Oil paint Bar / Sticks Comparison Painting
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- Опубліковано 19 січ 2019
- Here I am comparing 3 different oil bars or sticks for painting on both canvas and en caustic panel
Winsor & Newton oil bar
Shiva Paintstiks
R&F Pigment Sticks - Навчання та стиль
Recipe for making oil sticks.
There are a couple of ways of making diy oil sticks. One is to use dry pigments and the other, tubed oil paint (or a combination of both). I will stick to using tubed oil paint for this recipe but if people are interested in using pigments do let me know. You maybe asking why I don’t just buy them? Well I do but making your own extra one’s means that you can create various colours, mixes and greys that aren’t available (even from R&F). You can create a real tonal range. From a pure colour to a range in which you add more white across 5 sticks. Pure ultramarine blue, with gradually more white added over the 5 sticks.
Ingredients
Oil Paint
Linseed Oil
Beeswax
Carnauba Wax
The ratios are variable depending on the consistency you are looking for ie the more wax, the harder the stick will be. I tend to use 4 parts Oil Paint, 1 part Linseed Oil, 2 parts Beeswax and 0.5 parts Carnauba Wax. This gives a firm but creamy oil stick. Experiment and find the consistency that best suits you (different paint and colours/pigments behave differently and require more or less oil/wax)
Directions
Heat the Beeswax and Carnauba in a small pot or tin (I use a small sweet corn or pea tin). When melted add the Linseed oil and stir until the liquid has combined. You can now add your tubed Oil Paint bit by bit, stirring it until all is melted together and fluid.
I have tried various molds to form the sticks but here’s the most simple; Wrap tinfoil around a store bought oil bar, or something of a similar shape. When you remove the oil bar from the centre of the foil you will be left with a mold into which you can pour the molten mixture. Make sure there are plenty of layers of tinfoil around your mold so that it is sealed as much as it can be. Then using play dough (or something similar), create something in which the tinfoil can stand upright with the bottom end sealed in the play dough. This should now be ready for you to pour the mixture into.
When poured, let it cool for an hour or so to properly solidify. Remove the tinfoil and voila, you have a basic oil stick! It’s quite a craft and I’m getting better at it each time. I’ve created my own molds from plastic and silicone and currently working on getting some two part metal molds.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
You can use an empty syringe as a mold. Cut the end of the syringe and pull the plunger back. Once the oil stick has hardened, push it out of the syringe!
Hi Richard!! Have you tried PVC tube as a mold and silicone as a cap? They are resistant to heat. Thanks for sharing your recipe!!! Will try it soon hopefully
I have both Dorland’s Wax Medium & Gamblin Cold Wax. Both are composed of beeswax & resin with Gamblin adding OMS to the mix. I’m thinking of trying Gamblin’s as it’s a bit thicker with the Gamblin dry pigments I have to make an oil stick. I’m wondering if I should use palm wax with it as well. Any thoughts on that combination? Thanks for the helpful information above.
Richard, You are a creative genius 😁 thanks a lot for sharing your information, its very helpful
And thanks to all those who share their ideas and experiments too 👍😍🙏
I've been trying to find a recipe for making oil bars with pigment instead of starting with oil paint. I know you posted this 3 years ago, but if you have recipe and instructions for making them with pigment, I would love to know how! I'm guessing it just means mixing up your own paint first.
Thanks for the comparison. I've been getting into the R&F sticks in the past year so this is useful to see them side by side.
After using oil bars/oil sticks, I wrap each one tightly in cling-film/food wrap to prevent a skin forming.
When finished painting, leave it for 1-2 days. Will the paint dry or not? Thank you.
You've answered many of my questions by showing this demo. Thank you!
Julia Walsh I’m glade the info was helpful
Thanks for this video-it was very helpful to see the side by side comparison. Looking forward to your next video.
That was really helpful to watch. Thank you!
Thanks for the video, you helped me to see the properties of the different brands
New sub. Your video popped up as a youtube recommendation from a PaintStik review by My Art Supply Obsession's channel. You're right, there isn't enough information out there about use of these bars/sticks. I've been trying techniques to use oil pastels and sticks with encaustic medium. There are so many options. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your videos and learning more. Thanks for your review!
Petal Pusher although the Shivas seems less vibrant in the video they are my preference for encaustic for there hardness and they way they mix with wax
Excellent video. We need more art comparisons and the use of media in a non traditional way.
I thought it was very informative. I just ordered oil sticks. I wanted to try something different. I got the idea from reading a book about Jene Michael Basquiat .
I love R and F and Sellenier Oil sticks. I use them with oil paint on big canvases or on top of acrylic on paper
Thank you. This was very helpful.
Always looking for new ideas
Thanks Matt for sharing this video👍🙏
I use Sennelier paint sticks, they are beautiful. The R&F looked really nice in the video also. I bought a black SHIVA stick because I couldnt get a black Sennelier at the time. SHIVA, in my opinion is garbage, might as well be using a crayon.
Shiva isn't great for straight oil painting but it's thin hard qualities make it great for encaustic. Good to know about Sennelier thanks
I bought a full set of R&F oil sticks way back in the 90's. I love them. Some of the paintings I've produced with R&F sticks have been among my favorites. I still have the very first one I painted. Now I'm planning to learn more about encaustic and expect I'll buy most of my supplies from R&F.
