What medium to use for oil painting?

Question

It seems so many kinds of way of using the medium: some people use linseed oil+damar, some use turpentin only...I am totally confused!!! Can anybody give more details instruction for that? What is the use for damar? What is use for turpentin? Thanks!

Answer 1

i use a mix of liquin and linseed oil. i keep it in a squeeze bottle and i start out with mostly liquin in the squeeze bottle and i add more oil with each layer so that the painting will be fat over lean.



this article is a way better reference than my methods though. if anyone knows the proper ways to use mediums it would be a conservator from the national gallery.

http://www.sanders-studios.com/instruction/tutorials/historyanddefinitions/nationalgallery.html

Answer 2

I am an Art major in College, and am actually painting with oils in class. Linseed oil is the way to go. Set out your paints, then dip your brush in a tiny bit of linseed oil then dap it into your paint. A little Linseed oil goes a long way, but you dont want to use too much. Turpentine, however, is to clean your brushes with. Put some in a cup or bowl or something and just stir your brushes in it like you would with acrylic and water. Just make sure you get most of the paint out, because if not, you might as well throw away that brush. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I've been painting for a very long time. To thin my oils, I use one third parts turpentine, one third Damar varnish, one third linseed oil. When you use turpentine straight up with oils, you will get a matte finish. If you add too much turpentine, then over time, the painted surface with crack. If you decide to use only linseed oil, your painting will have a high gloss finish. Damar adds gloss as well. It is a finishing varnish, but when used to thin the paint, it adds durability to the painting. It can cause yellowing over time. Paint thinners and Kerosene aren't good to use.

Answer 4

Linseed Oil--The most widely used of all binders, is used to mix with oil paint when applying it to your canvas to speed drying time. Walnut oil is more expensive but dry just as fast as linseed oil.





Diluents--most widely used is turpentine. It is used to thin the paint to the consistency you desire to apply paint to the canvas. The thinner you want the oil paint for example, add more turpentine.



Varnishes--The most widely used varnish for oil paint is damar varnish. it is used for glazing the oil paint once it is dry and for paint protection



Mediums--wax added to oil varnishes produces a matt surface. Beeswax --made by warming one part of white beeswax to 3 parts of turpentine in a double boiler. stir until disolved. When cool, store in a wide -necked container.



Dryers--also called siccatives, are metallic salts mixed with the normal paint and varnish ingredients. Paintings with drying media should be given a protective coat of varnish immediately that they are dry. A normal painting sometimes takes several months to dry.



Fabric--canvas stretched over a wooden frame



wood or paper--Properly seasoned and treated wood will last longer thasn canvas.



Metal plates--Zinc and aluminium are the best. Steel and iron present chemical and corrosion problems.



Primer--Gesso



Brushes--stiff brushes



Paint--Any good quality brand name of oil paint.