Mixed Media Art Panel Liquid Oil Paint Pour

In this article, I show you my artwork design titled “She Wondered” and how to use this or your own design to create fun paintings in a special liquid art panel with Pebeo’s Cerne Relief mixed media painting outliner and Pebeo’s Liquid Oil Paints.

She Wondered Mixed Media Portrait Paintings

“She Wondered” Mixed Media Liquid Oil Paintings by Artist Tristina Dietz Elmes, 2015.

If you would like to have the image outliner for this “She Wondered” artwork, just click the button below to download the PDF. There is one design with the lady looking left and one design looking right in the download.

With the SHE WONDERED design page, you can hand freeform the design onto a painting surface or use a piece of transfer paper underneath the outliner design paper and trace the image with a pen or pencil to transfer the image onto your surface.

TIP: If you want to put the drawn or traced image onto a painted surface, then paint the surface first and allow to fully dry before transferring the image onto the surface.

Special Art Panel for Liquid Paints

When I want to create an artwork using liquid type paints, it can be helpful to create the painting inside a Liquid Art Panel, which has a lip that extends up past the edge of the painting surface and captures any potential liquid paint overflow.

Pebeo 8x10 Inch Liquid Art Panel.

Above is an example of Pebeo’s 8x10 inch liquid art panel, the same type I used for my artworks featured in this article, featuring a 1/8th inch wood edge that comes up off the panel surface.

I enjoy painting my liquid art panels with bright colors of acrylic paints that may (or may not!) pop out behind the liquid paints I pour on top.

“She Wondered” Painted Panel Detail with Yellow Acrylic Paint Showing Through from the Background by Artist Tristina Dietz Elmes.

Of course, if you pour a transparent color on top of the design, the bottom color will optically color blend with the see-through color put on top. If you pour an opaque color on top of your design, the bottom color will not show through.

Creating Dimension with Cerne Relief Paints

After painting my surface with acrylic paints, allowing the paint to dry and transferring or drawing my design on the panel, I then use a 3-D outliner paint to go over the design and create closed “cells” or “wells” that can capture the liquid paints I will add later.

Liquid Art Panel with “She Wondered” Design Created in 3 Dimensional Paint with Pebeo Cerne Relief on Top of an Acrylic Painted Background by Artist Tristina Dietz Elmes.

My favorite 3-Dimensional water-based paint is Pebeo’s Cerne Relief that comes in metal tubes of either 20ml or 37ml. The Cerne Relief paint comes in 12 colors; of which my favorite colors are black, white, gold and copper.

Pebeo Cerne Relief 3 Dimensional Outliner Paint in White, Black, Copper and Gold Colors.

Here is a list of all the colors: black, imitation lead, white, transparent, transparent with glitter, silver, copper, gold, vermeil gold, king gold, pale gold and rich gold.

It’s super easy to fix any mistakes made while applying the Cerne Relief paints because they are water-based and can be wiped up with a damp paper towel while still wet.

Close Up Detail of “She Wondered” Design Created in 3 Dimensional Paint with Pebeo Cerne Relief on Top of an Acrylic Painted Background by Artist Tristina Dietz Elmes.

Depending on the temperature and humidity of the area where the Cerne Relief paint is used, as well as the thickness of which it is applied, it generally takes 15 minutes to an hour for the 3-D paint to dry.

You can learn more about how to use Pebeo’s Cerne Relief 3-Dimensional paint in my live video below. Start at the 23 minute mark.

Pebeo Mixed Media Liquid Oil Paints

At the time of writing this article, there are 4 types of mixed media liquid oil paints that the Pebeo Paint company offers in open stock bottles, various Discovery Sets and Atelier Boxes.

All the paints can be used on a non-porous surface, such as gessoed canvas or panels, acrylic painted surfaces, plastic, metal and glass. Also, they all dry with a gloss finish.

These are the names and effects of the 4 types:

  1. VITRAIL - Stained Glass Effects in mostly transparent colors and some opaque colors. The thinnest consistency of the 4 types of Pebeo liquid oil paints. Even though these are the thinnest of the liquid oil paints, it is recommended to stir the colors thoroughly with a stick before use to blend any separated colors. The stirring is definitely necessary on all the opaque colors.

  2. CERAMIC - Dense Opaque Solid Color Effects. These are the thickest consistency of the 4 types of Pebeo liquid oil paints. Due to the thickness of this paint, the colors must be thoroughly stirred with a stick before use.

  3. MOON - Fantasy Paint with Hammered Metal or Moon Crater Special Effects in opaque colors. These colors contain mica and must be thoroughly stirred with a stick before use. The larger the open area Moon paints are poured into, the larger the craters become, up to about 2 inches in diameter.

  4. PRISME - Fantasy Paint with Honeycomb or Fish Scales Special Effects in semi-transparent and opaque colors. These colors contain mica and must be thoroughly stirred with a stick before use.

These 4 types of liquid oil paints can be mixed with one another giving generally unpredictable, but fun and often times exciting resulting effects!

“She Wondered” Mixed Media Liquid Oil Painting with Paint Types Shown by Artist Tristina Dietz Elmes.

Pebeo Liquid Oil Paint Mediums and Accessories

There are several liquid oil paint mediums and accessories that are helpful to use when working with the 4 types of Pebeo Mixed Media paints:

  • VITRAIL Lightening Medium - Liquid oil paint medium with no pigment. Can be added to other Vitrail colors to lighten the colors. Creates interesting effects when applying this medium first, then applying the Fantasy Moon or Fantasy Prisme to cause greater spreading of the special effects; this often creates a loose lace effect. Fun to use to create custom glitter paints or to use as a tough thin clear gloss coat over acrylic paints and polymer clay.

