I have been painting since I was young. I was the child that skipped recess and stayed after school, to happily work on an art project. As an adult, I am finally trying to get my art business really started. You make my heart happy, and are by far one of my favorite sources of education! God bless you!!! ❤❤❤
I appreciate your videos Diane. It sure helps to get more into some technical things and stuff I have no idea about being a self taught painter. Have a most excellent day and I'll be back for more instructions 😊✨👍
Most things professional are learned AFTER schooling, I always felt that schools teach "philosophies" not "techniques" when it comes to art. For this reason, I do not recommend "schooling" as an artist. I recommend pursuit!
What a great tip Diane. I recently got one of my Grandmother's paintings that appears to be a field sketch missing finishing layers, I now know how! She painted that one in 1949! Am sure she wouldn't mind me finishing it!
Go easy. It's a good idea on an old study like that to test out a corner first. If, as a field sketch, she might have used a solvent for thinner, the painting would have lost its integrity and will come off during the cleaning phase.
Denatured alcohol is "hot" enough a solvent to remove the Damar varnish, and is not so hot as to damage the oil. After the Damar is removed, I switch from a rag or paper towel, they impart tiny amounts of lent or strands of hair to the canvas (even the "lent free" do). I use a 2" bristol brush in which I can scrub the surface without leaving any lent or hair. I push the dirt off to one side, then after I rinse the surface with distilled water, tilting it over the sink, or if it it too large, outdoors. Then a very light amount of linseed oil and thinner like you said brushed in using a thick round sable brush. I make sure to pre-dry the brush taking any excess off on a paper towel then practically dry brush the surface of the canvas. I do not paint over that for at least a day and if I have done this correctly, there will be no residue to wipe. I enjoy your topics, they are always informative, and thoughtful of artist's needs, thank you!
Provided that the adjunct that "holds" the varnish is known, then that is actually the same solvent to remove the varnish. For me as a beginner painter but a veteran when it comes to grounds, I tend to use water, egg yolk, oil or turpentine as my foundations for pigment. I use Dammar as my varnish (dissolved with turpentine) and walnut oil for oil paint (dissolved with turpentine). My medium is either walnut oil or linseed oil. Glazing medium is a mix of walnut oil and dammar varnish (50:50). Before I add any paint whether as a glaze or as fresh paint, I prime the dry paint with a very light coat of walnut oil. Once it has been applied, I make myself a cup of coffee and then use a dry paper towel to lift the oil off so that it is "dry" and neither glistens nor feels slippery to touch. All I need to do is add a moisturiser to the substrate. Can't pretend my work has any merit, but I know that I have used the finest materials, the best oils and has been finished to my ability at the time.
So glad I use acrylics! No muss, no fuss and no harmful chemicals. I often paint over old class paintings (from my teaching days before the plandemic) . As always your tips on all subjects relating to painting are a great benefit to us artist. Thank you!
This is a precisely described procedure. Thank you so much! So far I only saw 50/50 explanations with a few unexplained parts which could create problems...
Thank you Dianne. This was a good tip , like always. I actually never found the need to paint over a dry painting. If I don't like it I take a new clean canvas , which is much easier :) One day I might try it tho if I run out of canvas . I don't consider glazing as painting over an dry painting , even if it is :D
Christer, I don't recommend doing a completely new painting over an old one. I know folks do this, but I think it's just too risky. And I agree that it's always a better choice to begin with a fresh canvas and move forward rather than spinning tires by correcting old stuff.
When retaking a paint, after letting it dry for a week or a bit longer, I very thinly smear some linseed oil all over it to avoid the resulting shiny and matte patches.
As an American living in France, I’m amazed at how in Europe, and I think the UK, Isopropyl Alcohol is hard to find but ethanol is widely available in stores in first aid sections where IPA would be found.
Very helpful and useful information, Dianne. I also recall you recommending spraying a thin layer of solution of gambol and poppy seed oil onto a dry painting when the painting is still in progress. Do you use linseed oil and gambol when the painting has dried for a longer period of time and the poppy seed for recently dried paint? What advantages exist for using poppy seed oil vs. linseed oil?
Thanks for that one, Grant. Poppy oil is slower drying than linseed oil and has less of a tendency to yellow. Beyond that either one works. The main reason I use poppy oil in my spray mixture is that it doesn't gum up the sprayer as fast as linseed does--purely practical.
I wouldn't call this a time constraint. Because oil oxidizes whereas acrylic evaporate, the pigments within the two mediums behave a little different during drying.
@IntheStudioArtInstruction Here's what I mean by a "time constraint" - my friend attends art classes once per week and her work-in-progress remains in class and thus has 7 days to dry between painting sessions. I imagine that's fine for slow-drying colours like pthalo blue. But I have lots of other interests beside painting and may leave my unfinished work untouched for several weeks. So I'm trying to understand at what point I should regard my unfinished parts as having dried for long enough to warrant the cleaning and oiling out process as necessary before adding extra layers of paint.
Dianne Thanks ever so much. I’m this is a great video and the information is just what I need. I started a painting 8 years ago paint when I can. I’ve been using old silk blouses as rags Works great for this application. Also is walnut oil ok to use?
Thank you so much for your informative videos! If only a small part of the painting needs to be reworked, does one have to put the 50/50 oil and Gamsol combination over the entire painting or just the area that needs attention? Thanks again.
The important thing is to keep the surface quality consistent. You can use this approach over a small area, but when that portion dries, you might have to follow through with either oiling that area or putting a coat of varnish over the whole painting.
