Dorland's wax

[Einion]

Hi Robert, I would recommend two other methods for matting your oils - speed-drying using heat (arguably the best for a number of reasons) or overspraying the completed figure with a good matt finish like Dullcoat if any part of the model might have a problem with heat. Both of these will give you consistently superior results (i.e. more matt) without increasing texture, adding transparency or increasing solubility, all of which can occur using wax mediums.

Using paints lower in oil is a good beginning point to achieving matt finishes in case you didn't know. If you don't have top-of-the-line oils which have a lower oil content, placing your blobs of paint on absorbent paper for a short while before mixing works fine for removing excess oil.

Einion

 

[Guy]

I also use a hair dryer fastened to a stand that clamps to my desk.

 

[Lou Masses]

Robert,

Einion's recommendations are two better suggestions that Dorland's. I use the method he described (placing on a card first to soak excessive oil out) and that works best for me. Thin it with white spirits or "thinner" as opposed to turpentine which is gummy.

Heatinag also works well, but I find the combination of removing oil and heating works best. Dorland's can be dangerous because A.) it does add a texture and B.) if you do heat the figure you come out with an incredibly shiny finish!

Lou

 

[Patrick Kirk]

Robert,
Great advice from the folks here...
I only offer this piece of advice since I have used Dorlands on some oil colors that traditionally take forever to dry. Bob Tavis explained to me that if you combine distilled english spirits, liquin and just a tiny spec of Dorlands, you get a medium that is pretty durable and when you apply the oil (like my brother Lou described) you get the effect is matt flat.

I know, I know, Lou it's more trouble than it is worth...

My only word of caution is that if you use Dorlands in any medium thins the oils (so transparent oils are tougher to cover) and you really need to have a good acrylic or enamel basecoat already. Also you need to really have your mid tones, shadows and highlights already laid out, and premixed...the wet on wet technique is tough when you are working with Dorlands. It can be done (Bob Knee is a master at it), but like anything takes years to perfect.

Not sure if this helped, but thought I would throw my two cents in since Dorlands is probably not a good choice if you are just starting out...

All the best, :lol:

Patrick

 

[Lou Masses]

What he said....