So I recently purchased R&F x2 and Kama x1 pigment sticks to use with encaustic. Did not realize the Kama was hard - not soft and plyable like R&F. Wonder if you have a way to make hard pigment stick more pliable...add it to oil or solvent? Would rather not use solvent tho. Thanks for the demo.
Very helpful. Thank you!
This video is really very helpful
I was considering trying those markal b ones. Limited colors. But they seem to be a very similar thing. I actually have a bunch of the industrial ones that art primo makes- but they have a solvent in them so they have a limited working time
Awesome video, thanks
Good comparison! Would note that you don't need a knife to peel off that layer, just use a paper towel for either and you're fine...but I think that and your issue with the label has a lot to do with how you're using it rather than the product themselves.
Great review, thanks. I don't know if you ever tried Sakura Solid Markers, but they're really cool.
Thanks Robert, Sakura Solids look cool but be aware they don't seem to be UV resistant or light fast so they might fade
@@OozyToast Good point
Winsor & Newton have stopped making their Oilbars. I emailed them because I couldn’t get hold of any and the confirmed they have discontinued them and will not be bringing them back. Shiva/Markal not great for painters. R&F by far the most painterly and great because of the neutral greys and pale tones. Sennelier also good, lots of body but their range lacks nuanced colours and shades. I use a combination of R&F, Sennelier and ones I’ve made myself
Richard Blades thanks for the update I would like to hear more about how you make your own
Make More Cool, I will post a recipe when I get back to the studio tomorrow 👍
Richard, I too would love to see how you make your own! any possibility of that?
Richard, can you tell me which brand would be best for large, gestural line drawings? I’m not looking for painterly effects but something similar to the look and controllability of oil pastels with more permanence. I’ve tried the W&N ones, and they were too sticky and gunky for extensive drawing. Thanks!
@Wreck and Carey thanx!
How to keep your oil sticks soft and no skinning over: store in a lidded box with a piece of cloth with a few drops of oil of clove. This is an old technique for keeping oil paints on a (covered) palette fresh.
Thank you for sharing
Can one use thinner?
Use a papertowel to remove the skin, just hold and twist.
Thanks I’ll give that a try. I will also try dipping them in gamsol to get started
thanks! would you know what would be the thinnest stick (smallest diameter) that eventually fully dries?
I would say Shiva's richesonart.com/products/paints/shivapntstks/pntstkmain.html
thanks again
I am very new to oil, I have been messing around with oil pastels and really enjoy them, but keep hearing that they aren’t light fast.
Can I ask if oil bars are more lightfast? What is the difference between an oil pastel and oil bar??
I don’t claim to be an expert but I believe if they are both of good quality and pigment based vs dye, they should be light fast. I found this link suggesting oils sticks will dry and oil pastels will not www.liveabout.com/oil-pastels-and-oil-sticks-characteristics-4051831
Sennelier oil pastels are definitely lightfast. The difference between oil pastels and oil bars/sticks is in the oil used. Oil pastels use a non drying mineral oil, this means that you will have to put oil pastel works behind glass as they never fully cure. In comparison Oil Bars/sticks are made with a drying oil, the same as oil paint, meaning that they cure just like oil paint. Both use wax and behave in quite similar ways but it’s all about their ability to dry/cure.
Why are these so expensive? Is it the pigment loading? I love the things that people like George condo do with them- but a more painterly style is inspiring as well.
Will they melt on the canvas if it's very hot and humid?
It would need to be vary hot likely the temperature encaustic wax melts at. Around 150 f 90c I believe
When finished painting, leave it for 1-2 days. Will the paint dry or not? Thank you.
The paint will cure similar to oil paint that may take quite a bit of time. That being said the wax will make it more durable and seem dry as soon as it cools
@@OozyToast Thank you so much.
I hesitated and researched for a long time to buy it. Because I couldn't tell the difference between oil stick and oil pastel.
.? Drying time?
Where do I get the WN OIlbars? I haven't been able to for a long time. ANd the SHiva is too hard and R&f too soft! Anyone know?
I think they are now discontinued maybe you can try www.sennelier-colors.com/en/Oil-stick_80.html
You say that Shiva is a wax stick? Do you mean to say they contain higher amounts of wax than the others? I have Shiva oil sticks and they do contain drying oils. The skin on the outside of the sticks are not wax, its a layer of oxidized oil and the wax just happens to be a part of it.
I believe they all contain wax and oil. The main difference I believe is the ratios but I’m not an expert on the production only these products.
You can use paper towel to take off skin. Using a knife is way too messy and you get the peelings everywhere.
The one thing you didn't mention was the high end and low cost.
But great information otherwise on product and material.
R&F smashed its competitors
It was. These are supposed to be just like oul paints in the tube. During this you kept mentioning "wax"?? So are these oil paints or WAX Paints . I dont have Windsor Newton oil stix. I do have R&F-love. The very cheap(shiva) brand, also have Sennelier love, Shiva- not too thrilled about them. They were my 1st. Hate the word greasy. Very buttery. Oily
Another question- would a person use oil paints on a board fixed with "wax" as you said, or as you said the canvas gesso was applied and again wood panel you had wax applied. So can a person oil paint on top of a board. Or fabric panel where wax was applied. Also are these so called oil paint stick wax? Or oil. With the shiva if I understood you correctly when you removed the skin off the shiva to expose the freash so called oil paint is it oil or wax. The idea of the oil sticks is that its self sealing???
Caroline Ullrich I believe these are oil wax and pigment. Oil and encaustic style wax work well together in the right ratio.
There will cure like oil paint over time