Master Your Mediums: A Guide for Oil Painters: PART II of II

This put up is Component II, so if you have not yet, read Portion I 1st! There I explore oil mediums, solvents, and the mediums that I Never use or suggest.

Strong, Particle-Centered “Mediums”

Technically these are additives, not mediums, but discovering their attributes qualified prospects me to the medium I at present use and suggest, so it is really handy to describe them in this article:

Fumed Silica (warmth-processed sand)
Fumed silica is an airy, feathery, powder dust manufactured from granite sand. The particles have a big surface area space and low mass, so when it is really combined with paint or oil it requires on “thixotropic” houses. This usually means when you combine it or implement pressure it behaves like a delicate flowing liquid, but when you don’t contact it, it retains its condition like a gel. I’ve made use of it by mixing it straight into my oil paint with a palette knife appropriate on the easel, and alongside with a minor oil, it’s a terrific way to increase the paint although preserving it transparent to make glassy glazes. The suitable way to mix it is with a muller, but I’ve relished the paste I can get just with the knife. Nevertheless, there is an easier way to use it which I’ll protect below.

To remember its attributes, continue to keep in brain: Silica is clear! It truly is sand, and that is what glass is designed of, so use fumed silica for clear glazes.

View my movie demo for how I include fumed silica to my oil paint right here

Chalk (floor calcium)
Chalk dust is the exact same things small children for generations have clapped out of blackboard erasers, and it can be just as messy! I’ve applied it by mixing it specifically into my paint, and it helps make the paint “chunky”, dry, and effortless to pile up into craggy impastos. I experience selected it truly is likely the main component in any correct “mystery medium of the Outdated Masters”. Like fumed silica, you can also blend it a lot more adequately and carefully with a muller.

To don’t forget its attributes, preserve in mind: Chalk is OPAQUE. That’s why we use it to compose on chalkboards! So use chalk in your whites and light-paint mixtures, to create up chunky impastos, drive 3D shapes forward into the light-weight, and practically capture the light with vibrant peaks of texture.

Look at my movie demo for how I include chalk dust medium to my oil paint in this article

My Favored Mediums
And now is where by we get to the very good part: The mediums I most highly endorse! It is basically really simple: They are just the dry solids I mentioned earlier mentioned, but conveniently mulled and tubed with linseed oil. All-natural Pigments would make these mediums. They are incredibly very simple and affordable, and you could also make them conveniently at house, but Purely natural Pigments has finished the function for me, and I want to just open the tubes and begin portray.

Tubed FUMED SILICA Medium for Glazes:
Oleogel medium by Natural Pigments
I use Oleogel by mixing it into my paint suitable on the palette with my palette knife, and I also use it to oil out my performing area of my painting with a make-up wedge (left image). Mainly because it has reliable particles combined into the linseed oil, it’s much far more secure than making use of linseed oil by yourself, and it will make a definitely attractive transparent glaze. Out of the tube it appears like a apparent gel, you can see it in the middle of my palette in the middle graphic. (Pure pigments also makes quickly-drying version called OleoRESgel, which I feel has alkyd included, so that may be a a wonderful alternative for Liquin or Galkyd. And Normal Pigments lists all their elements on their labels and point sheets.)

Tubed CHALK Mediums for Impastos:

Impasto putty medium by Organic Pigments
Impasto medium by All-natural Pigments
Velazquez medium by Purely natural Pigments

These are 3 distinctive proportions of the exact same components: Chalk dust combined with linseed oil. Impasto Putty has the most chalk, and it is really seriously thick, nearly like a dry peanut butter, and it varieties quick peaks when you “lift off” the palette knife.

Impasto Medium is in the middle, the regularity is more like room-temperature butter, with medium peaks.

Velazquez Medium is my preferred, it can be a little bit less chalk and far more oil, and so you get lengthy ropey peaks, and the consistency is far more like a stretchy bitter product.

All of them make it possible for you to pile up your paint into thick impastos that look like aged-learn paint effects to me.

These chalk-centered mediums also allow you to extend out the paint extremely slender, so I use it for my lead white less than portray layer as perfectly, exactly where I am employing the opacity and transparency of guide white paint to produce a vary of values around the brown uncooked umber underpainting….

Look at my video clip demo for mixing Oleogel and Impasto Putty into my paint right here

Watch my video clip demo for how I use Oleogel and Impasto Putty in my existing portray

I’ll be sharing extra about making a direct white under painting when I launch my new portray video study course afterwards this 12 months: Glazing and Scumbling a Continue to Lifetime with ROSES. My on line video clip class Glazing and Scumbling is a excellent introduction to the procedures I will be sharing in the more innovative Roses course.

Indicator up for my mailing record to be notified as soon as the new online video clip training course is produced!

I instruct Alla Prima, Immediate, and Oblique oil painting right here on the internet, made available as fully pre-recorded online video classes you can observe any time, which includes my Intro to Oil Painting which is ideal for novices. I also provide mentorship programs if you want assist and aid though doing work by way of the courses.

Your Thoughts about Mediums Answered:
These are additional concerns people asked me about mediums on social media that I couldn’t suit gracefully into the post:

Do you use different mediums for plein air vs studio get the job done?
Operating en plein air or even alla prima in the studio, I uncover I am racing towards time so I use just 1 medium, a basic mixture of 50/50 linseed and odorless mineral spirits.

Do you use different mediums for various grounds or supports, like chalk primed panel, or oil primed linen?
No, but I use various grounds for distinctive kinds of paintings: I use a chalk gesso ground on a clean tricky panel for Oblique portray, and I really like RayMar’s oil primed linen panels for my direct and alla prima paintings. You can see my components lists with inbound links to my encouraged solutions.

Why do some mediums make the paint continue to be tacky, and must you paint on a tacky layer?
If the former paint layer is tacky you are probably employing way too a great deal oil – or possibly other components that are not drying speedy ample. A very good way to gauge if your earlier paint layer is dry adequate to paint above is the “thumbnail exam” – If you can make an indentation in your paint movie with a company push of your thumbnail, you ought to wait for it to dry extra just before painting on it.

Can you combine various mediums collectively?
As prolonged as they are easy mediums, possibly indeed, but you really should be acquainted with each and every component in your paint. I like to preserve clear mediums and impasto mediums different, since I use them for different needs in distinct elements of the painting.

Are some mediums extra harmful than others?
Solvents (paint thinner or mineral spirits or turpentine) are far even worse for your health than any other component utilized for portray, so do every thing you can to restrict your publicity to fumes.

Is Galkyd excess fat or lean?
Rapidly-drying or slow-drying is far extra vital theory than fats or lean. Alkyd mediums are rapid-drying, so use it only in the lowest levels of a portray, or for damp-in-soaked approaches, as in alla prima or plein air portray.

How do you prevent sinking in?
I never, I just stay with it! The darkish parts of a portray surface lighter-price and “matte” as a substitute of shiny and darkish simply because the oil is sucked into preceding paint layers. The much more layers there are, the even worse the sinking-in becomes. I do “oil out” the location I plan to paint into that working day, but I depart the relaxation matte. When the painting is accomplished and dry, I do oil out the entire area at the time to consider a very good picture of the painting, but afterwards I wipe that oil off with odorless mineral spirits and a make-up sponge.
When the portray has experienced numerous months or months to dry, I varnish it, and then all the prosperous shiny dim hues return.