  • VITRAIL Mat Medium - Liquid oil paint medium with a mat finish. When used alone it looks like frosted glass when dry or it can be added to Vitrail colors to cut back on the gloss finish.

  • VITRAIL Glitter Medium - Liquid oil paint medium infused with a fine glitter that can appear either gold or silver depending on the background. This glitter medium can be used on its own, or blended in with other Vitrail colors.

  • Pebeo Plastic Droppers - It is helpful to use these droppers to transfer paint from the bottles to the painting surface.

  • Pebeo Empty 45ml Bottles - Empty bottles with a secure top can be helpful for custom mixing colors and for creating custom glitter medium with dry glitter and Vitrail Lightening Medium. Vitrail colors can be mixed with other Vitrail colors and Ceramic colors can be mixed with other Ceramic colors to create custom colors.

  • Wood Stir Sticks - It is advised to mix Pebeo’s liquid oil paints with stir sticks before use.

  • Toothpicks - Toothpicks help with precise movement of the liquid oil paints into tight areas created by the 3-D Cerne Relief paints.

  • Painting Tools - Palette knives and paint brushes appropriate for using with oil paints will work with Pebeo’s liquid oil paints.

Tips for Using Pebeo Liquid Oil Paints

  • These paints air dry or “cure” as oil paints do, although much faster than tube oil paints. This is due to solvents within the paints that keep them in a liquid state for painting.

  • Do not put items painted with Pebeo’s liquid oil paints in an oven or kiln, nor blast them with a heat gun as the solvents in the paint are flammable. Therefore, also, do not smoke around these paints.

  • Use these paints in a well-ventilated area as there is a smell from the paints.

  • It is a good idea to mix all the desired colors for a project at once, then keep the lids on the jars until the individual colors are needed. This reduces the amount of vapors (VOC’s) in the air while working.

  • I like to wear gloves when working with these liquid oil paints.

  • The liquid oil paints can be used in many ways, including on glass for a stained glass effect, on plastic or clear acrylic sheeting, on glazed ceramics, over cured resin, on gessoed canvas or panel, sealed wood, sealed air-dry clay, already fired polymer clay and over acrylic paints in mixed media applications, to name a few.

  • A porous surface such as paper, wood, air-dry clay and bisque or terra cotta pottery can be sealed with a coat of acrylic paint or medium before applying Pebeo’s liquid oil paints. Allow the surface acrylic to fully dry before applying the liquid oil paints.

  • The wooden sticks, toothpicks, a brush or a palette knife can be used to run the various types of paints into one another on the painting surface or for swirling the various types of paints together for fun effects.

  • Because the liquid oil paints are fluid, they will run if not on a level surface, so I generally level my painting surface before pouring the paints. If I purposefully want drips, I will raise and lower parts of my painting surface to get the desired paint movement, then return my piece to a level surface to dry.

  • It takes time for the Fantasy Moon and Prisme special effects to appear as the paints cure. The Fantasy Moon effect appears faster than the Fantasy Prisme effect.

  • The Fantasy Moon and Prisme paints must be applied in a layer at least 1/16 inch thick in order for the special effects to have room to “percolate” and appear on the surface of the paint layer.

  • Applying the Fantasy paints in a thin layer with a brush may lessen or eliminate the Moon or Prisme special effects, although the overall color and dried gloss beauty will still remain.

  • I “babysit” my poured paintings for approx 45 minutes to an hour to watch the effects develop and make adjustments with more paints along the way if needed.

  • If the liquid oil paints become thick in the bottle, they may be able to be “re-wet” by adding a small amount of VITRAIL Lightening Medium. Another solvent that can be tried is adding small amounts of Winsor & Newton SansOdor or Pebeo’s Oil of Petroleum, both oil paint mediums. I use a plastic dropper to add these rewetting agents a small amount at a time, stirring in between each few drops. Note that adding any solvent to the liquid oil paints can cause them to take longer to cure (dry).

  • Adding Odorless Mineral Spirits (other than the W&N SansOdor) or turpentine to the Fantasy Moon or Prisme paints dampens or many eliminate the special effects.

  • Clean tools (brushes, palette knife, droppers) with Odorless Mineral Spirits immediately after painting. Once the liquid oil paints are dry, there is no solvent to remove them; the paint has to be cut or scraped off at that point.

  • Because the paints are oil-based, they take longer to dry than water-based paints (i.e. acrylics). Pebeo’s liquid oil paints “cure” from the top down, so they will skin-over in 24 hours, but can take 7 days to a month to fully cure all the way through depending on the thickness of the paint layer and environmental factors.

  • After the liquid oil paints have skinned over, usually in 24 - 48 hours, accent paint layers can be added on top. Also, at this point relief details can be added to the painted surface with Pebeo’s Cerne Relief dimensional paint or Mixtion Relief Paste and Mirror Foil Leaves.

  • Although acrylic paints can be applied over top of the liquid oil paints, the layer of liquid oil paints should be fully cured for 7 days to a month before coating in acrylics. Note that only medium or heavy body acrylics will stick to the gloss surface of the cured liquid oil paints. Acrylic paints that are too fluid will bead up on the cured liquid oil paints surface.

  • 3-D items can be attached to the surface of a cured liquid oil painting with acrylic gel medium (not fluid acrylic mediums).

  • Resin can be applied over top of Pebeo’s liquid oil paints once they have fully cured. It is recommended to wait at least 7 days after applying the liquid oil paints before coating in resin, although waiting longer (up to a month) is advised if the liquid oil paint layer to be covered is thick.

Supplies List for Painting with Mixed Media Liquid Oil Paints

Here is the supplies list for the mixed media and liquid oil paints project shown. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you would like to see other paints, mediums and art supplies that I recommend, click below to go to the Supply Links page on my website:
https://www.dietzart.gallery/supply-links

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