Overlaying Acrylics with Water Soluble Oils

So today I thought I’d do something a little different and just paint and chat while I show you what I’m working on. I love these kinds of sessions because it feels a bit more real, a bit more like we’re just in the studio together with a cup of tea. Which, by the way, I have right next to me. Essential, obviously.

I’m working on a semi abstract landscape at the moment. Very abstract actually, let’s be honest. It started life as an acrylic painting, and I’ve been going back over it with water soluble oils. It’s something I’ve been doing quite a bit lately, going back to old paintings and breathing new life into them. And I have to say, there is something really lovely about that process.

You know how it is. Your style develops, things change, you learn new things, and sometimes you look back at an older piece and think “I could do so much more with that now.” That’s not a bad thing, that’s growth. That’s your artist’s eye developing. And rather than leaving those paintings to gather dust, why not work on them again? Some of my students do exactly this, they bring older work into class and start applying new skills to it. It’s a wonderful thing to see.

Now, when you’re layering oils over acrylics, there are a few things worth knowing. The first is that oils can make it easier to end up with muddier colours, simply because you’re working on wet paint. So I’m being really mindful of that today and keeping my palette quite limited. I’m working with a violet red and a warm academy yellow, and I’m adding them in small touches rather than going all in. The key is balance. I don’t want that violet red to compete with the greens and blues, I want it to sing alongside them.

One thing I’ve learnt over the years is when to put the brush down. And honestly, that’s one of the most important skills you can develop as an artist. It sounds dramatic, but sometimes a painting just needs a little time apart from you. A bit of breathing space. When I’m working with oils especially, I find you sometimes just need to make a few marks, a glaze or two, and then walk away. Let it dry. Come back with fresh eyes.

Because if you keep pushing, keep working, you run the risk of overworking it and losing all that lovely freshness. And nobody wants that.

So that’s exactly what I’m doing today. I’m making a few intentional marks, checking in on the movement and the energy of the piece, and then I’m going to move on to the next painting rather than overworking this one.

If you’ve got old paintings sitting around that you’re not sure what to do with, I really encourage you to get them out and have a look. You might be surprised what you can do with them now. Apply what you’ve learnt, go over them with a new medium, try something different. There are no rules here.

Happy painting! Michelle ✨