After my post about Non-Toxic Oil Painting, I stopped by Artist & Craftsman to pick up a few new solvent free mediums. Of course there are far more oils and mediums on the shelf than I included here. Some mediums dry slower, some mediums are thicker, some mediums make unicorns appear. I didn’t get them all. This is not a complete overview, I just grabbed a few oils and alkyds that looked similar to each other, to see how they compared. I used these in my painting today and the results weren’t what I expected. I expected all the alkyds to have a non-natural smell. I expected them to smell a bit like the alkyds I know – Galkyd or Liquin – but they didn’t. Of the 5 mediums I compared today only the Galkyd and Liquin smelled non-natural. The rest all smelled like natural oils. Ladies and gentleman, we are in a whole new world of alkyds.
Galkyd
Overview: Pronounced gal-kid, this is Gamblin’s first popular alkyd (Ga+lkyd).Known as a fast drying non-natural oil paint medium, it dries in less than a day. The viscosity is similar to the oils listed below. Sniff test: It smells unnatural, but I don’t have a problem with it. Reason to use: It dries quickly. It’s not natural, but it is generally considered a fairly non-toxic product. Reason not to use: This product releases some VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). The level of VOCs is low, but if you’re chemically sensitive or prefer natural products Galkyd isn’t for you. If you want fast dry time, there’s better stuff. If you want natural, you don’t want Galkyd.
Liquin
Overview: Known as the fastest drying oil paint medium, it dries in less than a day. The viscosity is a bit thinner than Galkyd, and the oils listed below. Sniff test: It smells unnatural, but I don’t have a problem with it. Reason to use: It dries very quickly, and doesn’t go through a sticky syrupy phase. Liquin is thinner than the oils below, so similar to a 50/50 mix of paint thinner and oil. For me, the viscosity (comparable to a personal lube) is ideal for my painting. It’s not natural, but it is generally considered a fairly non-toxic product. Reason not to use: This product releases some VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). The level of VOCs is low and doesn’t last long, but if you’re chemically sensitive or prefer natural products Liquin isn’t for you. Other reason not to use: No healthy human being can ever get the lid off without a struggle.
Linseed Oil
Overview: Known as the fastest drying natural oil, it takes a couple of days to dry. Sniff test: It smells like natural oil. Reason to use: It’s completely natural oil from flax seeds. It is totally absolutely completely non-toxic. Reason not to use: It turns yellow.
Gamblin’s Solvent Free Fluid
Overview: I thought this would be a fancy unicorn recipe, but it’s just safflower alkyd. It has the same viscosity as linseed, and the walnut alkyd below. It did start getting syrupy-sticky at the end of my 4 hour painting session. Sniff test: It smells like natural oil. Reason to use: Non-toxic, dries fast. Reason not to use: Syrupy-sticky as it dries
M. Graham Walnut Alkyd Medium
Overview: Walnut oil is a natural oil, comparable to linseed. The viscosity is the same, but it doesn’t yellow. This is walnut alkyd, just like the Gamblin’s Solvent Free Fluid. It has the same viscosity as linseed, and the solvent free fluid above. Like the others, it did start getting syrupy-sticky at the end of my 4 hour painting session. Sniff test: It smells like natural oil. Reason to use: Non-toxic, dries fast. Reason not to use: Syrupy-sticky as it dries
Above: detail of my painting in process
Results
I enjoyed the smell of the new alkyds much better than the smell of the Liquin today, but the sticky syrup was irritating, and actually called an early end to my painting session. I’ll still use Liquin, but less than I used to. For the olfactory enjoyment I’m going to be using natural oils more, and replacing the standard linseed with the new natural oil alkyds. I didn’t see a significant difference between the safflower alkyd and the walnut alkyd so I’ll either develop a preference over time, or grab whatever’s nearby.
Clean up
My brushes are sitting in safflower oil – not purchased as a precious art supply, but purchased in a cheap gallon from the grocery store. Soap and water is harsh and can dry natural bristles, so for them, sitting in safflower oil is like a day at the spa.
Gamblin says: Mineral oil or cooking oil are non-drying and should not be incorporated into painting sessions, as even small amounts can interfere with drying.
