Medium Oils

How to use Medium oils.

Water Based Medium

A fine W Based Medium which in time dries very hard.

Excellent for penwork, airbrushing and can be used for applying solid colour.

Very good in a workshop situation as after it has dried hard, oil based products or lustres can be used next to or over the area painted with the W Based mix.

PENWORK – mix powder paint with medium to a thin toothpaste consistency, thin with water to a penning consistency.

A drop of water will need to be added to keep it to the penning consistency – as it will dry during use.

Penning with a Water based medium is a little more difficult than penning with a penning oil, but it is an alternative for allergy sufferers.

APPLYING SOLID COLOUR – Mix to a workable consistency and paint solid areas of colour.

Lee's Wet Grounding Oil

For use with powder paints on porcelain or glass – very safe to use as there is no powder dust “flying around”

Mix Wet Grounding Oil with powder thoroughly to a consistency suitable for a smooth application – not too dry. It needs to be a little runny for a smooth application but not too thin as it may run. Grind paint and oil well. Do not leave grains in the mix.

Pad mixture on with foam conditioned in the oil. For a good even colour, pad firmly and evenly. Alternatively, use the fine Pink sponges which I carry in stock.

Wash out in Turps.

I have used it with our normal china paints, matt paints and silky matt metallics. All grounded beautifully.

GROUNDING::

For large areas of grounded opaque colours, it is sometimes better to apply 2 thinner coats (firing in between) for a premium even finish.

NB: Allow grounded work to dry completely before firing – until it looks like suede. You can dry the application with hairdryer. This will then ensure it will not run (possible on vases if mixed too thin).

Storing mixed paint: If you have mixed too much, store in an airtight container. It will keep like this for a few weeks. If it thickens a little just add a drop or 2 of oil and remix.

It is also excellent for the “scratch technique”. Allow to dry till the application has the look of suede now scratch through your design. If you get a build up of paint, just gently dust off with a soft brush.

Applying lines – Mix paint and Lee’s Wet Grounding Oil. Load a fine liner (Elizabeth 6/0 Synthetic Liner works beautifully) with paint. Draw your lines with the brush and oil mix. With this brush and oil mix, you can achieve excellent fine, long lines.

Using a #1 Pointer brush, I have had success painting names on tiles/plates.

Draw letters or numbers with a graphite pencil. Load brush as for “applying lines” above, now gently paint in letters/numbers. Do not apply the paint too heavy as you could get chipping. If you wish a heavier application - fire, then go over the letters/numbers again.

To block in small areas of solid colour – apply a good application with a brush and fire 820deg- lower if firing reds. You may need another coat.

I have found that I can apply quite heavy applications and to date have had no chipping.

Be careful with Black as it does have a tendancy to chip – 2 light applications of black is best.

For a premium black – my Best Black is a very shiny hard black – firing temp 800-850deg.

Penning: Add a drop of 2 of Aniseed Oil.

Always Test fire for that special project.

Fire 800 – 820 deg for porcelain ; 600 deg for glass.

Dry Dusting

DRY DUSTING.

Any colour combination can be used in Dusting. Yellows, Pinks such as Rose, Cyclamen, Ruby’s, and Deep Ruby’s look good. Purples, Lavenders, Pale Blues Pale Dark Blues. Experimentation is the way to go, and if unsure of how the colour will look dusted, try a little on a tile and fire before you paint your piece. White flowers can also be dusted. Paint them with Fay Good White Rose, and then dust with Flux or White. If you wish to have pale colours, use the colour of the flower, and then dust with Flux. For Reds, experimentation is best at first. Banksia Red gives a deep red brown colour. Yellow, red, a deep Yellow Red Colour. Do not dust any Iron based reds with flux as it will make them patchy.

Mix the powder colours you have chosen with your Dusting Medium to a stiff consistency. Do not mix too much or the paint will dry and won’t keep for long.

Using your Dusting Medium to paint with, block in your design and then with a brush, oiled and dried slightly, shape up the design. A wipeout tool cannot be used to mark out the highlights as this will take the paint off the article and you will have white spots on your subject.

Put your piece aside and wait to dry. This could take a few hours. You can spot dry with a hairdryer but sometimes the drying can be uneven, and your dusting can be ruined if the paint is not dried evenly. If the dusted areas are even slightly wet in parts, cotton wool will come off onto the oil and stick to it. When the paint is dry, it will look dull.

Using the colours, you have chosen for the subject, place little piles of powder paint on a piece of greaseproof paper. Rub your palette knife over the powder to get out any lumps. Place a cotton ball on each colour and have some spare.

Now pick up the lightest value of powder on the cotton ball CAREFULLY and GENTLY, using a circular motion, rub the powder in to the parts of the subject you wish to be lightest. Then with the other colours chosen, rub these colours into the parts of the subject you wish to have as this colour.

With another cotton ball, dust off the excess paint from your plate. The painting should look like suede. With cotton buds, dipped in solvent and dried off the tips, clean up any smudges. Any grain of powder left on will fire on as a bright spot.