Oil Paint Medium HELP!

jackie mcintyre wrote

on 29 Jan 2010 9:52 AM

I used an oil paint medium that I made from 1 part stand oil, 2 parts linseed oil, 1 part Turp. ( I used Gamsol) . I used it sparingly with Graham oil paint, which has a walnut oil base.  I can't get the painting to dry!  I really liked using the medium.  My question is how long will it take to dry,  it's now going on three weeks and If I make a new medium should I add a drier to the mix and reduce the linseed oil amount.  HELP!

mykel59 wrote

on 3 Feb 2010 12:42 PM

Might want to try adding winsor newton liquin in the mix or start using alkyd oils they dry much faster especially the whites. If your using a mixing white do use the alkyd oils. I paint in glazes but my skys are thinker and usually dry over night or no longer than 2 days. Hope this will help.

watermixableguy wrote

on 3 Feb 2010 2:23 PM

Not sure if I'm a lot of help but my hunch would be to reduce or eliminate the stand oil. I use Artisan water mixable oils, and mix Artisan medium with the fat layers of paint. Usually my paint will dry to the touch within a week, though I do not apply heavy layers of paint.

stephenrosa wrote

on 4 Feb 2010 11:18 AM

I would eliminate the linseed oil.  I make a mixture that is about 50/50 stand oil and turp,,,then a small portion of varnish.  Drys great!

Margo5 wrote

on 5 Feb 2010 4:53 PM

I know that everybody has different opinions about their favorite mix or recipe when it comes to painting and I have a feeling that when it comes to oil paints many variables come into play. For example, does the artist prefer to paint wet-into-wet, paint thick, paint thin, paint fat over lean, are they fast painters or slow -- thus needing different speed of drying time.

I basically have two questions. I am getting three samples of oil paint. I do watercolors so oils are not something I am really used to (other than painting by number) and I used to have (and probably still do) a sensitivity to the smell of oil painting (probably more the turpentine - or whatever it was - than anything else). But I remember that buttery quality to oils and the subtle colors and gradation that you could get with oils.

At any rate, to make a long story short, I can't invest a bunch at this point -- I just need to get my feet wet. So what is the least I can start with, short of painting on an old piece of wood with my fingers and letting it dry.

I know that if I wanted to, I could paint with nothing more than a palette knife (which is definitely and idea), but if I could only by one (or maybe two) brushes, what would I buy? I have seen walnut oil advised for a medium, but then I read that it takes a really long time to dry. Does anyone know if Liquin is a premixed Dammar varnish/turpentine/linseed oil?

I have tried to read the information already provided here before asking these questions so I apologize if I am re-asking anything.

Margo5 wrote

on 5 Feb 2010 11:45 PM

I have done more research and am coming up with more questions. I read two articles in my copies of art magazines and researched what I could on the retailer websites.

First, one of the articles said never to use damar except to varnish the final painting after it has completely dried. It said that if you use it in any of the under-painting or glazes, it will cause problems if someone needs to clean or repair your painting later on. In other words, when they dissolve the final damar varnish, all of the damar varnish in all of the layers will dissolve. So, back to my question about Liquin, does it have damar in it?

And then there is the situation with the mongoose brushes. No one really talks about what they are for. Nor did I see any explanation of things like the oil blender, and what size is the best, most versatile size for the average painting -- size 8 and size 10 look microscopic after using size 14, 16, and sometimes 20 for watercolor. I don't want to spend 20 hours just trying to paint one square inch of canvas. And what is the most versatile palette knife for the average painting?

You all are probably going to really laugh at this one, if you use walnut medium, do you store it in the refrigerator to keep it from going rancid? I did't see any discussion about that.

Thank you for whatever information you can provide.

mykel59 wrote

on 6 Feb 2010 6:39 AM

I've been using liquin since 1979 and it's been a great painting medium for me. Most of my work drys in 12 to 24 hrs when it is mixed with alkyd paints. I do use standard wn oils also and I get the same drying times but I do paint rather thin when using masonite. Heres whats on the bottle, quick drying medium for oil and alkyd paints. Improves flow and transparecy, smooths brush strokes used for detail, blending and glazing. This is oil modified alkyd resin. I also use this product to glaze my giclee canvases as a gloss. I'll try a canvas with a meduim amount of paint using liquin to see what drying times I come up with and let everyone know.

Mike

http://www.mikebrownstudio.com/

Margo5 wrote

on 6 Feb 2010 10:02 AM

Mike,

Thank you for the information. I didn't expect to be getting any oils this soon, but wanted to take advantage of a really good special so even though I just finished reading a really good book by Kevin Macpherson, I didn't really pay attention to what he had to say about supplies  -- just methods. I should have paid more attention to what he had to say about brushes and mediums; however, many artist gloss over that part because to some extent supplies differ from person to person depending on the manner in which they choose to paint.

