Tips on how to beat high gloss with oil paint

[yellowcat]

Here are some of my ways on how to beat high gloss when painting with oil paint. I would like to know if any members have different ways on this subject.

1. Mix your paint with Dorland’s Wax Medium

2. Mix your paint with Grumbacher Oil painting Medium 1

3. Use a small fan brush. Fan brush is used by landscape and portrait artist to blend the oil colour on canvas.

Here is the procedure that I used to paint my figures without using any matt medium.
After laying down the oil paint on the figure your usual way, use the fan brush very lightly and gently go over the painted area in an up and down and diagonal brushing motion to pick up the excessive paint.
Transfer the excessive paint on the brush onto a piece of paper or on your palette. Go over the area once more so that it only leaves a very thin layer of paint on the surface.
Because of the up and down and diagonal brushing, this will break up and diffuse the light reflection on the surface eliminating the slick smooth glossy surface of oil. It should dry up to a complete natural velvet matt finish without any brush mark showing at all.

 

[Einion]

Soaking out some oil and heat drying should also be mentioned, the latter in particular.

Einion

 

[yellowcat]

Hi Einion,
Thank you for the comment. I did mention using heat to dry oil paint to a matt finish from my other thread " General information on painting with oil". I seldom heat dry my figures although I have a dry box. I sometimes add painting medium that I mix myself to my oil when painting figures. (one part of stand oil, 5 parts of turp or odorless thinner to make the paint more brushable.)

 

[Angaliel]

I paint with extremely thinned oil paint (with tupertine).
My paint style is quite similar to Acrylics, with thins layers over Humbrol undercoat.
With that way, my paint finish is so matt that some are surprised when I tell them its oil paint and not Acrylic........

Here my actual WIP, paint is from this afternoon, and pic is from this evening :

JP

 

[yellowcat]

I do not use any acrylics or Humbrol to undercoat my figures. I use oil that is slightly thinned down with my medium for my base coat. Then go over it with the fan brush technique to produce a thin, smooth and no brush mark painted surface. After it dry I will lay down the shadows. Let it dry again. The next step is the highlights and then more shadow and highlights. It is like a glazing technique. The final result is a natural velvet matt finish.

 

[thegoodsgt]

I sometimes "drybrush" (using a stippling motion) MM Dullcote over small areas of the figure.

 

[jjgurk]

Thought I'd ressurrect this thread because I just happened to come up with a solution to occasional gloss/sheen problems with oil paints. After repeated and futile attempts to get rid of the oil paint sheen on a couple of my figures including, TESTORS DULLCOATE sprayed from the can, POLLYSCALE FLAT FINISH brushed on top of this, VALLEJO MATTE VARNISH shot thru the airbrush, consulting a medium, star gazing, etc., et.al., I sprayed some of the aforementioned dullcoate into a glass jar that was promptly sealed. Doing this left me with the dullcoate in liquid/brushable form. Working in small areas I brushed the dullcoate onto the glossy areas then immediately used a hairdryer set on low fan high heat to speed the drying process. Lo and behold I finally had the flat finish I was striving for.
John

 

[Einion]

No luck with heat-drying John?

Einion

 

[bunnie666]

Thanks for all the tips, I tried oils before and did ok with them. I am looking for more contrast and not losing highlights and shadow colors.