General information on painting with oils

[yellowcat]

I hope this is useful with our members. This is from my years of experience using artist oil to paint figures. I have more on this subject. Just let me know if you are interested.


GENERAL INFORMATION ON PAINTING WITH OILS

QUICK DRYERS (24 hr.)

BURNT UMBER
BURNT SIENNA
RAW UMBER
PRUSSIAN BLUE


MEDIUM DRYERS (2-3 days)

YELLOW OCHRE
INDIAN RED
OXIDE OF CHORMIUM
LEMON YELLOW
VIRIDIAN
NAPLES YELLOW
COBALT BLUE


SLOW DRYERS (3-7 days)

CADMIUM YELLOW
CADMIUM RED
ALIZARIAN CRIMSON
FRENCH ULTRAMARINE
IVORY BLACK
MAGENTA
WHITE


ACCELERATION OF OIL PAINT DRYING

In order to speed up of slow drying colors, we can use the following methods:

1. Safest and the best way - Mix a touch of quick drying color to slow drying color. For example, add a touch of Umber to Cadmium Red, this will speed up the drying time considerably without changing much of the tone at all and a natural velvet finish.

2. By adding Windsor & Newton Liquin, especially when painting with white.

3. By heat source, such as a radiator, electric heater, crock pot/slow cooker or inside a box with a light bulb as a heating element. Temperature should be around 100-102 degrees F. A thin paint film should dry to a matt finish the next day. Artificially dried oil paint has a tendency to crack in time. There is no guarantee that this will happen. There are also some threads in this forum on this subject.

4. By means of siccative, such metallic-salt compounds as cobalt dryer. In practical use, this amounts to one drop of the siccative added to a teaspoonful of the paint thinner or painting medium used or one drop to about one inch of the paint as it comes from the tube.

 

[Meehan34]

awesome information, thanks for putting this together.

 

[user 5827]

Precious info, thanks.

Rod.

 

[Tecumsea]

Thanks Felix,

Great info especially for the less experienced painters.

Keith

 

[1969]

very usefull for myself as i am just venturing into oils, the info about adding a small amount of a quick dryer to a slow one is very usefull.

I for one would like to hear more

Steve

 

[Einion]

very usefull for myself as i am just venturing into oils, the info about adding a small amount of a quick dryer to a slow one is very usefull.

FWIW bear in mind Steve that speed-drying will give you better and more consistent results, in addition to virtually guaranteeing a matt finish, without any compromise on colour.

"Safest and best" is nearly always going to be an opinion, and for many oil users the best way is to speed the drying process with heat, as well as to soak out excess oil from the paint before mixing if appropriate.

Einion

 

[yellowcat]

"Safest and Best" in my opinion and experience is the safest and best way to dry oil. I have a dry box, I mainly use it as a "dust proofer". I put my painted figure inside the box to dry to avoid any dust landing on it. Regarding soaking out the oil before using it. Some time the oil paint is too thick to brush onto the figure. I always add my own painting medium (one part of stand oil to five parts of turp. or odourless paint thinner) to thin down the paint so that it is more brushable.
For my dry box, it is made out of wood lined with aluminum foil inside with an adjustable shelf. The picture shows a 90mm figure. It can accommodate a 1/5scale figure.