Reina, not being an acrylic painter myself, I hesitate to address techniques for working with the medium. I assume, though, that dampening the surface with water would be the way to go.
I have a related question. What about a partially dry painting? One that you've been working on but have not finished and have to leave for 2-3 days. Part of it is dry and part of it is still wet. How would you prepare this for continuing to paint on it? Thanks!
Maggie, when the surface is dry to touch, you can slightly dampen it with a mist of 50/50 poppy or linseed oil and gamsol. Slightly is the key here. If it's too wet, the paint will melt, so going easy is a must. If perchance it does get to wet, you can gently lay a facial tissue on top of it to soak up the excess.
thank you Diane as always thoroughly explained top tip. my question is..would this process be the same for just cleaning an old painting please. thank you 😊
I imagine it wouldn't be necessary to go to this much trouble in the case of a very light wash of an underpainting that has fully dried before I get to paint over it?
If a painting has only been sitting a few weeks to a month or so should this still be performed? What is the timeframe for needing to do this process? Thanks for all the great videos. They have really helped me improve!
Alan, this process applies to paintings that have been sitting for months and years. Oil paint oxidizes rather than evaporates, so very thick paint might stay soft under the surface for months. At any rate, unless dryers have been added to the paint, even though the surface might be dry to touch, it takes a long time for it to thoroughly oxidize because so little oxygen can reach past the surface. All that having been said, I doubt it's necessary to go through the complete process after a month. However, it might need a bit of oil rubbed into the surface before adding fresh paint.
There is debate about that. Turpentine is made of a gum which can leave residue whereas mineral spirits is distilled, therefore will not leave residue.
I've a 100 or so abandoned oils which I decided to kill or cure at the start of 2021. I worked out that I needed to feed the painting oil or the new layer of paint would bead up when the new paint was applied. Now I really enjoying working into the slightly wet surface. Thing is, I later read somewhere that rubbing the surface with a cut piece of potato was another way to avoid the beading of fresh paint. Curious if you've ever heard or done this and curious to know your thoughts? Thanks for the content - always interesting.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction I came to the same conclusion. Sounds odd but so many things I read sound odd - like adding egg yoke or gum arabic. Think I'll stick to just using linseed oil. Thanks.
Thank you! Does the application of paint on the cleaned surface need to be thick? Remembering fat over lean..also does this apply if I wish to begin a new painting over the old surface..may I begin with thin viscosity of paint working up to thick.
Dawn, I don't advise doing a new painting over an old one. The risks are too many. As to fat over lean on dried paint, it depends upon how old the old paint is. Oil Paint oxidizes rather than evaporates, so if its really thick, it can take months, sometimes a couple of years, to thoroughly dry.
If you are wanting to re-use a canvas, its not a great idea, as stated, but a panel is different, if not more work. You always have the option of scrapping or sanding down the panel to remove the bulk of paint from the surface, and re-applying a gesso. On stretched canvas I would never bother, its far easier to re-stretch a new canvas.
If the oil was applied in such a way that it holds its integrity, there is no danger. That means that the painter has used archival standards in applying the paint. If the surface layers have been thinned with a solvent, there IS a danger of taking away the paint. That danger would be there in any effort to clean it.
Is this like oiling in when the last layer of oil has dried? With oiling in do you let the oil sit like you demonstrated here? If you do let it sit which I haven't done but I always wipe the excess oil off, then it doesn't bead up which mine has done some in the past? I use walnut oil paint so I oil in with walnut oil.
Thank you for this great video! Super helpful. I only need to change on area on my unvarnished 2017 painting. Should I do this process on the entire painting or just the area I will be working on? I have seen others apply pure linseed oil and then wipe the excess when would ou recommend only linseed oil?
Thank you for a great ly informative video,Diane.I have 2 questions .One: Isopropyl.what strength? 99%?. My second query is about resuming painting after the process is done in your video.If there were 2 layers originally painted, would I continue to follow the fat over lean principle ?Thank you,William
William, any strength of rubbing alcohol will do the job, but avoid any kind of alcohol stronger than rubbing alcohol. To your second question: fat over lean is used to prevent cracking of the surface layer of a painting. If a painting has been sitting for a year or more, most likely the layers underneath the surface layers are dry. In any case though, when applying fresh paint over dry, it is best not to use mediums to thin so that you don't have to worry about cracking later on.
I never use varnish in a painting that is drying on my easel, I use alcohol to clean dust particles, than can apply my medium over the dry paint to continue the process of painting, I guess is the best proceedment, am I wrong ?
Conservators agree that varnish should never be used within the painting itself, but it serves as a wonderful protection for the finished painting as well as a heightener of colors. Always use a professional grade of varnish formulated for paintings.
Thank you so much for this Painting Tip! Again very, very useful! I have a question about how to continue with the oilpaint, do you have to ad a medium, or use the 50/50 mixture of refined linseed and Gamsol? Or does it depend on what you have used in the earlier layers?
Cynthia, if you are painting in oils, it's safest to use linseed oil because most likely, linseed oil is the binder in your oil paint. Thinning it with Gamsol enables it to go on more smoothly and prevents adding so much that your brush just slides around in the oil. The Gamsol evaporates quickly, so only the linseed oil is left on the surface. If the painting medium is composed of linseed oil and a solvent, then that should be safe enough. As to using mediums containing other ingredients, my conservator would advise against that, but a non-purist will argue that it's okay.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Thank you very much for your clear answer! I really appreciate and am so happy to have found your great channel here! I am a big fan😃!
