The Pros and Cons – Painting Mediums and Consistency

Painters use different types of paint, these are known as the painting mediums and They are usually oil, alkyd and acrylic. Of the different types of painting mediums, the most expensive paint to use is oil. This type of paint is regarded as the best quality. Oil painting is luminous and very rich. Due to the consistency and oiliness of this paint it takes a long time to dry. It is quite possible that an oil painting could take anything from twenty four hours to ninety six hours and more to dry thoroughly.

Another painting medium is acrylic. If you use acrylic paint it can dry almost immediately. In fact there are artists who say acrylic can dry on the brush. This is a good indication that you have to work fast. Acrylic is water based but the colors are extremely vivid. Acrylic painting as opposed to oil painting is cheaper.

Lastly is the painting medium alkyds. These are oil based and these are often used to mix into oil paints. It helps make the oil paint go further. It should be noted that acrylic paints cannot be mixed with oil paint.

If you are learning about paints you must also know about painting mediums. A painting medium is the agent used by painters to mix paint from the tube. A medium can be used for many purposes such as: color enrichment, color depth, thinning paint, addition to varnish, thickening paint, lengthening life of paint.

There are many different kinds of painting mediums for the painter’s use. It is very important that you understand the exact uses, limitations and safety measures of the mediums you choose to use. It would be accurate to say that painters tend to have their own favorite art mediums. Mediums are used to create special effects. For example, damar and copal add shine to oil paint and they also make the color richer. Distilled turps and linseed oil are less complex. If a painter needs to retouch dried matte he or she will opt for varnish.

Painting mediums can be combined but today you can buy these ready mixed. It is important to use only turps that is distilled and not ordinary turps. The smell of turps is very strong and so contemporary artists use an improved product known as turpenoid. This modern product has no smell at all.

If you are using acrylics then your painting medium would simply be water. This is because acrylics are water based. As acrylics dry so fast you may want to keep them wet for as long as possible. To do this you would use extenders and retarders. In general, a tutor will teach his or her students that any medium must be used in very small quantities. The reason for this is to keep the layers of paint stable when on the canvas. Many beginners are shown that the more turps that is used the thinner the paint becomes. An easy medium to mix is that of a tiny amount of linseed oil with a tiny amount of distilled turps. It is important to use the right quantity painting medium in order to keep the right consistency of paint.