Oil Painting Mediums

When you use oil paint for the first time you will notice the paint comes out of the tube is very THICK!

When you paint with oil paints you paint thin paint first then build up to thicker paint. Oil painting mediums are used to thin your paint.

I have learned to mix my own oil paint mediums with 1/3 linseed oil and 2/3 turp (mineral spirits) I make this mixture up into a small jar and use it as my medium to thin my paint with.

I have another jar with just turp (mineral spirits) to clean my brush with when I am changing colors.

Here is what the linseed oil and odorless turp looks like that I use to make my medium...

You can purchase premix medium, here is an example of premix..

There are many types of mediums on the market for oil painting, you just have to try different types to see which one you like the best. There is also mediums for water-mixable oil paints. Some of these are called Grumbacher Max Linseed Oil, Holbein DUO Painting Oil, Winsor-Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Painting Medium.

Another medium that I use occasionally is called Liquin. This medium is used to make your oil paint dry faster.

This is what Liquin looks like....