The Freedom of Painting with Water Mixable Oil
Winter Class | Registration opens Wednesday, November 4, 2026 6:00 AM EDT
Enjoy the luxury of painting in oil without the drawbacks of toxic solvents. Water mixable oils are real oil paint, but clean up with water and use non-toxic thinners and mediums. We will explore working with this versatile medium with variety of subjects, and learn to mix a wide range of colors from a simplified palette.
- Painting surfaces: two size 8×10" or 9×12" (or larger) canvas panels, gessoed hardboard panels, stretched canvases, or oil paper (e.g., Arches Oil Paper).
Brushes: Stiff, long-handled synthetic oil brushes: #4 ½” flat (ideally 2), #2 ¼” flat, #3 fan, #2 round. Suggested brands: Princeton Dakota 6300 or Aspen 6500.
Palette: Melamine, wood, tempered glass, or a pad of disposable palette paper.
Painting/palette knife: Elongated diamond shape, rounded tip, approximately 1½" long.
Containers: Cups for thinner and medium (or a dual cup), small eyedropper bottles, water jar for brush cleaning.
Wet painting carrier: Cardboard box or plastic bin for transporting wet work.
Apron/smock: Optional; suitable clothing is fine.
Paints, Thinners & Mediums: Choose one water-mixable oil paint brand and its compatible products. A limited palette of five colors will be used; the sixth color is optional.- Royal Talens Cobra water mixable oils (not the student-grade Study line): Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Rose Madder, Burnt Sienna, Titanium White, optional Pyrrole Red Light. Thinner: Cobra or Winsor & Newton Artisan water-mixable thinner. Medium: Cobra or Winsor & Newton Artisan water-mixable oil painting medium (not fast-drying).
- OR Holbein Duo Aqua: Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Rose Madder, Burnt Sienna, Titanium White, optional Cadmium Red Hue. Thinner: Winsor & Newton Artisan water-mixable thinner. Medium: Duo Aqua or Winsor & Newton Artisan water-mixable oil painting medium (not fast-drying).
Note: Winsor & Newton Artisan paints are student-grade and not recommended, but you may use them if you already own them.
Charley Parker
Charley Parker studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. For the past several years he has been teaching at the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware College of Art and Design and Jester Artspace. Charley works in and teaches workshops and classes in gouache, water mixable oil and ink and watercolor. Charley is the author of the popular arts blog, Lines and Colors: http://linesandcolors.com
Website: http://www.charleyparker.com