Since the days of Jan van Eyck in the early fifteenth century, linseed oil has been used as an oil painting medium. This story explains the characteristics of linseed oil and provides a recipe for using it to make a medium.
By Jim Hingst @hingst_jim
Linseed oil is an important ingredient to have on hand for any oil painter. With it you can oil in your canvas or you can make your own oil painting medium. And if you are really ambitious, you can even make your own paint with it, just as the old masters did.
What
makes linseed oil so important is that it is the resin or binder in oil paints.
It is a drying oil that polymerizes as it dries through oxidation. As the linseed
oil hardens, it binds or holds the paint mixture together. The other key ingredient in paint, of course, is
pigment or colorant. Mix the two together and voila! You have a rudimentary paint.
You
will notice that when you squeeze some oil paint out of the tube, it is fairly
thick stuff. In that thickened state, the paint does not blend easily with
other colors nor does it spread out smoothly onto your canvas.
That’s
why adding a medium to the thick paint is necessary, if you want a creamier texture. With the addition of a medium, the paint not only blends easier, but the
medium also extends the paint and makes the colors glossier.
Making
medium isn’t rocket science. All you need is some linseed stand oil and some
turpentine. You will notice that I specifically said “linseed stand oil” and
not “boiled linseed oil”. You can
certainly make a medium using boiled linseed oil. The difference is that the
stand oil is clearer and less prone to yellowing.
There
are, of course, other differences. The boiled linseed oil dries a little faster
than stand oil. You can also use a cold pressed linseed oil, which will dry
faster yet, in about three to five days. While stand oil can take as long as a
week to dry, it has the benefit of leveling out better than other oils, so you
get a smoother finish with fewer brush marks.
There
are also other types of oils that you can use to make a medium. These include poppy
seed oil, hemp seed oil, safflower oil and walnut oil. Some of these oils have
been used since the Renaissance. Walnut oil has been a favorite of the masters
for hundreds of years. Compared to linseed oil, it yellows less and is more
flexible. It does, however, take longer to dry and it does cost a pretty penny.
What can I say; you get what you pay for!
Each
type of oil has its own unique physical properties and performance
characteristics. Some oils dry faster than others. Some provide extended drying
times. The type of oil that you select to make your mediums depends on your
requirements.
In
a perfect world, the ideal painting medium is colorless, non-yellowing,
flexible and durable. Linseed stand oil is a popular choice among
artists, because it best satisfies these requirements. Please be aware that all
types of linseed oil will yellow to some degree. With stand oil, yellowing is
slight.
Boiled oils, on the other
hand, will yellow to a greater degree. These oils have been heated and mixed
with driers. While the boiled oils dry fast, as these oils age, they will
darken. For this reason, some artists will only use boiled linseed oil as a
medium for the underpainting and other lower layers.
Basic
Oil Painting Medium Recipe
I promised you that the recipe was easy, didn’t I? Here
goes:
Mix (1) part linseed stand oil with (2) parts turpentine
in a Mason jar. Cover the mixture with a tight fitting lid, and wait. How long?
About three days. The reason is that the stand oil is very thick, so it takes time for the oil and the turpentine to combine completely.
Now, wasn’t that easy? If you don’t like the smell of Turps,
then use odorless mineral spirits (white spirits, for any of you Brits).
 |
Gamblin Stand Linseed Oil 8 Oz |
● Polymerized to create a heavy-body
linseed oil, the consistency of honey.
● Increases flow and gloss.
● Slows drying time.
● When mixed with turpentine
to make a medium, paints dry to a smooth, enamel-like finish.
● Yellows less than
traditional linseed oils.
If you
are thinking about increasing the ratio of turpentine or odorless mineral
spirits to linseed oil, forget about it. More solvent will not accelerate
drying times. It can create some problems. By using more solvent, the oil may
fail to act properly as a binder.
For alternate painting medium recipes, read my article on the Fat Over Lean Rule.
For alternate painting medium recipes, read my article on the Fat Over Lean Rule.
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About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.
Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.
© 2015 Jim Hingst
Does the ratio differ based on hard or soft wood?
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