Liquid clear - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists (2024)

paintescape

Hello all,

I had a question about liqid clear. Do any of you guys now any cheaper but same quality of liquid clear other than Bob Ross’s? I love it but it’s just to damn expensive. HELP PLEASE!

paintescape

Please visit me at: www.paintescape.com

barnett333

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. There are cheaper versions of the stuff but they are of lousy quality. If you want quality, you have to pay for it.

T. Barnett
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" A cartoonist is someone who draws the same thing everyday, without repeating himself"---Charles Shultz

ArtistEnigma

I’ve never liked liquid clear. expensive and proprietary. same with liquid white, black, etc.

the best thing to do would be to use a light coating of a good refined linseed oil. an artist quality linseed oil of course.

bob ross often used liquid clear as a prerequisite to painting. he will coat the canvas in liquid clear for the paints to go on to the canvas easier and blend better. what artists have been using for centuries to get this effect is a light coat of linseed oil which is very inexpensive when compared to liquid clear and it’s stood the test of time.

the best way to do the technique that bob ross talked about is to take a cheap sponge paint brush and dip it into a bit of the linseed oil. not too much oil. it shouldn’t run or drip off of the canvas. then coat the canvas evenly. after it’s coated evenly, paint up a storm.

hope this helps.

barnett333

I have used artist quality linseed oil and I myself prefer the magic white, clear and black. I get better effects with that line of products than with linseed oil. The magic white, clear and black can do some really cool effects that linseed oil can’t.

T. Barnett
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" A cartoonist is someone who draws the same thing everyday, without repeating himself"---Charles Shultz

ArtistEnigma

[i]Originally posted by barnett333 [/i]
[B]I have used artist quality linseed oil and I myself prefer the magic white, clear and black. [/B]

I prefer linseed oil.

besides, the names of the products alone sound a little hokey.

barnett333

oh, I am sorry, I thought we were judgeing the products on their performance not by what they are called.

T. Barnett
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" A cartoonist is someone who draws the same thing everyday, without repeating himself"---Charles Shultz

ArtistEnigma

[i]Originally posted by barnett333 [/i]
[B]oh, I am sorry, I thought we were judgeing the products on their performance not by what they are called. [/B]

oh, do I detect a hint of smartass?
I did say besides by the way.

the thing is, these items (liquid clear, white, black; “magic” white, black, etc.) are all very proprietary items that industries such as bob ross and william alexander create and charge extra for simply because they decided to call something that has been around for a while something different.

if I’m not mistaken (which I could be because I tend to lean more toward traditional mediums) liquid clear is basically stand oil that has been mixed with a thinner (10%-20% Sansodor Solvent). in that case I would just assume going back to using non-polymerized linseed oil which is more abundant in art stores and far less expensive.

the other thing that I would have to insist on is the archival properties of such items. we all know that linseed oil (depending on the grade) has been known to last a long time. the old masters used it and it’s still a popular item as far as a medium goes today.

liquid clear, on the other hand, was something that bob ross made up and charged extra money on. although the base ingredients of it being stand oil and solvent aren’t too bad, you have to realize that the grade of stand oil could be very poor and the solvent may also be downgraded. I feel that if I don’t know exactly what kind of stand oil and solvent I’m using in my mixture it could be anything. take the stand oil (polymerized linseed oil) for instance, you could have hardware store grade which is refined by being boiled which then could polymerize or yellow in unpredictable ways. if the solvent is poor or has a bad batch, you may not find out about it until it’s too late.
which then brings me to another point, there could be even more chemicals in the liquid clear that could have unpredictable results. liquid clear has been used for maybe 20 years. linseed oil or linseed stand oil on the other hand has been around for a lot longer then any of us living people on the forums have.

I don’t have a bottle of liquid clear in front of me right now so I don’t know if it gives a list of the contents of the substance. I doubt that they would because people that would be seeking an alternative to pbs painting mediums would end up spending their money elsewhere.

I put it down to this:
Linseed Oil/Linseed Stand Oil
relatively inexpensive,
has been through rigorous trial and error processing,
has stood the test of time,
traditional,
common,
non-proprietary,
you know what you’re getting,
excellent medium.

liquid clear
expensive when compared to traditional mediums,
has only been around a fraction of the time other mediums have,
trial and error process unknown,
contents are relatively secret so you have no clue of the quality,
not traditional,
proprietary,
not something that traditional art schools/instructors train with,
same technique used with liquid clear can be matched with several trusted mediums.

my main concern would be with how long the paintings last. for all you know, the paintings may deteriorate in 30 years. chances are that it will do ok for over a century though if in fact the rumors of the contents being only stand oil and solvent are true. but if the contents are poor quality portions you may be looking at a deteriorating painting in a few decades.