What is safe to use on acrylic based canvases without risking damaging or taking off all the under paint? A lot of my older canvases got damaged as the place I go to make art a water pipe burst, I’m trying to fix them up I just don’t want to worsen the less damaged ones.
Seth, I am not familiar with all the acrylic materials since I don't use it to paint with. Perhaps someone who does work with acrylics will see your comment and respond.
Thanks for this important tip Dianne. If a painting has been sitting for only a few days and is just tacky to the touch, can it just be painted on top? I had an instructor who made me put Liquin on the spot that I needed to work on after it was dry for only a week. What do you think about doing that? Thanks
If the oil paint layers are thick, even though they might be dry-to-touch, they are still wet underneath. If we add on top of that a fast-drying layer, there is a danger of cracking down the road.
@@IntheStudioArtInstructionWhen I started to paint inglazes like the old masters, I've never had any more cracking problems ! Still experimenting with "oiling"!
Hi Dianne, What gauze pads do you use? I have been looking for 'non-sterile' pads without succus, I've only found STERILE lint-free gauze pads that come individually wrapped. Have you a source or brand that you will recommend to me. Thank you. Another video of wisdom. Thank you.
Lolita, I purchase sterile gauze pads in bulk. The 3" x 3" ones work great and are available in bulk at most of the big box pharmacies. Or on Amazon where 100 pads are about $10 .
Hi Dianne, Thank you for your excellent advice. I appreciate it if you share your thoughts about Gamvar. Is that true that it could be applied when an oil painting is already dried to touch? Let's say in 1-2 months?
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Gamblin has a good video on this subject and states that Gamvar can be used when the oil painting is dry to the touch... in my case 2-4 days.
Hello, Thank you for the video. I hope you could give me some advice. I just finished an oil painting. It is starting to dry, and already cracking. My style and techniques for painting in oils are not the traditional layers upon thin layers. I try to adhere to the fat over lean principle as much as possible but sometimes it is not practical while I am creating. Not sure this makes sense. Can I paint Liquin original from Winson&Newton over the cracking areas to give it more elasticity? I can mix some of the same color in also, but prefer not to do that. I do have refined linseed oil and thicker stand Linseed oil but do not want to give the painting any more "shine" when its dry.
That shouldn't happen if you're using artist grade oil paint on a receptive surface unless you mixed solvent into it or some other medium that's not compatible with oil. Oil paint doesn't dry by evaporation, but by oxidation of the oil used as the binder of the paint's pigment. If you mixed solvent into a layer that was put on top of a fatter layer, that could have caused the cracking. Mixing a solvent into oil paint makes it leaner rather than fatter. Liquin won't give it more elasticity. In fact, I'm not aware of any method to reverse the oxidation of oils on a painting. I suspect your painting cannot be retrieved--sadly. Artist grade oil paint is carefully formulated to work without adding mediums. The fat over lean principle applies to mixing mediums as you work, but is not necessary for alla prima work.
I painted and sold a landscape for someone in 1984 when I was only painting in acrylic. Shortly after 1984, I started painting in oils, never going back to acrylic. Recently this person came to me wanting me to clean the painting. It had gotten very dull After all this time forgetting I had painted it in acrylic I could see there was no varnish on the painting so I went right into cleaning it with alcohol Yes, it's a mess now. I'm not sure how to proceed from here? Any suggestions anyone? Go back to acrylics which I would prefer not to do. Thanks.
Anne, alcohol is not compatible with acrylic, only oils. Since I haven't painted in acrylics since the 1970's, I dare not give advice. Google "How to clean acrylic paintings" to find what you need to do.
Hello there. I am really struggling with something. I had always thought of the concept of thick over thin as the liquidity of the paint. So I thought that adding oil to paint was thinning it. I now realize that I was technically thickening it by adding oil. I painted a work over a year ago with this mistake and put a very oily base layer down, then used paint right out the tube ontop of that, the background is solid black and large areas of it have sunk while others parts are oily. Because the work is so old I wanted to ask what the solution may be. Could I just add more layers of black? Do I need to try remove it using terps and repaint? Should I use the method you speak of in this video with a combination of mineral spirits and linseed oil or should I try add layers of varnish?
David, there is no safe way to liquify dried linseed oil. It oxidizes rather than evaporates, so it changes chemically. Your safest bet is to do nothing.
Barbara, all varnishes should be removed before going back into a painting, otherwise you risk potential for cracking down the road. Also, let me add that conservators as well as Winsor and Newton advise against using Liquin as a varnish.
Good evening my Lady...I'm one from followers for you...each one from your video Is realy important lesson.. Also you are great Master.. But I have big problem ** I don't know( English language) and maybe there's another persons have the same problem...may you put translet for ( arabic language)... And I Will be greatful for you... Thank you so much my wonderful Lady... 🙏🙏💐
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Have a good Day my wonderful Lady...believe me, I don't know any thing from your answer...because it Is vague...Does it mean yes or No or what...any way, trust me, I like you you very much...thank you so much with my great recpect...🙏🙏💐
In the beginning, I didn't quite get the name of the other substance used to make that 50/50 mixture. Linseed oil and ?? was it some sort of turpentine?
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Doesn't have to be Gamsol, any high=grade refined artist's turpentine will do. But I would never pour it on as shown here - work more slowly and carefully.
