Thinning Acrylics

[bex DK]

Got some tips from ClayB on coloring leather and one thing he mentioned was having heard that they shouldn't be thinned more than 50% with water--to thin more than that, you have to use thinner products.

I'm pretty sure I've been thinning some of the artist acrylics more than that for what I've been messing around with--a lot more--so I am wondering whether anyone has experience working with "overthinned" acrylics and how well they hold up on leather?

I've tried googling on it and what I can find out is that at some point (which isn't usually defined very clearly and may vary extensively with different brands) the water will break down the cohesion in the paint: its ability to create a "film" and bond with itself.

But this leaves me wondering whether that might even be an advantage on leather. If it doesn't have a film, it can't crack, can it?

I remember my mother using a glass casserole lid as an acrylic palet when I was a little kid. She'd just let the paint dry when finished and it would peel right off, so the lid could go back on the casserole without a problem. This peel-off effect is what I worry about with using thicker acrylics on leather. That you'd nab an edge somehow and the whole painted area would peel right off...

I am basically working with most things thinned to the point of being more like a wash than anything else. So it just barely changes the color and I can put on several layers and get shading effects with a single color of paint. This also allows it to still feel like leather rather than paint.

I've used some thicker colors for small effects (like white markings on horse heads) but I prefer the thin stuff so far for most of my experiments.

At this point, I am topping the acrylic colors with a layer of supershene after they've dried completely, so that should give some protection in case that is lacking because the colors are so thin.

Does anyone have experience with "overthinned" acrylics and know how well it holds up to wear and use?

I am hoping to get selling a little bit of work and would hate to sell something only to find out that the colors don't hold up to use. Messing up my own stuff or gifts isn't so bad...

Thanks for any more advice anyone can give me. I don't doubt ClayB, but am wondering whether the negatives of overthinning are that serious on leather. I can see it being a problem on canvas or something else nonabsorbant, but it seems like the superthin acrylics practically absorb into the leather.

Also, if it is a problem, does anyone know how to tell how much is too much? From my reading, it really seemed like 50% was a pretty random figure for it.

I could probably stay within 50% if I stuck exclusively to cova colors, but that is a much more expensive source for paint. Right now I am using a mix of really old Cova's that my husband has had for years (before they were ecoflow) and stuff bought in Danish stores along the lines of Walmart.

Thanks for any experience you can share, good or bad!

[Ferg]

Got some tips from ClayB on coloring leather and one thing he mentioned was having heard that they shouldn't be thinned more than 50% with water--to thin more than that, you have to use thinner products.

I'm pretty sure I've been thinning some of the artist acrylics more than that for what I've been messing around with--a lot more--so I am wondering whether anyone has experience working with "overthinned" acrylics and how well they hold up on leather?

Acrylics used for painting on canvas etc. would be "iffy" when thinned too much. The Cova colors are nothing more than acrylics with maybe a slightly different formulation.

I thinned some extremely, such as a few drops of the Cova in maybe a fluid ounce of water with no problem. Use the extremely thinned product for a wash.

We found that a wash of white made other colors "stand out" when used over the white wash. Allow the applications to dry completely before you re-coat.

ferg

[bex DK]

Right. I am pretty much using everything as a wash.. building it up a little at a time I guess. But are you finding that the colors applied with washes hold up well over time? Or do they suddenly fall off the leather or crack or fade or anything?

My assumption is that cova is basically the same as artist acrylics but made to be more fluid. Since it is more fluid to begin with, it doesn't need as much water to work as a wash. Of course the covas I have are pretty ancient and may be unreliable to begin with for that reason.

If I have to switch to a thinner, I will probably just go back to work on mastering the spirit dyes. No idea where I would obtain a thinner here (no art stores within reasonable driving distance). I feel like the acrylics are easier for me to control for detailed work and water-based clean-up is an advantage too.

If no one has experience, I will have to make a couple test projects to try to wear a little harder to see how they hold up.

[Ferg]

Right. I am pretty much using everything as a wash.. building it up a little at a time I guess. But are you finding that the colors applied with washes hold up well over time? Or do they suddenly fall off the leather or crack or fade or anything?

My assumption is that cova is basically the same as artist acrylics but made to be more fluid. Since it is more fluid to begin with, it doesn't need as much water to work as a wash. Of course the covas I have are pretty ancient and may be unreliable to begin with for that reason.

If I have to switch to a thinner, I will probably just go back to work on mastering the spirit dyes. No idea where I would obtain a thinner here (no art stores within reasonable driving distance). I feel like the acrylics are easier for me to control for detailed work and water-based clean-up is an advantage too.

If no one has experience, I will have to make a couple test projects to try to wear a little harder to see how they hold up.

Personal experience; I made some items for folks, kids mostly, that I used the old acrylics on. Butterflies, comic characters, etc. READ THIS 40 to 45 years ago. I have one that I know two of the youngsters carried extensively.

I am actually sitting here looking at this little purse with a butterfly painted bright red, orange and white. The white doesn't look too great but I don't think it did when I done it The back has a large butterfly painted with a dark blue, light blue,

green, and white. All of the colors are very bright and show no wear at all.

That bit of info may not do you any good but......

ferg

[bex DK]

It sounds like they hold up then. Do you remember if you thinned the acrylics extensively before painting?

[Ferg]

It sounds like they hold up then. Do you remember if you thinned the acrylics extensively before painting?

I may have thinned the white but the colors look as though I painted full strength. Still, I may have used a white "wash" under the colors.

My wife and youngest daughter are fine art pros, they almost always use white Gesso for instance, under a color.

ferg

[bex DK]

Thanks. IT gives me some confidence, but I will have to do some experimenting. Maybe a very decorated pair of spur straps for my husband... lots of wear there with pants on the boots and boots in the stirrups, so I can see if it holds up....