but this isn't everybody's cup of tea (there are threads in the watercolour section of this forum which relate to stretching). To avoid stretching, you could use a watercolour block: These are glued all around the edges of the paper so it can't cockle. They're more expensive than loose sheets though, although you can get less expensive ones (e.g. Jackson's Art). For me, the advantage of paper is precisely that it isn't too pricey & so I felt much freer to experiment & mess about. Marjorie isn't quite right about Artisan – they are “real” oil paints, and are certainly not water-based. Instead, there is an additive in the oil which makes it mixable with water, which is very handy for brush cleaning. However, if you used water instead of an Artisan painting medium to alter the consistency of the paint then they do become different to ordinary oils. Also, they aren't fast drying (W&N Griffin oils are, but they will definitely not mix with water). You can get a fast-drying Artisan painting medium if you want to speed up the drying process, and this does mix with water. MDF or plywood panels certainly would be more orthodox, and easier than stretching, and you could practice several times on such a surface by scraping the paint off (if still wet), or sanding it down (if the laters are dry). On the other hand, I find it useful ( and cheap, and not bulky) to keep a selection of my paper studies to remind me of techniques I've used and how I'm progressing. Hope this helps!

I've tried W & N Artisan Water Soluble oil paints. There's no chemical odour at all, and you can wash the brushes in water. The drawback is that the drying time is too long - 4 or 5 days from my experience. A medium which reduces the drying time is available, although I found it difficult to get the proportions right. I've bought paper which has been treated to accept oil paint and I haven't had any problems with the paper wrinkling. The paper is still expensive, and I've now been converted to a pad of canvas sheets made by an Italian brand, Belle Arti. http://www.jacksonsart.com/p24798/30x40cm_Belle_Arti_Canvas_Pad/product_info.html Ten sheets of 300 x 400 mm canvas (12" x 16") plus another canvas clued to the backing board, all for £11.40. It's got a nicer texture than paper.

Hi Michelle, You have some great answers already but here's another idea for you. Mount board (as used by picture framers) makes a nice sturdy surface, and you can use it best after applying a coat of gesso. The thing is framers have a lot of waste after they have cut mounts so ask around and you will probably be given a whole load for free, or pay a token amount. Good to use with acrylics too for practise work. Have fun!

A lot of advice here - the upshot is that provided you put a layer of acrylic gesso on it, many papers will work; though frankly I think a block of oil painting paper is going to work out just as cheaply as primed watercolour paper, when you think about it. Of course if mountboard can be obtained free, or for a few pence, that's cheaper still - all you'll need is the acrylic "gesso" (it isn't really gesso, but it works the same way). Have you considered using Daler Board? It's quite a good surface for oil, it's cheap, and although it warps a bit, it's rigid enough for most purposes. It does need framing if you produce anything you're pleased with: the corners are easily damaged. Even canvas boards, of the actual canvas mounted onto stout card type, are pretty good value - the cheaper ones are fine for sketches and so on, and there are premium grade ones which are perfectly adequate for your more finished paintings (and rather better than stretched canvas, which is quite easily damaged). I would avoid acrylic paper, personally - it has a generally unattractive surface weave, and it buckles like mad. You can also find offcuts of hardboard if you know where to look - both sides can be gesso'd, the patterned side has a very regular, machined weave, but several coats of gesso help to disguise that. And, if you happen to smoke cigars - or can acquire a few cigar boxes from a tobacconist or smoker, the wood (again, primed) makes a very satisfactory base for smaller oils. You buy the boxes, I'll smoke the cigars and give the boxes back to you......... Finally, whatever oils you use - water soluble, alkyds, or traditional oil paints, it makes no difference at all to the surface on which you paint: it will need isolating with a coat of acrylic or in time oil will seep into the fabric and rot it, or sink into wood or board and lose all its character, becoming progressively underbound and liable to flake off the surface and crack.