Mediums for Oil Painting #2

[@MsVivian99]

Thankyou so much! Just a newbie to oil and found the shelves of mediums and what they do a complete mystery to me! So very much appreciated x

[@walcottfineart5088]

I'm so glad you found my video helpful!! Thanks for watching and for the nice comment :)

[@emilieboisvert3747]

Great ! thank you ! your two video reviews of different medium options cover a very wide range and it's very useful for me as a beginner. It helped me make choices and not be intimidated by the large display of different mediums at the art store. I appreciate you explaining mediums in terms or pros and cons rather than just "good vs not good".

[@walcottfineart5088]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching and for the nice comment. :)

[@kathleenwildey2757]

I agree with you about the strength of the lavender spike medium, however Chelsea also has a citrus one that is awesome! I love the smell of it.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for the info and for watching! :)

[@munireyaseminalicioglu5224]

Now i understood why i was struggling with medium stuff so long. Tons of types. Very informative video, thanks.

[@walcottfineart5088]

I'm glad my video helped you! Thanks for watching. :)

[@rustyshackleford3278]

Thank you for including the Gamblin Solvent Free Gel, it was incredibly helpful. I picked up a tube on a whim and find it to be a great medium. It is the closest thing to Rublev Oleogel I could find at a fraction of the price

[@walcottfineart5088]

Glad you enjoyed the video and thnaks for watching! I wanted to make sure that people who are sensitive to solvents knew there were options for them as well. :)

[@defin99]

i looked at the Rublev online and at that price it can stay there. I'll stick to liquin and gamblin galkyd as per normal. great vidoes too.

[@byalfredis]

Brilliant as always, thanks Jason.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it. :)

[@9point2010]

I use spike oil from Art Tree House. I've never used Chelsea spike oil, so I can't compare. The lavender oil is pleasant smelling to me. I try to keep its use to a minimum in the studio as well. Art Tree House also sells bio based thinner. Excellent video. From your first medium video, I've started using black oil in my medium mix, with spike oil of course!

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Not everyone will react to the Oil Spike of Lavender the way I did. I have heard from several people who love it...including you! I just wanted to let people know my own expereince. I was disappointed since I had heard such good things about it.

[@walcottfineart5088]

It supposed to be both completely non-toxic and all natural! That is the advantage...Try a small bottle and see what you think. Maybe you will like it.

[@sageways7039]

I have read that others have reacted to Chelsea's as you have with it being very strong. Not sure if they add something to their product or not to make it smell stronger. I decided to go with Rublev's Spike Lavender Oil, because they explained the cultivation of the plants. Additionally, any type of essential oil should be in a dark bottle and their product is. This is a great product! I found it to be very pleasant, much like regular lavender essential oil used in aromatherapy. A little goes a long way. I put my Spike Oil in a small drip essential oil bottle and keep it handy. It helps with control flow since it is a very thin liquid. I have used it for glazing and oiling out. When I clean my brushes, a drop or two works with Murphy's Oil. Although you had a bad experience with Chelsea's, I hope one day you'll try Rublev's because it is a great alternative. My space is small and I am sensitive to strong odors. I have never had any problems with headaches with their product. I have also read good experiences with Art Tree House, but I have never used it and can't compare.

[@muhlenstedt]

Rosmary oil could be an alternative for lavander spike oil, I got headache from lavander smell too.

[@Floyddy471]

hi Jason, love your videos very informative. I'd like to ask you if you have done a video explaining how to glaze ? I hear it being mentioned a lot but not sure how to go about doing this. many thanks and keep up the good work.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching and for the nice comment! A video on glazing is on my list of upcoming videos! I should be posting that in the next week or two. :)

[@Floyddy471]

Thank, I look forward to it

[@providencevalleyfarm5270]

Thanks for the information. I know you may never see this, it's been so many years since you posted. I wish I had seen your videos years ago before I lost my ability to paint with oils. I put away my paints about 38 years ago, when I had my children so close together it wasn't possible to safely keep oil painting, so I did other creative and art techniques. I wanted to pick it up again, but I'm just not sure if my limitations with my hands will allow me to manage the heavier oil paints and brushes. That being said, I have so many questions about the new mediums

[@walcottfineart5088]

Good for you taking up painting again! It's never too late. I'm glad you found my video helpful! Best of luck and keep going. :)

[@joseluisrojasmontiel8414]

Thanks a lot Jason. Y always have answers with you.

