enamel paint and thinner

[vinniepolak]

I am beginning figure painting and want to give enamels and oils a try. I have been experimenting with Bill Horan's technique of Humbrols. I am finding the the enamels tend to dry very fast. Is there a particular thinner that works well? I have tried adding a little bit of linseed oil or liquin for experimentation. Basically just curious about how I should begin.

Thanks,

Vince

 

[Einion]

Hi Vince, enamels do dry fairly quickly but they are not completely insoluble when first dried so you have plenty of time to feather edges and blend with a spirit-dampened brush.

Don't add linseed oil or Liquin to your enamels unless you're looking to make them dry glossy (it will also make the paint more transparent). Oil will slow the drying but I don't think the extra working time would really be worth having to deal with the shine afterwards, but if you don't mind this by all means experiment. A reliable matt finish like Dullcote would be one of the best ways to get an overall matt effect, airbrushed on near the end of the painting process; you'll then want to brush on something to give skin, leather, painted surfaces etc. varied sheens to make the figure more lifelike.

The best thinner for enamels and oils to maintain a matt finish is your basic hardware-store mineral spirits (white spirits if you're in the UK). You can get 'odourless' alternatives like Gamsol from Gamblin, or Winsor & Newton's Sansodor, which work similarly.

Hopefully someone with a little more recent enamel experience will also pop in here to help.

Einion

 

[Guy]

I have used Humbrols and Floquils for most of my painting years and have never had to slow the drying time down. I use floquil thinner for blending both paints and you have several hours of time to do the blending.

 

[Randy Myers]

The thing to remember about enamels, is not to try to blend the highlights into the shadows to get your midtones, like some do with oils, but instead lay on many layers of progressively lighter (or darker) shades, blending only the edges with a moist brush. I like turpentine as a thinner. It smells a bit, but I think it gives enamels a "creamier" texture.

 

[Billhoran]

I've always used good, old fashioned hardware store paint thinner (very cheap). The few times I tried turpentine in the past resulted in shiny water marks atround the blened edges.

I like Randy'e description of the Humbrol painting technique. Right on the money.

Bill

 

[Manfred]

For years I had some kind of turpentine and was angered repeatedly by glossy spots and the less than perfect "flow" from the brush.
Mike Blank uses something called Terpin (Turpinoid?) and recommended this to me.
Hard to describe it but somehow its easier to work with enamels now for me.

 

[amherbert]

Has anyone tried non-toxic thinners with Humbrols?
If so, what happens with those?

Just curious, because I'm trying to cut down on the poisons I ingest for the hobby!

Andy