Steve Strode swaps traditional oil paints for water-mixable oils from Royal Talens – and emerges with vibrant studies and a genuine appreciation of this versatile medium.

About Cobra Water Mixable Oils

Top features:
  • Brushes and hands can be cleaned with water
  • Paints can be thinned with water
  • No need for turpentine
  • Kinder to the environment
  • Lightfast
  • Perfect for travel
  • Perform like traditional oil paints
  • No odour

Whoever said oil and water don’t mix? Well, they do actually, especially if you’re using Cobra’s new water-mixable oil paints.

Not to be confused with water-based paint, like acrylic, Cobra has produced an oil paint that mixes with water.

If you’ve never used water-mixable oils before, you may be pleasantly surprised.

There’s no need for turpentine with its strong odours and unhealthy vapours, and cleaning up is quick and easy.

The cleaning process using only water was an added advantage for me as I set about testing the paints for this report.

With regular oils, I clean my brushes and palette with white spirits then wash them in warm soapy water, sometimes repeating the process. With Cobra paints, I simply wipe the brushes with a paper towel and wash. It’s the same with my hands; no need for grit-based cleaners, just warm soapy water.

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Where to buy

Cobra Water Mixable Oil Colours can be purchased from Jackson's Art Supplies by clicking here and from art shops and other online retailers.

Available in 40ml tubes, there are 70 colours available. They can also be purchased as a starter set of five colours and a value pack set of ten.

Painting en plein air with Cobra Water Mixable oils

The benefits extend to painting outdoors, as using water as a solvent is kinder to the environment.

If you’re travelling farther afield, flight restrictions on traditional thinners means relying on their availability at your destination, not so with water.

Oil painting techniques with water-mixable oils

Sounds good so far, but does this mean I’ll have to compromise?

All the usual painting techniques of traditional oils are still possible with Cobra so there’s no need for any special equipment.

Using them for a month, I painted indoors and out and on surfaces

I normally use, such as canvas, smooth board and paper. I also used my hard and soft brushes without discovering any drawbacks that put Cobra water-mixable oils in the shade.

For all the studies you see here I used the Artists’ paints from a palette of 70 colours.

Cobra guarantees that the quality of all its colours meets the highest degree of lightfastness – at least 100 years lightfast under museum conditions.

Odour-free oil paints

Blush Pears, Cobra Water-Mixable Oil s on canvas, (20 x15cm)

I sometimes paint in the living room if I use a photo as a reference from the computer, or on the kitchen table if I set up a still life.

The first thing I noticed as I began painting indoors was the lack of smell; my wife thought I was using acrylics.

First experiments with Cobra

So what are they like to use?

As with any new product, I played with the paints to see how they performed.

I experimented on a few test sheets, just mark making as I used different techniques on different surfaces.

I painted thick and thin, diluted a variety of edges, blending different colours, and working wet in wet and wet on dry.

These first tests gave me an idea of what to expect when the time came to complete a painting.

The Cobra paints didn’t disappoint, in fact they performed just as well as my usual oils.

Straight from the tube they have a firm structure and handle like traditional paint.

I left a heap of Cobra’s ultramarine blue against an oil of the same colour on un-primed paper for a week. Both paints bled out oil, leaving a yellow ring. The oil spread of Cobra was about half that of the traditional paint, suggesting they contain less oil.

Cobra also developed a skin, although some wet paint was beneath this, but the traditional product was still oiling out, skinless and wet to the touch, even after a couple of weeks.

However, painting straight from the tube Cobra performed no differently to regular oils.

Although their drying times were slightly faster, the paint was easy to manipulate on both the palette and the painting the next day.

Can I use Cobra Water Mixable Oils straight from the tube?

Bloom, Cobra Water-Mixable Oils on board, (21x18cm)

Straight from the tube Cobra paint has a firm structure so if you want to work this way, perhaps with a knife, there is no need for any solvent.

The colours and the marks remained unchanged as they dried over the following couple of days.

How do I mix water-soluble oils?

As with traditional oils, when using turpentine as a thinner, you don’t need much water with the Cobra paints.

Just squeeze out a blob from the tube and use a damp brush to pull the paint from the pile.

Add a little water at a time to make the consistency you need, but remember, the thinner the mix, the more water it contains, which quickly evaporates and dries out.

Alternatively Cobra offers a choice of mediums, which are also oil based and especially geared to water-mixable paints. The benefit of these mediums means the more you use in your paint mix, the more workable the paint remains for longer.

Cobra’s glazing and painting mediums both increase the flow and transparency of the paint; just think Liquin with traditional oils. The painting medium supposedly makes the paint ‘fatter’, although I found little difference between the two so try them both and see what you prefer.

DISCOVER COBRA MEDIUMS HERE

Using only water left the thinned out paint looking matt, and using only the painting medium made for a glossy finish. Although this will be a personal preference, I found a 50:50 mix of water and medium was a good compromise.

I did notice, however, that adding water to the medium turned it milky. To avoid this, I added the medium to the paint before adding the water.

Small discoveries and quirks like this become part of the process, but that process has no effect whatsoever on the end result when compared with traditional oils.

Can you you brushes and knifes for painting with water-mixable oils?

Back Garden, Cobra Water-Mixable Oils on board, (18x21cm)

This was painted from life. I did notice that I cleaned off my palette more as it only took a swipe with a damp paper towel.

Using varying thicknesses of paint with a hog brush and knife, they handle just like traditional oils.

What are the drying times of water-mixable oils?

Amsterdam, Cobra Water-Mixable Oils on canvas, (15x21cm)

This was painted from a photograph of a girl freewheeling through a junction.

Although the Cobra paints may dry a little quicker than traditional oils, it’s not so quick as to be a problem.

I like the fact that these paints sit between acrylic, which dries really fast, and oils, which take much longer.

In Amsterdam (painting above) I used varying mixtures of painting medium and water and a diverse range of paint thicknesses. This resulted in different reflective qualities on the surface.

However, these same problems can also arise with traditional oils, and a combination of matt and glossy finish is easily remedied with a spray of varnish, which will unify the result.

I also painted outdoors, again with varied surface thicknesses, and although it wasn’t the height of summer, the sun was still warm. Cobra didn’t dry out, and once complete, I left everything outside for the rest of the day without the paint skinning over on the palette or the canvas.

What are the advantages of water-mixable oils?

The advantages of Cobra Water-Mixable Oils are wide-reaching.

When teaching classes, for instance, some venues don’t allow turps or spirits to be used, because of environmental issues and health and safety concerns. In the past, I’ve been limited to acrylic or watercolour, but Cobra paints may well be the way forward for such oil-painting classes.

Water-soluble oils are still in their infancy, and while there are few books and resources available, Cobra’s own YouTube channel has clear and helpful videos from the manufacturer.

You’ll also find instructional films regarding everything you need to know about the paints.

FIND COBRA ON YOUTUBE HERE

Take a look at Cobra Water-Mixable Oils in the video below

Final thoughts

Like any new additions to your paintbox, it’s simply a matter of experimenting and familiarising yourself with the product, and Cobra performed well.

The paints offer good quality colour at a reasonable price that’s comparable to traditional oil paints.

I can see Cobra Water-Mixable Oils becoming a useful addition to my painting gear.

Pick up a handful of colours and give them a try; I think you may find yourself pleasantly surprised, too.

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