As long as you use a good distilled mineral spirits, the brand doesn't matter so much. But no Liquin because Liquin is an alkyd based dryer, not an oil. You need an artist grade oil for this.
sdigiaco, my experience is exclusively with oil paint, so don't feel qualified to answer this. Perhaps someone who works with acrylics might have the answer.
Hello Dianne - I am working on an oil painting for last few months. I was trying to get the hair correct with multiple coats of paint(combination of raw umber, crimson red, Pthalo blue, Prussian blue). But in the last few weeks I noticed that the hair color changes to grey instead of black. I tried using ivory black to make it darker but the color changes to grey when dry. I tried removing all the layers of paint but could not remove them all. I am thinking that this problem is due to the multple coats of paint that I had already applied. Could you please suggest a fix?
Kartik, it might work out much better in future paintings if you solve the problems prior to doing the painting. I keep encouraging painters to do this. Musicians always work out a piece before performing it, but painters seem to not be willing to go through the needed preparation. Not seeing what you have in this painting thus far, it is difficult to know what to suggest, but why not try using complements. Alizarin crimson and pthalo green make a wonderful deep black when proportions of each in the mixture is balanced.
Darks tend to dry matte and lighter. If you oil out the painting like Diane shows here, the richness of your darks will come back. But when the painting dries again, they will lighten up. So when you’re done, apply a varnish, and the darks will come back and stay dark.
Any refined artist grade oil will work. Poppy oil is my favorite, but it hardly matters since the purpose is to feed the oil back into the painting where it has sunk in.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction thank you! I have Safflower oil at the moment, and this was such useful information, as I had no idea how and why this was important. 😊
I have been painting since I was young. I was the child that skipped recess and stayed after school, to happily work on an art project. As an adult, I am finally trying to get my art business really started. You make my heart happy, and are by far one of my favorite sources of education! God bless you!!! ❤❤❤
Thanks, Tuscan. Enjoy the journey!
Another great tip! Thanks a million Diane!👍🏼😊☕️
You are so welcome!
What a useful lesson. I was struggling with this and had no idea what to do. You’re a gift to so many. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
What great information. I have loads of rejects to work on!
Thank you ... i have a painting that has sat up for over a year and I am wanting to work on it again! Again Thanks ❤
My pleasure.
THANK YOU for this video! I started a painting 30+ yrs ago and had no idea how to prep it to start the finishing of painting on it!
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
I appreciate your videos Diane. It sure helps to get more into some technical things and stuff I have no idea about being a self taught painter. Have a most excellent day and I'll be back for more instructions 😊✨👍
Thanks for watching! And welcome aboard.
Most things professional are learned AFTER schooling, I always felt that schools teach "philosophies" not "techniques" when it comes to art. For this reason, I do not recommend "schooling" as an artist. I recommend pursuit!
What a great tip Diane. I recently got one of my Grandmother's paintings that appears to be a field sketch missing finishing layers, I now know how! She painted that one in 1949! Am sure she wouldn't mind me finishing it!
Go easy. It's a good idea on an old study like that to test out a corner first. If, as a field sketch, she might have used a solvent for thinner, the painting would have lost its integrity and will come off during the cleaning phase.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
Denatured alcohol is "hot" enough a solvent to remove the Damar varnish, and is not so hot as to damage the oil. After the Damar is removed, I switch from a rag or paper towel, they impart tiny amounts of lent or strands of hair to the canvas (even the "lent free" do). I use a 2" bristol brush in which I can scrub the surface without leaving any lent or hair. I push the dirt off to one side, then after I rinse the surface with distilled water, tilting it over the sink, or if it it too large, outdoors. Then a very light amount of linseed oil and thinner like you said brushed in using a thick round sable brush. I make sure to pre-dry the brush taking any excess off on a paper towel then practically dry brush the surface of the canvas. I do not paint over that for at least a day and if I have done this correctly, there will be no residue to wipe.
I enjoy your topics, they are always informative, and thoughtful of artist's needs, thank you!
Thanks for this info, Chris.
Thank you Dianne it sure is an advice many artists have been waiting for .
My pleasure.
Provided that the adjunct that "holds" the varnish is known, then that is actually the same solvent to remove the varnish. For me as a beginner painter but a veteran when it comes to grounds, I tend to use water, egg yolk, oil or turpentine as my foundations for pigment. I use Dammar as my varnish (dissolved with turpentine) and walnut oil for oil paint (dissolved with turpentine). My medium is either walnut oil or linseed oil. Glazing medium is a mix of walnut oil and dammar varnish (50:50). Before I add any paint whether as a glaze or as fresh paint, I prime the dry paint with a very light coat of walnut oil. Once it has been applied, I make myself a cup of coffee and then use a dry paper towel to lift the oil off so that it is "dry" and neither glistens nor feels slippery to touch. All I need to do is add a moisturiser to the substrate.
Can't pretend my work has any merit, but I know that I have used the finest materials, the best oils and has been finished to my ability at the time.
Thanks for sharing this process with us.
Thanks Dianne.
My pleasure.
Thanks! This is exactly what I needed to know! Great instruction!
Thanks.
Thanks for sharing this, Dianne!
Always a pleasure.
Thanks I have a few that I would like to rework, you're the best 😊
My pleasure.
Yes ma'am dear lady. Very informative very helpful! Very appreciated. Thank you. And God bless.
Thanks for watching!
I'm glad I found this video. Right now I have to go back my old painting, and now it will give me more experience for it. Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
So glad I use acrylics! No muss, no fuss and no harmful chemicals. I often paint over old class paintings (from my teaching days before the plandemic) . As always your tips on all subjects relating to painting are a great benefit to us artist. Thank you!