Monotypes are like a painter’s sketch, run through the press. They’re both more immediate, and more re-workable than any other form of printmaking. Once through the press, you can draw or paint on it, or you can do something else and run it through again. It’s instant, and it’s surprising. Every time I do it …
I’m in NY, doing a figurative sculpture marathon with Bruce Gagnier at the NY Studio School. I’m three days into a two week intensive, and I’m loving it. One of the topics my instructor presses is contrapposto. I learned about contrapposto at WWU, but I’m understanding the real value of it now. Bruce Gagnier showed me …
Last Tuesday for our observational drawing I posted a challenge to draw your unmade beds. In return you posted exceptionally beautiful drawings, proof that lack of housekeeping makes for good art. Your drawings were so personal and beautifully rendered that decided to propose a similar measure of housekeeping for today’s challenge: laundry. Artist’s choice materials. …
A Sampling of Non-Toxic Oil Paint Mediums
After my post about Non-Toxic Oil Painting, I stopped by Artist & Craftsman to pick up a few new solvent free mediums. Of course there are far more oils and mediums on the shelf than I included here. Some mediums dry slower, some mediums are thicker, some mediums make unicorns appear. I didn’t get them all. This is not a complete overview, I just grabbed a few oils and alkyds that looked similar to each other, to see how they compared. I used these in my painting today and the results weren’t what I expected. I expected all the alkyds to have a non-natural smell. I expected them to smell a bit like the alkyds I know – Galkyd or Liquin – but they didn’t. Of the 5 mediums I compared today only the Galkyd and Liquin smelled non-natural. The rest all smelled like natural oils. Ladies and gentleman, we are in a whole new world of alkyds.
Overview: Pronounced gal-kid, this is Gamblin’s first popular alkyd (Ga+lkyd). Known as a fast drying non-natural oil paint medium, it dries in less than a day. The viscosity is similar to the oils listed below.
Sniff test: It smells unnatural, but I don’t have a problem with it.
Reason to use: It dries quickly. It’s not natural, but it is generally considered a fairly non-toxic product.
Reason not to use: This product releases some VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). The level of VOCs is low, but if you’re chemically sensitive or prefer natural products Galkyd isn’t for you. If you want fast dry time, there’s better stuff. If you want natural, you don’t want Galkyd.
Overview: Known as the fastest drying oil paint medium, it dries in less than a day. The viscosity is a bit thinner than Galkyd, and the oils listed below.
Sniff test: It smells unnatural, but I don’t have a problem with it.
Reason to use: It dries very quickly, and doesn’t go through a sticky syrupy phase. Liquin is thinner than the oils below, so similar to a 50/50 mix of paint thinner and oil. For me, the viscosity (comparable to a personal lube) is ideal for my painting. It’s not natural, but it is generally considered a fairly non-toxic product.
Reason not to use: This product releases some VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). The level of VOCs is low and doesn’t last long, but if you’re chemically sensitive or prefer natural products Liquin isn’t for you.
Other reason not to use: No healthy human being can ever get the lid off without a struggle.
Overview: Known as the fastest drying natural oil, it takes a couple of days to dry.
Sniff test: It smells like natural oil.
Reason to use: It’s completely natural oil from flax seeds. It is totally absolutely completely non-toxic.
Reason not to use: It turns yellow.
Overview: I thought this would be a fancy unicorn recipe, but it’s just safflower alkyd. It has the same viscosity as linseed, and the walnut alkyd below. It did start getting syrupy-sticky at the end of my 4 hour painting session.
Sniff test: It smells like natural oil.
Reason to use: Non-toxic, dries fast.
Reason not to use: Syrupy-sticky as it dries
Overview: Walnut oil is a natural oil, comparable to linseed. The viscosity is the same, but it doesn’t yellow. This is walnut alkyd, just like the Gamblin’s Solvent Free Fluid. It has the same viscosity as linseed, and the solvent free fluid above. Like the others, it did start getting syrupy-sticky at the end of my 4 hour painting session.
Sniff test: It smells like natural oil.
Reason to use: Non-toxic, dries fast.
Reason not to use: Syrupy-sticky as it dries
Above: detail of my painting in process
Results
I enjoyed the smell of the new alkyds much better than the smell of the Liquin today, but the sticky syrup was irritating, and actually called an early end to my painting session. I’ll still use Liquin, but less than I used to. For the olfactory enjoyment I’m going to be using natural oils more, and replacing the standard linseed with the new natural oil alkyds. I didn’t see a significant difference between the safflower alkyd and the walnut alkyd so I’ll either develop a preference over time, or grab whatever’s nearby.
Clean up
My brushes are sitting in safflower oil – not purchased as a precious art supply, but purchased in a cheap gallon from the grocery store. Soap and water is harsh and can dry natural bristles, so for them, sitting in safflower oil is like a day at the spa.
Ruthie teaches art classes at Seattle Artist League. Click here to sign up for drawing, painting, pottery, and more!
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