[@UConceptPublishing]

I really love the Chelsea lavender... and yes, it's strong but doesn't bother me. I really like it. Like you said, if the person is sensitive to strong fragrance, it might be a problem.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks Janet! I'm glad you like the Chelsea and that it works for you...I was really disappointed since I had heard such good things about the spike oil. I just wasn't able to tolerate it.

[@UConceptPublishing]

Walcott Fine Art I haven't tried the spike oil but I use the lavender brush cleaner and the lean and fat medium. I really love the fragrance.

[@zorantanevski2279]

Your videos is allways helpfule, thanks from Macedonia.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thank you so much for the nice comment! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@MegabyteYou]

+Walcott, have you heard of Oleogel? It’s linseed oil + fumed silica. Its beauty is that fumed silica is inert, so it can be mixed to whatever proportions you want. If the pigment is lightfast, it should be ok to use it even in very large quantities.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for a great comment! Yes, I have heard of Oleogel, but I have never used it. Sounds like it would be a great medium for glazing or transparent effects. Thanks for mentioning it, so people will know to try it. I can't possibly cover every medium there is! :)

[@romulusbuta9318]

Solven-free fluid or gel mediu is made not only for the artists who have solvent sensivity.....Those mediums behaves diferent than the mediums that contains solvent(s). The fluid mediums that contains solvent /solvents are very fluid and they don't enritch the color from tub too much. Also, linseed oil, walnut or poppy oils can be consider a ^solvent free liquid medium^ when you just add it to the paint !

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Yes you can use plain linseed or walnut oil as a medium.

[@etienne7774]

Blockx uses poppy seed as their binder, blue ridge uses linseed and walnut mixes, I think, some only linseed. I wonder if the ultimate binder could be a combination of all 3. But linseed is the cheapest. I wonder if one can drink it, since you find it at the health stores as well.

[@walcottfineart5088]

I think they all work equally well, but linseed oil is the strongest. Poppy seed oil tends to yellow less so they use that in some lighter colors. Yes, technically linseed oil is edible but only the food-grade kind, aka Flaxseed Oil! The art supply stuff isn't processed to be safe for consumption. :)

[@willdixon9525]

Nice show. Watched and Thanks for sharing your wonderful videos. Like #70

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@sohelpervas4821]

very nice video about midium but black oil vs lequin which is the good for permenent and which gives no negative effects in painting

[@walcottfineart5088]

It's hard to answer that question actually. I've heard some people say black oil is not good, but it's basically oil that is cooked with lead and lead is known to be very good for oil paintings. Liquin has only been around as a product for about 30-35 years so it's hard to say what long term issues there might be with it as it ages. Keep in mind most of these issues won't show up for much longer than a human lifetime. I guess I'd err on the side of the black oil since it has a longer history of use. Any medium should be used sparingly. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching :)

[@sohelpervas4821]

​@@walcottfineart5088Sir , can I use lequin original , pure gum turpintine and rublive italian varnish midium together in my painting ? Is it harmful for my painting ?

[@walcottfineart5088]

@@sohelpervas4821 I would avoid mixing all those together. genuine gum turpentine is not compatible with Liquin which is a minieral spriti based medium. Use either Liquin or Italian varnish but don't mix them. Thanks for watching!

[@ridethepace6005]

My favorite medium is John Edward.

[@walcottfineart5088]

I will have to check that out. Thanks for watching :)

[@tba1879]

What size is that palette knife?

[@susan1965sc]

The lavender oil maybe a problem if someone suffers from hay fever , my mums allergic to perfume. Ps another brilliant video , I don't know if you teach outside of you tube , but must say you teach very well .

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks so much for the nice comment! Some people seem to really like the lavender oil, some don't. I agree allergies could be an issue. Personally for me it wasn't an allergy, just that the smell was too strong.

[@paintkoziej6812]

It's safe to replace turpentine with less harmless gamsol gamblin or some other white sprit, for first lean layer (underpaint sketch with earth color)?

[@3122lr]

I wish you would doing some painting using these or the one your using at the time.

