| If you paint with oils you will need a solvent to clean | | | | them together on your palette (mixing surface). |
| your brushes and thin your paints. Of course, if you | | | | Preliminary compositions can be drawn on your |
| paint with water soluble oils then your solvent will be | | | | canvas with a so-called thin turp wash, i.e., a little bit of |
| water. | | | | paint with a lot of turpentine. A turp wash evaporates |
| Turpentine is a standard solvent used to thin ordinary | | | | very quickly, so you can quickly paint over them. |
| oil paints. You can purchase turpentine in any art | | | | In general, the more turpentine you use the matter the |
| supply store or hardware store. In some cases, the | | | | finish will be and the more linseed oil you use the |
| kind of turpentine you buy in a hardware store may be | | | | glossier it will be. If you like robust, permanently visible |
| fresher because of the shorter turnaround time. | | | | brushstrokes, you may want to use less medium. Dry |
| Some artists work with mineral spirits. These are also | | | | brush is one technique where you do not add any |
| available in hardware stores. To save money, buy the | | | | medium at all. |
| largest available quantity and use a smaller container | | | | Special painting mediums are also available that |
| when you do your actual painting. | | | | change the oil paint in different ways. The most |
| Tube oil paint (i.e., oil paint directly from the tube) can | | | | common are those that shorten or lengthen the drying |
| be difficult to manipulate. Some colors are stiffer than | | | | time of the oil paint. Check your art supply store or the |
| others and may be hard to evenly distribute over your | | | | Internet to see the available types of mediums. All |
| canvas. To solve this problem, artists often need to | | | | medium bottles will show instructions on how best to |
| mix their tube paints with a so-called painting medium. | | | | use the particular medium. |
| A painting medium is a liquid solution that makes the oil | | | | Oil paintings must be varnished to protect them from |
| paint smoother and easier to manipulate. Adding any | | | | undesirable elements such as dirt and toxins. Varnish is |
| one of a number of different painting mediums | | | | a clear solution made from a resin and turpentine or |
| changes the consistency of the paint. Some mediums | | | | some other solvent. |
| are meant to make the paint thinner for glazing and | | | | In art-supply stores you will see two major types, |
| others are meant to make the paint thicker for | | | | retouching varnish and picture varnish. Depending on |
| impasto painting. There are also mediums to shorten or | | | | the paint layer thickness, it can take six months or |
| lengthen the drying. | | | | more for an oil painting to dry. In the meantime, the |
| | | | | surface of the painting needs to be protected with a |
| The most basic medium is regular turpentine. Adding a | | | | coat of retouching varnish. After the varnish is applied, |
| little turpentine thins oils paint. Another frequently used | | | | the turpentine evaporates, and leaving a thin protective |
| medium is linseed oil, which makes the paint more fluid | | | | coat. You can apply retouching varnish as soon as the |
| but, over time, it also tends to yellow the paint. The | | | | paint feels dry to the touch. |
| most commonly used medium is a combination of | | | | |
| turpentine and linseed oil, sometimes with the addition | | | | Picture varnish contains more resin than retouching |
| of a little damar varnish. | | | | varnish. It should be applied about six months after you |
| Begin by experimenting with a half-and-half mixture of | | | | complete a painting. If you paint with impasto-like |
| turpentine and linseed oil. Because linseed oil slows | | | | brushstrokes, you may have to wait as long as a year |
| down the drying process, you may want to increase | | | | before applying the final coat. |
| the proportion of turpentine. A good mixture is three | | | | |
| parts of turpentine to one part of linseed oil. | | | | Both types of varnish are applied in the same manner. |
| Once you find the medium you like, mix a batch and | | | | Using a broad, flat nylon brush, apply the varnish evenly |
| store it in a tightly sealed jar. As you paint, dip your | | | | using horizontal strokes. You can also use retouching |
| brush into the medium, then add a little paint, then mix | | | | varnish to brighten dry dull patches in your painting. |