Best Artists' Oils for Figure Painting?

Got to recommend Windsor & Newton, been using them since the start. Have used a couple of other brands when I could find the Windsor & Newton but have never been happy with the results from the other brands.

Thinking about trying their water based oils (yes there is such a thing, have seen them with my own eyes) in the near future.

How about the book by Osprey on Modeling and Painting Figures? It looks pretty good and has lots of detail...

I have had very good success with Winsor & Newton. As one of the earlier replies states, one tube will last for years. In contradiction to one of the first replies though, I have had very limited success with Tamiya paints; therfore, I won't make a comparison with them. You will still want to use a base coat of either an enamel or an acrylic paint. I use mostly Humbrol for this but have used Model Master Acryl with good results. Remember to let your base coat dry at least 24 hours before applying the oils. Good luck and have fun experimenting.

Bull

p.s. I would recommend finding a copy of Verlinden's book on figure painting as he does an excellent job of writing out a process to follow for using oils.

One tube of oil will last you YEARS!!!!!! So, for the investment it is well worth it.

Riceball

Windsor & Newton is not cheap but certainly worth it.

I also have heard that Windsor & Newton paints are very good. I have never used them before.
mark956

hi , i'm using oils from VAN GOGH and does the job for me

I agree with the first two. Windsor & Newton, but I also use Grumbacher with which I have had good success. The best advice I can give is to keep practicing and don't get discouraged. Also, if you know of anyone who can physically SHOW you how to use oils as opposed to just reading about it. In my case I learned from a good friend of mine in one afternoon, but I mastered it over time. His teaching was worth a dozen books. Good luck.

Riceball

Ahem, I definitely concur. The finer the pigment the easier it works. There are cheaper oil's on the market but the end result is not the same.

Winsor Newton is the "Tamiya" of oils in that you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with them. If you have access to a real art store (vs. Michael's/ AC MOore where the clerks are clerks) you could ask them for their recommendations. However, I've learned pretty much by trial and error that going with an "artist quality" mixture will give you a better, finer pigment. This will cost more but you'll be happier with the results. And the amount of paint you'll be using coupled withthe shelf life will amortize this expense quite nicely.