Oil Painting Mediums

Essential products for all Oil Painters…

Driers
The clue is in the name. They reduce the drying time of oil paint and correct the natural intervals of drying time between the different oil colours. Every oil used in paint has a common characteristic: they naturally dry. However, some pigments such as ivory black delay the oil oxidation, making an influence on the drying compulsory. That is the role of this additive, along with optimising the drying time. You must be careful to use this medium sparingly because a strong dose of drier can spoil the colours and go against the desired effect. The used dose varies between 1 and 5%.

Oils
These dilute the paint by making it oilier which delays the drying time of the paint and, in the perspective of the fundamental “fat over lean” rule, adds the necessary “fat” proportion. For oil paint it is recommended to use linseed oil, poppy seed oil, safflower oil or resin.

Mediums
These are based on natural or synthetic resin, can be mixed to the colours in order to accelerate the drying time to rapidly superimpose the different layers and modify the brightness and transparency. They can also be used to change the texture of the paint, making it thicker or thinner, and to increase the paints resistance to time.

Varnish
Most of the time, the varnish will be composed of resin and petroleum or turpentine. Varnish is used to protect your work but also to create effects, and they are normally available in bottle or aerograph and in the forms of retouching varnish and finishing varnish. The retouching varnish protects the paint from impurities, embellishes the colours, and reinforces the adhesion of each layer. The majority of retouching varnishes are composed of dammar varnish or mastic. Finishing varnishes are used as a final layer on the painting. The final varnish protects it from external elements and will maintain the brightness of the colours for a long time. Each finishing varnish will have its own characteristics, and you need to wait until your paint is perfectly dry to apply the finishing varnish, which depending on the thickness of the paint layers will be between 6 and 12 months.