Wonderful! Keep loving the journey.
Love plandemic
How do you paint over old paintings?
@@reinamartinez-max5341 My paintings are done in acrylics which can be gessoed over and repainted.
@@1sacoyle THANKS
I really appreciate your many tips you offer for free! Thank you!!!
You are so welcome!
Thank you for another great tip! As usual, you are good as gold.
Thanks!
Wonderful! I did a week oil paint course. First time ever using oils. Painting dry, and need to finish it, not varnished, this is so helpful. Thankyou
My pleasure!
Thank you. I have always wondered how to go back into a used oil painting...this side has never been shown before. Thank you.
My pleasure.
Great comprehensive instruction. Beautiful painting in the background. I like this technical information which can be hard to find. Many thanks
My pleasure.
This is a precisely described procedure. Thank you so much! So far I only saw 50/50 explanations with a few unexplained parts which could create problems...
Thanks.
Than you Dianne, it is very helpful information. 🕊💥
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for your video, I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and skills to the world
My pleasure!
Thank you so much for all your valuable instructions. I needed this one.
My pleasure.
I do have one question: is it ok to, for instance, apply a glossy varnish directly over a satin varnish without first removing the satin varnish?
Thankyou for demonstrating this technique. It was very helpful❣️
You are so welcome!
I know I repeat myself, but you teach me an other usefull lesson. Thank you
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
thank you!!
You're welcome!
Wow, I’ve been painting over my old paintings all wrong these past 20 years!! I’ve never conditioned them, just painted right over them!🤪
Let's just hope they survive without any problems.
Thank you Dianne. This was a good tip , like always. I actually never found the need to paint over a dry painting. If I don't like it I take a new clean canvas , which is much easier :) One day I might try it tho if I run out of canvas . I don't consider glazing as painting over an dry painting , even if it is :D
Christer, I don't recommend doing a completely new painting over an old one. I know folks do this, but I think it's just too risky. And I agree that it's always a better choice to begin with a fresh canvas and move forward rather than spinning tires by correcting old stuff.
Thanks so much! Your Quick Tips are so helpful! Can't wait to try it!
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
Very good tip, not mixing the paint with the underlying muck and dirt.
When retaking a paint, after letting it dry for a week or a bit longer, I very thinly smear some linseed oil all over it to avoid the resulting shiny and matte patches.
That works.
Thx appreciate this!
You bet!
As an American living in France, I’m amazed at how in Europe, and I think the UK, Isopropyl Alcohol is hard to find but ethanol is widely available in stores in first aid sections where IPA would be found.
Whatever alcohol is used for humans should work. It could be called by a different name.
Very helpful and useful information, Dianne. I also recall you recommending spraying a thin layer of solution of gambol and poppy seed oil onto a dry painting when the painting is still in progress. Do you use linseed oil and gambol when the painting has dried for a longer period of time and the poppy seed for recently dried paint? What advantages exist for using poppy seed oil vs. linseed oil?
Thanks for that one, Grant. Poppy oil is slower drying than linseed oil and has less of a tendency to yellow. Beyond that either one works. The main reason I use poppy oil in my spray mixture is that it doesn't gum up the sprayer as fast as linseed does--purely practical.
Thanks, Dianne! I needed this!
My pleasure.
I had never heard about this "thirsty" business. Quite informative. Thanks for the video!
My pleasure.
What a great video. Very well explained. Thank you.
You're very welcome!
Great video!
Thanks!
very helpful thank you! and beautiful paintings
Glad you like them!
Thank you for the wonderful tips .
My pleasure. Thanks for being a Studio Insider member!
It's been 10 weeks - I'm new to oils and didn't realise there was a time constraint. I've only painted with acrylics before.
I wouldn't call this a time constraint. Because oil oxidizes whereas acrylic evaporate, the pigments within the two mediums behave a little different during drying.
@IntheStudioArtInstruction Here's what I mean by a "time constraint" - my friend attends art classes once per week and her work-in-progress remains in class and thus has 7 days to dry between painting sessions. I imagine that's fine for slow-drying colours like pthalo blue. But I have lots of other interests beside painting and may leave my unfinished work untouched for several weeks. So I'm trying to understand at what point I should regard my unfinished parts as having dried for long enough to warrant the cleaning and oiling out process as necessary before adding extra layers of paint.
Thanks Dianne. Can this procedure be used to simply revitalize a painting with the last step bring just a coat of new varnish?
Yes, provided the old varnish is removed.
Thank you for the wonderful lessons.May I ask you, how about an acrylic painting?
You don't have that problem with acrylic. When colors sink in acrylic, a coat of acrylic varnish will heighten them.
Dianne Thanks ever so much. I’m this is a great video and the information is just what I need. I started a painting 8 years ago paint when I can. I’ve been using old silk blouses as rags
Works great for this application.
Also is walnut oil ok to use?
Walnut oil is a really slow drying oil. Linseed oil works best because of that.
Does this method apply to acrylic paint pouring? Thanks so much for this lesson. 🎉⚘💯
No. The issue is brush-ability.
So helpful, thank you!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching, Lana.
Always discard the paint/oil/solvent cloths or gauze pads safely. They can be so flammable.
Thanks for adding that, Bobsie.
Thank you! That was really helpful!
My pleasure, Hellen. Thanks for watching.
