Mediums

Mediums are used to further control the colour, prevent overthinning (see solvents) and maintain the flexibility of the paint film (fat over lean). There are four main types, three for oils, alkyds and Oilbar and a final group of water mixable mediums:

 

Linseed Oil

Linseed oil is the traditional medium, as it is the binder for most oil colours. Generally oils dilute the colour, increasing gloss and transparency and are used in combination with solvents. The consistency, colour and drying time of linseed oil can be varied by different processing. Although we do not stock all these oils, they can be ordered in on request.

Refined Linseed Oil
is the most popular oil. It generally maintains the drying times of the colours. The variations of the other oils are listed here.

Cold Pressed Linseed  Oil
dries slightly quicker than refined and may have better flow with some colours.

Bleached Linseed  Oil
is thinner and paler than thickened linseed oil and is useful for use with white and pale colours. It dries slightly slower than thickened oil.

Stand Linseed  Oil
is recommended for glazing and as a general replacement for refined linseed, due to its pale colour and excellent levelling. It is thicker than refined oil and dries slowly.

Thickened Linseed Oil
behaves like stand oil but dries quicker and is darker.

Drying Linseed Oil
is the fastest drying of the linseed oils. Recommended for those who want a relatively fast drying oil.

Drying Poppy Oil
made from poppy seed, is the palest oil and is recommended for use with whites and pale colours. It dries slightly faster than refined linseed oil.


 

Oil Mediums

Oil mediums are ready made mixtures of particularly suitable linseed oils with solvents.

Artists' Painting Medium
A general purpose medium for those who prefer traditional oil mediums. It can be used directly for oiling out. (see below for video)

Fast drying mediums

Modern resins called alkyds are used to make fast drying mediums for oil painting. These are extremely popular because they generally halve the drying times of the colours.

Liquin is in fact the most popular oil painting medium. It improves flow and transparency and is less glossy than oil.

 

Wingel is a glazing medium, formulated as a stable replacement for the traditional megilp mediums of the 19th century and earlier.

Oleopasto is the ideal medium for thicker applications of colour, speeding the drying and maintaining a safe level of binder in multi - layer impasto paintings.

 

Water Mixable Mediums

Water mixable mediums are available for use with Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colours. These dedicated mediums ensure that all the traditional oil colour techniques can be achieved without the use of turpentine or white spirit (mineral spirits).

 

Combining different mediums

All the conventional mediums can be mixed. However, the structure of the painting is under less stress in the long term if mixtures are avoided.

We recommend Water Mixable Mediums to be used exclusively with Artisan colours in order to benefit from the use of water instead of solvents.

Not using varnishes as mediums

Picture varnishes are not recommended as constituent parts of mediums because of their resoluble nature. Neither should they be used as intermediate layers in oil paintings.

 

Oiling out

Oiling out is the application of an oil medium to a painting which has sunk (become dull), or lost its oil to the layer underneath. The most common causes for this are an over- absorbent, cheap ground or the use of too much solvent and insufficient or no medium. When the colour is dry,  Artists' Painting Medium should be sparingly rubbed into any sunken areas with a clean cloth.

Wipe off any residue and leave to dry for a day or two. If smaller, dull areas remain, repeat the process until the painting has regained an even sheen. Varnishes should not be used for the purpose of recovering the lustre of a dead painting. For a faster drying oiling out medium, use Thickened Linseed Oil diluted with 50% white spirit (mineral spirits).

 

Fat over lean

Fat over lean is better understood if considered as 'flexible over less flexible'. When painting in layers, the proportion of medium used in each layer should be increased. The higher proportion of medium makes subsequent layers more flexible and prevents the painting from cracking. This rule has traditionally been kept by adding more and more oil to the solvent used. However, as Liquin is now more commonly used, it is the Liquin content which is increased. There is no need to use oil as well.