Thank you again for your input.

mykel59 wrote

on 6 Feb 2010 10:48 AM

No problem Margo,

Your probably going to get a thousand differentt answers from a thousand different artist. Each of us has our own methods of painting and I've been at it about 30 years and this is what I enjoy plus it works for me might not for you or anyone else. Anyway good painting and enjoy....Mike

Jay Babina wrote

on 14 Feb 2010 8:25 AM

I too use Lquin (fine detail) as a medium myself. The thing I wanted to add in is that the original Liquin which is a bit thicker dries matt. The Liquin fine detail which is about like linseed oil as far as thickness dries gloss. it's not on the label and I wrote to W & N to put that on there since i went nuts at one time trying to figure out why some of my paints were drying so matt.

You can paint with no medium and just use the paint right from the tube or even thin it a bit with some thinner. Medium adds viscosity and chemically creates a better bond with the surface than thinning out oils too much. Some artists like to scrub in oil paint into the canvas and rely that technique to paint and want the out-of-the tube consistency. And some painters want to apply paint like they are literally painting a house. You have to develop your own style and possibly have many ways of handling the medium (no pun intended).

jackie mcintyre wrote

on 14 Feb 2010 5:08 PM

Margo, Thanks for all the information.  My thinner is Gamsol, which isn't citrus based.  I do think my whole problem was the addition of the two oils because the majority of my oils are Graham paints, which has a base of walnut oil, rather then linseed oil.  I have now made a new medium of 3 parts Graham walnut alkyd medium,
1 part walnut oil, 1 part turp and a small drop of gloss vanish.  It has worked out very well on my last painting and the paint dried quickly to the touch

Gamblin wrote

on 26 Feb 2010 12:18 PM

Hi Jackie -

There are many things that can contribute to the drying rate of our oil paintings. The environment plays a major role along with the amount of oil in the paint and medium. We tend to see increased dry times during the winter due to lower temperatures. You can help expedite the drying of your painting by placing it is a warm dry environment with air curculation.

You can also consider modifying you medium so that it has the right consistency along with the right dry time for your techniques.

Sincerely,

Jamee

Jamee Linton-Kelly | Product Specialist | Gamblin Artists Colors Co. | 503.235.1945 x-30 | www.gamblincolors.com

wmmccoy wrote

on 12 Mar 2010 3:23 PM

Jackie:

It's not going to dry, because your recipe is incorrect. Stand oil is ALSO linseed oil, which has been allow to thicken by "standing" (hence, the name). So your recipe has three parts of oil to one part Gamsol, which, by the way, is a mineral spirit blend, not turpentine. In some applications, like medium recipes, they are NOT interchangeable. While it works as a thinner, it is not the same as, nor does it have the same actions, as turpentine. Your problem is further exacerbated by using a paint with a walnut oil base. Walnut oil, while a drying oil, is sometimes used for its clarity, but the oil film it creates is more fragile (less durable) than linseed, and takes longer to cure (due to its lack of the same compounds which cause linseed to create the tough film it's prized for; linoleic and lenolenic acids).

Painting medium:  One part linseed oil OR stand oil (not both), one part distilled spirit of turpentine, and one part Damar varnish (generally used as what's known as "5 pound cut" meaning, five pounds of Damar resin powder dissolved in one gallon of turpentine). You can buy it already prepared rather than try to make it yourself.

Or, more simply, just buy the stuff.

Better yet, use incredibly sparingly, if any. An oil medium should not "automatically" be used. Anybody who says different doesn't know what they're talking about. You really don't NEED any. It's purpose is what its name implies: it is a means to "carry" the color, in this case, to ease the flow of paint off the brush bristles for smooth, precise lines, or to smooth the final settling of the paint, so the surface is smooth when dry. Most of the time no such thing is needed. What you're doing by using medium on every brush stroke, which I suspect is the case, is to absolutely LOAD the surface of your painting with excess oil, meaning it will take a freaking long time for it to ever dry.

Even using a painting medium with a correct recipe, an oil painting with only moderate thickness of application, should (ideally) dry for 9 or 10 months at minimum. The more medium or oil you use, however, the longer it will take to cure. Three weeks is no time at all. Using the kind and amount of oil you did, I'd be surprised if it dried in a year.

Get and READ Ralph Mayer's book: The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques. It will prevent such errors in future. It also has tried and true recipes for mediums if you really and truly must mix your own.

EdnaParkWaller wrote

on 13 Mar 2010 9:17 AM

Good advice, wwmmcoy! The three part mixture of stand oil, refined turps and Damar is one of the most versitile mediums I have ever used. It is so easy to mix because you can buy these small, pre-measured bottles of all three, mix them together and then reuse the bottles to store the stuff. Just be sure to relabel them! Three bottles will last for a very long time, even for a very prolific oil painter. Oh, yes! Empty the stand oil and damar into your mixing container first, then use the turps to rinse the stand oil and damar bottles before emptying it into the container. That will insure that the mixture is uniform when you put it back in the little bottles.

That being said, I am also very fond of the Liquin original formula. It drys overnight and does not have to be reoiled the next day.

Also, I am of the opinion that any artist's first purchase should be Ralph Mayer's The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, even before buying supplies.