Thank you so much for your informative videos! If only a small part of the painting needs to be reworked, does one have to put the 50/50 oil and Gamsol combination over the entire painting or just the area that needs attention? Thanks again.
The important thing is to keep the surface quality consistent. You can use this approach over a small area, but when that portion dries, you might have to follow through with either oiling that area or putting a coat of varnish over the whole painting.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Thanks so much
Excellent!!
Many thanks!
That was a great information! Thank you so much. What is the procedure for an acrylic painting? Looking forward to hearing from you!
Reina, not being an acrylic painter myself, I hesitate to address techniques for working with the medium. I assume, though, that dampening the surface with water would be the way to go.
I have a related question. What about a partially dry painting? One that you've been working on but have not finished and have to leave for 2-3 days. Part of it is dry and part of it is still wet. How would you prepare this for continuing to paint on it? Thanks!
Maggie, when the surface is dry to touch, you can slightly dampen it with a mist of 50/50 poppy or linseed oil and gamsol. Slightly is the key here. If it's too wet, the paint will melt, so going easy is a must. If perchance it does get to wet, you can gently lay a facial tissue on top of it to soak up the excess.
thank you Diane as always thoroughly explained top tip. my question is..would this process be the same for just cleaning an old painting please. thank you 😊
Yes, absolutely.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction great thank you Diane re cleaning is the last stage of applying oil still required thank you 😊
I imagine it wouldn't be necessary to go to this much trouble in the case of a very light wash of an underpainting that has fully dried before I get to paint over it?
Don, it depends upon how long it's been since you worked on it.
Thank you so much!!
My pleasure.
If a painting has only been sitting a few weeks to a month or so should this still be performed? What is the timeframe for needing to do this process? Thanks for all the great videos. They have really helped me improve!
Alan, this process applies to paintings that have been sitting for months and years. Oil paint oxidizes rather than evaporates, so very thick paint might stay soft under the surface for months. At any rate, unless dryers have been added to the paint, even though the surface might be dry to touch, it takes a long time for it to thoroughly oxidize because so little oxygen can reach past the surface.
All that having been said, I doubt it's necessary to go through the complete process after a month. However, it might need a bit of oil rubbed into the surface before adding fresh paint.
Can turpentine used instead of the mineral spirits? Many, many thanks for another greatly helpful Tip.
There is debate about that. Turpentine is made of a gum which can leave residue whereas mineral spirits is distilled, therefore will not leave residue.
I've a 100 or so abandoned oils which I decided to kill or cure at the start of 2021. I worked out that I needed to feed the painting oil or the new layer of paint would bead up when the new paint was applied. Now I really enjoying working into the slightly wet surface. Thing is, I later read somewhere that rubbing the surface with a cut piece of potato was another way to avoid the beading of fresh paint. Curious if you've ever heard or done this and curious to know your thoughts? Thanks for the content - always interesting.
No, I think it wise to avoid putting organic materials into the mixture.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction I came to the same conclusion. Sounds odd but so many things I read sound odd - like adding egg yoke or gum arabic. Think I'll stick to just using linseed oil. Thanks.
Thank you! Does the application of paint on the cleaned surface need to be thick? Remembering fat over lean..also does this apply if I wish to begin a new painting over the old surface..may I begin with thin viscosity of paint working up to thick.
Dawn, I don't advise doing a new painting over an old one. The risks are too many. As to fat over lean on dried paint, it depends upon how old the old paint is. Oil Paint oxidizes rather than evaporates, so if its really thick, it can take months, sometimes a couple of years, to thoroughly dry.
If you are wanting to re-use a canvas, its not a great idea, as stated, but a panel is different, if not more work. You always have the option of scrapping or sanding down the panel to remove the bulk of paint from the surface, and re-applying a gesso. On stretched canvas I would never bother, its far easier to re-stretch a new canvas.
Thank you Diane, that was very helpful. Can this method also be used for water mixable oils?
If you mean a painting done with water mixable oils, it should.
Many thanks for this and all your other valuable quick tips, Dianne. Just a question ... is there no danger to dissolve the dried paint in step one?
If the oil was applied in such a way that it holds its integrity, there is no danger. That means that the painter has used archival standards in applying the paint. If the surface layers have been thinned with a solvent, there IS a danger of taking away the paint. That danger would be there in any effort to clean it.
It is great video thanks🙏🙏
You’re welcome 😊
Thank you!
My pleasure.
Love your tip! So, can I use alcohol to clean before varnish?
Yes. Rubbing alcohol is excellent for taking away grime.
Is this like oiling in when the last layer of oil has dried? With oiling in do you let the oil sit like you demonstrated here? If you do let it sit which I haven't done but I always wipe the excess oil off, then it doesn't bead up which mine has done some in the past? I use walnut oil paint so I oil in with walnut oil.
Some say "oiling in", others say "oiling out". Same thing.
Geat video, thank you very much. Would I do this to the entire painting if I am only going to paint over some part of the painting?
Yes, I would advise it so that the entire painting's surface will have the same degree of reflective quality.
Thank you for this great video! Super helpful.
I only need to change on area on my unvarnished 2017 painting. Should I do this process on the entire painting or just the area I will be working on? I have seen others apply pure linseed oil and then wipe the excess when would ou recommend only linseed oil?
Nelida, to keep the surface quality consistent, it's best to do the entire piece.
Thank you!!!!!
You bet!
