Mediums - Oil Painting

Pragati Gunasekar
May 18, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Mar 10, 2023

Oil painting mediums are mixtures of solvents and oils that artists use to manipulate the texture, consistency, and drying time of their paints. These mediums can be added to oil paints to create various effects, including faster or slower drying times, increased transparency, and a range of surface finishes.

Mediums in oil painting are used to do the following:

To modify the transparency
To influence the drying rates
To alter the surface quality from gloss to a matte finish (alter the sheen or shine)
To modify the working properties of oil colors

Here are some of the most common oil painting mediums:

Linseed Oil: This is the most commonly used oil medium for oil painting. It is made from flax seeds and can be used to increase the flow and transparency of oil paints. It also helps to promote drying.
Stand Oil: This is a thicker, more viscous oil than linseed oil. It has a longer drying time and provides a glossier finish. Stand oil is often used in glazing techniques and can be mixed with turpentine to make a painting medium.
Walnut Oil: This oil is a good alternative to linseed oil for those who have allergies to flax seeds. It has a slower drying time than linseed oil and provides a more matte finish.
Poppyseed Oil: This oil is a good choice for artists who want to create thinner layers of paint. It has a slow drying time, which makes it ideal for blending and glazing techniques.
Safflower Oil: This oil has a lighter color than other oils, which makes it ideal for use with lighter colors. It dries slowly and produces a more matte finish.
Liquin: This is a synthetic medium that can be used as a substitute for traditional oil painting mediums. It dries quickly, which makes it ideal for use in thin layers or underpainting.

Turpentine: This solvent can be used to thin oil paints, clean brushes, and remove excess paint from the canvas. It is a strong solvent and can be toxic if not used properly.

There are 3 main mediums from the Camel Brand:

Mediums - Purified Linseed oil (thins oil paints, increases sheen and consistency)
Solvents - Distilled Turpentine (used to thin oil paints, used in the underpainting process, and used to also cleaning brushes)
Mediums - Drying Oil(not covered in the video, but basically increases drying time)
Varnish