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.

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.

Ruthie teaches art classes at Seattle Artist League. Click here to sign up for drawing, painting, pottery, and more!