Thank you for a great ly informative video,Diane.I have 2 questions .One: Isopropyl.what strength? 99%?. My second query is about resuming painting after the process is done in your video.If there were 2 layers originally painted, would I continue to follow the fat over lean principle ?Thank you,William
William, any strength of rubbing alcohol will do the job, but avoid any kind of alcohol stronger than rubbing alcohol.
To your second question: fat over lean is used to prevent cracking of the surface layer of a painting. If a painting has been sitting for a year or more, most likely the layers underneath the surface layers are dry. In any case though, when applying fresh paint over dry, it is best not to use mediums to thin so that you don't have to worry about cracking later on.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction thank you Diane.
I never use varnish in a painting that is drying on my easel, I use alcohol to clean dust particles, than can apply my medium over the dry paint to continue the process of painting, I guess is the best proceedment, am I wrong ?
Conservators agree that varnish should never be used within the painting itself, but it serves as a wonderful protection for the finished painting as well as a heightener of colors. Always use a professional grade of varnish formulated for paintings.
Thank you so much for this Painting Tip! Again very, very useful! I have a question about how to continue with the oilpaint, do you have to ad a medium, or use the 50/50 mixture of refined linseed and Gamsol? Or does it depend on what you have used in the earlier layers?
Cynthia, if you are painting in oils, it's safest to use linseed oil because most likely, linseed oil is the binder in your oil paint. Thinning it with Gamsol enables it to go on more smoothly and prevents adding so much that your brush just slides around in the oil. The Gamsol evaporates quickly, so only the linseed oil is left on the surface. If the painting medium is composed of linseed oil and a solvent, then that should be safe enough.
As to using mediums containing other ingredients, my conservator would advise against that, but a non-purist will argue that it's okay.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Thank you very much for your clear answer! I really appreciate and am so happy to have found your great channel here! I am a big fan😃!
Very useful! One question, can you wash the gauze pads to reuse?
No. It's best to discard it.
What is safe to use on acrylic based canvases without risking damaging or taking off all the under paint? A lot of my older canvases got damaged as the place I go to make art a water pipe burst, I’m trying to fix them up I just don’t want to worsen the less damaged ones.
Seth, I am not familiar with all the acrylic materials since I don't use it to paint with. Perhaps someone who does work with acrylics will see your comment and respond.
Thanks for this important tip Dianne. If a painting has been sitting for only a few days and is just tacky to the touch, can it just be painted on top? I had an instructor who made me put Liquin on the spot that I needed to work on after it was dry for only a week. What do you think about doing that? Thanks
If the oil paint layers are thick, even though they might be dry-to-touch, they are still wet underneath. If we add on top of that a fast-drying layer, there is a danger of cracking down the road.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction thank you! I always trust your advice.
@@IntheStudioArtInstructionWhen I started to paint inglazes like the old masters, I've never had any more cracking problems ! Still experimenting with "oiling"!
Dianne, what is that white cloth called and where do you get it from?
Its common medical gauze like very soft cotton.
You can buy it anywhere-Walgreens, Target, etc. Gauze. Comes in different sizes.
Shafqat and Heidi gave you the answer. It's just plain ole gauze.
Hi Dianne, What gauze pads do you use? I have been looking for 'non-sterile' pads without succus, I've only found STERILE lint-free gauze pads that come individually wrapped. Have you a source or brand that you will recommend to me. Thank you. Another video of wisdom. Thank you.
Lolita, I purchase sterile gauze pads in bulk. The 3" x 3" ones work great and are available in bulk at most of the big box pharmacies. Or on Amazon where 100 pads are about $10 .
My "rejects rack" is reusable grocery bag. I call it my "shopping bag of shame."
That's clever, but there is nothing shameful about a painting not succeeding.
Hi Dianne,
Thank you for your excellent advice. I appreciate it if you share your thoughts about Gamvar. Is that true that it could be applied when an oil painting is already dried to touch? Let's say in 1-2 months?
According to conservators, the surface should have at least three months to dry prior to varnishing.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Gamblin has a good video on this subject and states that Gamvar can be used when the oil painting is dry to the touch... in my case 2-4 days.
Hello, Thank you for the video. I hope you could give me some advice. I just finished an oil painting. It is starting to dry, and already cracking. My style and techniques for painting in oils are not the traditional layers upon thin layers. I try to adhere to the fat over lean principle as much as possible but sometimes it is not practical while I am creating. Not sure this makes sense. Can I paint Liquin original from Winson&Newton over the cracking areas to give it more elasticity? I can mix some of the same color in also, but prefer not to do that. I do have refined linseed oil and thicker stand Linseed oil but do not want to give the painting any more "shine" when its dry.
That shouldn't happen if you're using artist grade oil paint on a receptive surface unless you mixed solvent into it or some other medium that's not compatible with oil. Oil paint doesn't dry by evaporation, but by oxidation of the oil used as the binder of the paint's pigment. If you mixed solvent into a layer that was put on top of a fatter layer, that could have caused the cracking. Mixing a solvent into oil paint makes it leaner rather than fatter.
Liquin won't give it more elasticity. In fact, I'm not aware of any method to reverse the oxidation of oils on a painting. I suspect your painting cannot be retrieved--sadly.
Artist grade oil paint is carefully formulated to work without adding mediums. The fat over lean principle applies to mixing mediums as you work, but is not necessary for alla prima work.
I painted and sold a landscape for someone in 1984 when I was only painting in acrylic.
Shortly after 1984, I started painting in oils, never going back to acrylic.
Recently this person came to me wanting me to clean the painting. It had gotten very dull
After all this time forgetting I had painted it in acrylic
I could see there was no varnish on the painting so I went right into cleaning it with alcohol
Yes, it's a mess now.
