<p>If you are using acrylics and not oils you could make something similar by thinning the base white with some gloss or semi-gloss medium and adding retarder. You can adjust the liquidity with water.</p>

<p>The retarder would be key since the idea is to keep the ground wet while painting to be able to do the special Bob Ross techniques. It will probably be needed to be mixed in with all the paints. But I think Bob's method really calls for using oils. You will have a much harder time with acrylics since they dry so much faster.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-26T16:01:05.257Z
2019-05-26T16:01:05.257Z
rebusB
<p>To make your own liquid white mix 1to 1 linseed oil and titanium white. It's essential for the bob ross style of wet on wet painting which must be oil not acrylic just make sure you gesso the canvas before applying liquid white. Hope this helps happy painting </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-26T04:54:44.553Z
2020-05-26T04:54:44.553Z
Troy Hart
<p>I am doing some acrylic painting and watched some Bob Ross and he wets his canvas with &quot;liquid white&quot; and then paints on it while it's wet. Is this just acrylic white paint or is it gesso? I have tubes of white paint but it is so thick, it definitely is not liquid.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-23T23:34:56.120Z
From watching them myself, I think it's a speciality item, used for wetting the canvas so you can easily spread your paint. I've watched two videos where he uses liquid black.  It's not gesso,  he's got a tree painting that he used gesso on and then `coloured in` with acrylic.
SAM A
<painting><paint>
What is "liquid white" that Bob Ross uses?
user3833000
# What is "liquid white" that Bob Ross uses?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-05-23)

I am doing some acrylic painting and watched some Bob Ross and he wets his canvas with "liquid white" and then paints on it while it's wet. Is this just acrylic white paint or is it gesso? I have tubes of white paint but it is so thick, it definitely is not liquid.

**Tags:** painting, paint

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: From watching them myself, I think it's a speciality item, used for wetting the canvas so you can easily spread your paint. I've watched two videos where he uses liquid black.  It's not gesso,  he's got a tree painting that he used gesso on and then `coloured in` with acrylic.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-05-26. Score: 0

If you are using acrylics and not oils you could make something similar by thinning the base white with some gloss or semi-gloss medium and adding retarder. You can adjust the liquidity with water.

The retarder would be key since the idea is to keep the ground wet while painting to be able to do the special Bob Ross techniques. It will probably be needed to be mixed in with all the paints. But I think Bob's method really calls for using oils. You will have a much harder time with acrylics since they dry so much faster.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-05-26. Score: 0

To make your own liquid white mix 1to 1 linseed oil and titanium white. It's essential for the bob ross style of wet on wet painting which must be oil not acrylic just make sure you gesso the canvas before applying liquid white. Hope this helps happy painting


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