Getting started with painting can be exciting but also overwhelming, especially when you’re faced with the sheer variety of mediums available. Oils, acrylics, watercolours – each offers unique possibilities, but knowing where to start or what they do can be tricky. Choosing the right medium helps you express your creativity and find joy in the process.
What’s a Paint Medium Used For?
If you’re looking to elevate your process and results, versatile mediums for painting are essential products of any artist’s toolkit. These products are additives that transform the properties of your paint. These can adjust how it flows, its drying time, texture, or even the final sheen.
They’re versatile tools that open up a world of creative possibilities, so you can experiment and develop your unique artistic style. The key is to match the right medium to your chosen paint – whether it’s oil, acrylic, or watercolour. Adding the right product can make your work more dynamic, enhance its range, and take your art to new levels.
How to Use It
When using these art products, the key is to find balance. Too much of them can compromise the paint’s adhesion and durability, while too little might not achieve the desired effect. Knowing how to properly use these products is crucial, especially if you’re aiming to take your art seriously or transition it into a business. This will help you create durable, professional-quality pieces that stand the test of time. Here’s how to approach it:
-Oils: You can adjust the amount of medium, but it’s generally recommended to keep it below 30% of the paint’s volume to prevent cracking and flaking;
-Acrylics: Some products allow higher ratios of medium to paint. Always check the product instructions for guidance;
Pro tip – avoid over-thinning acrylics with water, as it can weaken the paint film. Use specialised thinners for a better result.
Oils
Oil mediums are game-changers, helping you control drying times, textures, and finishes to match your artistic vision. If you’re layering paint in the traditional Classical or Flemish style, the “fat over lean” rule is essential. This means starting with leaner (less oily) layers and gradually adding more product to prevent cracking as the layers dry at different speeds.
For the alla prima technique, where you work in a single sitting, this rule is less critical. However, using thinner paint first and adding more product later helps build smooth layers. There’s a wide variety of mediums for painting that you can experiment with:
-Glossy finishes: Add shine with stand oil or mix it 50/50 with turpentine;
-Strong textures: Impasto or cold wax mediums allow you to build bold strokes that hold their shape;
-Speedy drying: Fast-drying products are great for tight deadlines or plein air painting;
-Longer working time: Slow-drying products keep your paint blendable for detailed or large-scale works;
-Smooth brushstrokes: Liquin or Neo-Megilp can level out strokes for a polished finish;
-Enhanced texture: Impasto or cold wax prevents the paint from levelling out, keeping strong peaks and brushwork visible;
If you aren’t using any solvents, stick to hardening oils like linseed, walnut, or safflower. With so many options, finding the right product is all about experimenting to match your style and needs.
Acrylics
Acrylic painters have an incredible range of products to experiment with, each offering unique ways to transform the paint. Whether you want to adjust the texture, finish, or drying time, there’s a product for every creative vision. If you aim for a shiny, luminous finish, gloss medium works wonders, while matte options can give your work a softer, non-reflective look. By blending these, you can create anything from a subtle satin finish to an ultra-matte effect.
For those looking to achieve smooth glazes or transparent layering, a glazing product is ideal, as it allows for delicate colour washes without compromising the paint’s consistency. If building texture is your goal, gel or heavy body mediums are essential. They add dimension, letting your brushstrokes stand out or even enabling 3D sculptural effects with the use of modelling paste. Texture gels take this further, allowing you to mimic surfaces like sand or glass.
To extend working time, retardants or open acrylics offer the flexibility to blend colours seamlessly, much like oils. Alternatively, if you’re into creating flowing, dynamic pieces, pouring mediums make fluid art effortless, reducing brushstrokes and leaving a glossy finish. For thinning colours without sacrificing their adhesive qualities, flow improvers are the way to go, as they avoid the cracking issues caused by over-thinning with water.
Watercolours
Watercolour mediums offer a fantastic way to enhance your work’s flow, transparency, and texture. Gum arabic, a key ingredient in watercolour paints, doubles as a medium to boost gloss and transparency while giving you greater control over the flow.
It’s convenient for fixing mistakes, making lifting colour from paper easier, though some pigments may still leave a stain. For smoother application, ox gall is ideal, and for creating unique effects like granulation or sparkle, texture and iridescent mediums can completely transform your piece.