I'm not sure how to proceed from here? Any suggestions anyone?
Go back to acrylics which I would prefer not to do. Thanks.
Anne, alcohol is not compatible with acrylic, only oils. Since I haven't painted in acrylics since the 1970's, I dare not give advice. Google "How to clean acrylic paintings" to find what you need to do.
@@IntheStudioArtInstructionGood advice!
Hello there. I am really struggling with something. I had always thought of the concept of thick over thin as the liquidity of the paint. So I thought that adding oil to paint was thinning it. I now realize that I was technically thickening it by adding oil.
I painted a work over a year ago with this mistake and put a very oily base layer down, then used paint right out the tube ontop of that, the background is solid black and large areas of it have sunk while others parts are oily.
Because the work is so old I wanted to ask what the solution may be. Could I just add more layers of black? Do I need to try remove it using terps and repaint? Should I use the method you speak of in this video with a combination of mineral spirits and linseed oil or should I try add layers of varnish?
David, there is no safe way to liquify dried linseed oil. It oxidizes rather than evaporates, so it changes chemically. Your safest bet is to do nothing.
Great.... 👏👏👏👏🙏🙏
Thanks.
Putting isopropyl alcohol on an acrylic painting will destroy it. You should specify that these tips are for oil paintings.
Good point. Thanks.
Hi Dianne, what would happen if one painted on top of the Damar varnish ?
I use either retouch varnish or Liquin to finish off my paintings..
Barbara, all varnishes should be removed before going back into a painting, otherwise you risk potential for cracking down the road.
Also, let me add that conservators as well as Winsor and Newton advise against using Liquin as a varnish.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction
What about retouch varnish .. surly there wouldn't be a problem painting over that ...
What would happen to the painting, if you varnished without cleaning first?
You would seal in any dirt and grime that is on its surface.
Would you use alcohol to clean an acrylic painting?
No, because acrylic paint is soluble in alcohol. And you can clean acrylic paint from your pallet with alcohol.
I'd go with Rainer's response on this one.
@@rainerburmeister5758 Do you have any suggestions on how to go about cleaning an acrylic painting?
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Hello Qais Eee. We will make this possible for you when we can find the technology to do so. Thanks for being a follower.
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@@qaiseee2043 it means yes, but she needs to learn or find a way to translate it correctly first. Take care and have a good day
In the beginning, I didn't quite get the name of the other substance used to make that 50/50 mixture. Linseed oil and ?? was it some sort of turpentine?
Gamsol.
Thank you for letting me know. @@IntheStudioArtInstruction
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Doesn't have to be Gamsol, any high=grade refined artist's turpentine will do. But I would never pour it on as shown here - work more slowly and carefully.
03.18.2023 Thank you, I have some paintings taunting me to readdress a new layer.
Best of luck!
Can I substitute Turpinoid for Gamsol and liquid for the medium?
As long as you use a good distilled mineral spirits, the brand doesn't matter so much. But no Liquin because Liquin is an alkyd based dryer, not an oil. You need an artist grade oil for this.
How do you prep an acrylic painting that is dry?
sdigiaco, my experience is exclusively with oil paint, so don't feel qualified to answer this. Perhaps someone who works with acrylics might have the answer.
I was wondering the same thing.
Are these instructions appropriate for acrylic paintings?
No, this is a way to solve issues with oil paint. An acrylic varnish should serve best for acrylic paintings.
I saw the answer to this question but now I can't find it. What did you use to fill the cracks?
It's at 5:23 of the Tip--a 50/50 mixture of Gamsol and refined linseed oil.
Can you do the same for water mixable oils
The technique shown here pertains to traditional oil paints, not water soluble paints.
Hello Dianne - I am working on an oil painting for last few months. I was trying to get the hair correct with multiple coats of paint(combination of raw umber, crimson red, Pthalo blue, Prussian blue). But in the last few weeks I noticed that the hair color changes to grey instead of black. I tried using ivory black to make it darker but the color changes to grey when dry. I tried removing all the layers of paint but could not remove them all. I am thinking that this problem is due to the multple coats of paint that I had already applied. Could you please suggest a fix?
Kartik, it might work out much better in future paintings if you solve the problems prior to doing the painting. I keep encouraging painters to do this. Musicians always work out a piece before performing it, but painters seem to not be willing to go through the needed preparation.
Not seeing what you have in this painting thus far, it is difficult to know what to suggest, but why not try using complements. Alizarin crimson and pthalo green make a wonderful deep black when proportions of each in the mixture is balanced.
Darks tend to dry matte and lighter. If you oil out the painting like Diane shows here, the richness of your darks will come back. But when the painting dries again, they will lighten up. So when you’re done, apply a varnish, and the darks will come back and stay dark.
Hi, Dianne! Can I use an oil other than linseed, such as safflower?
Any refined artist grade oil will work. Poppy oil is my favorite, but it hardly matters since the purpose is to feed the oil back into the painting where it has sunk in.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction thank you! I have Safflower oil at the moment, and this was such useful information, as I had no idea how and why this was important. 😊
Can you use these techniques with acrylics knowing that they don't have oil in them?
No, Sharon. For acrylics, you need a water-based medium to dampen the surface.
@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Thank you. I figured water should be used but I am new to acrylics. Have painted with oil most of the time.
My paintings are done in acrylics which can be gessoed over and repainted.
Hi, you can paint oil over acrylics but never other way round.