I would like to know the exact contents of the stuff though if any of you happen to have that bit of trivia.

ArtistEnigma

I accidentally hit the quote button instead of the edit button and bad things happened. so I have this open post that I can’t delete because I’m not an admin. I figure I will use this accidental post to wish happiness and wellbeing to all!

paintescape

Hi guys,

Thanx for all of your help. I always do a mixture of Liquid clear and Linseed oil. I pour all of the liquid clear in to a mixable container, then I add about 6 teaspoons of Linseed oil, then three teaspoons of liquin. And WALLA, I have a great easy blending, glazing, and flowing agent that’s out of this world. Don’t take my word for it, I’m not a scientist but it’s very nice to work with. I guess I’ll just stick to the old Bob Ross stuff, you guys brought up some good points.

paintescape

Please visit me at: www.paintescape.com

flo70

Hi Every one
I happen to like bob ross mediums ,they work well for me. and
besides here is a link that you can get it cheaper.

http://www.artsuppliesdirect.com/

Go For It Gang:clap:

betty johnson

barnett333

Thanks for the great link, Betty!!!!! Nice to see someone appreciate the great products! I don’t know what everyone elses problem is with the magic white line, I too have had nothing but great results. maybe it isn’t the products that are the problem.:clap:

T. Barnett
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" A cartoonist is someone who draws the same thing everyday, without repeating himself"---Charles Shultz

paintfool

I know i’ve said this before but i think it bears repeating. I used those liquid white and liquid clear products and found that every one of those paintings yellowed, VERY yellow, in a very short period of time. (less than a year)> I do not recommend them. No Barnett, it’s not the user, believe me. It’s the products. If you are happy using them then so be it. Have a blast. But i do have to wonder if those who are satisfied with them are planning on painting in the same (wet in wet) manner for thier entire artistic lives. I have found myself moving in completely different directions from where i started. Finding products that you like is great but i would encourage you to experiment with other things. I try something new every time i turn around and find so much fun in that! Some things work and some don’t but to be so completely enamoured in one or two products could really cramp artistic growth. Just my opinion for what it’s worth.

Cheryl

paintescape

Hi Cheryl,

So if you don’t like the liquid clear, then what would you recommend? Just Linseed oil? Any advice would be good…thanks in advance

paintescape

Please visit me at: www.paintescape.com

ArtistEnigma

[i]Originally posted by paintfool [/i]
[B]I know i’ve said this before but i think it bears repeating. I used those liquid white and liquid clear products and found that every one of those paintings yellowed, VERY yellow, in a very short period of time. (less than a year) [/B]

I figured something like that would happen with such a product. I’m glad you shared that with us again (I didn’t happen to read your previous post on it). It does sound as if the contents of it are in fact inferior for the discerning artist and any artist interested in quality for that matter.

if it yellows that severely in such a short amount of time I think that the deterioration of the painting would be inevitable in a very short amount of time as well. that’s if you don’t consider the severe yellowing of the painting deteriorating in itself.

[i]Originally posted by barnett333[/i]
[B]Nice to see someone appreciate the great products! I don’t know what everyone elses problem is with the magic white line, I too have had nothing but great results. maybe it isn’t the products that are the problem.[/B]

I’ve found that in the Bob Ross and William Alexander circles there are some people who refuse to “think outside the box” so to speak. Don’t misunderstand me, I think Bob Ross taught oil technique quite well in a very easy way (Billy Bob Alexander as well), but that’s about as far as it goes.

Some of the followers of such artists go as far as to use identical products and subject matter. Most will not go beyond painting trees and mountains and also refuse to use products not endorsed by Bob or Bill. This also creates a market for them to peddle their wares onto new painters that otherwise do not know the difference.

Speaking from a fine art background and standpoint I continue to say that these proprietary products are not something that most educated artists use. For good reason too. I think that Cheryl’s input and experience on this is proof enough.

If you don’t feel comfortable using traditional mediums and prefer using overpriced secret sauces on your paintings, I say continue doing so. But please be aware of the risks you’re taking.

if you are willing to pay for art classes, I say go to a community college or other type of instructional school that will teach you things that you can’t get from PBS artists and “certified instructors” of bob ross and billy alexander. you will learn quite a bit and will almost always grow beyond what you think your potential is. I’ve seen a lot of artists that started out with pure bob ross training and equipment blossom into their own artists with a knowledge of universally traditional mediums and tools.

thanks again Cheryl for sharing your experiences with us.

DaveTooner

I don’t know what everyone elses problem is with the magic white line

Haven’t you noticed? Whenever Bob Ross’s name is attached to a discussion, some folks always get bent out of shape about it.