What’s your fave medium?
There are lots of things that impact drying times of oil paint. In artist-grade paints, each colour dries at its own rate as each colour’s oil to pigment ratio differs. Drying time can be adjusted considerably using mediums. Higher oil content (fatter) mediums mean longer drying times.
Drying time is only one factor that may make you choose a certain oil medium but it’s a big one. It all depends on your process. No matter what oil paints dry way slower than other types of paint - an average of 6 months to be fully cured.
FAST DRYING: if, like me, you want to work in layers or you have just switched from acrylics you’ll like a fast drying medium. The quickest drying available are Alkyd mediums like Liquin. Also solvent-based mediums that use turpentine or mineral spirits in combo with a drying oil can help paint dry faster by accelerating the evaporation of the solvent.
MEDIUM DRYING
Stand oils: These are thickened linseed oils that dry relatively fast compared to raw linseed oil are on the faster end. But poppy oil & cold pressed or refined linseed oil take a medium amount of time to dry.
SLOW DRYING
Traditional drying oils like safflower & walnut oil generally dry slowest out of the popular drying oils. These are best if you want the maximum possible time when you painting is ‘open’ and workable.
You should still check the drying times listed on the labels of the mediums you buy as there are lots of types & brands but from my experience I’d recommend Liquin for fast drying, refined linseed for medium, & safflower for slow.
