Have Questions About Interactive?

[claydesigner2156]

I have been using the Interactives since last year. Obviously sinceIi live in North Carolina...and nowhere near a desert, I can only guess on a solution. I think your next idea may work but I also was thinking that maybe a drop or two of the Unlocking solution will keep the paint open. That IS what it is designed to do. In fact, in their videos that is how Jen opens up an area to re-paint it. Worth a try at any rate. I love their colors for vibrancy and the toning colors for all sorts of reasons.

Hope you solve the probles. That can be a bummer!
Yvonne

[jennifervs]

Originally Posted by maryhysong

Hi, I've been playng with my interactives for a few weeks and have a problem that is actually getting worse now that it is warming up. I live in the desert and have a real problem keeping the paint workable. Even adding slow medium does not seem to help. The water spray helps, but tend to get water spots. I've worked on canvas and on board coated with binder medium. I normally paint in thin layers and think this is the problem. Should I coat the area with slow medium first instead of mixing it with the paint? That is probably the only thing I haven't tried yet. Any help appreciated.

Hi there! Painting in the desert is challenging with any acrylic, but I have a few suggestions:

Instead of the Slow Medium, try the Thick Slow Medium. This mediums is more of a gel, and keeps Interactive more workable, and responsive to the water sprayer, longer. Add some to your paint, and try applying some to your surface too so you are painting into a couch of medium.

It's fine to paint thin layers when you are laying in. But when it comes time to blend, use more paint. A thin paint layer, especially in harsh conditions, will definitely set up quickly. More paint=more working time.

Like Yvonne mentioned, bring some Unlocking Formula with you. This will reactivate paint layers when water doesn't work. I take some with me (along with water and Thick Slow Medium) whenever I paint plein air.

You can also add up to 10% Retarder to your water sprayer (not your paint) for extremely dry conditions.

There's an artist that posts frequently on Wet Canvas called "Aspenman," who is from Santa Fe. He paints in the studio and plein air very successfully with Interactive. He might have some tips for you too!

[maryhysong]

Thanks for the suggestions and yes Aspenman sent me a message also, thank you. i will keep fooling around with it and see what happens [tho usually I am painting in the house and not outside] I have a cool mist humidifier that I'm going to get out and try putting it to blow like right in front of the canvas [not on it] and see if that doesn't help too

[maryhysong]

Since we have been using the swamp cooler [AKA evaporative cooler, adds water to the air] the paint has been a little better. Also fooling around with things; If I mix some of the painting medium into each pile of paint on the palette to begin with, then add some of the thin slow medium to my mixes for the layers, it is much better, after 2 or 3 layers like that then it will blend with just wet paint or a damp brush. I tend to use thin layers all the way through the painting and this is helping. I didn't really want thicker paint so haven't tried the Thick Slow Medium. I have ordered some retarder and some more colors, so they should be here next week.

[maryhysong]

Why wouldn't you want to add the retarder to your paint?

[catman07]

Wondering how light fast these acrylics are? painting on wood panels, should the finished piece be sprayed with a UV fixative product of some kind? If so can you recommend a product that you have successfully used.

Thanks for your time,

[maryhysong]

As far as I know they are as light fast as any other artists acrylic, but you could probably find ratings for the individual colors at the chroma site; they also have some videos and some PDF files you can down load to watch/read.

Will your panels be exposed to direct sunlight or be placed outdoors? Or will they be indoors? that would make a difference in how you might want to treat them.

[catman07]

They will be placed indoors. Based on info at their site that the majority have a good light fast rating.

[jennifervs]

All the colors in Interactive are indeed lightfast!

[stevenbg]

Hi Jennifer,
I have a quick question for you. I've been watching the Mitch Waite painting demos on Chroma's web site, and I was wondering what sort of paper and ground he's using. It doesn't seem to buckle at all, and takes the Interactive wonderfully well. I would love to try it.
Thanks in advance.
Steve.

[jennifervs]

Hi Steve!

I asked Mitch, and he replied that he uses "Hahnemühle Acrylic Painting Board 450 gsm 50x65cm. I use the rough side unprimed – just as it comes out of the packet."

Hope this helps!

[mjgrump]

I am thinking of trying the atelier interactive paints, but have a few questions before I invest. I am an oil painter who has a reaction to solvents and am looking for a water-based alternative. I like the idea of being able to work wet into wet AND layer quickly (seems too good to be true). If I were to use the slow drying medium to develop a highly blended underpainting, do I have to wait a couple of days for it to dry and then apply an isolation layer, or can I apply it carefully when the paint becomes tacky (and how long would that take?). I gather the pigment load is much greater than the OPEN acrylics, which I did not like mainly because they are so transparent.

Also, can I glaze over an interactive painting in oils? And how long would I have to wait before I could do so?

I paint in a very realistic, traditional, layered technique. The main reason I want the wet-into-wet aspect is that I want a very smooth underpainting to glaze over. You can check out my web-site if you are interested in what I do (janewillistaylor.com)

Thank you.

[jennifervs]

Hi Jane - your work is beautiful! I like "The Kitchen Drawer" and "Closet" a lot - did you clean them before you painted them? If you'd prefer a more "compositionally challenged" setting (i.e. cluttered) do I have some drawers and closets for you!!!!

But onto your questions. In a nut shell, how quickly Interactive dries enough before you can overpaint with multiple glazes depends on the surface, humidity, how much medium and which one, and your own personal hand as an artist. In the situation that you described, yes, wait a few days until it was touch dry, isolate, and then glaze. But can you glaze if the paint is tacky or just reasonably touch dry? Of course you can, just like you can when oils become tacky. I personally love that stage when you can layer on top, or push into it and blend. It's a more challenging way, and takes a light hand, but if you are already working that way with oils, I can see no reason why you couldn't quickly adapt to Interactive. Depending on your surface, humidity, how much medium you used and how much paint, you can do this within the hour, but waiting a day or so certainly gives the paint more time to cure.

I live in South Central Pennsylvania, and in a nice, temperature controlled indoor studio, I find that I can overpaint within 30 minutes or so. On hot days, it dries on even quicker. You can always use a hairdryer to set your paint even faster.

You may want to check out the new Acrylic Glazing Liquid for those final glazes. This is a traditional glazing medium, and will not reopen once dry. I like to use this medium a lot for final glazes.

You can overpaint with oils once touch dry, but I usually wait about 48 hours.

There are a few artists that immediately come to mind that create very beautiful realistic paintings, and use Interactive in their process.

Mikel Wintermantel
LJ Lindhurst
Lory Lockwood

[mjgrump]

Hi Jennifer - Yes, I arrange the drawers. I mean to paint them as they are, but can't resist controlling the composition. I'm working on it--I have plenty of source material for messes!

Thank you for your swift reply. I'll give the interactives a try.

Where in South Central PA are you from? My dad's family is from Shade Gap, which is south of Mount Union. The Shade Gap cemetery is more or less the total genealogy of that side of my family.

I'll let you know how the acrylic experiment goes.

Thanks again,
Jane

[jennifervs]

Chroma's US office is in Lititz, PA, and I live in Marietta, right on the Susquehanna.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions as you start your experiments!