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  • October 24, 2014 at 3:56 pm #992351
    SSB
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        I am noticing a tremendous difference between how a painting looks when first done verses 24- 48 hours later. I haven’t noticed this effect as much as now ever before. Nothing has changed in my set up or execution that I know of, except maybe the lighting to a trivial degree.

        I am curious how much if at all you are affected by color shift, or a painting setting up, as in changing slightly over the course of a day or two. For me it is to the point where I paint a passage and then wait to see how it actually looks when time has passed.

        For what it is worth, I also have noticed this setting up time with soft pastel paintings, though to a miniscule degree compared to a wet to dry shift, which also occurs in watercolor…

        October 24, 2014 at 5:19 pm #1213012
        Ribera
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            From what I grasp of what ya communicated (and hardly always
            with great clarity either), it appears areas of your paintings
            might’ve, in fact, sunken-in.
            When one lays paint down, it will, of course, sink into the
            priming, the painting underneath (or both); this referred to as
            “sinking-in”.
            This, of course, predominant in the deepest tones.
            At a work’s conclusion, the varnish, of course, remedies that.
            Along the way, though, one requires the tone’s accuracy, as
            painting always a game of relating tone to tone.
            Then, there be a few respected means to work around this is-
            sue:
            Retouching: There be a number of producers of “Retouch Var-
            nish”. That customarily a mixture of turpentine and damar res-
            in; that mixture a final varnish too, however, in the case of re-
            touch, the turp more predominant, so it can be worked atop
            anon.
            Oiling-Out: Since the oil itself has sunken into the painting’s
            lower layers, just apply some more atop the diminished regions.
            (i.e., simply replace what’s left.) To do that, simply mix up your
            oil and solvent medium, twice as lean, though.
            Apply it onto the sunken regions; they should then regain their
            lustre.
            After that, rub a dry brush atop those areas to remove any ex-
            traneous             oil.
            That way too, you’re not throwing a third ingredient (which
            darkens and cracks) into the mix.
            r

            October 24, 2014 at 6:05 pm #1213014
            Ron Francis
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                I find that my oil paint does indeed dry a little darker, and it has nothing to do with sinking in.
                It is noticeable in areas where this darkening becomes obvious, like adding an object to a foggy scene where a very small change makes a huge visual difference.
                I remember having this problem many years ago and it was driving me crazy because I didn’t know if it was me or the paint.
                In the end I did some testing and found that mixes with titanium darkened but those with lead didn’t, at least not significantly.
                I don’t know if it was the titanium of the safflower that it was bound in.

                If it is sinking in in your case, all you have to do is wet the surface with a little solvent and it should bring back the original colour temporarily. An easy test.

                It is easy to test. All you have to do it mix a colour, paint some on a non absorbing surface, and store the rest in a syringe or something.
                After a few days, paint the same colour on top of the dried paint and see if there is a difference.

                Ron
                www.RonaldFrancis.com

                October 24, 2014 at 7:36 pm #1213015
                SSB
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                    Thanks, guys! It may just be a wet to dry shift, it definitely is more prevalent in the darks.

                    October 25, 2014 at 4:26 am #1213013
                    AllisonR
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                        Interesting about the titanium. 99% of the time I use lead white. Maybe that is why I do not notice a color shift. I only notice some colors (generally dark and earth) getting slightly lighter and duller – less hue changes – due to sink in. Easily fixed by oiling out. One of the multitudinous reasons I switched from acrylics to oils was the huge color shifts in acrylics – I mean crazy – maybe 20-30% color/hue/value shift in acrylics. Painting controllable colors in acrylics was just impossible for me, I spent half my time guessing – which is OK on an abstract tomato, but not realistic on a portrait.

                        Being born places you at a greater risk of dying later in life.

                        http://www.artallison.com/
                        October 25, 2014 at 11:25 am #1213016
                        SSB
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                            maybe it is sinking in. I have noticed more colors lightening than darkening. In the past in portraits it seemed to be the opposite. Now I am doing mostly landscapes.

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