Can you use oil paint in an airbrush?

judithdagostino · #1 05-03-2003, 03:20 PM

I have just bought a Paasche airbrush set with three different tips, small, medium and large. I was wondering, can you run oil paint through an airbrush? I know you would have to thin it etc. but I am getting mixed information. Most say you cannot. But, when I was searching the web for information, There was a comment on the type of airbrush to use for oils. So, I'm thinking, it must be possible. I paint mostly landscapes and I would like to use the airbrush for sky, cloads and some other fine details. Can anyone help me out there?

blkros · #2 05-03-2003, 08:20 PM

You probably can. They use oil and lacquer based paint on cars. The health hazards are tremendous though. You will want a very very very good ventilation system. A professional quality one. They are quite expensive, though.

lisilk · #3 05-04-2003, 07:12 AM

I know you can use spirit thinned oils in an air brush. Perhaps you can P.M. "freefall." He is an airhead and can probably give you more info.

Li

Rodman · #4 05-05-2003, 04:40 PM

I've ran about everything else through a airbrush..i don't see why it wouldn't work....the thing i try to tell people when mixing paint to spray is...start out with the paint about as thick as whole milk. Then thin or thicken to your taste..let me know how it goes...I hope this helps.....Rod-Man

Leaflin · #5 05-07-2003, 09:00 AM

Hi jdpainter

Radu Vero's book "Airbrush: The Complete Studio Handbook"
includes oils in the list of meduims with the solvent being turpentine. Transparency from 0-30% and a glossy appearance.

Paul Corfield · #6 11-20-2003, 03:47 PM

It is possible to use oils through an airbrush. The most famous exponent I can think of is the photorealist Audrey Flack. I've tried it myself but it's not pleasant. You need to use white spirit or something similar to thin the paint. That means you need to wear a mask constantly which get's unpleasant after a few minutes. Then you need to blast thinners etc through the brush to clean it. Also I found that because the oils are quite thin and they don't dry on contact with the surface like other mediums so you tend to get a lot of spidering where the paint is being blown across the surface of the board/canvas. I think the cons far out weigh any pro's that there might be. Personally I can't think of any reason for using oils through an airbrush. There's no effects that they can achieve that you can't get with other mediums.

Paul.

Penny220 · #7 11-20-2003, 08:23 PM

I answered this here http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/show...postid=1765510 Let me know if you have any more questions.

Penny

Keith Russell · #8 11-21-2003, 11:51 AM

Olivia Debernadinis also uses oils.

I've seen hundreds of acrylic airbrush paintings 'in person', but I've never seen one done in oils, except for reproductions in books.

I know that traditional oil paintings can look quite different from traditional acrylic paintings; though the two can often look very similar.

Has anyone actually seen 'in person' an airbrush painting done in oils? Is there really that much difference?

Oils are much more difficult to use in the airbrush, given the extremely toxic nature of the solvents.

Unless there is a serious visual advantage to using oils, I can't see any reason why one wouldn't just stick to acrylics...

K

Penny220 · #9 11-21-2003, 06:58 PM

I have airbrushed in oils. Excepting the mess it is a pleasure. It combines the best of both airbrush and oil paints. As far as the toxic nature of airbrushing oils. It is recommended to use a respirator with ALL types of airbrushing, with a good respirator the potentially toxic nature is irrelevant. Atomizing any lead based paint requires a special respirator but it's easy enough to avoid those colors.

Penny

Keith Russell · #10 11-22-2003, 12:34 PM

Penny, the airbrush can already blend acrylic paints better than a brush, and it is their blending ability which is one of the major differences between oils and acrylics.

So, since the aibrush provides the blendability, what other advantages are there, to airbrushing in oils, rather than acrylics?

K

Penny220 · #11 11-22-2003, 02:23 PM

Most people who airbrush use it in addition to painting with a brush. We use over 90 % airbrush, probably higher but we are in the minority. The people who are interested in airbrushing oils are oil painters, most of whom are not willing to give up the brush but would like to incorporate airbrushing into their work for speed and ease, primarily for background work. Selecting a medium is as personal as selecting a car, most aren't willing to change their primary medium.

Penny

Paul Corfield · #12 11-22-2003, 03:33 PM

I've been airbrushing for at least 15 years. It's so long I don't even want to count any more. I took up oil painting this year and actually find glazing and blending in oil quicker and better than trying to airbrush and blend the same oils. I still can't see where an airbrush can help at all in oils. Oils are a brush medium and a brush is the the best way I can see to use the medium. And that comes from someone who would airbrush over brush at anytime.

Paul.

Tigerquill · #13 11-23-2003, 06:30 PM

I was commissioned to paint a mural in the foyer of the public restrooms at a marina here in Michigan. The only reason I chose oils was for the toughness of the finished surface. I find it easier to patch a mural that has not been clearcoated, and since these walls are washed constantly, eventually even clear coat gets tired. I thinned my paint with turpentine about 1 to 1, but later thinned it just a tad more (how about that for a technical term?).
Turned out to work about the same as transparent acrylics, so I used a similar process to paint, blending some color combinations on the wall, light to dark. That was 6 years ago and these walls are still just as bright as the day we did this. I have heard of using a sparyed acrylic base then painting oils over that...on a regular canvas. But it is a mess, and a good respirator is a must. I have three, and 1 is a full face shield type. I love 'em...they keep me HEALTHY and HAPPY, here to paint another day...so if you think wearing one of these bad boys will drive you nuts, skip the oils and urethanes, stick to acrylics. I use a good vent system even with water based paints. Tigerquill

**Alan Cross** · #14 11-24-2003, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tigerquill
But it is a mess, and a good respirator is a must. I have three, and 1 is a full face shield type. I love 'em...they keep me HEALTHY and HAPPY, here to paint another day...so if you think wearing one of these bad boys will drive you nuts, skip the oils and urethanes, stick to acrylics. I use a good vent system even with water based paints. Tigerquill

A agree.....healthy and happy is important lol
Alan

Keith Russell · #15 08-22-2012, 09:51 AM

I ran a Google search on "Airbrushing in Oils", and there was a link to this thread, about 2/3 of the way down on the first page.

My views on airbrushing in oils have changed...or, rather, evolved...quite a bit since this thread was last active.

I wasn't painting in oils when I last replied to this thread. I've been using oils (brushed) far more than I've been using the airbrush, lately. (I've been painting in oils since 2004.)

I've actually done some airbrushing--in oils--over the past year, and really liked it. Oils are incredibly easy to clean (since oils, being the slow-drying paints they are) don't dry in the airbrush!

Another reason I've become interested in airbrushing oils, it's not a good idea to apply acrylics over oils. You can certainly brush (or airbrush) oils over an acrylic underpainting, but if you want to use an airbrush to paint over an oil-painted surface, you'll need to use oils.

So, I've been re-thinking my opinions on airbrushing in oils, and am re-tooling my studio (new vent-hood filters, commercial respirator) to give it a more serious try.

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