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! I usually use some of my standard medium when I do my demo videos, so you can see it in those. I may do some more videos in the futute specifically on how to use mediums...these are just an overview. :)

[@Six6_Six_6Six6]

Another banger

[@ryanembry9875]

I had the same problem with the spike lavender. almost nothing bothers me when it comes to mediums or thinners. I can use gamsol, liquid, etc. all day long, no issues. but Dang, that lavender oil really got to me in a bad way, even though it's supposed to be non-toxic and all. I guess natural doesn't always mean better. heck, snake venom is all natural. but yeah, I agree. I find that stuff totally unusable in the studio. too bad really, as I really like the idea of non toxic painting. I'll stick with my gamsol.

[@ludwinvart5409]

I use EcoSolve but I have to see if it dissolves Damar

[@walcottfineart5088]

It won't. Do not make a medium with damar using petroleum based thinners or citrus based thinners. Damar must be dissolved in genuine gum turpentine and is not compatilbe with those other types. If you want to use less harsh mediums, check out Gamblin's solvent free line. Thanks for watching! :)

[@fabrizio483]

Are odorless solvents non-toxic?

[@walcottfineart5088]

Not entirely no...they are less toxic than turpentine but not non toxic. Always use any solvent with good ventilation! Thanks for watching! :)

[@a22words]

great video!!, but something to say: odourless medium is same dangerous as turpentine. Having no smell doesn't make it less toxic, it is dangerous because you might sit next to it and smell for long hours without realising that all toxic ingredients are going into your body through respiration. It's not a personal opinion. it's a fact. Thank you anyway for sharing your knowledge!

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! Yes, you should always use adequate ventilation with any thinner, regardless of whether it is odorless or not.

[@padraiggluck5633]

Perhaps ‘less noxious’ was intended.

[@Mark-fv8vt]

Interesting. Are Neo-Meglip and Copal medium directly comparable?

[@walcottfineart5088]

Well, Copal uses traditional materials like turpentine and natural resins whereas Neo-Megilp is an alkyd based medium. They have a similar gel texture and will speed up drying time. The advantage of the neo megilp is that it doesn't contain real turpentine which some people are sensitive too. I like the traditional mediums as they have slightly better handling properties. Thanks for watching!

[@joseluisrojasmontiel8414]

Hi . Thanks for your videos. I have used a universal medium of talens and I have a question. Must I add more oil in next layers?. Is it the same method if I use trementina and oil? Thanks again.

[@joseluisrojasmontiel8414]

About the next question I did. Can I add more universal medium in each layer or more oil. Thanks

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thanks for watching! The "fat over lean" rule means you should use the same or more oil in each layer. So the same amount of medium would be the same amount of oil, so yes that is OK. You can add a bit of turpentine if necessary as long as you also add oil to compensate.

[@Burtonsplace1]

Thanks for the info Jason! Could you tell me if the Gamblin solvent free medium changes the dry time of the paints?

[@walcottfineart5088]

That's actually a great question! The tube says the medium has a "moderately fast drying rate" so my guess is that it would speed up the drying a bit from plain paint with no medium. I haven't actually tested it though. Thanks for watching! :)

[@romulusbuta9318]

Also Sennelier developed a shot range of products for oil paints : thinner, mediums and final varnishes named Green For Oil -they pretend the products are eco-friendly ....I never used them, I just saw on internet

[@walcottfineart5088]

I am not familiar with those Sennelier products either. It's possible they are made with Oil of Spike Lavender. Thanks for watching!

[@derickelsner6802]

I returned the lavender spike to it was soooooo strong it made my nose burn lol

[@walcottfineart5088]

I agree, I thought it was worse than the turpentine. Thanks for watching!

[@etienne7774]

Linseed oil vs alkali refined linseed oil for making your own paint?

[@walcottfineart5088]

I would use the alkali refined or cold pressed linseed oil for making your own paints and/or mediums. Thanks for watching!

[@jamiegossett]

if they can just take the lavender out, and have no odor or vapor it would be great. now they need to do the same with oil in paint. no odor, no fumes, no nothing,.

[@walcottfineart5088]

I happen to like the smell of linseed oil! It's totally non toxic but some people do find the odor too strong, so I understand. Thanks for watching! :)

[@peterangel6463]

Jason, the water mixable oils and mediums contain a little soap. That's the secret ingredient!

[@walcottfineart5088]

Thank you for that information! I definitely picked that up by accident. I wish they made the bottles more different. :)

[@evemendes6017]

Lavender makes me very sick. Dizzy.

[@muhlenstedt]

Me too, as I have comment, I have very good experience with rosmary oil.I am very sensitive because of asthma but with rosmary I have no problem at all, but you should like the smell.