Types of Mediums: The Simple Option

This post has been rewritten on my new website see it here: 

https://www.katherinegriffinstudio.com/post/oil-painting-basics-what-is-an-oil-painting-medium

The other day my grandmother had a minor surgery, though for a 90-year-old I am not sure if any surgery is really minor. While I was waiting for her to wake up I started to tackle my most dreaded post, oil painting mediums. Mediums are diverse and complicated, and my post was turning into something very complicated.

I want to try something a little simpler. I will still post the more in-depth version, but I think a shortened, simple, and hopefully more beginner-useful post is necessary.

Here I will be covering only two things: what a medium is and options for simple, ready-to-use mediums.

What is a Medium and Why do we use them? 

A traditional painting medium is a mix of oil and thinner (such as turpenoid) that does the following:

• extend your oil paint in order to cover more area 
• quicken or slow the drying time of your paint
• modify the texture of the oil paint, making it either thinner or thicker
• alter the paint sheen, making it either high gloss or matte 

For me the easiest way to think of why we use a medium in oil paint is comparing it to watercolors. Water is the basic medium used to change the consistency of the watercolor paint just as oil is the basic medium used to change the consistency of oil paint. 

Simple to use Medium Options

You can read a lot online about creating your own oil medium mixtures and the recipes are endless. Some paint companies, however, have taken the guess work out of oil painting mediums by creating their own, each with unique names such as galkyds, liquins, and alkyds. 

These mediums are their own "recipe" and do not need to be added to with oil or thinner.

Galkyds by Gamblin:

Warning! Dude in video is a little boring, but he covers the different galkyds simply and well. 

For a general, all purpose galkyd, I would recommend Gamblin's basic Galkyd. Gamblin's galkyds are a less toxic option than liquins, but they should still be used in a well ventilated area. They are also my beginner's option of choice. More on that later. 

You can read more about Gamblin's galkyds here. 

Liquin by Winsor and Newton: 

For a general, all purpose liquin, I would recommend Liquin Original. Liquin is toxic, will start to clump once opened (which can be annoying), and should be used in a well ventilated area. I would recommend purchasing the smaller bottle to begin. I made the mistake of purchasing a large bottle, but then didn't move through it fast enough so it dried out.

You can read more about Winsor and Newton's liquins here.

Note: In future posts I will be showing you two painters who use Liquin Original almost exclusively. The medium is a great medium, but the level of toxicity, for me, knocks it down.

Alkyd by M. Graham: 

M. Graham keeps it simple by only having one alkyd medium. It is the only non-toxic of the three simple medium options, but it can be tricky to use. I would not recommend it for a beginner.

You can read about it here.

But which should a beginner pick? 

Well that is a little bit of a crap shoot. Any of them will do and all three have similar properties, but I believe the simplest option is the galkyd.

I don't love liquin, because it is so smelly. And although I personally use M. Graham's alkyd because it is non-toxic, it isn't the easiest option. I am not sure if I would have loved the alkyd when I first started, especially when Gamblin's galkyds are an easy-to-use, low-guess-work choice.

OR take a test: 

Both Gamblin and Winsor and Newton have designed simple tests to help you pick which type of medium you should be using. You may want to try just a basic medium first, which will most likely help you decide what qualities you do and do not want in a medium. 

Click here for Gamblin and here for Winsor and Newton. 

How much medium do you use and when? 

You always want to use as little medium as possible. Always having more pigment to binder (oil) reduces the chance of yellowing, helps your colors sing, and insures the adhesion of consecutive layers.

With these pre-mixed mediums you will want to have a higher ratio of medium to paint at the beginning of the painting. As you continue to paint layer upon layer reduce the amount of medium to pigment. This will help you maintain the Thick over Thin Rule.

If you are painting everything in one sitting, there is no need to worry about the ratio of medium to paint. Just paint. However, again, this is only for paintings finished in one sitting.

For more about painting check out my main Tips and Techniques page.